Shots and Thoughts: 100 Saints You Should Know

     Better late than never. 100 Saints You Should Know was part of ACU Theatre's main stage season. I was privileged enough to direct the production featuring a stellar cast of BFA students and joined by a great team of student designers. We'll see how well this fleshes out my concept and directorial vision. It may just become show and tell. Off we go!

The bathroom, like most of the set, was kept very minimalistic. We wanted the play to stay tight and smoothly transition from moment to moment. On top of that, we wanted a sort of blank canvas with which to bring in on the integral moments since the play is primarily about the human relationships and connections. 

Abby's bedroom remained downstage, purposefully more in the audience's face. Theresa and Abby's interactions felt more abrasive textually so it seemed fitting to have them more intimate. 

FaithAnn Jones (Freshman) and Taylor Hunt (Junior) had immediate chemistry from the callback. They clicked into the roles of young mom and frustrated daughter so beautifully. 

My amazing costumer, Alexandra Eddins found a way to empower the young actress playing Colleen through costume and make up. Kaitlin Sacco (Sophomore) is also a rare talent and pulled off one of the most realistic older women I have seen in a collegiate setting. 

I LOVE the moment where Matthew meets Garrett. We kept most of the scene like this, the sense of a mirror. Matthew clearly sees so much of himself in this boy, while Garrett spends so much time searching for answers about himself in Matthew. 

The first time the two meet outside of the church office is in Matthew's mother's home. Theresa returns Dark Night of the Soul to him. 

This and the next few shots are multiple moments between Abby and Garrett. In a play all about connection, these two kids only share one evening together, but it drastically changes the course of their lives. 

As the kids interacted outside the home, the adults mingled inside. In this way, the play never seemed to stop moving and I got multiple moments of all 5 actors onstage together. That was very important to me as I'll explain later. 

FaithAnn was accompanied by Jonathan Tlapek (Sophomore) and together, they found some of the most truthful scenes I've seen in my time at college. Despite them being underclassmen, there was something about the kids they were portraying that both actors were able to fall in love with. I would say their scenes were probably my favorite moments of the play. 

More of the kids. You can see how intimate the setting was in this shot. 

The tree served as a looming presence over the entire piece. The tree served as our "cross" and I knew that every pivotal moment had to happen at the base of the cross. We worked this moment so many times, but ultimately the moment where Abby forced Garrett to take up the bottle was quite stirring. It was very raw and bare, on that blank canvas. 

Before we see what happens with the kids, Matthew delivers a potent monologue. I took it out of context a little and had him deliver it downstage on the empty canvas rather than in his bedroom. Ryce Garren (Junior) and I worked this moment several times before getting it just right. However, it ultimately ended up being a stunning moment as Matthew emotionally bares himself to the audience for the first time. 

They say "your least favorite scene has to become your favorite scene." I think the entire cast would agree that the end of act one is their "favorite scene." We reworked this scene several times. In one exhausted run, Jonathan climbed his way to Taylor over the table and she met him on the other side. It was what the scene was missing and really set it in for these actors. 

I truly think I'm a stronger director after having made it through this moment. Garrett comes into the house drunk, in his underwear, and bleeding from his head. By the end of the scene he collapses with Therese screaming for Father McNally over his limp body. It was incredibly difficult to find the truth in as well as the tempo. I think I came into the process unaware of exactly what the scene needed. Thankfully, my actors barreled through it with me and stayed patient as we discovered it together. 

Act Two opens with Abby and Matthew in the hospital waiting room. We made sure to be mindful of how close Matthew was to any of the other actors. But Abby, being 16, had no problem invading his space. That's what cracked his shell. 

My designer and I spent an hour trying to decide where those four stupid chairs belonged... Thankfully, the levels gave Abby chances to take her dominance. 

Matthew is significantly more uncomfortable sitting close to Theresa. In fact, he spent most of the scene justifying stepping away from her. 

Kate Fodor wrote a beautiful, challenging moment where Theresa plays with Matthew's hair in the hospital. It is the first time he see him accept physical touch. 

After Garrett passes away, Matthew returns home and comes clean to his mother about his doubt. Both Kaitlin and Ryce found the truth in this moment. It was heartbreaking. 

"I'm just saying, Ma. I'm just saying that I want it for free." Matthew, begging for connection, at the foot of the cross. 

Theresa ends up on her knees again, "at the foot of the cross" as her and Abby finally find common ground. These actresses did this scene at callbacks and it was so stirring. Actually getting to work these final moments with them was a highlight of my time as a director at ACU. 

As the play ends, Colleen returns to Matthew despite having left him broken moments earlier. Matthew joins her in praying for the boy's "soul". He comes to terms with the fact that his connection with others comes from his ability to connect them with a higher power. 

As they pray, Garrett comes out to the base of the tree to retrieve the pair of shoes he left there as he undressed and climbed it in Act One. In a play that was all about connection, I knew I wanted every character on stage for the final image. All five of these people's lives intersected at such a pivotal time and they are all dramatically changed because of it. Also, at the risk of becoming cliche, Garrett clearly served as a bit of a Christ figure. This final moment gave us a glimpse of a resurrection and, more importantly, a reminder that we have the ability to change the lives of every person we come in contact with. 

     Forgive me for two long posts in a row. It sure was lovely to revisit two of my favorite collegiate endeavors. I look back at my post at the beginning of the semester. There I was, so terrified of running out of creative energy. I would have to say, moments came and went that were quite overwhelming. Still, there's something about this art. I've been continuously surrounded by likeminded, creative people. When I was running dry, the Lord sent one of the incredible artists he created to come to my aid. They knew just where to stand, what song to play, or how to hold a giant sheet. Now, I'm here at the close of college career and I realize, this is JUST the beginning. How exciting is that? 

Shots and Thoughts: Spring Awakening (Final UNDERGRAD Project)

   It's been forever, and I've completed quite a few projects between my last posting and now. I do plan on dedicating a long post to 100 Saints You Should Know but, I thought I'd follow the impulse to write today and share some pics and thoughts on my most recent project and my FINAL directing work as an undergrad directing major! So, enjoy some "shots" and "thoughts" (Brilliant. Renaming this title and claiming a new series!) from Spring Awakening! (My "Director's Note" can be found at the end of this post. It explains my concept as well as my thoughts on some of the taboo nature and stigma of this particular piece.)

The scene opened with Wendla's Mama Who Bore Me and, as she felt the curves of her new body, she painted her silhouette on a clear "canvas" almost as if she turned the painting into a mirror. 

The scene was interrupted by Wendla's friends gushing about all the boys. It felt very much like young girls' sleepover to me, so we brought in pillows and just let the girls lounge about. 

I took My Junk out of context and used it as a means of setting up the whole concept of "Black & White and the Permanence of Color."As the boys woke up one by one, we realize how separate the young men and women are. Subsequently, Melchior wears the same "uniform" as the other boys, simply in color, representing his acquired knowledge and understanding. 

The "large linen" was meant to serve as a sort of "blank canvas" for the color metaphor and we found a ton of creative and fun ways to utilize it. 

Didn't use a ton of shots from Melchior and Wendla's interaction. But, those who know the show know that Wendla approaches Melchior after finding out about Martha's abusive home. In a moment of heightened emotion, Melchior agrees to "beat" Wendla so she can fully empathize with her friends. The action sends Melchior overboard and he throws Wendla to the ground. We played all of this on the central platform/playing space. It's interesting that moments before the two will make love, Wendla first sends Melchior away. 

Following the beating, Hanchen and Ernst enter the scene to reprise Word of Your Body. I'm OBSESSED with these boy's looks. I wish I could have done more of their material. They're perfect in their roles. (And they're both named Jonathan! Ha!) 

Went ahead and kept the boys onstage for Moritz's interaction with his father as we introduced this idea of the community's always watching others, even in their intimate moments. 

As Melchior and Wendla come to terms with what has transpired between them, they begin to experiment with intimacy. Slowly, the ensemble joins the scene, not only to sing a stunning rendition of I Believe, but I never wanted the kids in complete privacy. There was no privacy in this community. Somebody was always looming. 

In the original production, the two make love on stage. Many people had issues with the mild nudity in the original production (as well as the many that have followed) but I knew I the moment was so pivotal to these stories. We were experimenting with options and ultimately fell in love with the imagery of them covered by the linen. You can't tell as well in this picture, but the outline of their bodies was clear and the rhythmic movement made the scene just as intimate and stirring as well as less invasive than watching the action uncensored. 

The best part about handling the moment this way was the reveal at the end. As the chorus sang their final chord, the linen snapped away to reveal the lovers, post-embrace and exposed. Also, Wendla is no longer in her WHITE dress, but rather a red and black as her encounter with Melchior has brought about a new understanding of intimacy and sexuality. The first rehearsal where we tried this effect, we tore off the fabric and the cast gasped. It was a cool experience, discovering that moment ALL TOGETHER. 

A few moments happen between the previous picture and this one, obviously. But eventually, Moritz takes the stage for Don't Do Sadness and I wanted to physicalize his depression in a way that could transform. Some friends and I just played with the linen for a while until we found some images we liked and integrated them in throughout the song. 

After the freedom that came from his "wings," the linen engulfs him and we're left with the silhouette of his body as he pulls through the fabric, trying to escape his grief. 

Moritz broke free and was swallowed up again several times throughout the song.

Again, those who know the show know that Ilse eventually eventually stumbles across the grieving Moritz. Here is where we really started to integrate the color. It sets up nicely as we hear that Ilse has been finding shelter at a Painter's Colony, anyway. As she reminisces with Moritz, she began to delicately paint herself. Her movements were precise and elegant. While Melchior's color was found in his rigid uniform, Ilse's color was far more free flowing and experiential. Regardless, both characters, had a healthy understanding and knowledge. 

As the song picks up, Moritz eventually gives in to Ilse's invitation and "explores" with her. The result is a metaphorical and physical mess. Moritz douses himself with color, carelessly searching for understanding with little guidance. In the mean time, Ilse continues her precision painting of her own body. 

With another pulse of the music, the paint reaches his hair and face. 

Moritz's final connection with another human before declining Ilse's offer to run away with her. 

After turning down Ilse, Moritz frantically tries to clean himself, to remove his stains. His monologue throughout is powerful by the physical action of wiping himself down, painfully rubbing away the paint and deepening the stains. 

Eventually, Moritz is left alone with his mess. 

I knew I wanted to "see" Moritz's suicide and I thought the shadow imagery would serve it well. It gave us another way to use the linen without having to repeat anything. Shadows tend to have a cliche attached to them so I knew we needed to use them sparingly. I did like that this was the only moment we saw a character completely alone, in shadow. 

We pulled out the platform to create a hole for Motiz's grave. As Melchior sings Left Behind, we're faced with a poignant picture as Moritz's grieving father must face the reality of his neglect. Melchior serves as that haunting reminder. 

During the funeral, all the kids come in to drop a flower into his grave. I wanted to take it a step further so every character first dipped a white rose into Ilse's bucket of blue paint...

every character that is, except Melchior. As his grave filled with white roses, Melchior makes the decision to leave the flower unmarked and pure. Despite his continuous thirst for wisdom, he has come to the conclusion that the men and women of his community were indeed trying to protect their children. But, I certainly didn't want it to feel as though Melchior was conceding to their dangerous censorship, so we created one final moment...

The picture, unfortunately, doesn't fully capture what Moritz's father is doing. At the end of Left Behind, as the youth counter to the other side of the grave, they face the father who has reentered to the down-stage-left corner. There, he painstakingly scrubs the stains in his son's uniform. The scene ended with him weeping over his son's paint-stained clothes, facing the kid's, still in their black and white. It's too late for Moritz, but there is a community of children still waiting for the truth... 

"Director's Note"

     My first year at ACU, we did an underground production of SA. To make a long story short, it was a tough thing to process for me. The following summer, I was a part of another production that had some attached taboos. As I've wrestled through my faith and artistry here, I've faced many questions, generic and specific about what material I would touch. On my way back from Christmas break, I was asked if I would ever consider directing Spring Awakening after declining to perform in it two years ago. I had no answer. This made it the perfect choice for my final directing project at ACU. As I sat and wrestled with these words, these actions and most importantly, these people, The Lord pulled a typical CREATOR move and opened my eyes and my heart to a group of kids that have lived their entire lives in a world of BLACK and WHITE. Through discovery, we've found that this not only a musical about the GREY area, but the permanence of careless coloring. 

     This cautionary tale is rich in metaphor with many characters expressing themselves through the abstract rather than the direct. With this notion in mind, I believe we've created a Spring Awakening that is unique in approach but, through this exploration, I have discovered truth in this story, truth that I'm proud to share alongside this incredible group of people.