This semester, the Dean College School of the Arts has still been active in creating performance opportunities for students. They have created a series entitled "Werk Your Craft." The School of the Arts is producing 28 staged readings of contemporary plays over Zoom in fourteen weeks. Everything is student run with one faculty advisor. From directing to stage managing to design to performing, it is all run by the students. I had the opportunity to direct for the first time through this program, and I had a blast! I had the pleasure of directing August: Osage County by Tracy Letts which premiered on October 17, 2020.
This cast and crew was AMAZING to work with! First, I have to thank my incredible stage manager Heather Pape. She was always so organized, supportive, and just a great person to work with. Next, I have to thank the cast. They were so hardworking and so ready to dive into this show, even in a completely different format. They put their hearts into this project and gave it everything they had, and I am so thankful to have worked with each and every one of them.
Directing a staged reading was the perfect first directing experience. It allowed myself and the cast to focus solely on the characters, the actions, and the themes of the play. This play is filled with ideas and themes to play with, but the one we focused in on was the battle for control. Every character in this play is grasping at a chance for control over their own life. Some character's needs for this directly coincide with others. For example, Vi and Barb both want control over themselves and everyone else in their lives, especially each other. That is what creates such friction over them, and Violet's addiction only aggravates this issue which strengthens the need for control.
Something I strive to do with my work is to spark conversation on contemporary issues. If I change the way one person thinks about the world, I have done my job. This show deals with the real and raw issue of addiction. We currently have an opioid epidemic occurring in this country, especially in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Addiction is not as easy and simple as saying it's a choice and ignoring the fact that the brain physically changes and develops a dependency on this substance. If the person decides to stop one day, they will experience withdrawal symptoms. Think about not having your daily cup of coffee in the morning. You could experience headache, nausea, irritation, and other symptoms of withdrawal because your body has become addicted to caffeine. According to the article "Easy to Get Hooked On, Hard to Get Off" published in Health Magazine, caffeine is at a 70% addiction rate while Valium, which is one of the substances Vi likes to take, is at an 80% addiction rate (Hastings). This play showcases the reality of substance abuse and reveals that nothing is black and white. Everything has a grey area, including addiction.
This play is a Pulitzer Prize winner for a reason. It shows the reality of addiction and how it affects a family. The battle for control drives the action of the show. The characters are incredibly fleshed out and well developed, the audience feels for them. I am so proud to have this show be my directorial debut, and I will always be thankful to tell this story with this cast and crew.
Yorumlar