Production Blog

A behind the scenes peek at rehearsals, artistic choices, artist interviews, and the daily business of running a theatre.

A chat with David Coffee about playing THE FATHER

Q: Although this script is relatively recent, the role of André has become a role of note, a role that marks an achievement - like Vanya or Lear or Willy Loman. What is it about the role and the script that you find puts it among the greats?

A: The role of Andre, I find, is very much like King Lear. Here is a man who starts out very much in charge. (At least, that's his viewpoint.) As the play progresses, however, we see him starting to falter in his confidence. We, as an audience, also begin to doubt our own confidence in what we perceive to be reality. The audience literally experiences what Andre is going through.

To me, it reminds me of Jaques' famous speech from "As You Like It": the Seven Ages of Man. During the course of the play, we see Andre in all seven stages of life.

There lies the great challenge of Andre: to show a full lifetime on stage, to keep trying to find out what is real (and what is not) and, finally, to find the humor in the whole situation so as not to make the experience one big depressing evening.

As the title reads: "The Father" - a tragic farce. I look forward to our audiences joining us on the journey.

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A moment with Director Tina Parker about THE FATHER

Q: This relatively new script has already received many prestigious awards and recognitions across the globe in its many incarnations and productions over the last few years. Without giving too much away, why do you think this story was crafted for the theatre, rather than a film or an opera or a ballet? What excites you theatrically about this script?

A: As Co-Artistic Director of Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, I read A LOT of plays every year. Very few surprise me any more in the way that THE FATHER did. It's brutally real and heartbreakingly hilarious--sometimes even in the same scene, with echoes of King Lear, Harold Pinter and All in the Family. The audience experiences the play through the eyes of Andre, who's navigating his way in the ever-shifting and often tricky landscape of old age and family and all that comes with that. Just when you think you've figured out the play, something will shift and send you down a different rabbit hole. And you, much like Andre, will struggle to find your footing and figure out what is going on. But I'm telling you, once the plays lands, without giving too much away here, the payoff is pretty tremendous. I can't wait to experience this wild beautiful ride with a live audience.

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A moment with Director vickie washington about then and now

Q: While the events of this script took place over 65 years ago, there is a very contemporary and topical air to the piece that draws interesting parallels between the past and the present. This play deals with ideas like censorship, the relationship between art and politics, civil rights, in addition to many other things. In your examination and exploration of this play and in this production, what aspects of the script have been most important for you in telling this real-life story?

A: Words. Images. Stories/Storytelling. Music. Memory. Rhythm. Resistance to oppression. History. Courage... These are just some of the aspects that Carlyle Brown has deftly interwoven into this thought provoking and beautiful play. Just as Langston labors through the night to create a new poem, we have labored in rehearsal to birth the play. As director/midwife, I have been very attentive to the ‘breath of the play’ - the aspect of rhythm if you will. The deep breaths, the silences, the exhalations…, all vitally important in the birthing process. There is also another kind of rhythm that we find in the play. With each reading and with every rehearsal, we have all been struck by how contemporary the subject matter feels, and actually is. As Langston struggles to create a new poem on the eve of his appearance before the McCarthy Senate hearings in 1953; our daily news cycles remind us that history repeats, there are cycles...there is rhythm. Come breathe with us…

photo: Can Turkyilmaz

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