What
is your show about?
The
Monument is a story of the cruelties of war, and the forgiveness
and redemption that is possible between people. A young
soldier, about to be executed for war crimes, is saved from
death by a mysterious woman. In exchange, he must place
himself in her hands and do as she wishes for the rest of
his life. As the plot unwinds, we understand the deep motivations
in her treatment of him, leading to an unexpected and extraordinary
conclusion.
What's next for you?
My next
theater project will be with a New York theatre ensemble
called Shock of Gray. I served as director for an original
piece called Smoke and Mirrors, which we presented last
summer at the Woodstock Fringe Festival. The performance
received very enthusiastic responses and has received bookings
elsewhere upstate this spring and summer. I will be working
with the group to further develop the script and performance
values.
Ramona Floyd and Jay Rohloff
Photo Credit: Anthony Collins
What
theater do you regularly attend?
I am,
by nature, more of an Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway
theatergoer. I find that that is where more experimental
and cutting-edge theater can be found, simply because of
the size of venue and audience, if nothing else. Big money
is not at stake usually, so producers and artists can take
more chances with new, offbeat, or specialized material.
Not that I am averse to Broadway: I love a big, spectacular
musical or a quality drama with a big-name cast once in
a while.
Who
or what are your influences?
I grew
up artistically in the late 60's and early 70's, and many
of the theater artists of that time had an impact on me,
especially the more experimental practitioners: Joe Chaikin
and the Open Theater, Richard Schechner and the Performance
Group, Julian Beck and the Living Theater, Peter Brook,
Andre Gregory—all those alternative folks. Directors
I admire are Giorgio Strehler, Anne Bogart, JoAnne Akalaitis,
Mike Nichols, Frank Galati, and Mary Zimmerman. As an acting
teacher, which enters strongly into my directing technique,
I am very influenced by Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, and
Michael Chekhov.
Ramona Floyd and Jay Rohloff
Photo Credit: Anthony Collins
What
do you hope to accomplish with this production? To what
extent do you think political and war-themed theater can
be a force for social change?
I hope
to draw people into thinking about the price of war that
is paid by the “little people”—the rank-and-file
soldiers, the women and children—who are damaged and
even destroyed by the war machine of those above them. I
wish to reveal some of what is behind the headlines of war.
And yes, I deeply believe in theater as a political force,
as a way of affecting public consciousness.
How
has the experience been to work with your students outside
of the academic realm?
It has
been an excellent and even ideal experience. Outside of
the academic realm, these young people are no longer students
to me, of course. We are professionals together. But, having
been part of their earlier training and theater development,
we find advantage and even joy in speaking the same language,
sharing techniques, and working toward similar goals.
Read
Amy Krivohlavek's review of The Monument.
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