“Ten Chimneys” Artists Repertory Theatre, I’m really enjoying working on it.Ībby Wilde, Todd Van Voris, JoAnn Johnson. It seems simple on one hand but it’s incredibly complex when you dig inside it. ( The Turn of the Screw) is a really compelling story. Ten Chimneys actually, the show I was in with Chris Harder, was by Jeffery Hatcher. Have you acted or directed Hatcher before. Yes, it was at ART in the old days when the space was on the third floor of the Y downtown. I started directing in the early ‘90s, largely because Allen Nause, who I’ve known many years and worked with a lot in Ashland and elsewhere, said “you know I think you should try your hand at directing.” And so I did. You’ve got a certain body of experiences to draw upon, but it’s all new territory and it can seem very daunting no matter how many years you’ve been doing it!
I think no matter how many projects you’ve done as a director or as an actor, each one is a fresh beginning. I think it is two parts of the brain, but I don’t think they necessarily get in each other’s way. But I’m always surprised and delighted by what the actors can bring into the room. I think that’s just a natural thing to do. And when I’m sitting at my desk envisioning a production and how I might want to block it and arrange it and how I think the shape flows and what the rhythms are and so on, I think I draw on my own acting instincts. In terms of the other way around, I love to sit in a room and watch good actors do their work. I think most of us in this profession have enough natural kind of humility and insecurity to balance out our arrogance that that doesn’t really happen.
That can be a very, very useful and helpful tool to have – as long as you don’t start thinking that you can do it better. I’m a lot more aware I would say it’s enlarged my awareness of what’s going on in the room. I think the process of learning to become a director has influenced my acting in a way. I don’t really have too much difficulty with that. We had an open audition process and they were cast and that was that.īecause you do both so prolifically, is it ever a challenge to put the actor hat on vs. Dana I was with in Fifth of July at Profile. I was with Chris in Ten Chimneys (at Artists Repertory Theatre). I’ve worked with them both on stage as actors, I’ve never directed them. The Turn of the Screw, Portland Shakespeare Project. JoAnn Johnson, Dana Millican, Chris Harder. Have you worked with either of them before? They’re wonderful artists and really engaging and creative both of them, so I’m expecting a really wonderful rehearsal process. I got two really fantastic actors, Chris Harder and Dana Millican. I said yeah, I would be really interested in doing it. I was awfully glad (Michael Mendelson) asked me. So I think that’s why it seemed like such a good fit. And it’s a classic, it’s a really good story, it’s heightened language. The focus is supposed to really be on storytelling. Turn of the Screw is fairly minimal in terms of its scenic elements, props, costumes – the accouterments.
But they wanted to explore expanding into a second offering. This is their first foray as a company into expanding their season beyond just one show, although they’ve done readings before and they’ve had a lot of ancillary education and outreach activities focusing on their Shakespeare project. This is the first time you’ve directed with Portland Shakespeare Project. She has toured, taught, and served internationally as a cultural specialist. She has directed at Theatre Vertigo, Northwest Classical Theatre Company, triangle productions!, Portland Actors Conservatory, Quintessence, University of Portland, Hellfire Productions and defunkt theatre. Her prolific acting credits include Portland Center Stage, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Insight Out Theatre Collective, Coho Productions, Tacoma Actors Guild, Profile Theatre, The Old Globe, The Empty Space, Pioneer Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Sacramento Theatre Company, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and many seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She is currently a Resident Artist at Artist Repertory Theatre where she has appeared onstage and directed numerous productions.
#ABBY WILDE TALKING PSP#
Johnson brings her broad experience as director to the acclaimed Jeffrey Hatcher adaptation of the Henry James classic ghost story playing at PSP October 1-18. Portland Shakespeare Project spoke with director, actor and choreographer, JoAnn Johnson as rehearsals got underway for The Turn of the Screw, the second Main Stage production in PSP’s expanded 2015 season.
0 kommentar(er)
