Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh Interviews "Our Town" Co-directors Anna D. Shapiro and Jessica Thebus
This Winter's show, Our Town, will be co directed by Jessica Thebus and Anna Shapiro. Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh was able to catch up with Anna, asking her about the challenges of co-direction, the appeal of Lookingglass as a company, and trapezes.
Tracy: What inspired you to take up Our Town at this point in your life, and this time in history?
Anna/Jessica: We both have long been admirers of the play - it's a beautifully drawn picture of how we all actually live our day -to-day lives: occupied by tasks, distracted from wishes, hoping for the best and waiting for the worst, just living. For the two of us, who grew up in the same place and have followed similar paths, we now find ourselves closer to the end of our lives than the beginning. It's not a bad thing or a scary thing. life and its inescapable journey is one all humans share. If we begin in the same way and meet where we end, perhaps we should take better care of one another along the way. Not a bad idea at this point in time, we think.
Tracy: Why did you bring the project to Lookingglass?
Anna: Well, we are all contemporaries and we hoped that the Lookingglass ensemble would see the play through a similar prism. You have literally lived your lives together. In each other is contained the image and echo of your own youthful selves. To contemplate the life of a community - both its beginning and its end - seemed an appropriate imaginative exercise and one that would speak beautifully to you and through you. Plus, we thought it would be fun because we love you guys.
Tracy: How will you divide directing duties? Did you agree that one person would handle one aspect of directing, for example, " I will direct the Gibbs family and you direct the Webb family", or is it going to be a more organic process?
Anna/Jessica: I will direct the synchronized swimming and Jessica will direct the ponies. Honestly, we have worked together unofficially for years. We enjoy what the other brings to our work informally, so this is not really a huge leap. Our conversations so far have been very fluid and easy - we share the same ideas about the play so when we talk about the expression of those ideas, we just throw a few things out there and then pick the one we like the most. The key is that the role of the director hasn't changed. We will be as organized in terms of our communication to the company as we can. Actually, this does create more work, because whereas one director saying "maybe this" or "maybe that", might be okay, two directors doing that would seriously impair the actors. So maybe we are being more diligent in the articulation of our ideas. That or you are all pretending we are just to be nice. Which is fine. You are very nice people.
Tracy: Will Emily and George be getting married on a trapeze?
Anna: Look, the harnesses are already up, so get ready. They don't let us fly at Steppenwolf.
