Follow Us
Drama Around the Globe
  • Home
  • About
  • Maerten van Heemskerck
  • Contact
  • Articles
  • Books
    • Academic >
      • Barrymore Handbook
      • Distortions
      • Germans in English Short Stories
      • How to develop professionalism among student writers
      • Literary Exile in the Twentieth Century >
        • Stefan Heym
        • Hans Henny Jahnn
        • Hermann Kesten
        • Else Lasker-Schüler
        • Heinrich Mann
        • Stefan Zweig
      • Writer Perception, Writer Projection
      • Wuppertal- Bethel Exchange Program
    • Creative >
      • Iran, Iran: Secret Poetry--an introduction
      • Iran, Iran: Secret Poetry samples
      • Who's Afraid of Noam Chomsky?
      • WriteWriteRewrite
      • Workbook Poetry
      • Kreative Schocks, Creative Shocks
    • Educational >
      • Aristotle's Word Processor
  • Drama
    • Plays >
      • A Doll's Confession
      • Alan Lost in Boston
      • "Beat me, Beat me!"
      • Canterbury Tales
      • Encounters
      • Happy Shalom
      • Mah Own Constitution
      • Mendelssohn Does Not Live Here Anymore
      • Metronome Ticking
      • Private Moments
      • Rent-controlled Apartment in the Village
      • The Americans are Coming
      • The Astrologer
      • The Funeral: A comedy
      • The Girl on the Other Side of the Fence
      • The Rehearsal
      • Van Gogh's Jewish Daughter
      • Victorian Holiday
      • Vow of Silence
    • Rescued Jewish Theater
    • Videos
  • Essays
    • Education Essays >
      • How to develop professionalism
    • Language Essays >
      • Language
    • Literature Essays >
      • Literature
  • Film
    • Private Moments
    • The Americans are Coming
    • Victorian Holiday
  • German
    • Artikel
    • Biographie
    • Bücher
    • Gedichte
    • Geschichten
    • Schauspiele
  • Interviews
  • Poetry
    • Poem Blog
    • America
    • Friends
    • Humor
    • Passion
    • Tributes
    • War Zones
  • Reviews
  • Satires
    • Satire Blog
  • Stories
    • Stories Blog
    • Stories: Europe
    • Black Shoe Polish
    • Santa Claus on an Overcrowded Train
    • Stories: America
    • A stained-glass window that no longer allows light to come through
    • Free Italian chandelier
    • Old Tibetan carpet dealer visiting the U.S.
    • Stories: Asia
  • Translations
    • Translations: Dramas >
      • La Ronde, Henrik Eger translation
    • Translations: Stories >
      • The Message of the Christmas Night
      • Spoerl, Waiting. Warten.
  • Translations: Misc.
  • Workshops
  • Individual Reviews
  • Editor's Desk

Pushing the Envelope to Attract Contemporary Audiences: Goldoni at the Hedgerow Theatre. An Interview with Director Aaron Cromie, Part 2 

6/8/2016

0 Comments

 
By Henrik Eger ​​
Here is the second of two interviews with Aaron Cromie, one of Philadelphia’s most beloved directors, mask makers, writers, and interdisciplinary theater artists.
Picture
Hilarious scene featuring Jared Reed as the tall Truffaldino. Photo by Ashley LaBond.
Henrik: Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) went beyond “the comedy of masks and the comedy of intrigue” by focusing on actual life and behaviors of his contemporaries in ways that had not been seen before. He added his own wit and honesty, and created a new form of Italian comedy. Looking at your production, how are you following in his footsteps, or are you perhaps reinventing Goldoni?
Picture
Aaron Cromie. Photo by Robin Marcotte.
Aaron: My version of the Goldoni play is replete with possibility. I’ve learned a lot about structure from his model in this play. My hope is that I’ve honored Goldoni’s play, found a way to connect with our audience, and collaborated with the actors, stage management, and designers to make a fresh take on the play.

Could you give an example or two where the actors or members of the artistic team impacted your production?

​
I think the catch-all answer here is that each cast member has a silly and funny character choice—making the others laugh—so that initially set the bar. Each time we got more confident and off book with the material, the size and ridiculousness of the characters began to grow in reaction to each other.​
The actors all pushed each other through the process. Kayla Speedy’s wigs and costumes really helped fill out the comedy. The actors got even funnier in those creations.
Picture
Unexpected kiss in Goldoni's THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS. Photo by Ashley LaBonde.
As a highly innovative director, what do you do to attract contemporary audiences?

​I appreciate the compliment, but the credit goes to the collaborative process and all of the people involved. As a maker, it’s my job—and the job of other artists—to make the art we want to see. There are always challenges of inclusion, diversity, and pushing the envelope, but we live in a time when there must be movement in all aspects of the art spectrum to create accessible theatre that tell stories about all kinds of people and experience.
Picture
Director Aaron Cromie rehearsing THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS. Photo by Ashley LaBonde.
​Tell us how you go about working with actors, administrators, and the artistic team—in this case, using the collaborative process at the Hedgerow Theatre.

Play. Play. Play. If something worked in the first read through—if the table read had laughs—I built from there. If it didn’t work, we cut liberally. Many actors, designers, and other collaborators made offerings, improvisations, and suggestions, so we revised throughout the process.

Could you give an example or two where actors and members of the artistic team made recommendations that you integrated into your production?
​Jared Reed [The Artistic Director of the Hedgerow Theatre, playing Truffaldino Battocio] gets credit for the dinner scene ad libs—which have now made it into the script—but I don’t want to spoil the laughs. Brock [Vicker]’s chest hair was a distinctly important contribution.

You have worked with actors and the creative team at the Hedgerow as a guest director in the past. What do you remember of those experiences and what do you perhaps want to do differently this time?

The Hedgerow community really makes me feel welcomed and appreciated, and everyone there works hard to make each next show special. This is my third collaboration, and I’m happy to see how the ensemble really works with what each production needs, rather than just having one method of rehearsing a project.

Reflections: Going beyond getting praised and pigeon-holed

When you look back on your life as an actor, puppet-master, and director, what would you say were the highlights in your life?

​I’m far from a puppet-master to be sure, but I’m very grateful to have had a career that began as a musician, then on to an actor, from there to designer of masks and puppets, and for some time now, working as a director and writer. Philadelphia has been very kind to me, and I feel lucky to be able to do all kinds of things to make a life in art.
Picture
Jared Reed as Truffaldino. Photo by Ashley LaBonde.
Similarly, what were the three things you struggled with the most in your life?

Making the mortgage is always a challenge, as there is no consistency in scheduling a season. I’ve been lucky to make it work, but it is a constant hustle, and I have to do a lot of things to make it work.

Another is being sometimes pigeon-holed as the “puppet guy” or the “commedia guy.” I’m definitely excited by that work, but I think sometimes people don’t see that artists are capable of more than the one or two things they are most known for. My friend and collaborator Kittson O’Neill recognized and encouraged my interest in scenic design, and I had the chance to work for Hedgerow, designing for her production of [Eric Overmyer’s] On the Verge last season. It was gratifying to have her believe in me.

Lastly, being busy making masks and things: my house is always in need of cleaning.
Picture
Director Aaron Cromie, photo courtesy Hedgerow Theatre.
What are your plans for the next few years?

I’d love to do more adaptation and collaboration projects with ensembles—not unlike this production. I have a few devised projects I’d like to make. Also, I’ve been playing music with local performer Emily Schuman with our folk and acoustic duo Chickabiddy. We recently recorded our first EP, and we’d like to tour our music. Lastly, I’d love to write more theatrical music with Emily. We are currently collaborating with the Almanac Dance Circus Theatre on a project for the Fringe Festival this fall.

Would you be willing to share one thing that only your best friends know about you?

​I make an excellent zucchini pasta sauce. Learned it from my friend, Fabrizio, in Italy.

​I heard that you actually did research at the Goldoni Institute in Venice. Is that true?
Picture
True. Venice is a magical place. I had the chance to travel there on several occasions—visiting my friend and collaborator Fabrizio Paladin, an incredible commedia practitioner and pedagogue—to do research in the Goldoni Library many years ago. Every person should walk down those streets to take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of that magnificent city.

For all those who can’t make it to Venice, let them go and see Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters at the Hedgerow Theatre—the second best thing to meeting with commedia practitioners in Italy. Thank you, Aaron, for bringing classical Italian theatre back to life in the greater Philadelphia area.

​Running Time: Two hours, including a 10-minute intermission.

​The Servant of Two Masters, plays through June 26, 2016 at the Hedgerow Theatre Company – 64 Rose Valley Road, in Media, PA. For tickets, call (610) 565-4211, or purchase them online. Performance are on Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 4:00 pm and 8 pm.

‘Riffing, Replacing, and Reworking Goldoni’s “Servant of Two Masters” at the Hedgerow Theatre: An Interview with Director Aaron Cromie: Part 1.

Originally published  by DCMetroTheaterArts. 

Back to EDITOR'S DESK
​
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    September 2013
    June 2011
    January 2011
    November 2009
    July 2008
    June 2008
    January 2002
    January 1992

    RSS Feed

​Click below for a translation into your own language 
from Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, and  Azerbaijani to Vietnamese, Welsh, Xhosa, Yiddish, Yoruba, and  Zulu—​thanks to the latest version of Google Translate.
Picture
Tower Of Babel
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563).
Click here to contact the Editor
Copyright Henrik Eger, 2014-2020.
Update: December 30, 2020.
All images are credited to the best of our knowledge. We believe known sources should  be shown and great work promoted. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us, and we will check it right away. 
​