An interview with director Shawn LaCount

Anne G. Morgan, Dramaturg: What initially drew you The Overwhelming?

Shawn LaCount: The Overwhelming was one of the most captivating scripts I had read in a long time. Due to the play's structure, its historical themes and the fact that it is mystery and a thriller- I found myself deeply engaged and unable to put the script down. I knew immediately that Company One had to produce it.

AM: What attracts you to the characters and relationships within this story? How do you hope an audience will identify with them?

SL: I find the characters and relationships in The Overwhelming to be real, complex, and quite familiar. J.T. Rogers has created a play that is clearly based on real people and issues. Over the course of the play I sympathize with characters at some points and get frustrated with them at others, much like I do with the people in my own life. This is a testament to the strong writing. I think audience members will identify with different characters and hopefully this will cause some interesting discussions after the show!

AM: Why do you think this is an important story to tell? How do you think this is relevant to today's audiences, 15 years after the genocide?

SL: Although The Overwhelming is set in 1994 immediately before the Rwandan genocide, I really don't see it as a play about the genocide. The play is about nationality, trust, loyalty, conviction, and family. In many ways, the relationship between Jack and Linda resembles the internal struggles of 1994 Rwanda itself. The concept of genocide or holocaust to most Americans is mind-boggling. How could things anywhere ever get so bad that one group of people decides to annihilate another? It is a difficult question, but as Joseph explains to Geoffrey, "It is not hatred that drives" such horrific events, "but fear." I always think the concept of "fear" makes for good drama. People act in the most fascinating and often irrational ways when they are faced with their biggest fears.

AM: This play is set against a very specific historical background. How does influence your approach?

SL: When directing any play, it is of the utmost importance to search for truth through integrity. If you are representing a historically accurate place with real people, it becomes even more important to do your homework and not make assumptions. However, the idea of truth is subjective. The beauty of a play like this one is that 1994 Rwanda sounds like a very different place depending on who is speaking about it. The play tries to look at the situation with the Tutsi and Hutu on a level playing field, but, at the end of the day, I don’t believe that it is possible to have a neutral standpoint on issues of life and death.


AM: What did you anticipate being challenging about telling this story and how have you approached that in the rehearsal process?

SL: This is a very complicated play with lots of information in several languages and many, many characters. As a director, I was worried about telling a clear story that would keep an audience engaged right through the end. Luckily, we have a great team working very hard on the production; from actors to designers to our dramaturge – we have many wonderful collaborators!

AM: What ideas and concepts have influenced your collaborations with the designers? What were your goals for the creation of the physical world of the play?

SL: The entire design team for The Overwhelming has made a concerted effort to keep the staging and the world of the play simple. Our aim has been to clear the way for the most fluid and exciting story possible with very few effects or theatricality. The play wants to feel like a mystery and a roller coaster ride at that same time. Audiences will likely find themselves on the edge of their seats by the time the lights go down.

Paige Warren: Holding Down the Fort

So while Miranda is away on a vacation this week, she left me with a couple assignments to work on. I'm currently in the middle of working on Sala's (Sydney's character's) pajamas and trying to think of more ways to make the illusive 'bra trick' work as well as researching different potential narrator hats.

Last week she asked me to look up "too cool for school" hairdos for Sala which was great! I'm a huge fan of Harajuku fashions (particularly Decora and EGL) so I realized a lot of those styles, which are based on little girl hairstyles, would work really well on Sala. I happen to have the Fruits and Fresh Fruits books which I went through, marking the styles that would work for Sydney, and passed the research off to Miranda.

This process has already been really rewarding and I'm eager to get back to work on the pj's. I am a little anxious since I'll be speaking in Miranda's place for her at this Sunday's production meeting but I know I don't have too much to be worried about since everyone's always been really nice and welcoming at the meetings. Next week we're really gonna dive right into building, shopping for, and painting more of the pieces as we get closer to tech week.

*Paige*

Assassins Production Photos

Check out photos from the show!

The end before the beginning...

SO HERE IT IS. Production Week. Opening on Friday. Scary, but terribly exciting.

We're ready. I know I spent last week praising the work of my co-actors, and ironically, we weren't necessarily in as good a shape as I had thought we were, but that's to be expected when you make the move into the actual space. LaCount kicked our butts on got us right back on track. Last week was good; now we're kick ass.

The sound, lights and set have added so much. It is a straight-up playground for this material- creepy, seedy, dank and dark.

Come see it. Come see it. Come see it. Saturday the 12th is sold out, but the rest of the run is open. Go get tickets. Now.

Oh, and check out the trailer for the show posted below.

Lots of love, wish me luck.
-Nik