Sydney is here directing her third show with us at Goochland Community Theatre.
Sydney is so honored to be directing a third show with GCT. She had the greatest pleasure directing Baby with the Bathwater last year as well as her original play Portrait the year before with her co-writer and good friend Dakota Jones. Sydney had the opportunity to Assistant Direct for Dakota’s production of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors with GCT a few months ago. This will also be her fifth show light and sound designing for GCT, the shows include: Portrait, My Brother’s Gift, Baby with the Bathwater, and Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. She is forever thankful for this theatre, the Richmond -and Richmond adjacent- community, but most importantly the community of Goochland. The community of Goochland coming to join in the delight of live theatre, not just for her shows, but to support this little theatre as it grows is so beautiful. Lastly, she would like to thank the Tectonic Theatre Project for putting this masterpiece together and interviewing the citizens of Laramie, the community in and around Laramie to be interviewed and extremely honest with their words, and most importantly to Matthew Shepard’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard, yours and your son’s story has meant so much to me as not only as a theatre artist, but as a member of the LGBTQ community. This tragedy breaks my heart every moment I think about it, I can only imagine how you both feel. It is the most unnatural thing in the world to lose a child, no matter how old he is. Every day I’ve worked on this production, I’ve said a prayer for your continued healing.
What inspired you to direct The Laramie Project?
I was presented the opportunity when my good friend, Dakota Jones, who happens to be the artistic director of GCT, told me he wanted to add this play to the short list for the board to vote on. I begged him to let me direct it. I love this show so much. I feel that scripts like this are time capsules that show us both how far we’ve come as well as where we have much more to learn.
How do you approach portraying the real-life impact of Matthew Shepard’s death on the community of Laramie?
To me the script is laid out as a documentary, so I chose to lean into it. Many characters spend most of their time monologuing to the audience about their experiences, as they were interviewed by the company in 1998 and 1999. Naturally, as a director, I have to make sure that I keep everything as visually interesting as possible.
How do you work with your actors to convey the emotional depth of the interviews and real-life stories?
We had many conversations, since the read through, about how I want every person portrayed to be deserving of empathy and compassion regardless of what they chose to say and do. While it was a challenge for myself, but especially for my actors, choosing to extend compassion to the real people who said some of the most vile things regarding this tragedy and the queer community allowed for so many moments of clarity. Asking my actors to be kinder to these people created this emotional depth that, I feel, illustrates the full and complete point of this show. I feel that the intention of this play is to understand what they think.
What challenges do you face in staging a play that is rooted in real events and interviews, especially when it comes to authenticity and respect for the individuals involved?
Fortunately, you can tell how honest the people were in their interviews. So, choosing to be kind to every “character” forces myself and my actors to do everything we can to understand these words and where these people are coming from. These words do, in many ways, speak for themselves. We don’t make excuses for people’s actions or words, and how many of them responded to this tragedy is jarring, but being as intellectually, emotionally, and artistically honest as possible was not only necessary to tell this story correctly, but I feel it was healing. I do think, though, that extending this compassion and grace is hard. Especially when I would like to think that I would have reacted better than they did in 1998.
How do you balance the emotional weight of the story with the need to create a meaningful and engaging performance for the audience?
I, personally, have tried to avoid letting my actors “park and bark” because not only is it not visually interesting, but it gives nothing for my actors to work with. So, I decided that when the interviews happen, especially when they are remembering finding Matthew in his beaten state clinging for life, or remembering how they found out about his death, they enter a purgatory or a personal hell like state. To experience something like this, even at a distance, is in fact traumatic. I wanted to create this space on stage where these people are reliving some of the most upsetting moments of their lives.
How do you ensure that the play’s messages about hate, tolerance, and human rights resonate with contemporary audiences?
Fortunately, again, I feel that the script does most of the heavy lifting for me. If one of the unfortunate individuals who have fallen victim to believing conspiracy theories about this tragedy is reading this, I politely request you don’t come to see the show unless you have an open mind. But, for the rest of our audience, I’ve worked to the point of sheer exhaustion to make sure every word, sound and light cue, and moment has been handled with the utmost care and love. And that requires, once again, extending compassion to those we feel may not deserve it, as that is what properly frames the brutality of Matthew’s attack and murder.
How do you handle moments of tension or discomfort in the audience, given the sensitive nature of the subject matter?
Respectfully, I don’t believe it is my job to make this show an easy watch. I want the audience to feel tense and uncomfortable. If this is an easy play to watch, then I haven’t done my job.
In a production like The Laramie Project, how do you approach the staging of the interviews and the representation of multiple characters played by a small cast? As well as what specific elements (lighting, set design, costumes, etc.) do you focus on to enhance the authenticity and impact of the play?
I wanted to keep the set and the costumes very simple. I always imagined the actors in white T-Shirts and 90s blue jeans. The company members turned into these “characters” without leaving the stage. The actors as well as the audience need to be able to adapt to these changes quickly, so most characters only have one costume piece or prop to show who they are. As for the set, Deb Loving and Chuck Brown poured a lot of love into the set; we have three panels which serve as a beautiful backdrop for the cast, and furniture pieces that come on and off with many different uses. For example a table that is used as a bar, a desk, and a sideboard, as well as a few other things. Light allows me to shape the mood, as well as help distinguish a re-enacted conversation from “we are in this liminal purgatory together and bonding over this horrific experience”.
Overall, I have worked for a balance of documentary that unfolds on stage and a theatrical character study.
What do you hope audiences will take away from this production, and how do you want them to feel after experiencing the play?
I want them to think about how they use their words in their lives. If their actions reflect the beliefs they claim to have. If they contradict themselves in more ways than they are aware of. If they extend compassion to those that need it the most, whether or not they are deserving. I’m not asking for a full personality change or to pretend to be a saint. We are humans, people who are messy and inconsistent and contradictory. That is not a crime, at least not in my eyes. I just want people to begin to observe themselves. Especially how they act in the face of adversity and tragedy.