Interviews

Content:

Interview with the Director: B. Lois Wadas

Interview with the Dramaturg: Rhonda Robbins

Interview with the Director:

Q1. What aspects of the play do you find appealing?

Ans1."For Colored Girls" is not a play in the usual sense of the word. It is a collection of poems put to movement, hence it is a Choreopoem. I cannot single out any one aspect of "For Colored Girls" as most appealing. The work has to be viewed as a whole. Therefore, no one aspect can stand without the others. All good writing either entertains, illuminates or teaches. If there are two poems I like most they are "Somebody Almost Walked Off With My Stuff and I was Missing Something." I like those because Stuff... it is a clear statement about giving away aspects of ourselves that belong to us alone. If you read that poem it is clear that giving away our "Stuff" to others who donÕt even know they have it is about the giver. "I was Missing Somethin...," is about growth. I like the life journey of the whole work. "For Colored Girls" takes us from childhood, via Dark Phrases" through the various twists of being alive and looking for Love, rescue and finally finding ourselves at the end in "I was Missing SomethinÕ The work is about life. I think many of us will find some aspect that speaks to our personal experiences. The work though titled "For Colored Girls", it really is for everyone. The most appealing aspect of the production was developing the ensemble.

Q2. What is your approach to the play as a director?

Ans2.The very first order of business as director was to help the cast understand the work as a whole and to develop an ensemble. There could not be a star or lead. The success of the production depended on the cast being open and willing to function as a unit. I worked with the cast to develop the character for whom they were speaking. I had them listen to the original tape, have the woman for who they were speaking write a journal entry and then had them find a picture of their fantasy of that character. We worked on the emotion being expressed. The script goes from inquiring to anger to recognition. As director, my approach was also to remain faithful to the original intent, as I understood it. This work was done more than twenty-five years ago. At that time women were not saying these things, not to themselves and certainly not in public. I was treated to the original version of this Choreopoem by a male friend who realized that something important was happening. I saw it on Broadway. Prior to Broadway, Ntozake Shange had been doing "For Colored Girls" here and on the West Coast in small clubs with little or no stage design or lighting. I wanted to create an esthetically pleasing production without compromising the dialogue. I did not want the poetry lost in the visuals. However, having a too stark stage would not have worked.

Q3. How was the rehearsal process at SUNY at Stony Brook?

Ans3. Whew! I had forgotten how exhausting rehearsals can be. The rehearsal process at Stony Brook is/was not really very different from rehearsals in general. I would arrive already a bit tired only to be revived up by the cast doing their work. The cast had to do their work for the production as well as any other work they were responsible for. That is how is in the world. The rehearsal process is the work in progress. I had a vision.. However, my vision was not so locked in that is disallowed flexibility and ongoing input. "For Colored Girls", being a choeropoem allowed for much more actor flexibility than a strictly dramatic play would have. The moment of "ThatÕs it!Õ, came when we rehearsed with the screens. The silhouettes provided lovely visual impact.

Q4. What is your opinion on the African American Feminist Movement?

Ans4. Personally, I do not believe there is or has been such thing as an African American Feminist Movement. If pressed, I will say that "For Colored Girls" gave us a much needed look at relationships in terms of romance, friendship and with ourselves. Unfortunately, not a lot has changed. The opening poem, Dark Phrases, is a political/societal statement.

Q5. How do you see women playwrights in today's society?

Ans5. Look at the Vagina Chronicles. Women playwrights are becoming bolder. I believe this boldness is directly related to the feminist movement. Mrs Cage by Nancy Barr is a fine example of an emerging female playwright expressing strong emotion without sentiment or apology. Here is where I want to Thank the Theater Department at Stony Brook for providing a venue for a female novelist, choeropoem/playwright to be heard again. I also want to thank the department for allowing me the privilege of working with such a fine group of professionals. Sincerely, B. Lois Wadas Director

Interview with the Dramaturg: Rhonda Robbins

Q1: Why are you making this show?

Ans1: I am selfish. I vehemently love this piece. I first fell in love with it when I read it and then when I saw it, "I found God in myself" as the Lady in Red professes, "And I loved her fiercely." I've seen it five times, both professionally and in academic settings, and each time I was moved as deeply as the first time. The issues that Ntozake Shange elucidates in her choreopoem are as relevant and urgent today as they were twenty-five years ago. Her poetry is complex but easy to penetrate. I see this production as a great point of departure for adding richness to our particular Theatre Department. I would like new faces, live energy and fresh ideas to bless our department. Ideally, this production will serve as an invitation to anyone who wishes to join us in our artistic discovery. You asked earlier which issues this production explores? Womanhood... Personhood... This poem is about taking that journey to find the essence of life, of being, itself, to find the strength that resides in every living soul that will get us through anything: the most horrific, the most beautiful, the simplest and most complicated moments in life. I know intrinsically that we all have what it takes to endure and to truly enjoy all that life has to offer, and this poem celebrates that knowledge.

Q2: Are you saying that it not just about the American woman but about all women?

Ans2: Absolutely! There are certainly pieces of the poem that explore the pain that is inextricably tied to being a Black woman in America, but these pieces give breadth to the poem, they don't subsume it. The poem is about so much more than being Black or being a woman. It's not a poem about the package, it's a poem about the spirit within the package. It's about one woman. It's also about all women. It's about a singular experience and, no doubt, about the collective human experience. I think that all women, all people, can appreciate that. This production bears a blessing for all.

Q3: I understand that the playwright used the play for the African American Feminist Movement.

Ans3: I think that she wrote this piece as a part of her personal healing process. This was not a deliberately professional effort, not initially. The poem chronicles her real experiences and although it is presented in fictive fashion, it is predominantly non-fictive. The poem was first for Ntozake. Then, she shared it with some artist friends who helped her shape it, in a workshop setting. Once it was staged, many saw the poem's relevance to the African American Feminist Movement. But it wasn't written specifically to promote or fuel the movement.

Q4: What do you think this specific audience will gain from the play?

Ans 4: I think the audience will be blessed with a glimpse into Ntozake Shange's personal journey, which will, hopefully give them strength as they continue on their own journeys . It is just such a beautiful piece! My hope is that it will be a bridge-building experience, that the people who see it will relate to it and see a way in which we all can move closer to one another and build a bridge of understanding. I am not pleased with social the climate on this campus; there is far too much strained separatism. I have no issue with people expressing singularity, solidarity or cultural and social unity. But, I think we rely too heavily on artificial comfort on this campus and there aren't enough genuine attempts or opportunities to visit new spaces or to enjoy the multifarious cultures, ideas and experiences that thrive on this campus (Campus Lifetime is not enough). I hope that this production will peak our audience's desire to commune in unknown and the less known arenas.

Q 5: what made you chose this director?

Ans 5: I called 12-15 different directors before I got a quiet "maybe". I am from California and it was challenging to make cold calls to New York directors because I had not established a reputation here on which I could rely . We ultimately chose Lois Wadas because of her strong connection to and vision for this piece. She is warm, she communicates eloquently and she works well with both the experienced and the less experienced. She has boundless patience, and, she is very passionate about his piece. Our cast is comprised primarily of undergraduates, many of whom are not theatre majors or minors. Aware of this, Lois makes every one feel completely at home and completely capable. She exudes positive energy. That was felt even in the interview process. It was clear that she would be very willing and clearly able to work with any cast.

Q 6: what do you think of the cast?

Ans 6: I am in love with this cast!! There are nine cast members (we initially had eleven, nine core cast members and the two understudies). We are nine strong energies, nine singular experiences and nine outstanding, committed, beautiful women. I think that the other cast members are coming to love this piece as much as I love it, and that was something I hoped for, but did not expect. The different life experiences that that each woman brings to her character have added depth and richness to the production.

Q7 How do the set design and the costume design tie in.

Ans 7: The set design is relatively simple. Each actor is working with a flat, which is covered with scrim, which will interact with the lighting. Generally, it is simple but elegant. We are going to take advantage of technological advances and attempt to use video imaging-projection to add texture to the set and to contextualize the poem. The poem speaks about ten different urban setting from Harlem to Southwest Los Angeles. The images will be used to enhance what the poem says of life in those places. The costume design is extremely simple. This is a choreopoem so we all need to move readily and easily. The characters are identified by colour and the costumes will represent each character through colour. We will all wear a white unitard and tunic over which we will wear scarves of the colour of our characters. The costumes are designed to move with ease.

Q 8: I have one last question. What does the rainbow and the all colors signify?

Ans 8: Roy Thomas, an undergraduate professor of mine at the University of California at Berkeley, said that people of African descent represent every color of the rainbow. Visit Africa and you will see that this is true. The rainbow is also a sign of hope; it is the sign of the peace that comes after the rain. Seeing it means that you have survived the storm. The characters in the poem come from all areas of the United States, but share a vital experience. Quintessentially, the rainbow symbolizes that shared experience, as well as unity , hope and, well... God. The rainbow is the visual epitome of that essence within that allows one to endure and be to blessed by life.