A SEASON TO LEVEL UP & LEARN: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNE MCEVOY, AFFILIATED ARTIST
‘23 RECAP:
Last year I was lucky enough to be a part of the Seat of the Pants reading series and am thrilled that this year we’ve…not sure how to say this...leveled up(?)...amplified… or grown what these are and made them a formal part of our season. I'm excited that a lot more people will be able to experience this...playwrights, readers, and audiences alike. I'm a long time fan of SotP and love how we're sharing “process” with the public in this and other unique ways. Somehow, our company excels at bringing together some of the most passionate, committed, generous, ego-less groups of people to create ensemble-driven work. What was so memorable for me about last year's reading was how invested the audience was and how long they stayed after the reading to discuss and share feedback with playwrights. Their appreciation and insights into the work in progress was invaluable.
THE WORK AT HAND:
When the opportunity came to direct Faye’s piece this year as part of the Salon Series (IF THE SHOW FITS) I jumped at the opportunity. I've always respected the work Faye does as artistic director of Interplay Jewish Theater, creating a platform for new local and international works. It’s been a blessing to get to participate in a few of those readings, and I think what she does for the Cleveland community is inspiring. So getting to work with her on this fast and furious project - hand pick the cast, have one rehearsal and GO! - has already been a luxury. She's extremely collaborative and open to discussing any and all aspects of the play, edits she felt were needed, backstory for how she wrote the play, giving me a free hand in casting, and even letting us use her home to rehearse. (Dinner included!)
Something that has really surprised me - in the best possible way - is how this cast came together. Taking on a brand new play with only one rehearsal, I quickly started thinking of all the different casting possibilities. In a town as flush with talent as Cleveland, it’s fun to imagine, but at some point you have to start committing to a vision. And of course with a short time span, a lot of actors are going to already be committed to other projects and unavailable. But expectations aside, what often happens, and has certainly happened this time, is that the dream cast you need always emerges, bringing all sorts of unexpected and wonderful assets and chemistry. We’ve got an awesome group with Chris D’Amico, Tim Keo, Laura Starnik, and Lana Sugarman. Faye and I are eager to see what these four will do with the humorous, quirky script!
A FULLER SCOPE:
Ten years ago I was doing some one-on-one yoga therapy. One day the yogi asked me what I wanted to do at that point in my life. With the clarity I'd found in some of the work we'd been doing, I knew I wanted to 1. get out of corporate America, and 2. be of service to people, both on stage and off.
It would take longer than I'd hoped, but ever since then I've been moving in that direction. During this past year I completed my certification at the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium (GLMCC) in the teacher’s track. It had taken me four years and some extra work, but was well worth it. Getting to use this technique as a director has yielded some tremendous results. Sometimes I’ll sneak in one of the tools or an exercise at rehearsal (without pointing out that this is Michael Chekhov method), and it’s so rewarding to see how both new and seasoned actors take to it. I especially love working with students and younger actors and getting to see them take their natural talents to the next level. I'm also grateful for all the opportunities I've had to work with some of the most accomplished professional actors, directors, and designers in northeast Ohio. Because of them, even though I don't have a masters or doctorate degree in theatre, I've grown a lot and feel it's only right that I pass some of that experience along. Theatres like Clague Playhouse, GLMCC, and SotP have given me opportunities to do that. And to keep learning!