What character do you play and what do you find most challenging and/ exciting about playing them?

I play adult Alison Bechdel. It's a challenging role for me vocally, and I'm leaning on the wise guidance of musical director Randal Pierce and vocal coach Stacy Chadwell. 
 
What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?

I'm not sure I'd call it a challenge, exactly, since I love musicals and working on this one is pretty much pure pleasure, but I am reminded frequently during rehearsal that music is a direct and powerful medium, and part of my job as an actor is to be as direct and powerful. Acting in a well-made musical is all about clearing the high bar that the score sets. And on a purely technical level, singing well performance after performance requires a bit more rest and recovery time between shows. 

Now that you have been in rehearsals for a while, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?

The answer to all three of those questions is the same: I am surprised, scared, and even a bit pleased to find that my biggest task in working on Fun Home is not discovering and accessing the big emotions that the show calls for, but rather keeping my huge, overwhelming emotions in check enough to be able to perform. In twenty years of working, I've never had this experience. 
 
How does great collaboration function?
 
My favorite collaborations have always been between obsessives who play well with others. When a small group of creative folks each have a burning desire to realize their particular vision and the ability to refine and integrate that vision into something larger than themselves? That, in my experience, is when magic can happen. On a less theoretical level, a comfortable room, a shared sense of humor, and snacks go a long way.

What is your favorite moment in this musical?

Working with director Robin Fawcett the other day on the very first moments of the show was a bit of a revelation. I had been thinking about my entrance as nothing much, a bit of dramaturgical throat-clearing before the music began. Was I wrong! As of this writing, it's my favorite moment in the show. Of course, ask me again in a day or two and I'm sure to have a different answer. This show is so rich. 

In your dream scenario how does great collaboration function?
This is my dream scenario!  Robin Fawcett, who is directing the show has gathered an incredible group of artists. Robin has an uncanny way of creating a safe environment in rehearsals where you have permission to explore.

Everyone involved in Fun Home is working towards a common goal.  It's thrilling to be a part of it!

Now that you have been in rehearsals for two weeks, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?
Fun Home is so beautifully crafted.  Working on this piece has only deepened my love for it.  

When people ask me how rehearsals are going I always say "I'm having the time of my life!".

We just completed our first run-thru of the whole show.  That first run-thru is always terrifying, but I think a healthy dose of fear is good.  It keeps you working to do you best.

What character do you play and what do you find most challenging and/or exciting about playing him?
I play Bruce Bechdel, Alison's Father.  All of the characters in the show are struggling for acceptance.  I remember when I read the script, my first thought was, this could have been my story.  I grew up in a small town in Iowa and if I had never ventured beyond its borders or had the freedom to live an authentic life as a gay man this could have been me.  

It is a challenge to access the darker places of Bruce, but it's exciting to create this multidimensional flawed human being.

There is a universal resonance to this story that I think audiences can't help but identify with.

What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?
It's a whole other beast.  A musical requires that you take extremely good care of your vocal and physical health.  

In a musical you have the added task of finding the motivation for your character bursting into song.  Those transitions are so well written in Fun Home, it make the actors job much easier. 

This is a vocally demanding show but it has to seem effortless and that takes a lot of work.

What is your favorite moment in this musical (doesn’t have to be in our version... it could simply be a moment in the show itself)?
There are so many it's hard to pick just one moment.  

However, when Small Alison played so beautifully by Lulu Barr-Brandt sings the lyric, "Do you feel my heart saying Hi?" in Ring of Keys.  It gets me every time.  

It's that moment of revelation; simple and true and so incredibly powerful.

Fun Home is playing October 4-29 at FlynnSpace.

In your dream scenario how does great collaboration function?
Funny you ask. I was just thinking how everyday this week my motor’s been humming inside a prime example of “dream collaboration.”  In our FUN HOME rehearsal room at Elley-Long, where the stage dimensions are humbly taped on the floor, the space is abuzz with a diverse collection of people earnestly pursuing the same hefty goal.  I love this.  Yet, it’s not simply this shared sense of industry that’s so fine, but a particular kind of approach that, for me, beats all.  Let’s call the approach “serious play.”
 
The “serious” part involves everyone taking wholehearted responsibility for their role, coming on time, working hard, and being utterly prepared.  Check!  The “play” part requires a crazy big, can-do, positive attitude and supportive environment.   “Play” requires everyone to keep play, well… in play.  And when it is… possibility opens, fear is low, creativity high, laughter happens, mistakes become opportunities, and risks are freely taken leading to, well, wow…  Pinch me.  Am I asleep?
 
What have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far?
The nouns.  To direct, is to go on a twisty-turning adventure with people, places, and things.  So, starting with a thing, I’ve so enjoyed my deep dive into the play itself, coming to understand its construction, meanings, and Bechdel inspiration.  Because of this I know more intimately why this play is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama Finalist and Tony Award winner for Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score.
 
Places.  Working on this musical, has provided a scavenger hunt leading me to a welcome collection of meaningful places: the end of a long dark hallway at Saint Joseph’s School for a late afternoon cabaret, the kitchen’s and living rooms of new collaborators, Shy Guy Gelato at closing time, NYC Pearl Studios in a torrential rain, and previously forgotten corners of my life.
 
And, then there are the people, the most affecting noun of the adventure.  No doubt I’ll be changed by working with and learning from each of them.  An additional fun fact for me among the people, is that my Musical Director, Randal Pierce, and Sound Designer, Zach Williamson, were once my students.
 
Now that you are a week into rehearsals, what has surprised you about the process of staging FUN HOME? 
I am surprised by three things I already knew but not to the extent I know them now.  1. How much better I feel to be out of the phase of preparation solitude.  2.  How thrilling it is to give away previously conceived ideas and see them informed and transformed by oh-so-talented others.  3.  Staging FUN HOME is an incredible artistic challenge to get to have.
 
Is there anything that scares you?
Everything?
 
What do you find most challenging about directing a musical versus a play?
While music usually adds a level of complexity to the storytelling, and collaboration, and scheduling, and staging turned choreography, I find the added complexity more than balanced by the inspiration I take from this incredible ingredient -- music!  The challenge when directing non-musicals, is to find and conjure the sense of music when there is none.
           
What is your favorite moment in this musical?
 
There’s a glimmer-of-a-moment at the end of the play when Small Alison gives her Dad instructions on how to hold her up above him.  It’s a moment that could be missed in the rich musical layers of the Finalé.  But, if not missed, it is a lovely turning point, when Alison finds in a fleeting memory, and through her younger self, a key to an otherwise closed door.
 
How is the musical adaptation different from the graphic novel?
 
It’s interesting to compare and contrast these two versions of Alison Bechdel’s story: one a graphic novel and the other a musical for the stage. In doing so, there are obvious differences in the artistic forms, story telling approach, and level of detail. 
 
But what has interested me is a surprising comparison I’ve found between the 232 page graphic novel and the 75-minute play.  It’s a comparison that captures the beauty of the translation from one art form to another. Whether intentional or not, there’s an uncanny parallel between the cartoon line of the novel and the instrumental line in the soundscape of the play.   Incredibly, the instrumental line of the musical provides a landscape of atmospheres, themes, symbols, and commentary on the dialogue and lyrics, much like the cartoon lines non-verbal relationship to the captions.

Fun Home is playing October 4-29 at FlynnSpace.

Recently Vermont Stage learned it won a bid to stage Fun Home, the Tony-Winning musical based off Vermont Cartoonist Laureate Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel of the same title. The musical, which tells the story of Bechdel’s coming out and her father’s struggle facing his own sexuality, is a significant undertaking for Vermont Stage. Artistic Director Cristina Alicea and Fun Home Director Robin Fawcett answered questions via email about the production.

What drew you to Fun Home in the first place?

Cristina: I think, like many Vermonters, I had been watching Fun Home’s trajectory in awe since it first premiered at the Public Theater. The fact that Fun Home was based on a fellow Vermonter’s work immediately drew my attention, especially since that work happened to be Alison Bechdel’s popular graphic novel of the same name. From the outset, Fun Home came across as the “little show that could,” so when it became a big hit that transferred to Broadway and then won the Tony for Best New Musical, it was such a wonderful surprise. It definitely got me fantasizing about doing the show here someday. I just had no idea how quickly someday would come.
 
Robin: For me, deliberation is part of taking on any new directing project. Am I excited by the work? Is it a fit? Does it pose fresh challenges? Then out of the blue this spring, Cristina called to ask if I would direct Fun Home for Vermont Stage. And there was no deliberation. I had read, in awe, Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel the year it was released. I revered the book in all its artistry, deceptive simplicity, courageous exploration of a life, and themes to which I relate in the universal and particular. Now, as I take apart the play to reassemble it for production, my sense of excitement is only reinforced by the masterful work of Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) and Jeanine Tsori (music). What an honor.
 
Rights for Fun Home are competitive. Do you have any insight as to why this particular production was given the green light?

Cristina: I still don’t know for sure why Vermont Stage was given the green light, especially since the National Tour is still running, but I have my assumptions. The licensing company asked if we still wanted to do the show and I immediately said yes. They said they would check in with the tour to see if they were comfortable letting us do it. I asked if the National Tour planning on coming here and they said it wasn’t likely, so the only way that Vermonters were going to get to see Fun Home was if Vermont Stage decided to produce it. Vermont Stage is also the only year-round, professional producing company in the area so we often get first choice on popular new titles.
 
What does it mean to bring Fun Home to creator Alison Bechdel’s home state? Is Bechdel involved at all?
Cristina: It is an incredible honor to be the first theater to bring Fun Home “home.” This show has felt special ever since I started telling people that we were doing it. The reactions I have gotten from our audiences have been inspiring. This show means a lot to people here because of the Vermont ties and because of the subject matter. Bechdel knows we are doing the show and plans to help in whatever way she can to make the show a success. We have a beautiful, incredibly talented, cast. I am certain our production will do justice to the author’s intent. I can’t wait for her to see it.
 
Is producing Fun Home different from producing a typical Vermont Stage play? How?
Cristina: Absolutely. The logistics of producing a musical is the major challenge. This is the biggest show we have ever produced. We have to hire an orchestra and a music director and many other additional staff members just to get the show off the ground. However, with that challenge comes so much more room for collaboration, which is exciting and rewarding. Certainly the pride we will feel once we see the audiences’ reactions to the show will have been worth all of the extra time, resources, and energy.
 
What’s the casting process like?
Robin: The usual prerequisites for casting a musical include seeking actors who can impressively fulfill the acting-singing-movement demands of each role, believably play the characters and relationships, while supporting a directorial vision. In addition to this, Fun Home provides several unique challenges for casting its nine roles: finding one actor who can deftly play four distinct characters; five actors who can believably play a family with biologically related children ages six, eleven, and nine; and two additional actors who appear to be grown up versions of the nine-year-old at ages 18 and 43.
 
Due to the play’s size, did Vermont Stage consider moving to the Flynn MainStage?
Cristina: We did talk and think about this a lot before deciding to do the show in FlynnSpace. Ultimately, we felt that FlynnSpace is a better fit for the show. Fun Home was produced in the round on Broadway at Circle in the Square, which is a relatively intimate theater. The show benefits from that intimacy, given that it is such a personal story set primarily in Bechdel’s childhood home. We also pride ourselves on the impact that our plays have on our audiences, due, in part, by the immediacy and intimacy that producing plays in a small venue can breed. We didn’t want Fun Home’s potency to get diluted by the vastness of the MainStage.

What are some of the greatest challenges in adapting a show as large as Fun Home to a small–scale production? How are you meeting them?
Robin: It’s true that this is a large undertaking for Vermont Stage with its cast of nine, orchestra of six, and 26 scenes in roughly 15 locations, to be produced in the snug black box of FlynnSpace. Yet, I can’t imagine better challenges or a play that more pointedly invites and helps in meeting them. Because Fun Home unfolds from the perspective of an artist’s memory at work, realizing the play begs for innovative, fluid, answers to its puzzles. Given the “director’s vision” has (as of this interview) yet to be interpreted and rendered by the design team, I’ll pause at that.
 
Why do you think Fun Home, which includes some pretty dark subjects, resonates with audiences?
Robin: Where to begin? The truth of it. The unabashed story telling style. Its musical mix of frolic and frankness. Its bold look at death and ultimate celebration of life. The refreshing ways it gives us time to reflect and deepen our understanding of what it means to be human, to love, be in a relationship, have family, make choices, succumb to fear, and be courageous. As Bechdel’s graphic novel is a vivid illustration of this adage by James Joyce--“In the particular is contained the universal”—so too is the musical version, particular and oh so universal. Because of this, Fun Home skillfully, playfully, wakes us up and resonates.

Reprinted from Flynn Center's blog.