Scripted into Memory

John Ahart directed Romeo and Juliet. I knew that I was aging out of the role of Romeo, but I fought hard through auditions and call backs, only to have John approach me prior to the final call back and ask ‘Have you thought about Friar Laurence?’ He leveled with me, and I was cast as Friar Laurence. It turned out to be a wonderful choice, as I grew in a completely different direction than I would, had I been cast as Romeo. One night a tornado knocked the power out of the Krannert Center, the audience was advised by stage manager Brian Rehr to stay in their seats, while candles were collected from props storage, lighted, spread around the stage, and, along with the emergency lights, illuminated the performance. I still have the letter each company member received from the Dean, commending the performance!

“As someone who has spent her career as a professor teaching theatre history and dramatic literature and directing plays, Dr. Bob Graves had the biggest impact on my career path. But one hands-on production experience I recall fondly was running wardrobe for Shozo Sato’s production of Kabuki Medea. There was a lot to learn about how to care for the costumes and help actors properly secure their kimonos. I also remember carefully resewing the princess’s trick robe before every performance so that when the silk cords were pulled, the robe would unfold, revealing beautiful painted flames and creating the effect of bursting into flame. The inventive theatricality of the staging, using Kabuki techniques to retell a classic of Western theatre, was eye-opening to me. That we got to take a spring break trip to Florida to tour the production also made it a memorable college experience.”

Every production and class was meaningful and important in building my artistry, and I’m so grateful. The first role that came to mind was Alexandra in O Pioneers! by Kim Daryl Sherman and Darrah Cloud from the novel by Willa Cather. The character aged from 16 to 40 and was in every scene but two. I had to learn a Swedish accent, play my first lead in grad school, and lean heavily into my imagination. It was a joyful and rich experience. Tom Mitchell was the director and he enlisted members of the U of I orchestra to play live for each performance and live on the stage with the actors in the production. At the University of Illinois, artists are given opportunities that teach them not only about the craft but about themselves and because of that and the opportunities that came after, I am the artist I am.

The performance that was the most memorable for me was South African playwright Athol Fugard’s ‘Master Harold’…and the Boys. I played Sam, a Black South African man. Carl Barnett played Sam’s friend Willie, and Craig Rising played Hally, the entitled White South African teen. The show was already intense because of its brutal portrayal of apartheid South Africa. Before the show began, a classmate ran into my dressing room and shouted, ‘Greg! Nelson Mandela has been released from prison! Isn’t that good news?’ I replied, ‘Nelson Mandela might be free tonight, but South Africa still isn’t free from apartheid.’ That night’s performance was supercharged because of the news about Mandela. One of the key symbols of the play was a kite that Sam, Willie, and Hally once flew together that represented their ability to rise above the debilitating oppression in apartheid South Africa. After the show was over, Craig made a wooden kite with all of our names on it with an inscription of Hally’s line, ‘I was so proud of us,’ that summed up all of our emotions about the show and South Africa. Performing in this production not only was satisfying as an actor but inspired me to pursue social justice issues in my work as an artist.

First day of freshman year, 8:30am. In walks a woman whose energy filled a room big enough for opera rehearsals and, without a word nor even a stern glance, commanded the silence and attention of 26 teenagers. And one of the first things Lisa Gaye Dixon said to us was ‘You all better brush your teeth and wash your ass.’ The excitement and dread were deliciously palpable, and I knew we were in good hands.

Playing Argia in Ugo Betti’s The Queen and the Rebels, directed by John Ahart, was the first time someone cast me against type (after years of being typecast as ingenues). John’s confidence in me gave me the confidence to go on to play so many different roles, to teach, and many years later, to become a partner in a global consulting company.

Scenic designing for the immersive, theatrical escape environment I WISH at Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Space and Time was a whirlwind of a process. It was the show that gave me the most realistic exposure to the professional world before entering it, all while juggling such a multi-hyphenate design. Designing such an intricate piece where everything so heavily affects the puzzles, the audience experience, the technology, the costumes, the lighting, the sound, and especially the stage management experience is something I never would have experienced working in a more traditional theatrical environment on a proscenium stage. Maintaining the design and the audience suspension of disbelief all while dancing around staying in budget provides another set of practical skills that challenged my ability to design in a non-traditional environment. It was because of these challenges and experiences that I now find myself transitioning into designing professionally a total breeze. It has become the staple of my portfolio capturing any audience’s interest. I WISH highlighted the importance of thorough and rich communication in a design process. Because of this, I have found that there are usually fewer questions left behind on a design process from the talented artisans receiving my work. This production truly bridged the gap for me between academia and jumping feet first into professional work, landing gigs almost immediately out of grad school. I am grateful for it every day of my life and reminisce frequently exactly how well this program prepared me for a high standard of work.

I loved all the productions on the Krannert stage (notably The Pirates of Penzance with its amazing costume design and sets), but my personal favorite was a production of The Skriker at the Station Theatre in Urbana. The director, cast, and crew were all from the MA/PhD program. I was studying for my qualifying exams at the time and got to channel all my stress and angst into a wordless, extremely physical role. It remains one of my favorite onstage experiences of all time.

My memory celebrates collaboration, a core value I learned at Krannert Center. While directing Holy Ghosts in 1999, I had the crazy idea to record the cast singing some old gospel songs. I presented the idea to Shawn Parr, the sound designer, and he was on it. With Fabio Serafini on the drums and the cast in full four-part harmony, we recorded about a half dozen hymns that worked as the soundscape for the show. What lives in my memory is a full throttle version of ‘Stand Up, Stand Up’ with Danforth Comings calling out ‘glory to god’ at the end.