CLASSIC
THE NEWSLETTER OF CLASSIC STAGE COMPANY • VOLUME 20, NUMBER 1 • FALL 2016
IN THIS ISSUE:
INTERVIEWS WITH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JOHN DOYLE PLAYWRIGHT TOM SCHULMAN COSTUME DESIGNER ANN HOULD-WARD
Photo by: Monica Simoes
AS THE GENRE
"classical theater" immediately brings to mind Shakespeare, the Ancient Greeks, and the likes of Chekhov, Ibsen, and Strindberg, it's a welcome surprise to see CSC's 2016 - 2017 Season open with an adaptation of a beloved film from the 1980s. We sat down with John Doyle, CSC's new Artistic Director, to get a sense of what this bold programming choice means for the theater's future. Q: DEAD POETS SOCIETY is the first play in your inaugural season as Artistic Director. Tell us why you’ve chosen to begin your tenure with this project. What makes it a “classic”? A: The stage adaptation of DEAD POETS SOCIETY came my way a couple of years ago. I was intrigued by how such an iconic movie could transfer to theater. Bear in mind, though, that Tom Schulman won his Oscar for a movie script that is in itself a terrific text. It has brilliant situations and highly theatrical dialogue at its core. When Tom and I started to work together, I was delighted by how open he was to finding ways to truly remake the piece for the stage. When I was appointed Artistic Director of CSC, I was keen to find titles that had classicism at their center, but were not necessarily only European
classics written centuries ago. DEAD POETS felt like it fit the bill. Mr. Keating’s philosophies are classical by nature – he promotes classical inspirations amongst the boys. So here we are. A premiere of a great story written by a firstclass American writer, looking at how classical ideas can influence our whole lives. Q: Along the same lines, how do you plan to interpret the definition of “classic” while at CSC? A: I am interested, whilst still exploring the great works that we immediately think of as "the classics,” in presenting the classics of many cultures. Let’s start with America’s own culture. I would like to find room for the classic writers of this country, as well as for those of the rest of our world. Classics don’t have to be solely the works of dead men from Europe. There will always be presentations of Shakespeare and his contemporaries here, as well as Chekhov, Ibsen, and all the great voices that come immediately to us, but I am also interested in adaptations of classic stories, from all cultures. At the core, though, will be an aim of accessibility. CSC is a modern New York theater presenting the classics, whilst always looking to develop new audiences for those great stories.
Q: When adapting a beloved film to a new medium, what do you need to take into consideration? Does the audience’s memory of the film help or hinder the way the story is told on stage? A: One will never get rid of the audience’s memory. My job is quite simply to find a fresh way of telling it, and a way that uses theatrical techniques as its methodology. In my job, I believe one must always tell a story as if it has never been told before. Q: You’ve directed some legendarily innovative revivals during your career. How do you go about telling a familiar story with a fresh perspective? A: Gosh, the word “legendary” always seems like an overwhelming responsibility. I suppose the key issue is that I never set out to make something “legendary.” I simply try to find a way of telling it from my own point of view. I have to look at the material and figure out “what am I trying to say?” Simple really, and yet, very complex. I suppose my current revival of The Color Purple is a fair parallel to the challenges of DEAD POETS. A famous, much-loved movie.
In the case of the musical, it was also an iconic novel, so even more of a hurdle. More difficult though is the reinventing of shows like Sweeney Todd or Company, which had iconic stage productions by great directors and designers. Then there are stage images in the audience's minds, and those are tricky to challenge with new visual language. I just have to close my mind to any inner voices that are reminding me of the artistic predecessors. I firmly believe that it is the job of the director of revivals to approach the story afresh – as if it were a new piece. It’s also worth saying that most of my more successful revivals have been made in theaters where the primary resource is the imagination of the audience. Either because of lesser financial resources or because the physical spaces where the works were made were not of the same scale as the original. So, fingers firmly crossed that a little of that history will repeat itself. This is a story that deserves to be experienced by the widest possible audience.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! Academy Award-winning writer Tom Schulman reflects on the inspirations behind DEAD POETS SOCIETY and its continuing power today. Plus, an official reading list of the literature that fueled this landmark story. Q: How did DEAD POETS SOCIETY come about? What inspired the story? Did you imagine it as a stage play or a screenplay? A: I originally imagined it as a screenplay. I studied with a wonderful acting/directing/ writing teacher named Jack Garfein in Los Angeles, and his teacher was Harold Clurman, a legendary theater director and critic who co-founded The Group Theatre. Mr. Clurman would come to Los Angeles every few months to review our work as Jack’s students. Clurman was an incredible speaker. He would stand on stage and start holding forth like a human volcano about life and the theater and movies and art and literature. He’d go on for three or four hours, and he was so fascinating you never wanted it to end. I was so inspired by Mr. Clurman that I decided I wanted to write something about him, and that was the first draft of DEAD POETS SOCIETY. The problem was that all the students in the story were acting students, so the script didn’t work. I put it away for a year and then had the revelation that Sam Pickering, my sophomore high school English teacher, would be a better character for the story than Mr. Clurman. Mr. Pickering was an antic, charismatic, and inspiring teacher. He taught at my high school for a year, but when I came back for my junior year, he was no longer teaching at the school. There were wild rumors that he’d impregnated the principal’s daughter, things like that, so we were afraid to ask why he was gone. If we’d had the courage to inquire, we would have learned that he’d simply gotten a better job. But because it was a mystery, I think it was an open question that fed my imagination, and DEAD POETS was the story I came up with. Q: Tell us how DEAD POETS SOCIETY became part of the Classic Stage Company season. What excites you about having John Doyle direct?
A: The theatrical version of this play began with producer Adam Zotovich, who approached me three or four years ago about doing DEAD POETS as a play. I wrote the book for the play, and then Adam presented me with the opportunity for John Doyle to direct. I’d never seen John’s work, but I’d heard amazing things. The voices of friends - who were often critical of just about every play they saw - became reverential when they spoke of his production of Sweeney Todd. John and I
Tom Schulman from 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag
worked together to prepare the book to our mutual liking, had a couple of cast readings, and then John became Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company. He wanted to put the play on here, so here we are. Q: The film is so definitive and iconic. What do you think made it achieve this “classic” status? How do you feel about opening up your story to a new vision and new cast? What is most exciting to you about revisiting the world of DEAD POETS SOCIETY? A: As a writer, you write what you know, what
you believe, and what you love, and you hope that others connect to it. As far as the film being a “classic,” I think that’s going to be for others to determine. I’m honored that word would be attached to it.
in the theater you have the luxury of keeping characters on stage for long periods of time. It feels like ideas and character development are better suited for the stage, particularly today, when most movies are so action-oriented.
It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays now. It’s 25 years old. I approached the adaptation with trepidation, worrying whether it would still be relevant for me as a writer or for what I perceive as the audience. But it felt to me like it’s still relevant.
Q: Do you have any favorite films that you think would make great plays?
What’s exciting to me is John’s approach, which focuses intensely on the characters, and it feels like there will be something magical about experiencing it live. I know both from what I’ve heard of John’s work and from the time I’ve spent working with him that he’s got an amazing ability to draw you into a story and make you feel like you’re watching real life on stage. That immediacy, like you’re a fly on the wall watching other people’s lives, is what theater does best, especially in an intimate house like CSC. Q: What are some of the major differences between writing for stage and writing for film? The movie had 56 scenes, and the play has about 20. Whereas for movies you’re trying to write one-to-three-minute scenes then cut,
A: One of my favorite movies is Akira Kurosawa’s "Ikiru." It’s a beautiful story of a man who learns - in a comic way, if you can believe it - that he’s dying of stomach cancer. He has a boring, pointless job working in a massive government bureaucracy which seems to take perverse pride in doing as little as possible to help Japanese citizens. The man’s cancer spurs him to decide to do something with his life that actually helps people. It’s a deeply touching movie, and I think it would make a great play. Q: What’s next for you as a writer? A: I’m working on a ten-part limited television series called "Man Without" with producer John Wells. I’ve just finished writing the book for a musical called Anthem with Berton Averre (from the band The Knack) and lyricist Rob Meurer. I’ve written a comedy for the stage called Sacrilegious that Andy Sandberg will direct. And I’ve just finished writing another play called Driving School.
DEEP MONTANA CO An Interview with DEAD POETS SOCIETY Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward Q: How did you first get started as a costume designer? What drew you to the field? A: I was blessed to receive a full scholarship to Mills College in California, a wonderful women’s college. I wanted to be an actress, as I did not know there were any other parts to the theater, coming as I did from a very rural area of northern Montana. I had always loved to draw, and my instructors put together that I could use the part of my mind that wanted to act along with my drawing skills to become a designer. I think what drew me to design existed long before I knew to understand it, which was how color and patterning influence us in our everyday lives. The wide prairies of Montana and the deep colors of a summer thunderstorm there still influence what I do today. I wanted to design from the time I first held a pencil and drew. I knew you could make a plan with a drawing. I am
still making those plans and helping them come to life with other people. Q: What do you like most about collaborating with John Doyle? What sets him apart as an artist? A: Like is not the word. What I LOVE about collaborating with John Doyle is that it is a complete journey of freedom. I am never afraid and I am never worried that it will not be right. Because it feels so secure. I know if something needs to be changed, it is always in a world of exploration and finding and that we are doing it together. I believe that is the key to great art that John somehow holds—he makes us all feel the exploration together, that we are free to bring ourselves to the table and that we will be accepted and honored. John is set apart because he can talk about
From Allegro. Photo by: Matthew Murphy
OLORS
From Passion. Photo by: Joan Marcus
what theater should do in a fashion that allows all of us to work together to make a cohesive group and a united theatrical thought. He makes the kind of rehearsal room that allows actors to try things and for conversations to be ongoing about what we are creating as a collaborative whole.
hold as young people and how the world of adults around us affects what we feel and what we can accomplish. Because John’s productions are often about continuing to find the basic essence of the characters, I love being in the rehearsal room and seeing how the actors are doing this. I make my work be informed by this.
Q: What is your favorite period of history to design? Why so?
Q: What are some common misunderstandings about costume design amongst audiences? How can theatergoers better understand and appreciate your craft?
A: I love any period because I always learn. The history of clothing is related to the people in power at any given point in history. It is fascinating to study and learn about any time through the clothing as it connects to the moral character, social, and governmental history that is going on during an era. The skirt lengths during World War II relate to the difficulty in getting goods. It is a circle that goes round and round. History, needs and desires, fashion: they go hand in hand. Q: Which challenges or opportunities excite you the most in designing DEAD POETS SOCIETY? A: I am excited, as I have said to John, to see the youth and enthusiasm and creativity of this group of young men as they work on the play with John. I think this play has a tremendous amount to say to us about the dreams and expectations we
A: I think good design, in any field, is about listening to the needs of a situation, contemplating those needs and finding a solution that not only reflects what was needed but also adds a voice that enhances. I often think we, as people, are enamored of bells and whistles (we are like kittens in that we like shiny things), which in the long run may not really tell the story best. Perhaps the way to understand the craft of theater designers is to think of us in terms of the story. Did we tell it well? Were you involved? Did the design make you feel something? It may seem like we were not even there, because it seemed just right and proper and did not take emphasis away from the actors. That may be when we have done our job best of all!
Anonymous ACE Charitable Foundation Actors' Equity Foundation The Angelson Family Foundation Arete Foundation AmazonSmile Foundation Axe-Houghton Foundation Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation The Chervenak-Nunnallé Foundation Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP The Don and Maggie Buchwald Foundation The Dorothy Loudon Foundation The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation Edelman Evercore Partners The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation Fred and Suzan Ehrman Foundation The Friars Foundation Gerard Family Foundation The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Goldman, Sachs & Co The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation The Jerome Robbins Foundation Lucille Lortel Foundation Macy's/Bloomingdale's Matching Gift Fund Michael Tuch Foundation The Mnuchin Foundation National Endowment for the Arts New York City Department of Cultural Affairs New York State Council on the Arts The Newburgh Institute for the Arts & Ideas The PECO Foundation Pfizer Foundation Pirret Fund of the Bessemer National Gift Fund Richenthal Foundation Rosenthal Family Foundation The Scherman Foundation Shakespeare in American Communities The Shubert Foundation Stavros Niarchos Foundation Sullivan & Cromwell LLP The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Trust Teeple Family Charitable Fund at the Greater Alliance Foundation Theatre Communications Group TheaterMania.com, Inc. The Thompson Family Foundation, Inc. Tony Randall Theatrical Fund Triangle Community Foundation Barbara and David Zalaznick Foundation
2O16 - 2O17 SEASON FUNDERS
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Special thanks to the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting Classic Stage Company.
Marc Abrams Justin Blake Mary Corson D. Rebecca Davies Denise Dickens Raymond DiPrinzio Barbara Marks Debra Mayer Marla Schuster Nissan Maeve O’Connor Nicola Christine Port Gail F. Stone Thomas A. Teeple Roslyn Tom
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Paul Blackman Matthew J. Harrington Therese Steiner
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lynn F. Angelson, CHAIR Edwin S. Maynard, VICE CHAIR Donald Francis Donovan, CHAIR EMERITUS
John Doyle ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Brian Kulick CONSULTING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Jeff Griffin MANAGING DIRECTOR
Begins October 27 For tickets, visit classicstage.org or call 866-811-4111 CSC Subscribers call 212-677-4210 x 11
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