MNP NEWS
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| Of Mice and Men Director Shares Perspective By Paula DiJoseph All through the summer ,when most of us were focused on vacations and other “ lazy days of summer “ pursuits, a small group of thespians, directed by Dani Kennedy, was hard at work practicing for Marple Newtown Players’ first main stage production of the year----- Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men, one of Steinbeck’s greatest works, was set during the time of the Great Depression. It is a story of a brother-like friendship between George and Lennie, two members of the laboring class who are following a shared dream. On the night that I visited the set, director Dani Kennedy was discussing, with her cast, Steinbeck’s passionate belief that every individual needs to have independence laced with a dream or goals to make life meaningful. Dani’s love for the art of directing was evident in her style of communicating this message to her cast. Her expertise was highlighted by the actors’ trusting responsiveness to her creative, insightful directions .Dani sat down with me to share some thoughts about directing and the theater. Paula: How did you evolve into being a director and what inspired you to direct for Community Theater? Dani: Well, I fell in love with the theater when I was 12 years old, after seeing Cats on Broadway. I was fortunate enough to get involved with community theater right out of college. One of my professors was involved with a classical company that performed Shakespeare. I did some acting and stage managing but I always had a feel for directing. When watching other directors, I always thought, “I would do the scene this way’’ or “I would do it that way.” There’s such an amazing high to being involved in the process---to go from the “read through,” when the actors are reading the lines for the first time, to bringing the story of the play to life . There’ s nothing like it. Paula: Why did you choose to direct Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men? Dani: I fell in love with the novel in high school -as sad as the novel is – because there is no one who doesn’t have a dream to work towards or something to build their lives on and then something happens and they realize their dream won’t come true. I realized, even in high school, that sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan them. As sad as it is, life is about learning. The character of George is so engrossing because he is so complex. He’s angry, he’s happy; he realizes he needs a dream. He’s an amazing character and his devotion to Lenny is so beautiful. Paula: What relevance do you think the play has to the current economic times? Dani: Each of the characters experience some economic and financial difficulty and today’s society can certainly understand the burden and desperation of just striving to survive. I think Steinbeck, more than any other writer understands the desperation of living hand to mouth, pay check to pay check. Paula: How do you approach the directing of a play? What is your method? Dani: I don’t think I could direct a play that I don’t feel an emotional tie to so I think my method is to think about what drew me to that play and those characters in the first place. I work with the actors to bring the characters to life the way I see them and the way I envision the final production. Paula: What do you think is the advantage of going to see a play rather than a movie? Dani: There’s nothing like live theater. There’s something about connecting to a live person telling you a story than a picture on a screen. I think a play, with the story right in front of your eyes, is much more engrossing and hopefully engaging. I think movies are a little more impersonal. Paula: What would you like the audience to take away from this play? Dani: I would like the audience to walk away with a sense of awe for the sacrifices that were made by the characters. I hope the play reminds them of how important it is to have a goal and dreams and what the death of a dream can do to a life. Actor From Of Mice and Men Discusses His Craft By Paula DiJoseph While sitting across from Mark Walton, who will be playing Lennie, a mentally challenged laborer, in Marple Newtown Players’ production of Of Mice and Men, it was hard to envision this bright, articulate actor turning himself into this tragic character. This is, however, what I witnessed when I watched the cast practice, one summer’s eve. Mark was amazing in his transformation into Lennie. As I began hearing Mark saying his lines, I immediately felt sympathy for Lennie. Mark had possessed Lennie’s heart and soul. I had the chance to speak to Mark about the craft of acting and his work with the theater. Paula: How and when did you first become involved with Community Theater? Mark: I first became involved with the theater in 1993, at Marple Newtown Players, when I auditioned for the play “Lie, Cheat, and Genuflect. “ It was the kind of social outlet that I had never experienced and I found it fascinating. That’s how I looked at acting initially. As the years went on, in addition to having fun with the actors, I worked on my craft. This is due to the inspiration of my wife, Cindy, who is also involved in the theater. Paula: What is it about “theater as an art form” that excites you? Mark: Honestly and brutally, it is performing for a live audience that I find a great thrill. Hoping that my character can connect to one person in the audience excites me. I love the interaction. Paula: Does any other actor or method of acting inspire you? Mark: I look at acting as an individual venture. I try not to entertain characteristics of any other actor on stage. There’s no actor that I have ever wanted to meet. I don’ t idolize any actor. I have found my own method of acting. It gets tweaked from performance to performance. There are certain actors in Community Theater that I really enjoy working with---on a community level. Paula: What is your process of developing a role? Mark: I like to try to get into the character’s head ---to understand what his reason is for being the character that he is. I get this by reading the script a few times before the audition to get a feel for the role I want to audition for. Once I have the part, I practice by acting out the play based on the dialogue and whomever I am acting against. Paula: What are the particular challenges to playing the part of Lennie? Mark: The biggest challenge is developing a character outside of my normal self. I had to come up with how Lennie spoke, his mannerism, and facial features. Because Lennie is a child in a man’s body, I loved handling that challenge. This is a good role for me. Paula: What do you think this play –especially your role---offers an audience? Mark: My character, I hope, offers to the audience a chance to see a trusting character that is completely reliant on someone else to guide him through life. If I could have one audience member touched by the fact that I brought this character to life, that would be a huge compliment to me. I want the audience to feel Lennie’s vulnerability. |
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