Interview with Upcoming Theater Production "Alice in Wonderland" Director Lisa Jo Rudy

By: Corinne Cameron

I expected to start this blog post, my first  “official” one for Cape Cod Mommies, all competent sounding. For example saying;  “I recently sat down with Lisa Jo Rudy, director of the upcoming production of  Alice and Wonderland at The Woods Hole Theatre Company and we had and incredible and lively conversation about the production but also children’s theatre itself. That sounds good right? Well that didn’t exactly happen. Why you ask? Well its easy and can be described in only one word! Motherhood.
 
Heck, I didn’t even have time to do a phone interview, let alone sit down in a cozy coffee shop, not having time constraints  or others cares to side track the conversation. What I was able to do was to  cobble together a bunch of questions in an email in between making dinner,  stepping on a lego (you would have thought I was dying it hurt so badly),  texting a colleague to say that I am not going to make the meeting that started  5 minutes before I sent the text, telling my husband to relax and that its a  good thing that our son is playing with his yogurt, smearing it over his belly  as its a learning opportunity and easily wiped up. Of course the above list just  created more things that had to be accomplished after dinner, which I still  needed to finish cooking, because now a bath was in order (and its not a normal  bath day), we had to clean up more toys as in my frustration I threw the lego in  its bucket, grumbling and not paying attention I tripped over a different bucket  spilling things everywhere and because I flaked on the Gala planning meeting, I  now needed to type up all that I had gotten accomplished for it in order to  email it to the other committee members so they know I
actually did  something.
 
But I digress, which happens a lot. I figure if I could stay on track in general I could get a lot more accomplished during the day, but then I wouldn’t be “me”. Anyway..Back on track! Thankfully Lisa Jo Rudy  is a great writer (she does it for a living) and was more than happy to answer  my questions and also expanded on them giving me lots of great information to  share with everyone. The following are the questions I asked and her responses.  From the looks of it this is going to be an incredible experience for our  youth.
 
Corinne: What made you want to direct a children's show?

Lisa:  Actually, I didn't want to direct a   CHILDREN'S show: my interest is in multigenerational shows that include and feature children.  Why?  Well, first of all, I actively enjoy working with  children, particularly children who are relatively new to theater, or for whom  theater is an unusual opportunity to shine.  A lot of kids have a tough time in  school, but are real standouts in theater -- whether onstage or backstage.  I  have also seen that including people of all ages in a show means that people of  all ages get to know one another -- not as "so and so's kid," or "so and so's  mom," but as real people with whom they share a lifelong interest in a shared  community.  It's also important, I think, that multigenerational shows require  EVERYONE, whatever their age, to accept the SAME level of responsibility for the  success of the production.  This isn't a "fun little activity for the kids," but  rather a community theatre production  with a professional mindset. in which  kids have the same rights and responsibilities as anyone else.  A child who  rises to the challenge of theater is rising to the SAME challenge as the teens  and adults around him or her.  Also: I always wanted to BE a kid onstage, so  this is a chance for my younger self to finally get that  opportunity!
 
Corinne: What type of children are you looking for or what are some characteristics potential “auditioners” should have?

Lisa: First, what's NOT important: kids don't  necessarily need a lot of onstage experience, or a strong background in performing.  They don't need high grades, and they don't need to be popular,  athletic, or even good looking.  They also don't need to be the BEST actor,  singer, or dancer around.  What they DO need are:
 

• Self-discipline.  Some kids are very talented, but  just aren't ready to, for example, stay quiet backstage, stay away from dangerous places (theater can be dangerous), etc. some 5 year olds are ready;  some 11 year olds aren't.

 

• Dedication.  Theater is very time and energy  intensive.  it is just about impossible to have a role in a play and ALSO show  up for practice 4 times a week and ALSO do homework and ALSO be involved
  in  other activities.  If you're doing a play, you need to be ok with saying "I will  need to miss out on something else."  You also need to be prepared to learn  lines and blocking -- there's no such thing as handing in your work late in  theater!
   
• Imagination.  what's it like to BE someone else?  A  good actor needs to be able to imagine.
   
• Positive energy.  Theater takes a lot of energy, and  it also requires some late nights.  It also requires some positive thinking --  about the show, about your own abilities, about others in the cast.  Everyone  has their "down" times, but overall a cast and crew make up a team of people who  need to support one another, both emotionally and physically.
   
• Also: it's great to have a LOUD VOICE, a good ability to pretend, a willingness to be directed (told where to stand), and a good memory.

For Alice, we will be casting children ages 6 and up  (including teens and adults).  We hope to find kids with all the abilities  above, as well as some kids with good skills in singing, playing instruments,  and tumbling.  We are also very open to kids who are interested in helping with  set construction, costumes, and props -- and we are hoping to find some teens  who enjoy helping younger kids get into costume and be ready to go on stage.  We  will not be accepting children under the age of 6 for this show.

Corinne: Why do you think children's theatre  is important and how do you feel theatre in general can benefit a child?

 Lisa: Theater is one of the world's oldest  arts, and a child who gets involved with theater has a lifetime of enjoyment,  friendship, learning, and excitement ahead of him or her.  Community theater  offers kids what I think may be a unique opportunity to take a real, responsible  role in a project that includes people of all ages, that is significant to the  entire community, and in which their hard work matters just as much as any  adult's.  That goes not only for kids on stage but also for kids backstage.   Theater people are also different, in many ways, from "typical" people in the  community.  They tend to value different things -- imagination instead of  athletic ability; artistic finesse instead of popularity; hands-on skills  instead of grade scores.  For many kids, theater is the one place where their  greatest skills are not only valued but also nurtured -- and that experience  won't end just because your child grows up.  In fact, it can continue throughout  their lives and on into old age!
 
Corinne: What is unique about your production?

Lisa: This will be the first family show in Woods Hole for decades!  Our plan is to do some unusual things depending upon  who turns out for auditions: ideally, we hope to have a group of vocalists (singers), a few instrumentalists, multiple Alice's and White Rabbits (we'll  explain when we see auditioners).   If we get good tumblers who are small  enough, they will become live hedgehogs in the Red Queen's croquet match.  We  have learned that keeping kids backstage for long periods is no fun for anyone,  so everyone will be helping out with moving set pieces, etc., throughout the  show.  We also plan to turn the Woods Hole Community Hall
into Wonderland!   Also, depending upon whether we are able to get the right folks involved, we'd  love to run a few "Mad Tea Parties" for audiences before or after  productions.
 
Corinne: What can a potential cast member expect out of the experience and will it get in the way of school and other  activities?

 Lisa: See above for what you'll get out of the experience!  Re: getting in the way: yes, theater gets in the
way.  There  will be evening rehearsals, and late rehearsals the week before the show.  You  may have to say "no" to other activities, especially toward the middle of  February.  BUT -- most if not all of the performances will be during Winter  Break in February, so that should make things a little easier.
 
Corinne: What can PARENTS get out of being part of a multigenerational production?
 Lisa: Whether onstage or backstage, parents involved with a multigenerational show can get some pretty amazing benefits.   Community: some parents make very good friends through theater.  A whole new  passion: many dedicated theater people got interested through their kids, and  kept going long after their kids got bored.  Family togetherness away from the  screen: working together on a theatrical production is an amazing way to bond!   Better knowledge of your community: if you've never been involved with theater  on the Cape, you can't do better than to get involved with and through your  kids.  Of course, your first experience may lead to years of late night  rehearsals, cast parties, auditions in towns that are an hour away...  but if  you go that route, you'll never look back.
 
Wow! Well if that didn’t make you sit up and take notice to get involved, I don’t know what would! I should mention that I did have a great follow up conversation with Lisa after I received her answers. If I  could say one thing about her, it is her sheer desire to make theatre accessible  to both children and adults by focusing on and using their strengths to the  productions advantage.
 
If you are interested in auditioning here are the details: 

When: December 12, 2013 at 5:30pm and December 14,
  2013 at Noon. (If you come on the 12th be pre pared to potentially come back on the 14th for a call-back.)

Where: The Woods Hole Theatre Company, housed at the  Woods Hole Community Hall
 
Who: Actors, Vocalists, Instrumentalists ages 6+, including teens and adults.
 
Preparation: If you are interested in being a vocalist or play and instrument (not required) please prepare and bring a  Christmas carol or childhood tune to perform. Also looking for persons who can do somersaults, back bends etc.., speak with a British accent and speak in silly  voices,
 
Questions? Feel free to contact the Director Lisa Jo  Rudy  at 508-540-7293 or lisa@lisajorudy.com
 
Well, good bye for now… My son just dumped over the complete set of train tracks and legos for fun, so you know what Ill be doing for the next hour.