By Henrik Eger

The 2017 Philadelphia Fringe Festival offers a wide range of genres and topics, but few as sensitive and important as Suicide Stories: Gallery of the Untold — nine short plays by nine playwrights, directed by Lauren M. Shover. She used a wide range of different art genres to bring light into an often-impenetrable, dark situation, connecting the audience and the play in very human and creative ways. We added the name of each play behind the first answer of each playwright in this interview.

• Daryl Banner (Texas) – The Problem with Mickey
• Brittany Brewer (Philadelphia) – Casual Rape
• Brian Grace-Duff (Philadelphia) – I Forget What Eight Was For
• Dano Madden (New Jersey) – Jason Dotson
• David Meyers (California) – Broken
• Bridget Mundy (NYC) – Dark Windows
• Christopher G. Ulloth (NYC) (Also a member of ERP) – Museum Bar
• Kevin White (Philadelphia) – Rob
• Kat Wilson (Philadelphia) (Also a member of ERP) – The SS Marty

The Elephant Room Productions (ERP) team opens doors to this taboo subject by welcoming theatergoers to experience things we usually don’t talk about in a safe way. Audience members can go from room to room where actors perform a wide range of plays simultaneously, giving patrons the opportunity to spend as much time on a piece as they wish.

Henrik Eger: What part of your life’s experiences made you address suicide, one of the last few taboos in today’s society?

Dano Madden (Jason Dotson): Several of my friends have committed suicide. One when I was very young, one more recently.

Chris G. Ulloth (Museum Bar): Almost seven years ago, my sister died by suicide.

Bridget Mundy (Dark Windows): I’ve seen it before. I’ve had friends and family who attempted it. Suicide is something that’s around us all the time. It’s quiet, hiding in the background — until suddenly it happens. However, we can’t let it linger in the background anymore. We need to start talking.

Some of you did not experience suicide personally, yet you wrote about this sensitive subject. What encouraged you to tackle this tragic topic?

Kat Wilson (The SS Marty): Whether I am acting, singing, writing, or something different entirely, I have always felt drawn to the “deeper” side of things. I believe addressing taboos, especially suicide, in a theatrical setting allows humans to face the issue head on and hopefully achieve a cathartic release.
​
Brian Grace-Duff (I Forget What Eight Was For): Theatre has a unique ability to reveal the nuance of a complex issue — without the need to overly romanticize or dramatize it — to get beyond platitudes and show the real people it affects. That’s what drew me to working on this play.
Some of you presented suicide through a special lens. Tell us more about merging different perspectives on suicide.
Daryl Banner (The Problem with Mickey): Depression is something as real as a gaping wound you’d rush to the ER. I dealt with an infuriating number of “just get over it,” “she’s just moody,” and “he’s a weirdo.” I’ve lost too many young friends because of adults turning the other cheek. I also wanted to tackle the subject of teenage bullying, which is intimately related to suicide rates among gay youth.
David Meyers (Broken): I don’t know anyone who has committed suicide, but the subject has always fascinated me. I believe that the goal of theatre should be to explore these uncomfortable subjects — the things that most people are unwilling to confront.
My play addresses suicide and another “untouchable” social phenomenon, which I don’t want to spoil in this interview. After reading a draft of my play, someone said, “I don’t know if you should be writing a play about this kind of character.” To me, that was evidence that I was doing something right.
People who attempt suicide often spend a great deal of their lives struggling. Writers who tackle difficult subjects often struggle, too.
Kevin White (Rob): Suicide and depression have always been a part of my life or the lives of my loved ones. After years of struggling to deal with the issue alone, I found that writing and working on theatrical pieces about the subject are cathartic and, I hope, important to society at large.
Brittany Brewer (Casual Rape): About six years ago, I lost a friend to suicide, and since that time, I have been grappling with a full length play of my own that struggles to understand society, depression, and suicide.

It seems that a number of people sweep problematic subjects like suicide under the carpet. Why is it important for you to tackle suicide through a play and a public performance?

Dano: This is not the first time I have explored suicide as a topic. It has come up in a variety of ways in short plays and long plays. Usually, the inspiration is the same: Jason Dotson. I am still left with the question: why do we tell stories about suicide? Is it to memorialize the dead? Is it to raise awareness in the living about suicide? I think it has always been the search for some kind of an answer, or explanation about why he did it.

Brittany: Many humans struggle with depression, and many feel that it is necessary to not share their experiences. The case is similar for survivors of sexual assault. When learning the true number of people living with depression and/or living as survivors, it can feel surprising because these struggles can be and feel isolating — especially when there is no space for your story.

However, when you know there is a community, and you begin to meet people who have had similar experiences to your own, it does not feel as lonely. It is vital that we validate these narratives, and continue to have and strengthen conversations of support surrounding mental health and rape.

Writing could be compared to a voyage into the unknown. How do you hope your play will land?
​
Daryl: I hope that hearing this story can shed some light on the subject of bullying, depression, and suicide. The piece, though it is about the bullying of a gay teen, goes beyond his sexuality. It’s more about teenage peer pressure and bullying in general. Mickey can be anyone. The point is to open our eyes and our hearts — perhaps even, and especially to, the bully himself.

Kat: I want the audience to walk from this play with a sense of hope and a desire for a better future. I hope to inspire and lift up my audience by creating positive change.

Chris: It’s common in the rhetoric surrounding suicide prevention for experts to say, “you shouldn’t give details about the victim.” They say this to prevent others from relating to the victim and register their actions as within the realm of possibility for humans like you.

The inherent problem with that rule for survivors is that we have already seen the victim as a person. There’s no dehumanizing someone you loved dearly. My play doesn’t obey that rule. Aside from it defying everything I was taught as a writer, I don’t think I would have been able to heal had I followed it.

My hope is that this play will do the same for other people who may be in pain. And for those who aren’t in pain, I hope that viewing this play will serve as a reminder to cherish the loved ones in their lives.

For Suicide Stories: Gallery of the Untold, ERP uses a non-traditional approach. Tell us more about it.
It seems that a number of people sweep problematic subjects like suicide under the carpet. Why is it important for you to tackle suicide through a play and a public performance?

Dano: This is not the first time I have explored suicide as a topic. It has come up in a variety of ways in short plays and long plays. Usually, the inspiration is the same: Jason Dotson. I am still left with the question: why do we tell stories about suicide? Is it to memorialize the dead? Is it to raise awareness in the living about suicide? I think it has always been the search for some kind of an answer, or explanation about why he did it.

Brittany: Many humans struggle with depression, and many feel that it is necessary to not share their experiences. The case is similar for survivors of sexual assault. When learning the true number of people living with depression and/or living as survivors, it can feel surprising because these struggles can be and feel isolating — especially when there is no space for your story.

However, when you know there is a community, and you begin to meet people who have had similar experiences to your own, it does not feel as lonely. It is vital that we validate these narratives, and continue to have and strengthen conversations of support surrounding mental health and rape.

Writing could be compared to a voyage into the unknown. How do you hope your play will land?

Daryl: I hope that hearing this story can shed some light on the subject of bullying, depression, and suicide. The piece, though it is about the bullying of a gay teen, goes beyond his sexuality. It’s more about teenage peer pressure and bullying in general. Mickey can be anyone. The point is to open our eyes and our hearts — perhaps even, and especially to, the bully himself.

Kat: I want the audience to walk from this play with a sense of hope and a desire for a better future. I hope to inspire and lift up my audience by creating positive change.

Chris: It’s common in the rhetoric surrounding suicide prevention for experts to say, “you shouldn’t give details about the victim.” They say this to prevent others from relating to the victim and register their actions as within the realm of possibility for humans like you.

The inherent problem with that rule for survivors is that we have already seen the victim as a person. There’s no dehumanizing someone you loved dearly. My play doesn’t obey that rule. Aside from it defying everything I was taught as a writer, I don’t think I would have been able to heal had I followed it.

My hope is that this play will do the same for other people who may be in pain. And for those who aren’t in pain, I hope that viewing this play will serve as a reminder to cherish the loved ones in their lives.
​
For Suicide Stories: Gallery of the Untold, ERP uses a non-traditional approach. Tell us more about it.

​Brian: This production is trying to provide a lot of care for the audience. It’s set up in a way that people can view as much [of each play] as they want. And if someone gets overwhelmed, that’s okay — because it IS an overwhelming topic.

Bridget: I loved working on this project. It’s a new way of doing theatre, something different — a reinvention. We should constantly be reinventing how theatre is performed, or viewed, because then we reinvent ourselves.

Kevin: Rob is unlike any other piece of theatre I’ve been involved in. I am excited to see how the final product turns out — both as a playwright and a theatre patron. With so many artists from a wide range of mediums involved, it is sure to be a unique and moving performance.

David: I’m excited to see how the production turns out, due to the inventive use of space and different forms of theatre. I hope you’ll come out to explore these plays for yourselves!
Running time: Two hours with no intermission. Come and go as you please.

Suicide Stories: Gallery of the Untold plays September 12 – 16, 2017 at 6 pm and 8 pm at The 2017 Philadelphia Fringe Festival and is presented by Elephant Room Productions at the Asian Arts Initiative – 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the Fringe box office at (215) 413-9006, or purchase them online.

Originally published by DC Metro Theater Arts, ​August 29, 2017.

By Henrik Eger

Society usually demands that we trod softly to avoid offending anyone. The subject of suicide is so taboo that few playwrights tackle the topic, and even fewer theater companies present a whole evening of plays about suicide. Elephant Room Productions (ERP), well-known for its courage to address difficult issues, enlisted nine playwrights from Philadelphia and all over the U.S. The ERP team, known by the playwrights as “The Herd,” worked together with each playwright over an extended period of time to develop each play individually. As a result, ERP will present Suicide Stories: Gallery of the Untold as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 12–16 at 6 pm and 8 pm at the Asian Arts Initiative at 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA. For tickets call,215-413-1318, or purchase them online.
In this interview, the nine playwrights talk openly about the difficulties and the joys of working on a sensitive subject in a collaborative way:

• Daryl Banner (Texas) – The Problem with Mickey
• Brittany Brewer (Philadelphia) – Casual Rape
• Brian Grace-Duff (Philadelphia) – I Forget What Eight Was For
• Dano Madden (New Jersey) – Jason Dotson
• David Meyers (California) – Broken
• Bridget Mundy (NYC) – Dark Windows
• Christopher G. Ulloth (NYC) – Museum Bar
• Kevin White (Philadelphia) – Rob
• Kat Wilson (Philadelphia) – The SS Marty

Henrik Eger: Even talking about suicide can be difficult for many people, let alone writing a play about it.

Dano Madden: I felt a bit hesitant about suicide as a theme for an evening of theatre. It is a taboo as part of the topic in America, but it needs to be brought more to the forefront of people’s minds. However, to build an evening of theatre around it risks being very heavy-handed. My approach in writing Jason Dotson was to try and write about my personal experience with suicide in a way that would be surprising and engaging to audiences without slipping too far into the darkness.
​
Brian Grace-Duff: It took me a long time to agree to write a scene for this play because I knew, based on the subject matter, that it would be a more personal process for me. When I laid out a proposal for I Forget What Eight Was For, I was a bit nervous. Yet, I was thrilled when ERP [Elephant room Productions] responded with an enthusiastic “yes.” I worked through several drafts and had some really wonderful advice from both ERP through their EERS [Elephant Ears Reading Series], as well as some trusted friends.

Henrik Eger: Did you know right away what you wanted to say? If not, tell us about the evolution of your play.
Brittany Brewer: My piece, Casual Rape, was inspired by a slam poem I wrote and performed for ERP’s A Midsummer Night’s Cabaret.
David Meyers: Broken is actually an adaptation of a full-length play that we workshopped in New York. Elephant Room was generous enough to commission a shorter version.
Kevin White: When Elephant Room Productions reached out to me about this project, I was interested but didn’t have a set direction I wanted to go. Lauren and her team suggested a variety of topics to write about and cyberbullying stood out to me. From there, I found true stories of suicides caused by what’s known as catfishing [“to lure someone into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona”], which led me to the finished product, Rob.

Henrik Eger: Family relationships can play an important role—for better or worse.

Chris Ulloth: Writing about my sister and her death started as a way of coping and processing. It has since become a large part of my work. This piece, Museum Bar, in particular, built upon a play I wrote earlier.
​
Bridget Mundy: I always go to my memories, my own stories, and pull from there. Some of these things in Dark Windows have been based on interactions with my father. I used our connection to understand how to create Erin’s [relationship] with her father.

Henrik Eger: Society usually demands that we trod softly to avoid offending anyone.

Daryl Banner: I wanted to approach the subject of suicide from an uncomfortable place, because it bothers me when I see depression and suicide get glorified or used as plot-moving tools in TV shows and movies. Coming at the subject of suicide from the bully’s perspective in The Problem with Mickey gave me the ability to hit suicide, depression, and gay bullying with a more blunt and unapologetic voice.

Since I grew up as a gay teen myself, I was able to antagonize myself in a creative way through the bully’s eyes, and find a common ground upon which sympathy and understanding could be paved. “Love thine enemy”—and all that. The trouble is figuring out what the enemy is. The bully? The bully’s friends? The bully’s parents? Society? Our own psychology?

Maybe the nature of suicide and bullying is far more complex and deeply rooted than we realize.

Henrik Eger: I understand that you were inspired to write this play by something that few human beings experience.

Kat Wilson: The SS Marty came to me in a vivid dream. I used my synaesthesia [“a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway”] to push the story forward—attaching a story line and characters to the colors I felt. I also received a great deal of help from US veterans whose insight give this play legitimacy and heart. ​

Henrik Eger: Looking back as a playwright, what were the greatest insights you gained from writing about this play in a collaborative way?

Brian Grace-Duff: Most of my writing is highly collaborative. In many ways, the challenge of this process has been to step back and let the words stand on their own, but that’s been made a lot easier by having a really talented team to work with.
​
Kevin White:  Having “The Herd” (ERP staff) read my script out loud and give me recorded feedback was really helpful. It was great to be able to hear different drafts of my words out loud and be able to compare recordings throughout my process. It was also helpful to find my many grammatical errors within the piece.

Henrik Eger: Each of you comes with different experiences and perceptions. What did you learn from your collaborative feedback sessions with the ERP team, and how did their feedback impact your play?

Kat Wilson: I was able to hear my words through different voices, both literally and figuratively. Between veterans, actors, my colleagues, and my friends--the feedback I received constantly allowed me to think more creatively and progressively. 

Daryl Banner: Actors love the word “f**k” and all its tasty variants. However, I greatly reduced the number of F-bombs throughout my piece so that the actor would understand that it is not meant to be read angrily from one end to the other.

Henrik Eger: Writing can be a lonely and challenging activity, especially when dealing with depressive subjects. What were your experiences with the collaborative ERP approach?

Bridget Mundy: To take something people still won’t talk about and ask [them] to open that door—it was amazing to see how each writer approached it. Everyone had a different way of knocking on the door.

David Meyers: My favorite part of being a writer is the collaboration. I hate the act of writing because it forces me to be alone.
​
Dano Madden: I am based in the New York City region, so my collaboration has been from a distance. The team at ERP sent me feedback and recordings of my play being read. All of this has been helpful, but I would have preferred to be in the room with the actors and director.

Henrik Eger: ERP works with young writers and experienced professionals.

Brittany Brewer: As a young playwright, I always find it valuable when others take the time to read my work and ask questions. This process has affirmed my interest to continue to seek out collaborative opportunities to create work and playwrite.

Chris Ulloth: This piece received much more attention than my previously written works on this topic. In addition to the three readings it had internally with ERP, there was a considerable amount of one-on-one with the director. Even for a professional, this is not an easy thing to do when the topic is so personal. It takes working with a team you trust and respect, and it takes time. It wouldn’t have been possible without everyone on the team being patient with me as we figured out the best way to execute this piece.

[Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street] September 12-16, 2017; fringearts.com/event/suicide-stories-gallery-untold/
Running time: Two hours with no intermission. Come and go as you please.

Originally published by Phindie, August 29, 2017.

By Henrik Eger

By Henrik Eger

Looking back, Rock, I felt torn apart whenever your name cropped up, whenever I saw new pictures of you. On the one hand you were one of the most perfect creations that walked the celluloid earth; on the other, you were the man who confronted me with my emerging feelings for men.

​I chose to forget my powerful feelings for you; instead, I wanted to work hard to become a “healthy heterosexual."
 
By the time I had turned 20, I thought I had managed to become like everybody else. But my first visit to the United States in the mid-sixties changed all that.

​Suddenly I found myself surrounded by Americans, almost as handsome as you, Rock. Men who were real and who wanted to be with me. Men, married and divorced like you. And single men. Giants with whom I could have pillow talks, rather than having to share them with Liz Taylors and Doris Days—wonderful as these women were. 

​Believe me, Rock, during that one year in the States, I followed in your footsteps, followed your magnificent obsession, and never said goodbye. Rather, I greeted every day with a joy, which I had not experienced in Europe. Almost every night became a big party, making up for years of denying my own nature.
 
And then, during the summer of 1965 in Los Angeles, I stayed with a young black actor who shared the apartment with half a dozen or so young men—one more beautiful and muscular than the next. Initially, I couldn’t figure out why the telephone was ringing off the hook and why one of them was always leaving—only to return after a few hours, usually exhausted but happy and often bragging about someone famous or fabulous. 

 Henrik Eger
Originally published by Windy City Times, Chicago, October 10, 1985.

By Henrik Eger

Harry Dietzler, the executive and artistic director of Upper Darby Summer Stage, one of America’s oldest and most successful theater programs for young adults, founded the Summer Stage in 1976 as a 20-year-old drama teacher. The program has trained dozens of locally and nationally known performers, including such luminaries as Tina Fey. Dietzler won the 2011 Barrymore Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philadelphia theater community for his work.

Henrik Eger: Harry, you built the Summer Stage into a well-respected company but with a smaller budget compared to most regional theaters in Philadelphia. How did you manage to obtain the rights from Disney to produce the new musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

Harry Dietzler: Disney decided to not bring the show to Broadway and turned the licensing over to Music Theatre International. A former Summer Stager is on staff there and I wrote to him to ask if there was a chance we could do it. After the other regional theaters in the Philadelphia area turned down the show, we received an invitation to produce it last July.

Looking back at 42 years of directing, what were your main criteria in finding and selecting the best actors, singers, and dancers, along with a great behind-the-scenes team?

I have always looked for directors who not only have the training in theater to guide a large cast of young people but also share the mission of Summer Stage. We add an extra element to our program based on the Leslie Bricusse song, “Fill the World with Love.”

We believe theater is our way of sharing the joy and excitement in each of us with an audience. Our staff have to be committed to a positive process for our performers, building them up, giving them confidence, and encouraging them to share what is inside each of them with our audience.

This year you presented the largest production ever in your history, with an artistic and technical team to match.

We were fortunate to have the professional expertise of our technical director Andrew Thompson, our set designer Martin Dallago, our costume designer Mary Folino, our choreographer Jenna Rogalski, our lighting designer Jose Antonio Dom Chacon, our prop master Patrick Ahern, and last but not least, our stage manager, Jenna Shira Brandow, who corralled an enormous cast.

What were some of the most unexpected things that happened during the development of this moving and memorable show?

The set construction was very challenging. We got behind in the work because of the great detail that the design required and had to hire extra carpenters and painters to complete it. They worked 12 hour days and long weekend hours, sometimes even until 2 or 3 in the morning.

Your cast sang, danced, and acted at a high professional level. Where did you find them?

I did not expect that the four main leads, Patrick J. Walsh [Quasimodo], Chris Monaco [Dom Frollo], Sierra Wilson [Esmeralda], and Tristan Horan [Phoebus] would all be long time Summer Stagers. I had thought we would need to look to a wider pool of talent, but the best were right here in our Summer Stage program!

The sound of your orchestra blew me away.

Harry: Before I committed to producing this show there were several people I knew we had to have on board and our two musical directors and our sound designer were top on my list. Gina Giachero assembles a wonderful orchestra each year for us and outdid herself this year. They are all professionals or college music majors, and each is mic’d by our amazing sound designer, Amanda Hanna, who studies sound design at the University of the Arts.

A good sound system all around can greatly bring out the quality of the singers.

We knew that our new, state of the art sound system was up to the task of balancing all of these elements. Eric Longo is an excellent musical director and rehearsed the choir. Amanda added them into the mix, along with 32 individual body mics. I don’t know of many theaters outside of Broadway who place such demands on a sound designer who is still a college student. Actually, I never doubted Amanda. She was the least of our worries!

Is there anything else you would like to share?

It has been a dream come true to produce this musical and we are thrilled to introduce it to so many people. The reaction has been overwhelming. Thank you all.
​
You, your son Jeff, who directed the mammoth production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and everyone on and off stage pulled it off beautifully. Let the bells of Notre Dame ring.

Jeffrey (Jeff) Dietzler is the Director of Performing Arts at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington, DE. For the past 10 years he has served not only in that role, but also as stage manager, choreographer, fight director, and as a technical director on over 25 productions. During the summer, Jeff joins his father Harry at Upper Darby Summer Stage, with Jeff working as a company director. He has directed five productions for Summer Stage, including 2017’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Henrik Eger: Jeff, what were the most important things you learned from observing your father at work?

Jeff Dietzler: A sense of humility. He never wants the spotlight shown on him and when it is, he quickly reminds people that it takes so much more than just him to make this program work. He always gives credit to the hundreds of staff members, parents, volunteers, students, and audience members who have made Summer Stage so successful. This taught me that each position from top to bottom is just as important. Without this understanding, the collaboration necessary in theater would not be possible.

You managed to bring on board a great cast with some outstanding performers. Tell us about your criteria in making your selections and getting those rising stars to sign up?

When we were making our final casting decisions, one of the most important criteria we looked at was having performers who were willing to make specific choices, to do something different, and to step out of their comfort zone while still being able to work together as an ensemble.

This show is about the story. It brings us back to one of the most basic styles of narrative: the Greek chorus. With this performance type, the actors are required to go from performing as a single entity, to becoming their own individual characters. I made it clear to the cast from day one that this show, more than any other I have ever worked on, is truly an ensemble piece. To get people to come out to audition, we emphasized the beauty and excitement of the music. It is hard to hear this amazing score and not show some sense of interest to be a part of it.

What were some of the most unexpected things that happened during the development of this moving and memorable show?

Putting together a production of this size is already an overwhelming task, but what made it even more difficult is that the scene changes never stop. Each moment flows directly from one to the next, rarely taking a breath. Sequences such as “Topsy Turvy” demonstrate the necessity for the choreographer (Jenna Rogalski) and director to work in perfect sync because the dance shifts right into scene work and quickly back into dance again.

With such an overly complex script, how did you solve some of those technical complications?
​
As we rehearsed this show, we had to begin with the bare bones and continually come back to these multitudes of sequences and layers. With the limited rehearsal schedule, it often felt like we would not have time to put in every detail, but this cast is amazing and began to understand what we were trying to do. They would add in their own character choices to fill in any little gaps that appeared to be missing. The end result is a constant flow of storytelling that captures the audience at every moment.

I was convinced that you had piped in a recording of one of the finest orchestras in the U.S., but according to the program, you actually hid all the musicians somewhere on stage.

Many people are just as surprised as you to learn that the orchestra is live, but a show like this could not have it any other way. There are so many acting moments that are timed perfectly to the music that it would be a nightmare for someone trying to work off recorded tracks.

This is a production that relies heavily on the music, not just in what is sung, but in the underscoring as well. As we began development, our music director, Gina Giachero, and choir director, Eric Longo, came in with a similar understanding, which allowed the show to come together as well as it did.

Tell us about the logistics of having the full cast and chorus, along with an entire orchestra, on stage, something even big-budget theaters have difficulty pulling off.

Fitting so many people into this space, we had to rethink our normal show set-up, which usually places the orchestra in the band shell above the stage. We knew we had to see the choir as they are an integral part of the story and create the voice of the bells and cathedral. The band shell became the best place to put them. They would be seen, but still leave room for the set and actors. Since the chorus was taking the shell, we had to find a new place for the pit. The band room, located off stage left, seemed like the perfect place.

A ghost orchestra and a chorus that cannot see the conductor?

With our brand new sound system, miking the band was no different than when they were in the shell. Our cast has always worked blindly from the conductor, so nothing changed there, but the choir needed to see Gina. To solve this problem, we hid video monitors in the set up near the choir, which provided a live stream to the band room. It took a lot of forward thinking, but the end result justified all the work.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I have a tremendous amount of passion for Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, for the music, and for the beautiful story being told. This has been my favorite score since seeing the 1996 movie. I have listened to the original cast recording non-stop, even well before I was offered the chance to direct this particular show.

When I first saw the stage musical at Paper Mill Playhouse [in Millburn, NJ] in 2015, I was blown away yet again, and I wanted to make sure that everyone who saw it was able feel the same emotion and amazement that I did.
From the reactions of the audience to our Summer Stage production, I think we have done our job—made possible by the wonderful collaboration of our amazing production staff, fabulous designers, and wonderful cast, crew, and orchestra.
It truly took a village to make this show a reality!
​
Running Time: Two hours and 15 minutes, including an intermission.

Originally published by DC Metro Theater Arts, ​August 2, 2017.