Monthly: April, 2015

Welcome to the second?installment of our Q&A featuring the cast and crew of Redwood Curtain’s production of Clybourne Park, written by Bruce Norris and directed by James Floss. This week we feature James Read and Pam Long.

When were you last on the Redwood Curtain stage?
Pam: This is my first performance with the company. Having spent the last fifteen years living in Sonoma County, I’ve been absent from the Humboldt County theatre scene for a number of years. However, from 1982 to 1998, I participated in numerous productions on various stages. A handful of memorable roles include Gloria in Grace and Glory (Ferndale Rep), Florence in The Odd Couple (the Female Version) at NCRT and Rita in Prelude to a Kiss at the former Pacific Art Center Theatre (PACT).
James: On stage I was in Humble Boy in 2010. That year I also directed Moonlight and Magnolias, with [Clybourne Park director] James Floss as David O. Selznick.

What characters do you play? Tell us about them.
Pam: I have two roles in the show. Act one takes place in 1959 and I play the role of Bev Stoller. She’s 47, middle-class, white mid-westerner living with her husband of 26 years, Russ. In act two, fast forward fifty years to 2009, and I play Kathy, a lawyer who is the daughter of one of the couples from act one. Sounds confusing, and it is! But it will be our job to tell the story clearly with a script that moves at a lightening-fast pace.
James: I play Russ, who is married to Bev, in the first act. Russ works in a construction firm. He can’t do physical stuff because of a bad ankle. He’s mostly a low key guy with a very interesting sense of humor. Dan, in the second act, is working to fix up the house because it’s being sold. Dan calls himself a bull in a china shop.

What attracted you do doing his show?
Pam:I prefer contemporary, ensemble work so that was one attraction. Another bonus is working with a company that has high standards and produces engaging, important theatre. Also, having the chance to work with a long-time theatre colleagues, James Floss and James Read is something I look forward to. Last but not least is having the challenge of crawling into two totally different characters that at the same time connect the dots and support, full-circle, the story, the message and the reality of old school and modern day social, racial and ethnic conversations and conflicts.
James: I hadn’t read the script when I accepted the show. I’m doing the show because of Charlie [Heinberg] and Pam [Long]. I accepted this without reading the script, which is something I’ve never done before. When James and I talked, he explained some things to me and I agreed. The show gives you plenty of room to be creative because it’s an ensemble.

What do you hope audiences come away with as the leave the theatre?
Pam:If an audience member spends a moment to reflect on their own ethnic journey, or their ancestors’ ethnic or racial struggles, or a friend’s or colleague’s journey, and considers how much we are dependent on each others’ tolerance and acceptance to sustain our country, communities and neighborhoods, then I think we will have successfully told the story of Clybourne Park.
James: I hope they come away with a variety of emotions and that they’ve realized something. We’re all playing different parts between the two acts, but the characters all relate to each other. It’s really interesting to see how it’s done.

Welcome to the first?installment of our Q&A featuring the cast and crew of Redwood Curtain’s production of Clybourne Park, written by Bruce Norris. To kick things off?we’re featuring director James Floss and stage manager Heidi Voelker.

What was your last time working with Redwood Curtain?
James: Directing The Language Archive by Julia Cho
Heidi:?This is my fourth show stage managing at RCT. The last one was Making God Laugh last year.

What drew you to Clybourne Park?
James:?I was a huge fan of A Raisin in the Sun since studying it in high school. When I first read Clybourne Park, not a news day went by without major articles about racial inequities, institutional racism, and the plight of young black men in the country. The play’s themes resonated with me and the writing is sharp, fast-paced and wickedly funny and provocative.
Heidi: [RCT Executive Director]?Peggy [Metzger] asked me if I was available to stage manage this production earlier this spring. When I read the script I started looking forward to it. The script is really well written.

Are there any particular challenges in this show you’re looking forward to tackling?
James:?Yes! Traveling fifty into the future during a fifteen minute intermission. As mentioned, the dialog is fast-paced and overlapping. We have to figure out the “jazz” of that.
Heidi:?This show jumps fifty years during intermission, a change that will take some work. But I’m looking forward to seeing how we make it come together and fit within the timeframe.

What do you hope audiences come away with at the end of the show?
James: I want the audience to be challenged while being entertained; I want them to laugh and at the same feel uneasy about that they are laughing at.
Heidi:?I hope this show makes audiences think, and hopefully discuss their own experiences with race. It is easy to just decide that we are a liberal community and therefore have no issues with race, but the truth is a bit more complex than that and the first step is realizing the problems.