I’m trying to avoid self-aggrandizement. But I REALLY want you to come see this show. Broken Brain Summit at the Old Arizona (2821 Nicollet Ave. S. )
This is my big directorial debut! Though I’ve certainly been directorial in most projects I work on, but this project has offered that challenge of synthesizing the contribution of designers, choreographers, technicians and actors. (I even had to try and run production meetings—all the while tending to bathroom needs, “de-escalating the hot temperaments of some of our actors).
Naturally the greatest challenge is the one posed by the actors in the cast of the show. 22 actors who live with brain injuries, mental illness, autism and developmental disabilities. Directing at Interact frequently means finding an aesthetic that sets all of the actors up for success—and they are all so different in their approach, they have unique strengths and deficits. Each actor has a completely unique social compass, navigating dramatic situations from a lens that is completely different than conventional actors.
But now that opening has come and gone, I can hardly recognize the struggles. The actors are wonderfully at ease with the material. They will surely grow through the run of the production—deepening their characterization and selling the songs with their whole being.
So come see it for yourself! Audiences who attend Interact shows, especially those seeing them for the first time, frequently leave experiencing those intangible thrills of live performance… the thrill of self-actualization, the thrill of dreams realized, the risk of smashing paradigms.
We’ve also gotten some nice press from HOW WAS THE SHOW.
I’m glad Janet Preus enjoyed the show, it seems like she took in the show during a preview (referring to our show as it sort of “lurches about in a way that suggests the erratic timing of a broken brain”)… it’s become much more slick.
There’s also an interview on MINNPOST.
(I’m trying to upload audio–thanks to the fabulous Elliot Durko Lynch)
We’re performing at Old Arizona
Wednesdays at NOON
Thursdays at 7:30
Fridays at 7:30
Saturdays at 3:00 and 7:30
(I’m learning how to embed things)
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