1. Tell me why you wanted to direct this
play.
When I first read the play, I desperately wanted to
be a part of it, as either actor or director. Very few scripts
make me laugh out loud or gasp or think “Oh my god!” as I am
reading. This one did all of those things. I also knew the play
by reputation as the Pulitzer Prize winner in 2008 and have a
personal connection with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which
Tracy Letts is a member of and for which he wrote the play. A
friend from grad school played Charlie in the original
production in Chicago and on Broadway.
2. Tell me about the
title of the play: August: Osage County. What is the
significance of “Osage County?”
My question, exactly!
August: Osage County is also the name of a poem by Howard
Starks. Osage County has a checkered past. The Osage Indians
owned the land for their own reservation, and when oil was
discovered on it, they became some of the richest people in the
country. Predatory outsiders married into Indian families and
even committed murder to gain the mineral rights.
I believe
that the character of Johnna in the play represents that
historical presence as she makes herself at home and becomes the
matriarch to Violet at the end. As in the great tragedies, the
events of the play bring about a restoration of nature.
3. Wow, August: Osage County is a heavy duty play. It has been
called a “tragicomedy.” It is heartwrenching and hysterical at
the same time. What is your take on Tracy Letts’ combined use of
comedy and tragedy to depict the Weston Family?
My favorite
films and plays all combine comedy and tragedy – just like life.
The two elements play off one another and make the drama or the
comedy seem more real.
4. There are a lot of great
moments in this play. Which one is your favorite? And why? (For
me, the image of Barbara holding a glass and saying she had the
“plains” stuck with me.)
I have too many favorites to pick
just one. Two of my favorite scenes are the epic dinner scene
that ends Act 2 and the scene we call “The Slumber Party” that
begins Act 3. They both combine laugh-out-loud comic moments
with painfully truthful moments between the members of the
Weston family. The dinner scene was the main scene that made me
say “Oh my god!” as I was reading. It is outrageous!
5. What was it like to work together? Hopefully the Weston
Family dynamic stays on the set…
It is a great joy to be able
to work and play with such a smart, funny, and compassionate
group of people. One of my favorite things about directing is
that I get to surround myself with a company of co-conspirators
that entertain, challenge and inspire me every time we get
together. The rehearsal room is one of my favorite places on
earth!
6. Why should someone see this play?
Everyone has a family and every family has to deal with tension
and trouble at some point. Seeing this play can be entertaining,
instructive and inspiring. But, I think it is also about more
universal and national issues. I feel as if August: Osage County
is one of the great American plays. I put it in the same class
as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? or Long Day’s Journey Into
Night or the best plays of Tennessee Williams.
7.
After August: Osage County, what are you most looking forward to
in the remainder of NOVA’s first season.
I am looking
forward to everything! Our eclectic mix of new plays, opera,
musicals and the 2nd Fringe Festival include something for
everyone.
