Drama League blog: Productions re-visited: When your past comes knockin’ on your door

This week I had the chance to revisit a show I assistant directed earlier this year.February House directed by Davis McCallum which had two co-produced runs at Long Wharf Theatre and The Public. Tuesday, October 16th was the CD release party at Joe’s Pub. I was tapped to direct the event. This meant organizing the flow of the evening and staging of songs. Most of the original cast returned to participate. The composer, Gabriel Kahane stepped in to sing for one of our missing actors! It was a concert version of the full production. I had so much fun being in the mix of the material again. During sound check, I was talking to the light board operator. He asked about the mood and tone of each song so he could craft a simple lighting plot for the evening. I told him which songs were “bright”, or “introspective” or “playful” or “contemplative”. At the start of my conversation with the lighting designer, I had a moment where I asked myself, what would Davis do? And then instantly I imagined Davis telling me, “That’s silly. Don’t think like me. Do what the story says”. I thought to myself, what do I know about the story and each song, as if I hadn’t been in the rehearsal room for both productions. And then a funny thing happened; I just started talking to the light board operator. I just started talking, and then he responded. And then I responded to what he said and I talked a little more about the song and then we came to an understanding about that moment of the show, and then we moved on to the next song. And for ten minutes, that’s how we talked about the set list, and that’s how we crafted the look of the lights. It was so cool! I discovered (“discovered” meaning to become aware of something that already existed, i.e. the Wizard of Oz), that I had a lot to say about each moment of the evening—more than expected.

Revisiting a show I’ve assistant directed as a director is a fun opportunity. Having this experience with February House…. well… it made the adventure of the initial rehearsal process, and the focus, and being in the presence of Davis, and the actors and writing team, with that beautiful material… it made it a perfect and glorious actualization of a full circle.

What did I learn: Once I got over that speed bump of uncertainty, I could drive forward with trust. But the trust isn’t based on some blind faith. The trust is based on the effort I put into my role as Davis’ assistant—investing in the story of the piece and being present with the process and Davis’ original vision. And then trusting that I can advocate for the piece, with the same integrity and heart, using language that comes from me.

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