Beth Kattleman
All rehearsal photos credit: Hailee Franklin |
What initially drew you to this show?
Usually, a show offers casting opportunities for a lot more men than women, but for this one, all of the roles are supposed to be played by women and nonbinary performers. I found that to be really exciting because it’s rare to have a chance to work with an ensemble like this. I also love that the show interrogates history by allowing diverse voices to tell a story that centers on white, cis, men. There’s an interesting commentary that takes place when a narrative is retold by those who weren’t at the center of the power structure. In designating the casting in this way, playwright Jacklyn Backhaus admits that she was taking a cue from the Broadway hit HAMILTON. I love that. It’s exciting that theatre is finding new ways to foreground underrepresented voices. How is this story unique from other works you have directed in the past? I haven’t directed too many shows in which the story is based on a historical event. It’s been fun doing the research and seeing how the playwright included many actual incidents, but also how she tweaked them for the purposes of the play. What do you hope audiences come away with? First of all, I hope that the audience will enjoy the experience of seeing a story told like this. There’s a lot of theatricality and fun that comes from having women play men. But there’s also something deeper going on, and I hope audiences will recognize that. While it is not a “preachy” show, there are moments in which the characters comment on how these men came through a territory that had long been inhabited by indigenous people, and yet they “claimed it” for themselves. I hope the audience will think about that. The men of John Wesley Powell’s expedition were not the first people upon those lands and yet, they named several things after themselves, and those names still stand today. What particular challenges have come with restaging this historical expedition (or show in general)? Working on the movement of the boats has been challenging. The cast has several scenes in which they enact being in boats that are going down rapids and waterfalls and they have to indicate that purely through mime and movement. Fortunately, our wonderful set designer, Braden Graves, created skeletal boats that the actors can wear and “puppeteer” so that they look as if they are going down a river. We also are lucky in that we had our movement specialist, Professor Jeanine Thompson, come in and work with the cast on creating these illusions. She helped the cast to find ways in which they can give the impression of boats being tossed around by rough water or how they can mime swimming in water that isn’t there. What has been your favorite part of the process? I love watching the performers in the ensemble come up with ideas and create relationships among their characters. This is a really collaborative group, and everyone has been great in offering suggestions and trying out things. Some things work and we keep them, and some things don’t. But it’s that trial-and-error process which makes it fun. And it takes trust for performers to take the risk and try something that might not work. But this group has become a very cohesive ensemble and they have built trust among themselves and in me. That’s something very special. When a team really “clicks” it takes the show to another level. How is this story, as we are telling it, relevant today? As I mentioned, I think it is important for us to reexamine stories that we may be taking for granted; to look beyond the surface. The story of John Wesley Powell’s expedition isn’t remarkable in that there are many examples of white men who carried out their (government sanctioned) Manifest Destiny by going across North America, taking ownership of things that they were not entitled to. Many of these men have been hailed as heroes and patriots. We need to stop and think, however, that their stories may not be so positive when scene through the eyes of the other non-white, non-male characters who were affected by their actions. Anything else you would like to speak to or add? Just that I hope the audience enjoys the many narrative tones and elements that the show contains. It has adventure, drama, comedy, music, songs, and even wooden fish and snakes! |