When directing, what is your approach to a new play like ¡VOS!? What excites you about working on this world premiere?
First of all, I love working on new plays. I think that being able to support, nurture and shepherd a new play into the world requires a tremendous amount of faith, trust, and imagination. Being at Playwrights’ Center, I get to support and see that work happen on a daily basis through all the new play processes we support; but getting to direct a new play– it’s so wonderful to be back in rehearsal! When directing a premiere, I think of myself as being responsible for “proof of concept.” I think one of my jobs as a new play director is to demonstrate that the play works, the story is there, the journey is clear- in the hopes that the play will receive a second production. I think one of the things that is so challenging in our field is that a play will premiere but does not get a second life and I think playwrights are really hoping that it will get to a second production. I also just love working with playwrights and designers on a premiere because there are so many excellent ideas percolating about what is possible and then as the play starts to reveal itself more and more to you—– it’s just the best!
What thoughts or emotions came up for you the first time you read/saw/experienced this play, and how did you carry those into your directing of it?
I’ve been such a fan of Christina’s so I was over the moon when Justin reached out and asked me to read the play. I think my first response was, what an exciting and beautiful story. I was so curious about who these women were. I remember feeling that there was something so women centered and life-affirming in the play, even as it is set in a historical moment of immense horror. I think my director brain was like, “How does this work? What is the way we can make all of these ideas occur on stage? The play as written has this amazing visual or cinematic proposal. At the same time, the conversation with Christina has always been- what are we doing on stage? I was fortunate enough to spend 2 weeks with Christina at the Ojai Playwrights Conference which really allowed me to get a head start on thinking about how to bring the play to life.
¡VOS! fills the stage with powerful storytelling with just two actors, what are the challenges and benefits to working with such a small cast? What has this process looked like so far?
The process has been wonderful. Christina and Al are such phenomenal artists and I love being in rehearsal with them. I think one of the challenges is that nobody really gets a break. There is no scene where one person is off stage while someone else is on stage, so both actors are rehearsing for the entire day and the show itself is a marathon. The entire team: actors and designers have been in continual conversation about how to engage in the simplest most effective storytelling gestures. In addition, we have a really small rehearsal room with an all female identified stage management team and we really are having such joyous laugh filled days while we work on this material. Really fine tuning the transitions has been the journey of this play. Figuring out how to get from one time period to the next, from one location to the next and what does that require where you are aiming for pace, simplicity, and specificity has been the “group think” for all of us and the design team.
What is it like to work so closely with the playwright of ¡VOS!, Christina Pumariega, as well as directing her as an actor in her own play?
It’s a dream. Christina is such a sharp and precise artist. I think she has a clarity of what she wants her play to do but is also willing to to engage in questions and has continually dug deeper and deeper into her play. Anytime I am doing a premiere, it’s crucial to be able to foster such an open and honest communication as we are all discovering the possibilities of the play in real time. We can’t look to another production for inspiration, because there is no other production. It’s tremendously exciting and terrifying all at the same time.
How do you hope audiences feel when they leave the theater after the show? Is there anything else you’d like folks to know about this show?
I always hope that audience members leave the theater being more curious about the world that is suggested in the play and being curious about the women depicted on stage. I hope that there is a greater interest in learning about Argentinian history that I suspect many North Americans are unfamiliar with. I know more now about this moment in Argentinian history because of this play and there is still so much to learn. Moreover the military coup that was referenced was about 50 years ago so it is a history that is still near to us. I also hope that there is a greater curiosity and empathy for the journey that so many women take towards motherhood. I hope this can also empower women to talk more openly and honestly about what we go through. Womanhood and motherhood are not synonymous and the choice and journey to have children or not to have children is a conversation that I think has often been taboo. I’m always thrilled when a piece of theatre encourages us to be more curious and empathetic.