the nashville theatre lost and found
OPEN A NEW WINDOW
MOTHERHOOD: THE MUSICAL
Tennessee Woman's Theatre Project
21 May, 2008
"Usually when I start getting heavy, I just get pregnant again - because it's so much easier than going on a diet."
It may have just been a reading, but the folks who gathered at The Looby Theater last night couldn't have cared less. I don't know when I have heard an audience laugh so hard or as much as they did at the truly witty collection of songs which local songwriter Sue Fabisch has fashioned into the delightful tale of three friends giving a baby shower for a first time mother - and giving her the low down on about embarking upon the throes of motherhood.
Fabisch takes what seems like an obvious move for a Nashville songwriter, and puts 18 brilliant songs by herself and her songwriting partners in to a book musical. The premise of the baby shower is perfect for this assortment of “wigged out mommies” to vent the spectrum of joys and frustrations that come with motherhood.
Most of the numbers - MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY; IF I HAD TIME; I NEED A WIFE; OOPS, I'M PREGNANT AGAIN - are just flat out funny because they are so grounded in reality. A couple of pieces - DANNY'S MOM; MY SISTER - got everyone all misty, and the closing number - WHEN THE KIDS ARE GROWN - just plain out moved everyone to tears.
The characters and their different takes on motherhood were beautifully portrayed by an amazing cast of local actresses. As Barb, Lynda Cameron-Bayer was off the hook as the cynical mother of six. Cameron-Bayer has a way with both vocal and facial antics which on their own were worth the trip to the theater, but her rendition of DANNY'S MOM really tugged at the heart strings and almost (ALmost) made me wish I had kids.
Jewel Lucien, as Jenna, single mother of two, was somehow also the sanest and most grounded of the four, serving as the "straight man" for everyone else's kookiness. Her baby shower gift was a blanket knitted by her late sister and the song that comes out of that was one of the most poignant moments of the evening. Lucien, who comes out of a gospel background, has a stunning voice and her recent turns in DREAMGIRLS, CHICAGO and SWEENY TODD have shown that she has the acting chops to go with the voice and make her a major asset to Nashville's musical theater scene.
Janna Landry, as Catherine, the wealthy mom who had the benefit of nannies and housekeepers, was outrageous, and her lament OOPS I'M PREGNANT AGAIN (hysterically choreographed by Ruth Rosen) gave us a sense of the shows potential for an over the top good time.
As Julie, the first time mother to be, Kymberlee Thompson makes the role her own. She has a sweet voice and a vacuous deadpan which blossoms into emotion in a way that captures all the naivete and expectation of a young girl who hasn't had to deal with diapers and poo and scouts and ballet classes, but just can't wait to be a mother.
MOTHERHOOD - THE MUSICAL is a great good time and the reading - part of the Tennessee Women's Theater Project's Women's Work Showcase - was a savvy first step. And, in a very Oprah like moment, as we were exiting the theater, everyone in the audience got a mom-friendly microwaveable pouch of Ragu traditional tomato basil pasta sauce. Shows like this aren't just art or entertainment - they are also commercial enterprises that if properly approached have the potential to serve as serious marketing tools for sponsors from all levels.
Readings of new plays are the backbone of the New York theater scene, because they bring the writers' friends and associates into the project at the ground level and leave everyone waiting on pins and needles to see what will happen next with the show. Fabisch has done a super job of creating a property with an almost unstoppable future and undeniable potential for success. MOTEHRHOOD should be seen by all Nashville songwriters who have a drawer full of good material which no one is going to pitch to Reba but which deserve a better fate than the trash bin. It's not just a great show - it's a landmark show, one which should serve as a model for both the songwriting and theater communities here in Music City USA and will hopefully inspire a whole new era in the cultural evolution of our city. The smartest thing Nashville could do right now is get behind this artist and her show and PUSH!
just listening to some jaz...
REVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
VIENNA WAITS
An Interview with Jeffrey Williams
28 August, 2008
JAZ: What role did theater play in your childhood?
Jeffrey: Theatre was an early influence on me. I was in my first show at nine years old, and when the bug bit me it never lost its strength. I can't say I was really all that GOOD at it through high school and everything, and with a lack of training in acting itself, it was never at that point something that I could use as emotional therapy or helpful objectivity about myself while in character, as it is for me now. But the time I had back then to just relax on the stage and have fun and start the learning process was invaluable.
JAZ: Tell us about your evolution as an artist.
Jeffrey: Well, I guess my "evolution as an artist" starts with music as a very small child. I started piano lessons when I was 4, and have played basically nonstop since then. From a very early age, the gift of music was an art for me beyond what I think it may be for most average 4 or 5 year olds, and I always loved just sitting down and expressing myself, so I suppose that's the beginning of my evolution. From there, I just following my curiosities and my interests and my opportunities, and began to find new outlets of expression, like singing and acting and writing. Once I started getting training in all those fields, I just couldn't help but fall more and more in love with them, and I'm always trying to find new and interesting ways to combine my arts and make them one unified product, embracing the differences between them all.
JAZ: What inspired "VIENNA WAITS"?
Jeffrey: "VIENNA WAITS" was inspired by a few things, actually. I've been a Billy Joel fan for years, and have always felt a connection to his music, not only because he's a pianist who sings and writes and I am too, but because I so admire the constant honesty and love with which he approaches his music and lyrics, and because his musicality and theoretical skills are incredible. So that was the beginning of inspiration. The next step, which I vividly remember, was when I was on a road trip by myself a few months back, and I had my iPod shuffling through every song Billy Joel has ever recorded, and one of my favorites, "Captain Jack," came on, and I was singing along. Before I knew it, I was so engrossed in the man singing the words of the song, and I had what I consider to be the best acting moment of my life to date, and I thought, "There has got to be some way to translate this character onto the stage, and not just in a concert setting." The third step was when I was sitting with my friend Anne-Geri' Fann out on her patio this summer, and mentioned that experience and we started brainstorming. After that night I kind of put the show on the back burner until I got a call from her several weeks later surprising me with a venue and date booked for the show, thus motivating me to get into action and actually have it written in time to put it up!
JAZ: What are your thoughts on Nashville as a theater town?
Jeffrey: Nashville has a pretty cool theatre scene, at least the parts of it in which I've been involved. We have so many different companies with so many different goals and missions, and it seems that most of them work together fairly well. There is a lot of mutual respect for people among companies, and companies are not afraid or hesitant to share actors. I think we all just love the theatre and appreciate what it does for the community as a whole, and I love being able to work with all the different people and see the differences and similarities in how we do things. Most of all, though, is just the feeling, like I said, of mutual support and respect, and I hope that in "Vienna Waits" there will be just one more production to add to Nashville's stellar list that touches someone, or inspires someone, or just plain entertains them.
SWEENEY TODD REVIEW
Donelson Senior Center
As for SWEENEY TODD - well, if you're longing for Broadway you don't have to wait til you take that vacation next year, so save your money. For a mere $20.00 you can catch a show - and dinner! - right here in Nashville that would be the envy of any Broadway producer. Over the past five years, producers Kaine Riggan and John Lassiter have shown us that there are no barriers to producing great shows here in Nashville, but this incredible production catapults their endeavors into a whole new ball park. The cast they have assembled here consists of the finest talent Nashville has to offer. On a scale of one to ten, veteran superstar Dan McGeachy ranks in at 10 as the demented and driven barber whose cut throat obsession with revenge becomes the horror of London town. And Jewel Lucien, as his twisted sidekick, pie lady Lovett, deserves a 15. Both McGeachy and Lucien have beautiful voices, So, for that matter does the entire cast, who tackle this difficult and demanding score with beyond professional ease under the musical direction of Jeff Hall and his ensemble of dedicated musicians - a small miracle, considering that Hall, who replaced original musical director Mark Beal, had only three weeks to pull this together. Recognition is also due to young Daniel Vincent, as the devious Adolpho Pierelli, who juggles two accents, sometimes in the same sentence, and at one point lets go with a beautifully sustained note that would have brought Metropolitan Opera audiences to their feet with cries of "Bravo" Greg Grimsley as the villainous Judge Turpin, joins rank with Boris Karloff in his portrayal of disquieting evil, and Ron Cushman, as his mincing and obsequious Beadle Bamford, kept us all giggling throughout the evening. Nancy Hawthorne, as the damsel in distress, has another voice to be reckoned with, as does young Ben Gregory in the role of her sailor suitor, Anthony Hope. The stunning set by Ling Tee Hailey, shows that there are no limits to what can be done, as she accommodates every challenge of this demanding story with more than finesse.
The only flaws with this landmark production are that it's closing in a couple of weeks and that it probably wasn't marketed to tourists. This is the kind of thing we need for our out of town visitors to be hooking up to.
FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW WASN'T ENOUGH
Kenny Dozier's production of FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW WASN'T ENOUGH was a delight for everyone who attended. This dinner theater event at The Inspiration Center on Rosa Parks Boulevard presented a charismatic cast of eight of Nashville's finest young actresses in an elegant venue which is going to provide Nashville with an intriguing and exciting alternative to the traditional theater space as we move forward with the history of the theater in our town. The play itself was an almost mystical compilation of monologues by legendary African American playwright Ntozake Shange, reflecting a diversity of African American women and their experiences. Director Stella Reed brought her own gracious voice to the evening with her addresses to the sold out house. Reed made excellent use of this amazing space in the staging of the piece. Promises of more events of this kind at the Inspiration Centre in the months ahead, when the weather will allow things to move outside as well, are something for all to look forward to. The Centre and the neighboring Watkins College of Art are bringing new life to the once troubled North Nashville mall where they are located, with its man made lake and inviting promenade. If you haven't visited the Inspiration Centre yet, check it out at www.theicentre.com or drive out and check in with Centre owner Jerry Davis. And keep your eyes and ears open for future performances by cast members Andrea Campbell, Elan Crawford, Keisha Cunningham, Jene India, Shayla Noel-Spaulding, Fiona, Antonia Tyus and Candy Robbins.
GEE WHIZ! Don’t miss MILLIE!
by Jaz Dorsey & Trudy S. Gordon
THOUROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE is a swell show. In fact, it's DA BOMB.
What a mammoth task it is to double-cast each lead player and flip flop performance nights! Whereas one audience may see Mallory Gleason as a thoroughly winning Millie one performance night, another audience may see Paige Salter as a charming, funny, unstoppable heroine who comes to NYC from Kansas to discover what it really means to be a “modern.” Both reviewers saw a different cast and though the rest of the ensemble merit equal kudos and deserve mention by name - their names are all right there in the program, which is definitely one for the scrapbook.
The undisputed highlight of this Belmont production is the choreography. Choreographer Anne McAlexander has done her job and then some, and the 38 students of Belmont's musical theater program who make up the cast don't miss a step - or a gesture. To say that the dancing is flawless almost isn't enough, and Franne Lee's enchanting costumes dance as brilliantly as the actors wearing them, flapper fringe and all. Both Chinese versions of "Mammy" were to die for.
Of course, the music from MILLIE makes everyone want to get up and dance. The score embodies all the madness of the Roaring 20's and, under the musical direction of Celest Myall, the orchestra - again all Belmont students - perform with Broadway panache - and then some. Paul Gatrell's set is perfect and Belmont's incredible Troutt Theater has all the machinery to accommodate the relentless set changes with almost mystical ease.
Just for the record, the house is always packed. The theater curriculum at Belmont isn't just training students - it's educating Nashville not only about what theater is but also about what makes theater work, not just on the stage but also in the community. By putting it's young actors on the front line, Belmont sets an example which Nashville's other Universities should take seriously.
As for Marjorie Halbert, the show's director and director of Belmont's musical theater program, she is surely one of Nashville's greatest treasures. Her direction of MILLIE deserves a standing ovation, but more importantly her dedication to her art as reflected in the training she is providing to these young performers should earn her a chapter in the history of American musical theater. If there is a finer program of this sort anywhere else in the country. I haven't heard of it. Belmont has raised the bar for theater in Music City USA. And then some.
GARY HOFF SHOWS US HIS UNDERPANTS
An interview with the Tennesse Rep's Gary Hoff
[Jaz] What role did theater play in your childhoold?
[Gary Hoff] Growing up in a rural farm community in the Thumb Area of Michigan, there was not of theatre to be had. My earliest memory was being cast as Scrooge in a Classroom production of "A Christmas Carol" when I was in 4th Grade. It was little more of a staged reading for parents, but it was the start of my love for theatre. From then on I participated in every production that came along (which wasn't many). Our High School did one show a year and as soon as I was old enough I did those as well. They were mostly musicals, so my first big role was Motel Kamzoil in "Fiddler on the Roof.” As usually happen in High School production, anyone who had any artistic talent at all was recruited to help with the set. From that time on, I knew I would be doing theatre in one form or another for the rest of my life.
[Jaz] Tell us about your won evolution as a theater artist.
[Gary Hoff] Where I grew up, theatre was not even a consideration for a career. Theatre was something you did for fun, not a job. With that in mind, I went off to college at Central Michigan University with the idea that I would major in Commercial Art and do some theatre on the side. In my Sophomore Year, a good friend went into the Bachelor of Fine Arts Program in Technical Theatre. After much convincing by my friend and talking to my parents, I decided to also join the program. It was a very intense program and I learned many skills that I used to this day, but it was a overall program and didn't concentrate on any one aspect (i.e. Scenic Design). I did get the opportunity to set design for a couple shows while at Central and really enjoyed the process. When graduation rolled around, I was at a loss to what I should do next. Luckily for me one of the largest community theatres in the country, the Kalamazoo Civic Players in Kalamazoo Michigan, were near and they had on Intern Program. I applied and was accepted at a Scenic Design Intern. I was completely clueless as to what I was getting into when I got to the Civic. The Civic was producing 19 shows in a season and I was expected to design five plus work on all the rest. It was a trial by fire and somehow I survived and even thrived. I found that I had an innate gift for scenic design. I had found my calling. The skills that I learned at my time at the Civic have been invaluable. The Civic turned out very high quality productions at a mind boggling fast pace. I stayed with the Civic two seasons and then left to become the Resident Scenic Designer for the Chattanooga Little Theatre (now the Chattanooga Theatre Centre). I can't say that it wasn't stressful and difficult at times, but I had a great time designing at the Little Theatre and met some really great people who are my friends to this day. After nine seasons with the Little Theatre, I decided that if I was going to get a Master Degree in Scenic Design I better do it (I wasn't getting any younger). Because of my years of work, many schools didn't want me for their programs. I finally settled on Purdue University which is where I got my Masters. While I was at school, the Little Theatre remodeled their entire building and once I had graduated they asked my back to be their Resident Scenic Designer (much to the dismay of my professors). It was great to be in a new facility. In my second season at the Theatre Centre, someone I had worked with back at the Kalamazoo Civic Players called and said he had just taken a job with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre and would I consider joining the company as their Head of Design/Resident Designer. That man was David Grapes. I was shocked by the offer. I had never actually designed for David while I was at the Civic and was surprised he even remembered me. I started with the Tennessee Rep in 1999 and have been with them ever since. The Rep was a great fit for me. Not only did it allow me to design a wide variety of shows (which I love), but also allowed me to be hands on and create scenic and property pieces. I love to be part of the creation process. If I only got to sit at a drafting table and draw out the designs, I would not be nearly as happy. I am proud to be part of a theatre family that produces high quality theatre.
[Jaz] What is the designers process - and how will the audience be able to enjoy information about your process when the see THE UNDERPANTS?
[Gary Hoff] My process always starts with the script. It is vitally important to understand the script and what the playwright intended. Then I meet with the Director and the other members of the design team to discuss how we may want to do our productions. We are always looking for a unique and interesting way to design each show. We strive to create a production that is unique for Nashville audiences. Through lots of discussion, we flesh what we want to achieve with the production and then find ways of doing it with scenery, costumes, lights, etc. Some shows are very straight forward as to their needs and some shows are much more open to interpretation. After we decide the direction a production will take, I begin to research all aspects of the production (period detail, color, furniture, etc.) I have a pretty large research library of my own, but also use the public library for source material. But books are not the only source for research; I can also look to magazines, movies, actual locations and a variety of other area to pull my research. My goal to strike an emotional cord with the audience and help them to fully appreciate the production (whatever it takes to do that). Once that is done and OK'd by the director I draft the production. Every aspect of the set needs to be drafted in precise detail so it can be built and fit together properly. Once the set drafting's are handed over to the Technical Director, I begin the work on all the detail pieces and painting of the set. I also choose and design the properties along with or Properties Assistant.
Our final production will be THE UNDERPANTS by Steve Martin. This show fall into the category of productions that can take a lot of different directions in look and style. We looked at a number of productions for across the country and we felt they looked too serious and not nearly fun enough. We wanted a completely fun and colorful production. As the director Lane Davies put it, "Like Disney tried to do a realistic set and didn't quite make it". The play is set in Germany in 1910, so that was my jumping off point for research. After looking at a lot of information, I came up with the idea of making the set look like a giant Bavarian Cuckoo Clock. Since the production will be in the Polk Theatre at TPAC, I need to have a look that would fill the large stage space. It gave the set a sense of whimsy and allowed for great freedom in picking colors and detail. I also drew on traditional German stencil work for a lot of the detail decoration (over 30 different stencils were used to create the look). All the stencils had to be custom made for the show. This will be a production like you have never seen before (even if you have seen THE UNDERPANTS a number of times).
What does it take to construct a set (like maybe a bigger set shop?)
[Gary Hoff] Once I have a show drafted, it goes to our Technical Director, Jonathan Hammel, to begin building the show. I thoroughly enjoy the building process, but there are a few of things that make it kind of tricky. For one, we moved out of our shop space on Chestnut Street to our new location on the Nashville Public Television Compound. It is certainly a much nicer facility, but much, much smaller than our Chestnut location. We have at least two thirds less shop space than we had before. For especially large shows such at THE UNDERPANTS in makes it very challenging. We have had to become very creative in using the space. Since the shop space is also where I have to paint the shows, it becomes vital the Jonathan and I determine when and in what order pieces get built and finished. We hire carpenters to help build the show, but much less than we used to simple because there is no room to put them. Because of this lack of space, I never see all the parts of a show at one time until we get to TPAC. We often have to stop a build just to let me paint the set (not the most efficient way to do it, but we really don't have much of an option). Almost all of our materials (wood, hardware, steel, paint) come from local suppliers.
The second issue is that all of our scenery has to be loaded onto a truck and taken down to TPAC for assembly. All the scenery needs to break down for transport and then be put back together with as little additional work as possible. I really miss the days when I was in a theatre where the scene shop was in the same building. It makes such a difference to be in the same place so if you want to change something or fix something you do it and don't have to transport it to somewhere else. As anyone who parks in downtown Nashville knows, once you have found a parking space downtown you don't want to give it up. The issue is compounded when we are performing in The Johnson Theater. To load into Johnson, you have to take a State run elevator and scenic pieces can't be over eight feet. This makes for some interesting assembly.
During the construction process, I am mainly responsible for painting, finishing, any specialty pieces, and properties that are needed. It has been great having Jonathan on board, since he also enjoys doing the specialty pieces, For instance, Jonathan built all the custom furniture for our production of THE GOAT. We have also built a number of really fun pieces for THE UNDERPANTS.
And lastly, there is always the issue of budget. We take great pride in creating shows that look expensive, but were actually done on a shoe string budget. This takes a lot of thinking outside the box in terms of picking materials, construction and methods of finishing. I have great fun finding everyday materials and using them in new ways. I get a lot of ribbing about my use of Caulk, Hot Glue and Contact Paper, but it works and I have fun doing it. Of course we would love larger budgets, but I still love creating really cool looking things from odds and ends.
What role do you see Nashville playing in the future of the American Theater?
[Gary Hoff] With the growth of Nashville and the diversity of population, I would love to see it become a leading city for Theater. Unfortunately, it is a hard fought battle to make the people of Nashville see that really great theatre is already happening in their city. I have been designing in Tennessee for almost 20 years and I am always amazed at the attitude that good theatre must come from somewhere else (like New York or Chicago) People have no problem in believing that great music can come out of Nashville, so why not theatre? There is great potential and are have great hope that one day it will happen.
AN INTERVIEW WITH JIM REYLANDS
by Jaz Dorsey, 05 June 2009
One great addition to the Nashville theater scene is Writer's Stage, located at 1008 Charlotte Ave, about 1/4 mile west of the downtown TSU campus. Artistic Director Jim Reyland got some local developers behind him and now has a venue that is dedicated to doing the business of the theater by presenting new works in development. I asked Jim to tell us about himself and what he is doing. Below is his response:
JAZ: What role did theater and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
I grew up singing to my dads Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. I was introduced to great theater at a young age and never looked back. Having performed a good many plays and musicals in HS, College and Community Theater, I’ve experienced it from all sides. In the early nineties I spent two years in New York as a commercial actor with the William Morris Agency. While I was moderately successful as an actor, I spent my extra time in Broadway Theatres, attending as many as four shows a week. It was only after I returned and started my playwriting career in the mid 90’s that I realized what an amazing training ground that experience really was.
JAZ: Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
Ever determined, I now draw on my own experiences as a dramatist to found Writer’s Stage, a new nonprofit theater company whose main goal is to serve as an advocacy organization for Tennessee-based playwrights. Writer’s Stage is about the playwright—an individual I totally understand. I understand the frustration, the bitterness, the politics of everything he or she runs into. I understand how they feel on a daily basis, because I have felt it for the last 10 years. I’m trying to take what I feel and say to playwrights, ‘Look, keep writing. Keep producing. Don’t let ‘em knock you down. Don’t let ‘em bowl you over. Don’t be mad; don’t be bitter—but instead write your best piece’.
I have had my share of encouragement and modest success. I have completed seven one-act and full-length plays and three musicals. My first production was “Stuff” in 1999 at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre. In 2006, “Shelter”, a play about life among the homeless, was produced at Tennessee State University. On March 1, 2008, at Belmont University’s Troutt Theater, my musical “21 Baker Road” received a formal staged reading under the direction of noted actor Barry Scott.
But I also know the downside of the lonely playwright’s life, having pounded my head against the literary theatrical gatekeepers, and having received my share of polite, if only occasionally helpful, rejection letters.
It has occurred to me that there must be other writers in Tennessee who are in the same boat—looking for that developmental vehicle that allows them to get their pieces read, work shopped and maybe eventually produced. That’s the lifeblood of a playwright. If you can’t hear your play out loud, then it’s just a stack of papers. It’s a long, hard road, and anytime you can get a positive response—some note of encouragement, because someone actually read your play—those little victories make you want to sit down and write again.
With a strong Web presence to help link the playwriting community through feedback and forums, Writer’s Stage—incorporated in November 2007 as a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit arts organization—will also strive to lay a foundation for fundraising to support future projects.
The theater is where my heart is. It’s the most exciting and compelling medium to work in. It’s the last pure art form there is, and I really believe that. Everything else can be duplicated, everything else can be mass-produced and distributed and manipulated. But theater’s right there, it’s happening right in front of you—and when its over, you’ve been touched and you’ll never be the same.
JAZ: What are your current projects?
Writer's Stage facilitates the creation of new plays for the American stage and strives to provide opportunity for experience and growth for all theater disciplines. We are dedicated to works that are socially and spiritually healing, to encourage people talking about their lives and the human condition.
Writer's Stage has hosted The Odyssey Program and it's fifty plus staff and participants for a special performance of all three of it's show's. And will continue to do so in the future. The Odyssey program is an outreach of the Campus for Human Development and offers Drug and alcohol rehabilitation and a path to sobriety and independence. Charlie and I teach a class there and are designing a program by which our class can use Writer's Stage as an additional way to heal by using theater for personal catharsis; an opportunity to sit on stage under the lights and experience personal discovery and awareness.
Writer's Stage will host an audience talk back after all of its shows. During our production of SHELTER we brought in more than a dozen professionals over four nights to participate with our audience on the subject of homelessness.
During our production of STUFF with shared marketing with the REP by running adds for them while they put an insert in their program for us. Writer’s Stage also supplied free theater student tickets to TSU.
Writer's Stage's reading of 21 Baker Road was a joint program with the students of the musical theater program from Belmont University. A developmental reading, it included a small ticket price to encourage those who might not have the means to experience the program. Our cast also appeared on Live in Studio C on WPLN with Will Griffin.
Writer's Stage Theatre collaborated with People's Branch on the 10X10 festival as well as with the Rep on a series of college outreach programs with visiting playwrights.
December 4-20, 2008 in Nashville, Writer’s Stage presented the world premiere STUFF, written and directed by Jim Reyland. The Nashville Tennessean called the workshop of STUFF “Entertaining, fast paced and emotionally fearless. Reyland has a real play on his hands.” STUFF ran for eleven performances in a converted warehouse.
In March of 2009, Writer’s Stage produced a workshop production of 21 Baker Road, music and lyrics by Jim Reyland and Addison Gore, book by Jim Reyland, directed by Barry Scott.
Writer’s Stage, in partnership with Tennessee Repertory Theatre presented a NewWorks Reading Series event. Two nights, two new plays by Jim Reyland, FURTHER THAN WE’VE EVER BEEN Friday night the 24th of April at 7:30pm and ARTICLE IV on Saturday night the 25th of April at 7:30pm. Nashville Veterans Barry Scott, Brian Webb Russell, Jim Reyland, Matthew Carlton, Erin Whited, Ted Welch and Jaclyn Johnson joined the ensemble cast and read both plays.
JAZ: What are your long term goals?
Ultimately I would like to position Writer’s Stage as a developmental theater—a farm system if you will—for new works. I want this to be a regular, ongoing thing, where new plays can be read on a monthly basis—with good actors and in front of an audience.
I also foresee Writer’s Stage entering into collaborative arrangements with other theater companies. If we have this play, and it resonates, and we’ve read it and see its value, then we’d invite other theater companies to have a listen. We need to see if we can merge both the funds and the energy to help playwrights get off square one and take things to the next level.
What are your thoughts on Nashville as a theater town?
I think we are growing up. The opportunity to create new plays and musicals from the ground up doesn’t happen enough in Nashville. Other cities may have the reputation as new play development centers but Nashville is on track to become a first class creating community for theatre as well as music.
I don’t want to lose playwrights because they don’t at least have a place to hear what they’ve done. Writer’s Stage is about providing that platform, or basic starting point, to writers, because I know how they feel, and I’m trying to use whatever background or connections I have to encourage their craft.
Funding for staged reading programs and world premiere productions have been drastically cut across America, effectively silencing a generation of playwrights and performing artists who would otherwise bring life and voice to new works. Writer’s Stage has embarked upon a journey to enhance the American Theater experience for artists and audiences alike.
AN INTERVIEW WITH TRISH CRIST
by Jaz Dorsey, 04 August 2009
JAZ: What role did theater and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
TRISH: Art had a huge influence on me as a child. Ever since I can remember, I’ve made art. Probably as formative as the opportunity to paint and draw and make things from such an early age is the fact that the adults around me valued my little creations and encouraged me at every turn. I was never made to feel that trying anything was stupid.
My first role on stage was Tinkerbelle in a Kindergarten production that included every character the children in the class could think of. Lifelong friends still tease me about feeding Huck Finn his lines on stage. Apparently I wasn’t particularly discreet as a 5-year-old. Hey, Huck was grateful—and the show must go on, right?
JAZ: Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
TRISH: Childhood drawings gave way to cartoon diaries depicting the ups and downs of life as a teenager, then a college student, then a grad student. In a very unhappy time near the end of my first marriage I bought oil paints and brushes and canvas to see if I could paint. Turns out I could and I still do. I ended up abandoning oils, however, shortly after I abandoned that husband. Neither was good for me. Cleanup of the oils hurt my skin and cleanup of the husband hurt my soul. I’ve painted in acrylics ever since. That’s been ten very happy years!
I rediscovered theater since that divorce, too.
Interesting how living through difficult emotions puts more tools in your tool box for the stage. I find that I love playing powerfully troubled people now, Medea, Verna from Last Chance Texaco, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, etc.
I don’t have that sadness or anger anymore, but I know where they live in me and love to access them as art.
JAZ: What is the history of Rhubarb Theater?
TRISH: Rhubarb Theater Company was created by Julie Alexander in 2003 with a focus on tolerance and diversity in slice-of-life situations. Provocative past productions include Birds in Church, The Normal Heart, My Secret Weapon, Blue Window, and Last Chance Texaco/First & Second Timothy. When Julie and husband Brian Gordon moved to Newcastle, England in early 2009 for Brian’s new job as Artistic Director of the Northern Lights International Film Festival, Julie offered Rhubarb to me and I gladly accepted.
JAZ: What are your upcoming plans for Rhubarb?
TRISH: I will most definitely maintain Rhubarb's focus on tolerance and diversity in slice-of-life situations. Perhaps the best example of that focus is The Nashville Monologues, our upcoming Halloween season production.
Given that Rhubarb honors tolerance, and that I wanted to write something legitimately frightening for our Halloween show, the idea came to me to gather stories of intolerance as inspiration for a series of monologues. Examining issues of bias has led to many fascinating conversations these last several weeks with acquaintances and with people I’ve known for years. The writing process is going great—stories and experiences and feelings can still be submitted to rhubarbnashville@gmail.com—and I’m looking forward to auditions on Tuesday, August 18 (6:00-8:00 pm) and Saturday, August 22 (11:00 am-3:00 pm) at The Darkhorse. Serious actors of all ages, races, types, and native languages welcome. I want a small and reliable cast that is very nimble their abilities to portray a wide variety of characters.
The Nashville Monologues runs October 30 through November 7, 2009 at The Darkhorse.
To date, Rhubarb has typically staged one production per year, but we will be doing much more than going forward. Our 2009-2010 season holds two other shows beyond The Nashville Monologues:
Potty Talk, a provocative comedy in three short acts which I wrote a couple of years ago, explores what women talk about in the ladies’ room at work, the ladies’ room in a bar, and the ladies’ green room at the theater. That runs April 9-17, 2010 at The Darkhorse.
Our July 23-31, 2010 slot is open and I am accepting submissions from local playwrights, directors, and actors. Submitted ideas need to fit with Rhubarb’s focus of tolerance and diversity in slice-of-life situations to be considered.
nces alike.
JAZ: What are your thoughts on Nashville as a theatre town?
TRISH: Well, it’s where I’ve made my friends, where I’ve grown, where I watch others, where I laugh, where I get to play, and create, and learn, and experience. It is home.
INTERVIEW WITH RENE COPELAND
with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre
JAZ: What role did theater and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
RENE: Well, I’m a preacher’s kid, so it would be fair to say that I was raised in a sort of theatre. My dad, now retired, was often a youth and music minister during his career, and there was always some kind of performing going on as part of church activities. Singing was a big part of that, and of course I studied piano (a requirement if you’re going to grow up to be a preacher’s wife and teach Sunday school….) and was in the band. One of the biggest influences in my middle school years that sparked my interest in theatre was a very active theatre program in the local high school—they always did a big musical (in addition to a huge choir program) and as it so happened, the teenagers in my church were usually playing leading roles, so we always attended. So I saw THE MUSIC MAN and OKLAHOMA! (still my all-time favorite) being done at a school where the leading actors in their productions were as “cool” as the star athletes. There were as many girls with a crush on Curly as there were for the quarterback. By the time I was in high school, to my dismay we had moved, but luckily my new school had a truly wonderful drama teacher and very active Thespian troupe, so I got to do some good plays. I can honestly say that=2 0I was fortunate enough to have a great deal of positive reinforcement towards artistic endeavors throughout my upbringing, and it never seemed anything but OK to pursue a life in the arts.
JAZ: Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
RENE: I think the evolution I’ve undergone must be pretty much the evolution that any artist goes through who continues to get older (despite attempts to avoid it) and tries to keep their mind open along the way. I started as an actor, but moved to directing as my passion during graduate school, and every single moment since then has had impact on the kind of director I am now. Over the years my take on theatre and its purpose has refined and been greatly influenced by my experience raising children, the experience of starting a theatre company, my good fortune in working with really terrific actors, and being in the situation more than once where I had to answer the question for myself “Why am I doing this?” in order to be able to carry on. The older I get, the stronger the feeling in my gut about the spiritual nature of what I do, and the importance of not becoming spiritually isolated, hence the importance of the oh-so-connective artform of theatre. The older I get, the more I relish the collaborative process, and th e more I trust my intuition. I’m lucky to have found my calling pretty early in life, and to have had the opportunities to just keep hammering at it (even when it wasn’t paying the bills), so I have a wealth of time spent on something I love.
JAZ: Unlike many regional theaters, Tennessee Rep has shown an unusual committment to local talent. Why is this?
RENE: Well, I think theatre exists to serve, and so everyone who works as a theatre artist ends up finding the niche where they feel they serve best. It just so happens that my personal inclination includes contributing to a healthy local theatre ecosystem. I’ve always been drawn to the idea that the texture of a community is richer for having artists living in the community, and if there’s not work for an artist in a community they have to go live somewhere else, and we’d hate that. Art that is created by folks who live in the community they serve gives great ownership of it to the community, which is cool. And I think if there’s going to be a “regional” theatre, it might as well support actors who live in the region, and not be solely about giving work to New York actors. I wouldn’t hesitate, mind you, to bring in an actor or actors, from New York or anywhere else, if a specific need must be met that can’t be met by local talent, and there are many many fine actors who serve by working at different regional theatres all over the country. But as long as I can do excellent theatre mostly with the excellent actors Nashville is lucky enough to have, I’ll keep doing that.
JAZ: What plans does the Rep have regarding readings of new works?
RENE: We are launching a newly-revamped version of our artist-in-residence programming, re-christening it the Ingram New Works Fellowship and Residency. One of the components of this new evolution is the creation of the New Works Lab for new play development, which will be a lab of 8 playwrights-in-residence with Tennessee Rep that will work together all season on their proposed projects for the lab. There will also be a New Works Fellowship recipient, a playwright with a national reputation for contribution to the American theatre, who will write a new play with the support of the fellowship. Then the work out of the Lab and the new play by the New Works F ellow will be presented in staged readings at the New Works Festival at the end of the season – April 27-May 8, 2010. We’re very excited about it, and will be announcing the name of the New Works Fellow soon – I’ll give you a hint: it’s a Tony Award AND Pulitzer Prize winning playwright……
JAZ: What are your thoughts on Nashville as a theater town?
RENE: I think Nashville has a basic impulse toward creative expression, and that Nashville theatre artists are continually working to figure out the best way to harness that impulse. American culture in general isn’t terribly theatre-friendly—not when you compare it to, say, England, where everyone goes to theatre all the time, the way we go to see music or movies here—and the conservative bent of the area (even though Davidson County is an island of blue in a sea of red…) in general has impact on the growth of artistic expression compared to other cities. But I love it here, and I love the theatre community here and I think theatre here is lively and passion-driven, and full of terrific artists who are working their asses off to make good theatre. As a city grows, which Nashville is doing, theatrical taste and preference matures, too, and I think our theatre artists are an important part of making Nashville a truly great city.
ROSS BROOKS of People's Branch Theatre
An Interview with Jaz Dorsey
JAZ: WHAT IS YOUR VISION AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE'S BRANCH?
ROSS: I see People’s Branch as a place to try new things, to take risks, to experiment with how we tell stories onstage as well as what kind of stories we tell. Theatre as an artform constantly needs new material – although there are many, many pieces of classic theatre, at one point they were all brand new. Plus, the cultures, tastes, styles, etc., of any civilization are constantly evolving, and the art of that civilization reflects that perpetual process. I believe in evolution, the continual progress of not only species but also civilizations, ideas, etc., and theatre reflects that process. So, the development of new works is at the heart of my vision for PBT as well as central to the mission of the company. In the ten years since its inception, People’s Branch has produced thirteen original works by Nashville playwrights, and the establishment of the 10x10 Festival of Short Plays is a step in the direction of positioning PBT as a primary generator of new works of theatre created by Nashvillians for Nashvillians. In addition to original works, PBT has also tackeld some of the most innovative theatrical works created in the 20th century, giving Nashville a chance to see some great plays that many of us have only read about in college. These playwrights took risks with form, style, content and theme to explore new ground for the theatre, and PBT’s mission is to bring these playwrights to the stage in Nashville.
I believe when you go to the theatre, you should be challenged. While theatre should always entertain, it is an artform that is immediately and personally engaging, so when you see a show, it should have an effect on you, whether that effect is to make you laugh, or cry, or think. I’ve always been a fan of the visceral theatre experience, the one that leaves you with a LOT to talk about once the show is over and you’re out with your friends having drinks. We talk about movies all the time; why can’t we talk about theatre, too?
JAZ: WHAT DO YOU FIND INTRIGUING ABOUT THE WORKS OF BERTOLT BRECHT?
ROSS: Let me explain first why we picked Galileo for this season. Since this is PBT’s Tenth Anniversary Season, we wanted to do a season of anniversary shows. Out original offering this year, Straight Outta Hannibal, is part of the Citywide Celebration of Mark Twain occurring in Nashville in 2009-2010, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the death of Mark Twain, and August 25, 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of his telescope. So originally the show was prompted by the anniversary itself. However, what’s very interesting to me about Brecht is the influence of his ideas on modern and postmodern theatre and film. Not many people are aware of this, but Brecht’s ideas are still seen in modern cinema – his theatrical techniques can be seen in the quick-cut MTV editing style employed in practically every modern film. Brecht’s plays were designed to keep the audience surprised and on their toes, so that you never lost focus nor got so wrapped up in emotion that you lost the theme of the play. In his day Brecht was considered extremely innovative and cutting-edge, and his spirit has always been an influence on People’s Branch productions. PBT is all about new ideas, as is Galileo, which makes it a perfect fit for the company.
Now, what I really find interesting about Brecht is what he wanted to accomplish with his theatrical style. While theatre must be entertaining, Brecht also wanted it to provoke its audience, to inspire them to think about they story they’ve just been told, and to understand that, base on actual events or not, stories have power, and they can affect you. This is right up PBT’s alley. However, while Brecht’s theatre was more didactic, it could easily be seen by modern audiences as condescending. Anything that tells you upfront that it’s going to teach you something is usually greeted with hostility – it is implied that somehow your education is not complete, that you know less than the person who now is going to teach you something new. How many books did you hate to read in school because you were forced to read them? I don’t want to make people feel like I know more than they do; I don’t. I can’t possibly know more than my entire audience, and it would be arrogant of me to assume that I did. Instead, I want to present an idea, a thought, and open it up for discussion, to invite you to talk about it with me, with no preconceived notion of what we might discover, so that we might come upon something new together. Theatre is, after all, a community event. A group of people come together to tell a story, and they all have a shared experience, then we each take away something unique that, hopefully, we can then share with others.
JAZ: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON NASHVILLE AS A THEATER TOWN?
ROSS: I’d like to see Nashville continue to develop as a town with a dynamic and creative theatre town. A city that is home to as many artists of all media as Nashville is a perfect environment for creativity. We’ve had many strides in this direction in the last decade that I’ve been involved, and the city seems to want it. However, it’s important for everyone to understand that it takes a villag to raise a child. The more the entire community is involved in its art, by participation – going to shows, donating time, money, and services, telling everyone else how much it matters to you – then the more that arts develops and grows, and the more personal it becomes while simultaneously becoming something that is shared. We all grow and evolve together through this process.
Nashville has a lot of great theatre but a relatively small audience. It’s a misconception to assume that the only great theatre comes from New York; most new plays don’t even get their first production anywhere near New York City. They are created in regional theatre all over the country, they are supported by their communities, and then they get noticed by the rest of the nation. This is an incredibly valuable process, and it’s something that I’d like to see Nashville participate in more. We’re heading in that direction; PBT isnt’ the only theatre company that generates new works. Tennessee Rep, Amun Ra, Actors’ Bridge, the Nashville Children’s Theatre, even the Nashville Shakespeare Festival – all of these companies are creating new works by and for Nashville. The fact of the matter is, however, that taking risks on new material is difficult, especially during slower economic times. We tend to fall back on safe investments of both time and money to make sure we get the most value out of that in which we choose to invest. But new ideas also flourish during these times, and it takes the dedication and support of visionary individuals and communities not only to help keep these ideas alive but also to see them explode and become valuable for all. It just takes the desire to take a chance, and that’s what America has always been about.
MARTIN BRADY
of The Nashville Scene
An Interview with Jaz Dorsey
JAZ: WHAT ROLE DID THEATRE AND THE ARTS PLAY IN YOUR CHILDHOOD / UPBRINGING?
MARTIN: A great deal. A look at my father's Wikipedia entry says volumes about the world I grew up in. Due to the logistical considerations of a large family, I sat in on many a theatrical rehearsal when I was young, watching my father work. (That was probably an unintentional substitute for a babysitter!) I was introduced to plays, playwrights, actors, directors, designers and techies at an early age, and my first real jobs were at Maryland's Olney Theatre, pulling backstage wagons and working box office. At the age of 17, after performing in two high school plays, I took to the professional stage in a small speaking role in a religious thriller called CHILD'S PLAY and actually received a modest weekly wage for that. (My father was my director, so the nepotism card was played.) Needless to say, reading theater reviews was a part of the culture of my home life, and so was listening to Broadway show albums, which I think subliminally taught me a lot about the structure and craft of truly great songwriting. I suppose I'm a pop music/Beatles-type kid at heart, but show music infused my soul and has always informed my sense of humor. My stereo had British pop and Todd Rundgren coming out of it, but my parents' had PROMISES, PROMISES, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, COMPANY, and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC coming out of theirs, not to mention older shows like THE MUSIC MAN, CAMELOT, MY FAIR LADY, and GUYS AND DOLLS, which I have to say is probably my favorite all-time musical. No one wrote show songs like Frank Loesser. He was a genius, and still too unheralded in my opinion. He was a high-artist as a lyricist, but it's his musicianship that is historically important. I could go on but I won't. Finally, I have seven wonderful brothers and sisters, so growing up in a carnival atmosphere rather reinforced a theatrical mindset.
JAZ: TELL US ABOUT YOUR OWN EVOLUTION AND BACKGROUND AS AN ARTIST.
MARTIN: Funny. I guess I'm an artist, but I never think of myself that way. (Something about that word!) I knew very early on, I'd say about 12, that I was a gifted writer of words. That was always lurking in the background while I absorbed music and flailed away in college as a theater major. I was always extremely musical but no one ever pointed me to an instrument, even though we had a piano in our home. Only my sisters got lessons.
At the age of 20, I moved in with a guy who played the piano. When he was gone, I'd play his piano and realized I had an aptitude. I even composed a few instrumentals. With this realization, I dropped out of college for two years, worked at the public library, and studied private piano with a Washington, DC, local named Lester B. Karr. Since I was older, and already doing a few sophisticated things on my own, he broke the lessons into two parts: first, I played "baby pieces,'" learning about rudimentary fingering and beginner's theory; then, together we studied pop sheet music—Bacharach, Mancini, stuff like that—and he taught me the jazz Circle of Fifths, which was, needless to say, an eye-opener for me. After 18 months with Karr, I returned to school to finish up in theater, but used all available electives at the Catholic University Music Dept. I got in some additional ear training and basic theory there, plus a new piano teacher named Frank Conlon, who taught me only about a semester's worth, but introduced me to various classicists, like Chopin, Ravel, DeBussy and Prokofiev. On my own, I got interested in Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff. The rest is self-taught, which has been a really interesting journey, upon which I won't elaborate here.
Suffice to say, my formal training has been sketchy, which is too bad because I actually believe I might've been an okay concert pianist. Instead, I became a journalist after I moved to Chicago. I was an editor and writer, mostly for the book industry, magazines and newspapers, and had a decent career doing that. But music always nagged at me. I wrote songs, played piano for Community Theater and did my own demo recordings whenever possible. So at a very delicate emotional time in my life, I quit my editorial job to try to find myself. Almost miraculously, I hooked up with Second City fairly soon after, which began three years of touring and resident musical director stuff, which made me want to learn more about blues and jazz. I've written tons of music by now. Practically all styles. But, like many a Nashville cat, I still have a trunkful of pop/country stuff (I play guitar also) that remains undiscovered. I had one song published in Music City in 2000. It was recorded by a nobody singer and appeared on a nowheresville CD. It was called "Till I Feel Like Me," which is a sentiment I still relate to.
My background as both a journalist and theater person, I think, fated me to become Nashville Scene's theater critic. It merged what I knew with my ability to express a cogent point of view on what was being attempted and achieved in front of me. That said, I love the process of music more than the process of journalism, though I'm equally excited about good results.
JAZ: WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
MARTIN: Well, as a journalist, I always have projects. To me, that's work, and doesn't always feel like art. Musically is where I'm artistically challenged. I continue to play improv piano whenever I can, because that's exciting and rare and a good workout. And blessedly unpredictable. I continue to work in partnership with singer/actress Stacey Shaffer-Bishop in a cabaret act that we're hoping will take off a bit more in the near future. More recently and ongoing, I've been scoring short films for a filmmaker/writer named Doug Craig, including a 2008 48-Hour Film Project entry and other of his various web projects. Scoring film is an awesome task, and it's perfect for someone like me who's absorbed a lot of styles. I've also contributed original music to Nashville filmmaker Glen Weiss' "Thong Girl" films. And unbeknownst to probably many, I have been acting in the TG series as well, an experience that has been offbeat, to say the least. On the strictly instrumentalist side, I think I'd enjoy working with different singers. Accompanying teaches you so much. Otherwise, I simply strive to improve my chops. That has been a strange experience because I'm actually better now than I've ever been. Without a conventional early foundation, and given the spottiness of my career, I find I'm still learning and growing, which means I haven't tapped out. Which is very nice to know. I kept thinking it would be like an athlete, where your 20s and 30s are your peak. But I didn't really start till then, so it's worked out rather differently for me.
JAZ: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON NASHVILLE AS A THEATER TOWN?
MARTIN: It has a fantastic pool of actors who need more opportunities, and, most of all need daring directors who will push them to explore. If you're asking about Nashville as a theater town in the typical sense, I'd say it's a tough place to make a living doing theater. I'm not sure what the discussion should be. That it's a laid-back Southern town where you should never expect too much? Or that it has a kind of potential that is real but probably won't ever be developed fully? Either way, that leaves the rare few who are actually supporting themselves doing theater and then everybody else, who do it as a hobby even though they could do it professionally if there were jobs for them. The musical route is logical as a town template, but impact shows are so rare that it hardly seems to matter. We need producers who are aggressive and financially savvy, and we need to pursue edgier material. Or, maybe better, just do something so incredibly commercially minded that it'll make money and employ a bunch of people. I'm for people working. And can it be that audience development in Nashville has reached its zenith? Something to think about.
Perhaps at any given time, you'll only have so many folks going to the theater in Music City, USA. If you could get the bubbas into the theater, well...let's just say a certain demographic is spending its money on other things. But if someone asked me for a shorthand plan, I'd say put high art on hold, develop commercial product with a passion and make money, and then start to lay the groundwork for doing ambitious drama. But if such an approach is ultimately pointless, then I'd like to see grittier stuff directed forcefully, even if everyone loses their shirts at the box office. At least then the envelope gets pushed. And I'm always for original plays, even when they're birthed prematurely. But hey, it's theater. It's always a tough go, isn't it? Perspective is gained readily when you realize that our leading regional rep company opened its season with STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Thank God for Actors Bridge, GroundWorks Theatre, and Tennessee Women's Theatre Project (and the occasional others)—for doing scripts that are new to our community. Our Southern character is great, but it's a big world out there, and we can be more sophisticated if we want to be.
Finally, I'd be remiss not to mention the developments in African American community theater, which have really enriched the local scene in the past several years. Those folks go and get it, and they are growing. It's very exciting because they have a lot to say and are committed to getting out their message. That's an important thing. It'd be cool if they had a breakout project.
KEITH HAMPTON
screenwriter, EARSHOT
interview with Jaz Dorsey
JAZ: What role did film, acting and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
I was always attracted to the arts growing up, particularly writing and drawing. I was always amazed at what filmmakers could do with a story, but I was interested in being a great storyteller on paper first. There was no actual film industry around me growing up, so it wasn’t a tangible resource. Writing stories and poetry was something I could do by just grabbing a pen a paper and tapping into my imagination. I wanted to be known as a great writer, like William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, James Baldwin, and Steven King. I wanted to say things in a way they had never been said before. I wanted to intrigue people’s minds. My greatest reward was always having someone read a poem or a story I wrote and say “Wow! That was a great story! How did you come up with that?” or “You know, I never looked at it like that before.” I think God spoke through my Mom by creating me through her and allowing her to pass along to me her passion for poetry. When I began to see the work of the writers I most admire being made into films and hear the conversations comparing their written works to the movie versions, I knew I had to learn how to make films so that I could bring my own stories to life on the big screen. That didn’t happen until I was in college.
JAZ: Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
Having evolved from a writer of poetry and short stories into a writer, producer, director and editor of film, the greatest change I’ve made as an artist has been becoming courageous enough to put my art out there for the public. I was introverted as a writer, because I knew I didn’t write like everyone else. I wanted to be great, but I was afraid about whether or not other people would get what I was writing and whether they would like it or not. My intuition told me that there would be criticism on both extremes about my work. I also was shy and afraid of not being able to handle my own nerves if my work would bring me a lot of attention. The thing I have maintained is that affinity for the unknown, both socially and in my artistic expression. I’ve learned that what I like most is to evoke thought, suspend reality, bring new questions to light, and be original. I’ve also learned that if I want something done, I have to be willing to do it myself. That is what makes me an independent. I got that from my Mom too who taught me that there is nothing in life that I cannot accomplish.
JAZ: What inspired EARSHOT and what is unique about the film?
I began to write EARSHOT when I overheard an argument happening, did not hear what the argument about, but by its tone sensed it could grow into a potentially violent ending. My imagination took me further than the argument actually ended up going. It did not grow violent, but I thought “What if I was the one who was affected by their argument more than they for being nosey and listening in?” My imagination took me on this journey that evolved into this story, which I originally called “One Man Show,” because I then thought about making it completely from the main character’s perspective. I knew that if we saw no one else in the movie, it would give us a more intimate connection with the main character. As I wrote the screenplay, I realized that shooting an entire feature film with only one on-screen actor would be both unique and affordable. I knew I wanted Vincent Cheatham to play the lead role because I’d worked with him before and know of his tremendous acting ability. I had no concern for whether or not he was well known. I wanted to make a great and unique film that I could had the resources to make, and I wanted the performance to be delivered the way I knew V could deliver it.
JAZ: What other projects are you working on?
I have two scripts and a third story idea that I am considering. Ideally, I would like to announce which one is next after EARSHOT fully takes on its life and I am certain about when the funding for the next project will be in place.
JAZ: What are your thoughts on Atlanta as a city for film making and film makers?
I think Atlanta is the chosen place for both film making and film makers, in the same way Hollywood was chosen back during the days of film makers like Frank Capra and Oscar Micheaux. People have been making films here for a little while, but the film industry and this town has almost come to the realization about the true potential that lies within here. I don’t think we’ll know completely until it’s all said and done, but I do feel that the potential of this city is on that level.
INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS
enjoy a moment with jaz dorsey, "nashville's resident theatre dramaturg"
