The Working Director | Lynne Moses

Here we have a wonderful example of Linked in connecting artists. Hilary White contacted me as something with common interests and I learned of this production. The story is pretty close to home right now. Could this be one of the first kitchen sinks I actively go to see?

CMJ: Please give a short description of It’s Good 2 Be Crazy” (G2BC) from a Director’s Perspective. What were the images or themes that drove your process?

From a director’s perspective, “It’s Good 2 be Crazy” is a great opportunity to work the craft. The first two thirds of the play involves the two lead characters, a young couple living in Hollywood, essentially living their lives in their tiny apartment as she first loses her job, then, at his urging, devotes herself to her musical passions while he supports them both. Therefore, the drama lies within the emotional landscape, rather than with a series of plot twists. I really got a chance to work with the tools of blocking (the positioning of actors in the space) and to work with the actors to create a sense of movement, pacing and plot development. The themes of time: passing, pressing, oppressing; and relationship: closer together, farther apart, supported, besieged; derived from the script and informed the directing as well.

CMJ: How did you become involved with G2BC?

I was recommended as a director to the playwright Joanclair Richter by Mark Troy, whose world premiere “Paging Dr. Chutzpah,” I had also directed. As a female director in the male dominated world of theatrical writing and directing, I was attracted to supporting and collaborating with a new young female playwright on a play with a female lead. I am also passionate about the need for people to see the world from different perspectives. The main characters in this play, Merryl and Joel, face some significant conflicts, but what particularly attracted me to this project was their genuine efforts to understand one another’s positions and empathize. At its heart, this is a story about the struggle for two people to move through the world together, when doing it apart sometimes seems easier. That warmed my heart.

CMJ: What was the biggest challenge in directing this piece and how did you overcome it (if you think you did)?

The play has never been produced before, so it was not completely formed when we started the process. This posed directorial challenges but it also simultaneously provided the opportunity to be part of the development process, along with the actors and production team. Joanclair’s talent and commitment to the development process is part of what excited me, and she was right there throughout the rehearsals, always striving to strengthen the script.

Another challenge was that the play takes place in an apartment, with a sofa, recliner and separate bedroom as important aspects of the production. The Hudson Guild stage is very small, just 18 feet wide and 15 feet deep, so creating a realistic set that allowed for all of this was difficult – but I had the chance to collaborate with set designer Lacey Anzelc and she really delivered.

CMJ: What is the biggest challenge to directors in Los Angeles? How have you found your way here and where do you hope to go?

Directors in Los Angeles face the same challenge as everyone involved in theatre and cultural endeavors in general – the need to continuously attract new audiences. The new audience reached by this play is the young adult crowd that are the playwright and main characters’ peers, and a cross-over creative audience – musicians, dancers, artists, etc. – people who can relate to the challenges of pursuing a creative passion while juggling the demands of relationships and making a living. Those new theatre-goers are then more likely to seek out other plays here in Los Angeles as an alternative to going to a movie or a concert, having been introduced to the experience by “It’s Good 2 be Crazy.”

I have found my way in the LA theatre scene through the relationships I have developed on each successive project. An initial volunteer position as playwright assistant to Mark Troy on SST Productions’ “Tsuris” led to an offer to direct his next play, “Paging Dr. Chutzpah,” which ultimately led to this opportunity. I directed Colette Freedman in “Paging Dr. Chutzpah,” whose play “Sister Cities” I had translated into French when I was living in Paris, then directed several staged readings of it there. My work as a filmmaker with Appleseed Entertainment also intersected with theatre when I directed a staged reading of a screenplay I co-wrote, “Daybreak,” as part of the Bruno Kirby Staged Reading Series at the Hayworth Theatre.

I look forward to directing future productions, particularly new works, which will allow me to continue collaborating with playwrights as they launch new plays into the world.

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SCHEDULE:

Run: July 8th – August 14th, 2011
Friday & Saturday – 8PM / Sunday – 7PM

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IT’S GOOD 2 BE CRAZY is a slice of life, dramatic comedy, that explores the perils facing a 20-something couple when HE offers to support them both so SHE can pursue her musical ambitions.