What was your familiarity with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? before this show?I had read it, of course, but I had actually never seen a production of it. I had also never seen the film, so I made a conscious decision not to, once I knew I was directing it, as to not be unduly influenced by choices they had made—so I had the rare opportunity to come to it as if it was a new play.
Photo: Ethan McSweeny welcoming guests to the final dress rehearsal of Virginia Woolf. Photo by Richard Anderson.
It is a great classic of the 20th-century, maybe the quintessential post-World War II American play. And those usually come with a lot of baggage. When you get the opportunity to interact with a script without the baggage, as an artist, you’re very lucky.
Why were you interested in directing Virginia Woolf?
There were several factors, but, first, on the practical side, I’m a freelance director, so when I get a job, a chance to direct a major classic play at a major theater, I say yes. And I was supposed to direct a production of this play five or six years ago, but the rights were pulled because of the impending Broadway production. I almost felt I had a date with this play I had not kept.
This is also my first opportunity to work at CENTERSTAGE, a theater I have always admired and respected....CENTERSTAGE puts a pretty high emphasis on technicality, on design. That is an important aspect in Virginia Woolf, particularly, and great to get to do it in a fully supported regional theater.
I'm also a Washington, DC, native, and have a lot of family, friends, and other theaters I've worked with around here, so it is always great to come back to the Mid-Atlantic area.
What was one of the most challenging parts about bringing Virginia Woolf to life?
The most important thing was getting a good cast. Getting a George, Martha, Nick, Honey that are right, was very important. But they also have to be able to make it as a company, a group that works together to make a fantastic show.
Also, dealing with the length and breadth of the play, and dealing with it in our time in rehearsal. We had to be very aware of timing, scheduling. We don’t, aside from Shakespeare and Shaw, find ourselves doing many three hour plays. That creates challenges in relearning the rehearsal muscle.
How much time do you spend with a script before hand?
I spend a substantial amount of time reading the play, and reading it again in the design process. A big part of Virginia Woolf is that the action is carried by people talking, so we had to come up with interesting visuals and stage business to help the audience engage with the actors on stage. I spent a lot of time in the design process talking with Lee [Savage, scenic designer]. Once we had a design, I would re-read the play with that design in mind, thinking about how it would work.
I also make a scene breakdown, dividing the script into French scenes [every time a character enters or leaves]. Each act was divided into eight or ten smaller chunks, then I give a title to each of these scenes. It isn’t until I do a scene breakdown that I feel I’ve made an internal decision about what I feel the scene is about.
Finally, you have to be open as you work through the play together with the actors. Voices help reveal the structure in the text…. The punctuation is important, especially in Albee. Its almost a song, its a piece of music for four human voices.
What are you working on next?
I will be back at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, doing a classic with a twist with Ion by Euripides. It is a relatively modern translation by David Lam, and it is a fascinating play that I’ve really warmed up to—a Greek play with a happy ending; not a comedy, not a tragedy, but a story.
After that, I go out to the Old Globe in San Diego for a new play, Cornelia, about the second wife of Alabama Senator George Wallace.
I have been very fortunate in my career to do classics, contemporary masterpieces like Virginia Woolf, and world premiers of new works. The ability to work in these different genres increases your skills as a director.
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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? runs in the Head Theater through November 30th. Visit www.centerstage.org or call 410.332.0033 for information.
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