much more on that heavy, emotional thing, but we got it in our bones well enough to keep it there.” Certain expectations in the rehearsal room were clear, but unspoken. “I don’t know if Joe said this directly, but I felt like him calling us to be front-footed the whole time we were on stage,” remembers Tyler. “There wasn’t a moment where we could kick back. Even if we were just standing there listening…we are there to help communicate the story.”
Joseph Haj + scenic designer Jan Chambers during the 2023 design workshop for the Histories at the Guthrie PHOTO JOSHUA CUMMINS
When Tyler thinks of working with Joe, he thinks of “really working with the dude. I know that I’m going to get in the room, and I’m going to prepare a shit ton beforehand…I’m going to come in with some strong ideas. And then we’re going to do the work kind of fast, and we’re going to do it efficiently.”
So much of the art, of the art form, is the ability to concentrate for very long periods of time. That’s as true for directors...as it is for actors. JOSEPH HAJ
Tracey Maloney as Lady Percy + John Catron as Henry Percy (FOREGROUND) in Henry IV at the Guthrie, directed by Joseph Haj PHOTO DAN NORMAN
28 SDC JOURNAL | FALL 2024