The Balcony
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Kathleen Doyle
September 23, 2012
What is your job on this show?
I'm the Costume Designer..
When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
Since I was a wee brat, I wanted to make theater! Actors, dancers, singers are all enormously brave. So that bravery attracted me, mesmerized me. I wanted to be brave.
Why do you do theater (as opposed to film, or TV, or something not in the entertainment field)?
Theater is atavistic! It's in our bones. We want to tell stories to each other. We want to see each other live out these stories for us. Sweating it out before our eyes. And theater can be kind, compassionate, forgiving, ennobling...human, to the audience, in a way that a pre-recorded event can never be.
Why did you want to write/direct/produce/act in/work on this show?
I wanted to design this show because costumes and all visual elements are crucial to the story-telling. The freedom we find in disguises. The magic we inject into objects. The power of the mind to see what it wills itself to see. All of these are subjects in The Balcony.
Which “S” word best describes your show: SMOOTH, SEXY, SMART, SURPRISING?
Smart.
How important is diversity to you in the theater you see/make?
Super important. It keeps everything snapping, crackling and popping! For example, I never imagined that the role of IRMA, the Madame of the House of Illusions, or the brothel, would be played by a man. But the best actor for the role happened to be a man. So now we all get to navigate these waters with a new ripple. And this ripple will effect every relationship and the whole dynamic of 'What is real?' So that keeps me on my toes!
