What is your role on this production? Director What does that entail? Much research of the time period, music, area in Mississippi where the play takes place, literary references made and any other references which may be obscure or not familiar to the actors, of Tennessee Williams himself and how his life is played out in his plays. I also need to KNOW the play inside and out and have clear ideas about the characters, their personalities and relationships as informed by the text. The director needs to have a clear vision of the play and be able to communicate this to the various designers in a language which they understand. In short the director is responsible for understanding the text and giving the directions necessary to all in order to bring that text to life on the stage.
I have been blessed with a tremendous cast and production team for Summer and Smoke. I can honestly say that every rehearsal has been a joy to attend as I watch the actors explore and develop their characters and relationships. I have also really enjoyed working with my daughter as the assistant director. As we both share such a deep connection with this play from our days at the Shaw Festival this opportunity to work together on a play we love so deeply is a very special gift for both of us.
What drew you to this show? I saw this play performed at the Shaw Festival in 2007. This was not a play by Williams that I knew; however, I was so viscerally struck by the play that after the performance I needed to find a quiet bench to sit and compose myself before carrying on with the other theatre adventures that my daughter and I had planned. I found the play poignantly rich in depicting the missed chances of two people who really needed to join in order to complete each other. I knew after seeing Summer and Smoke at the Shaw Festival that I wanted to try my hand at bringing Alma and John to Edmonton audiences.
What is your background in theatre? I hold Bachelor and Master's degrees in Education with a double major in Drama and English. I have taught Drama for over 30 years, produced numerous theatre evenings, wrote plays for my students, directed and acted in Fringe productions and for Stage Struck! (the adult one act Edmonton Regional festival) and have written numerous educational videos. I have attended many theatre workshops and classes with such professionals as Jim DeFelice, Scott Swan, James MacDonald, Trevor Schmidt, Sandy Nichols, Bradley Moss, Daniel MacIvor, Marty Chan, Marianne Copithorne, David Storch, Vern Theissen, and Stephen Heatley. At Walterdale? I have been a stage manager,dresser, assistant director and actor in several Walterdale productions. (Children of a Lesser God: actor, Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: stage manager, Lend Me a Tenor: dresser, Perfect Pie, assistant director, Much Ado About Nothing: actor and Albertine in Five Times: actor.
* Photo above from Albertine in Five Times: Douglas Douglas
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