CAST OF CHARACTERS NEIL BLEDSOE.....................................................................................................................................................................PHILIP Paul Crewes Rachel Fine Artistic Director Managing Director AUGUSTUS PREW...............................................................................................................................................................OLIVER JESSICA COLLINS.................................................................................................................................................................SYLVIA MATTHEW WILKAS................................................................................................................THE MAN / PETER / THE DOCTOR PRESENTS THE ACTION TAKES PLACE IN LONDON IN THE YEARS 1958 AND 2008. BY Q & A Alexi Kaye Campbell with Wallis Artist-in-Residence FEATURING MICHAEL ARDEN Neal Bledsoe, Jessica Collins, Augustus Prew, Matthew Wilkas Q: LET’S TALK PROCESS. HOW play — the stage manager, dialect create a safe space where they can DO YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO coach, everyone — and discuss what’s reach their greatest potential. On the DIRECT A PARTICULAR PLAY? relatable and what’s foreign, and how other hand, I like the theater to be a A: Sometimes it’s something I’ve read the design might express that. We all dangerous space — because there’s and felt a connection, or had an idea SCENIC DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN SOUND DESIGN have to be 100% clear about what’s the possibility that anything could about how to make it a clear visual or happening in the story. For The Pride, happen. I love being scared by actors. Michael Arden Danae Iris McQueen Travis Hagenbuch Joshua D. Reid aural experience for an audience. And I wanted the design to be quite simple, sometimes I’ve seen a production and so the actors and I can truly build Q: AND THEN WE GET TO TECH... wanted to look at it through a new the piece in the room, as opposed to A: Yes, and then we get to tech and lens. It varies from project to project. having set pieces pre-designed before I’m telling them where to stand rehearsals. With this play, I’m relying and to make sure they are in their ASSOCIATE SCENIC DESIGN PROPERTIES SUPERVISOR COSTUME SUPERVISOR Q: AND THE PRIDE? on the human element to carry us. light. [Laughs.] In the beginning, at Chris Soley Jeffrey Maloney Deborah Hartwell A: I first saw a production in London least, it has to come from them. a few years back directed by Jamie Q: WHICH BRINGS US TO CASTING... Lloyd. The material resonated with A: That’s the most important piece: Q: TO BORROW FROM PAUL VALERY, me as a gay man; I connected to finding actors who understand DO YOU BELIEVE PRODUCTIONS the experiences in the play on a the story and are able to convey ARE FINISHED OR ABANDONED? personal, emotional level. I felt it the emotional lives of the A: Definitely never finished. was a story that hadn’t been told Everything is a first draft. There’s CASTING DIRECTOR PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER characters without judgement. before and about an aspect of gay always more to question, define, Eric Souliere Nikki Hyde life that isn’t widely discussed. Q: WHAT’S YOUR challenge. The theatre is a living, REHEARSAL PROCESS? breathing, ever-changing thing. Q: AND THE NEXT STEP? A: We start at a table, reading the A: With The Pride, I called friends play ad nauseam. We ask, “Why do we Q: FINALLY, ANY OPENING to come over to my living room. We say what we say? What’s happening NIGHT RITUALS? DIRECTED BY read the play a couple of times, in the air between the lines?” And A: I like to gather with my cast talking it through. I even read a from that I start adding props, small and crew onstage and ask them to Michael Arden role, playing different parts each pieces of furniture. The blocking take the play into their care, and time. I wanted to speak the words comes organically from the text. to continue questioning, exploring myself. I wasn’t thinking about and challenging themselves and JUNE 8 - JULY 9, 2017 the play physically, but about the Q: SO DEFINITELY AN ACTOR- the audiences. Then I have a stiff Lovelace Studio Theater emotional life of the characters. BASED APPROACH... cocktail and hope for the best. A: In theater, the actor has to carry Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission Q: AND THEN YOU ASSEMBLE the show each night for the audience. - William Nedved. YOUR DESIGN TEAM? My job is to build the playground, Interview has been edited and condensed. Artistic Directors: Robert LuPone and Bernard Telsey | Associate Artistic Director: William Cantler A: Yes, and they are as much and make sure the story is being Executive Director: Blake West directors as I am. We also read the told in a clear way. All I can do is The Pride is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P5 About the Artists About the Artists NEAL BLEDSOE (Philip) is starring roles in “The Time of Your Life,” “Silent the Royal Court Theatre in August 2011 to excellent TRAVIS HAGENBUCH (Lighting Designer) is an DEBORAH HARTWELL (Costume Supervisor) is Manager) is thrilled to be returning for her third an actor and writer. On stage, he Witness,” “MI-5,” “The Bill,” “The Village” and reviews. In June 2013 his fourth play, Bracken Moor, Emmy Award-winning Lighting Designer whose work a Seattle native and currently resides in West Hollywood. show at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the originated the role of The Count “Spooks,” and the television movie “Marigold.” On was produced by Shared Experience at the Tricycle spans the worlds of theatre, television and live She is the owner and founder of Pink Trunk Designs. Performing Arts having worked on The Revisionist in Stephen Wadsworth’s The the big screen, Prew made his debut in the hit Theatre in London, and was directed by Polly Teale. In events. Recent projects include the Academy Awards With over 20 years of experience she has reveled in and The City of Conversation. Some recent credits Figaro Plays at the McCarter movie About a Boy. His additional fi lm credits May 2016 Alexi’s newest play Sunset at the Villa Thalia (Co-Designer, ABC) and Merrily We Roll Along at The creating for many mediums which include theatre, include Debbie Allen's Freeze Frame and Good Grief Theater and worked with Jeremy include High-Rise, Kick-Ass 2, Copperhead, Charlie opened at the Royal National Theatre in a production Wallis. Travis has served as Co-Designer or Lighting various live stage productions, all forms of dance and (Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theater). She Irons, Joan Allen and Jack St. Cloud, The Secret of Moonacre, Animals, Hated, directed by Simon Godwin and starring Ben Miles and Director on many of the world’s leading live events, ballet, music videos and feature fi lms. She has also received a B.A in English and Drama from the O’Brien on Broadway in Impressionism. On the small The Kid and Sophie & Sheba. Augustus Prew began Elizabeth McGovern. Alexi’s plays have been produced including the Vancouver Olympics Opening and designed pieces for the Walt Disney Company, NBC, University of California, Irvine. Nidia is profoundly screen, some of his credits include The Man in the his career in entertainment when he nabbed a in many countries, including Australia, Germany, Closing Ceremonies, The Grammy Awards, "Peter Universal Studios and MTV. Personal favorites include happy that she can work and learn amongst all the High Castle, The Last Tycoon, The Mysteries of Laura, coveted spot with the prestigious YoungBlood Sweden, Greece, Japan, South Korea and Belgium. Pan Live!," "Grease Live!," The Baku European musical theatre work with Jason Robert Brown on artists she has come across. Smash, Ironside, Timeless, Code Black, Ugly Theatre Company in England, which counts British Alexi wrote the feature fi lm Woman in Gold directed by Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, The 13! (ACT Theatre, Seattle) the world premiere of God Betty, and many more. On the big screen, he can be actors Carey Mulligan and Imogen Poots as its Simon Curtis and starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Academy Awards, The Tony Awards, The Kennedy Lives in Glass (Paul Robeson Theater, Keith THE WALLIS The mission of The Wallis is to be a seen in the studio fi lms Revolutionary Road and Sex alumni. Prew currently resides in Los Angeles. Reynolds, with BBC Films and Origin Pictures. It was Center Honors, three Democratic National Thompson, composer), SCI-Fest LA, Pacifi c Northwest vital cultural hub that uses unique arts events and and the City 2, and has won several awards for his the highest earning independent fi lm of 2015. Conventions, and two Super Bowl Halftime Shows. Ballet out-reach programs and Marilyn! The Musical. education programming to entertain, enlighten and work in the independent features Junction and West MATTHEW WILKAS (The Other stage designs include the inaugural season of Current fi lm projects include, 5th Passenger, Junkie, inspire children and adults in our community and End. He is also a sports journalist and his latest Man/Peter/The Doctor) is a New MICHAEL ARDEN (Director & Scenic Designer) At The San Francisco Symphony’s “Soundbox” series, Renegades, Tenant Noctus and Muse of Fire. For the across the nation. series, The Delicate Moron, which chronicles his York City-based actor and writer. The Wallis: Deaf West’s Spring Awakening (Ovation For The Record: Tarantino and John Hughes (Ad Astra past four seasons she has enjoyed working on attempt to play pro football for Gene Simmons and “New York is Dead,” the series Award) and Merrily We Roll Along. Elsewhere: Spring Live), The Brat Pack (Norwegian Cruise Line), Spring numerous productions at The Wallis. Paul Stanley’s Arena League football team, the LA he wrote and stars in will be Awakening (Outer Critics Circle Award, Tony Award Awakening (Deaf West 2014), and La Ronde (Forest Additional Staff KISS, can be seen now on Sports Illustrated’s MMQB.