A Conversation with Playwright/Actress Lani Harms, "Reservoir Dolls", The Broadwater Studio, Hollywood Fringe, by James Scarborough

In "Reservoir Dolls," Lani Harms delivers a sharp, meta-theatrical solo comedy that cleverly enters Quentin Tarantino's bloody cinematic universe. As both writer and performer, Harms tells the story of Atlanta Springfield, a barefoot call girl who suddenly realizes she's trapped in Tarantino's tenth and final film and must flee for her life while meeting the director's previous female characters.

The concept compels because it works as both homage and critique. By making her protagonist self-aware in this male-dominated world, Harms examines how women survive in hostile environments. The show balances irreverent humor with pointed commentary, using Tarantino's own style - graphic violence, profanity and pop culture references - to explore questions about gender representation.

Under Laurie Magers' direction, the production benefits from collaboration between two artists well-versed in sketch comedy and performance. Harms' background in UCB, The Groundlings, and traditional theater training gives her the versatility to play multiple characters while keeping the story moving. This solo performance offers both entertainment and commentary on what it takes to survive as a woman in worlds designed by and for men.

Below follows an email conversation with Lani Harms.

JS: As both playwright and performer, what inspired you to filter the experience of womanhood through the specific lens of Tarantino’s cinematic universe rather than another director’s work?

LH: The inspiration for this show actually started with Tarantino. I grew up watching his movies with my older brother and my dad, and when I went to college, talking about Tarantino films became a handy way to meet guys. So I always felt I had an earned authority on the topic of Tarantino and appreciated the window into “boy world” that his movies gave me access to.

A couple years ago I created this character “Atlanta Springfield” who is basically a generic woman in a Tarantino film. When I expanded that character and started exploring the other women of Tarantino’s films, I realized that gender and masculinity not only plays a huge role in his films, but in the culture surrounding Tarantino, much like how my own experience with his films helped me relate to men.

So as a writer, that felt like very fertile ground to explore what it means to be a woman in this male-dominated world. And as a performer, I was just really excited to get out of my comfort zone and play some angry, profane, horny women.

JS: Your character Atlanta Springfield suddenly realizes she’s in a Tarantino film and meets women from his previous works. What challenges have you faced in portraying multiple distinct characters who exist in different cinematic realities?

LH: Well, the nice thing about Tarantino is all of his characters exist within the same cinematic universe, or as his fans call it the “Tarantinoverse.” And his dialogue always feels like Tarantino, whether we’re in a South Bay video store or WWII Europe. So even though all of these characters exist in different realities, they all pretty much make sense together in a room.

But the biggest challenge has been writing dialogue in Tarantino’s style (Royale with Cheese, the “Like a Virgin” debate, the tavern scene, etc), which is mainly ensemble based and so personal to him, and translating that into solo monologues that are personal to me.

Ultimately, I focused on how I related to these characters and the material and had that inform the writing process more than trying to mimic his style, which has led to some interesting themes I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

JS: The premise suggests a meta-awareness that breaks the fourth wall in interesting ways. How do you balance paying homage to Tarantino’s distinctive style while also critiquing the gender dynamics within his films?

LH: When I first started writing this show, I made a point not to write to a “critique” of Tarantino. I wanted to organically see what came up for me while watching his movies and focusing on his female characters. It wasn’t until I was in the later stages of the writing process and doing some more research on Quentin Tarantino as a figure that I started seeing how much controversy over gender, masculinity, and violence has surrounded him his whole career.

I began to feel intimidated about writing this show. For audiences who love him, I felt the pressure to “get it right,” and for those that hate him, I felt the pressure to “take him down.” But truthfully, I’m not interested in either of those paths. I’m more interested in how Tarantino relates to the women he writes, and how they feel about him in turn. So I mostly use Atlanta’s story to channel those complicated feelings I’ve felt writing this show, and the other characters to celebrate the movies I love.

JS: Your background spans UCB, The Groundlings, Moscow Art Theater School, and Fordham’s theater program. That’s quite a diverse training experience. How have these different approaches to performance shaped your creation and portrayal of these characters?

LH: In terms of writing, all my training comes from UCB and The Groundlings, which influenced me the most in creating these characters. UCB teaches you to zero in on one specific thing about a character and blow that out for comedy, and the Groundlings teaches you how to turn those caricatures into characters. Now that I’m diving into rehearsals, it’s very important to me that my performances feel as grounded and as authentic as they would be in a Tarantino film, and that’s where my training at Fordham and MXAT comes in handy.

I’m very grateful for my traditional theater and comedy training, because they inform each other in important and unexpected ways, and I wouldn’t want to have trained in one without the other.

JS: Beyond the entertainment value, what do you hope audiences take away from “Reservoir Dolls” about navigating predominantly male spaces, whether in film or the broader world?

LH: I hope that people leave feeling empowered to navigate any space that brings them joy, regardless of how they fit into the predominant demographics of that space. I want people to feel the freedom to like what they like and let all the other chatter go away. Because a lot of different people who look a lot of different ways can enjoy an awesome katana fight.

JS: How has your collaboration with director Laurie Magers shaped the development of the show, particularly in the physicality and staging for a solo performance with multiple characters?

LH: Laurie has been essential for this show. She’s a sketch comedy guru, and she also has her own solo show, Do You Accept These Charges? in the Hollywood Fringe Festival. So I’ve been able to reap the rewards of her recent experience developing that show and her sharp eye for keeping stage pictures and scenes dynamic with only one person on stage. She has also been a great help in distilling the many, many ideas I’ve wanted to put into this show into a punchy 30 minute comedy.

Performances are:

Saturday, June 7, 2025, 12:30 PM

Friday, June 13, 2025, 6:30 PM

Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 9:30 PM

Sunday, June 22, 2025, 4:00 PM

Saturday, June 28, 2025, 8:00 PM.

Tickets are available starting May 1st.

The Broadwater Studio is located at 1078 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, California 90038.

For more information, click here.

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