How
is your current production of A Christmas Carol different
from the traditional Dickens version?
We assume
most people are familiar with this classic story, so some
of the story's moments are told/enacted through movement
and dance. We brought in a composer to create original music
and a choreographer specializing in modern dance/movement.
Another difference is that we approach the show at the start
as a story ... so it has a very dreamlike, storytelling—or
retelling—quality to it.
What's
next for you?
I'm
directing and already in the midst of casting our next production,
a country music version of "The Three Little Pigs."
What
type of theater do you see?
When
I actually have the time ... pretty much anything I can.
I learn so much from all types of theater, but I find I
most gravitate towards the more experimental, avant-garde,
image-based shows.
Who
or what are your influences?
Again,
referring back to image-based productions, directors like
Julie Taymor, Robert Wilson, and playwrights like Sam Shepard.
I also very much respect what Harold Clurman wrote about
directing.
When
you were pursuing a master's of arts from the University
of Montana, you wrote a thesis titled "An Investigation
of the Missoula Children's Theater Process and How It Promotes
the Aesthetic Development of Children." Can you tell
us about some of the ideas you explored when writing this
paper?
In a
nutshell, I took the process Missoula Children's Theater
uses—since I had worked with them one of the years
while I was writing the thesis—and presented its advantages
to promoting creativity in children. Missoula Children's
Theater basically goes into a town—mostly small towns,
but they also work in larger cities—with a tour team
of two actor/directors. They audition anywhere from 20 to
1,000 kids, cast the 50 parts during those first two hours,
and start rehearsals immediately for the next two hours.
Over
the course of the week, they teach the show and rehearse
it for four hours each day, then perform with the kids at
the end of the week. And by performing with the kids, the
professional actor/directors ensure that the production
is a success. While the professionals don't usually play
the title role—a student plays Cinderella, Sleeping
Beauty etc.—one of the two is almost always on the
stage as some character, making sure the show keeps moving
forward, even if a line is forgotten, a dance step missed,
or any other mistake happens.
While much of what they do to make sure there is a show
at the end goes against "creative drama" theories—telling
the kids where to stand, how to say the lines, etc.—I
basically presented an argument that creativity and aesthetics
are still developed. By giving the children a chance to
participate in an artistic event and succeed, which is the
key to the argument, a seed is basically planted for the
appreciation of what theater is about, and [for] linking
the success they just experienced with an artistic process.
Read
Adrienne Cea's review of A Christmas Carol.
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