Each Summer I try to read or re-read a literary classic. Last Summer I read Animal Farm for the first time. I was compelled by the dark allegory masked in a simplistic farm fable. I began to dig around for scripts, but didn't find any that captured both the child like characterization and the brutality of the story arc. So, I ended up taking pieces of scripts I like, adapting scenes from the book on my own, and making changes that better served the theatricality of the piece. I hope that I have pieced together a tale that honors Orwell's work.
2. As a majority of the actors are playing animals, what type of work have you done with them to create the essential elements of non-human behavior that are necessary to portray such creatures? I also understand they are using masks and stilts . How has that process been on both you as the director and your actors?
The wonderful thing about playing animals is the immediate and urgent quality in which they operate. Dogs don't worry about their super objectives, obstacles, tactics or emotional journey. They want food. They want to be pet. They want to run. They do not consider the consequences; they give over to the impulse. Through a series of rehearsals, workshops, and discussions, the actors have been able to peel back the usual layers of preparation to work simply, with specificity, and with a singular focus. For some of the animals, it is about nothing more than survival.
The stilts and masks were amazing additions to the aesthetic of the piece. They of course posed their own set of concerns as stilt work and mask work requires time. I definitely underestimated the amount of time I would need to rehearse these elements. I am lucky to have professional and resilient actors. Even without enough time, they made it happen and pulling it off with ease.
3. From 2008 to Spring of this year, you were an MFA candidate here at TheatreVCU and immediately after you were hired as a faculty member. How have you grown as an artist in the past two and a half years here and are there any colleagues here that you credit some of your success to?
I have had, and am continuing to have an incredible experience at VCU. To spend my days surrounded by students and colleagues who care about craft, hunger for truthful expression, and graciously share their talents is a gift. Evolution is fluid; I feel myself evolving every day as an artist, teacher, and person.
4. What is next for you after Animal Farm? In the coming years, do you plan to continue primarily focusing on directing or are you interested in getting back into acting?
I am always interested in getting back into acting. I think it is important that I talk the talk and walk the walk. I can't teach it if I am not doing it. So, once a year I try to act in something. I get offers from friends all over the country to work on theatre and/or film projects they are producing. I always hope to keep my Summer and Winter schedules free so I can take advantage of those opportunities. In terms of directing, I have a lot of projects brewing in my mind. I am playing around with a modernization of a Moliere piece I have been dying to do, I have been wanting to direct O'Neill's Desire Under The Elms for years. I'm toying with throwing a Judith Thompson play next semester. It is very dark, gritty, violent...I am still thinking about it. We'll see.
5. What sort of advice do you have for your students (current and past) as they begin to graduate and face the prospects of entering the global theatrical community?
That if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. This is a hard business, you can't change that...but you CAN change how you view it and interact with it. Stay positive, work hard, and don't let fear rule you.
Final reflection: Animal Farm was a wonderful experience for me. It was definitely a risk; masks, stilts, animals...this was all new to me. But, art isn't about playing it safe...it felt good to push my directing boundaries...I hope I always push. I certainly can't expect my students to be brave and climb out on that theatrical limb if I am not willing to do so myself.
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