I think directing is terrifying. As an actor you are responsible for your part of the whole. As a director you are responsible for EVERYTHING! An acting coach of mine used to say, 'Take a risk, Safe is dead.' The times I have 'risked' directing have been some of the most rewarding experiences I've had in the Theatre.
What do you find challenging about directing your section of Beyond Therapy?
There is a fine line in Durang plays, if you go too far with the comedy I think it moves out of the realm of reality and into the absurd. Durang quotes the playwright Joe Orton in his extensive author's notes, ' Unless its real it won't be funny.' Walking that fine line is the challenge for the actors and me.
What makes directing this play fun?
I have acted in and directed other Christopher Durang plays and each time it has been transformative. Durang's dark humor speaks my language. At the heart of his zaney plays there is a truth that resonates. Searching for that truth with this group of actors is incredibly fun.
What's your favorite line in the play?
Of course its from my section of the play:
"How can life be in order? Life by its very nature is disordered, terrifying. That's why people come together, to face the terrors hand in hand."