One of the many challenges for actors in shows like A Streetcar Named Desire is determining how to connect with a villain. As an actor, it can be far too easy to mistakenly write off the character you’re playing when you are afraid to indentify with them. With the actors I work with, we heavily focus on substitution and reliance on the actor’s own emotional memories. While we may not have been in a particular situation ourselves, we have been in circumstances that trigger similar emotional outcomes. By allowing the actor to dig into what is true about themselves, we humanize the characters we play. We are no longer working with villains and protagonists; we are simply working with people. People who have goals and ambitions and intentions that lead them to the choices they make.

We do an incredible disservice to our audiences when we refuse to connect with these complicated characters. Suddenly these characters become caricatures of monsters and princesses and audiences lose all ability to analyze them and relate to them, as they no longer feel real. We, too, give the audience permission to write off these characters. By allowing a closer connection with the characters, the audience is also able to identify aspects of these people that they have seen in their own lives, which I believe is one of the major goals of theatre: to allow ourselves the opportunity to analyze true human interaction within our lives by putting it front and center.

Being able to direct incredibly flawed characters is one of the major reasons I was drawn to Streetcar. This play effortlessly maintains relevance in our collective cultural consciousness. Themes of masking our true selves to avoid vulnerability are ever present. The ways in which we communicate and build relationships with others are concepts that will never cease to yearn for exploration. In dissecting these relationships and erroneous patterns of behavior, a beautiful challenge is presented as the actor explores how they understand their character without excusing them. Guiding actors through this incredibly emotional experience is an absolute privilege, and I am wildly grateful for the actors who chose to accept my invitation in being a part of this project, and in doing so, decided to trust me with some of the most vulnerable parts of them. I am inspired every day by the creative minds that I have the honor of working with. In choosing who would be a part of this project, I find that one of the most valuable qualities an artist can have is unfiltered vulnerability. I feel blessed to work with actors who make bold choices, who aren’t paying attention to whether their choice will be popular because they are simply, truly, bravely feeling. I feel honored to work with designers who do not quiet their voices out of concern of feasibility, but instead craft a beautiful vision that inspires us to make it possible.

As we are diving into the rehearsal process, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to be living a life where I get to continue to collaborate with passionate people. The beautiful part about theatre as an art form is that every production will inevitably be different. If we were trying to recreate something that has already been seen before, there would be no point in doing it live. Therefore, you will not see Marlon Brando on our stage. You will not see an artificial imitation of Vivien Leigh. You will see our actors dissect these emotions through their own lenses, bringing a new life to a tragic classic. You will see actors make choices on movement and delivery based on pure, raw, real emotion. Stay tuned. We can’t wait to share this with you ❤️