Readers Theatre
Repertory:
Staged Readings for Grownups
an interview with Mary McDonald-Lewis
Two nights
each month on an otherwise deserted block of Northwest Ninth Avenue,
soft light spills from the doorway of a converted garage. Falling between
a darkened antique shop and an empty lot, it looks like a campfire,
an apt if unintended advertisement for what waits inside.
The single-story building houses Blackfish Gallery, one of the Pearl's
many art venues, but the draw on these two nights is spoken art. In
the tiny interior space, actors from Readers Theatre Repertory are reading
to an audience not much larger than would fit around a fire. (Paul McGregor
in the Oregonian, September 2002)
RTD
- First, our thanks to you for taking the time for this interview.
Mary McDonald-Lewis
- It was easy. I took a look at your well-designed (Readers Theatre
Digest) site and was delighted to find such dedication to readers theatre.
It's exciting to discover others who share your passion, and who know
what we know; that this is one of the most intimate, thrilling and authentic
forms of performance there is. Thank you for that.
RTD
- And thank you for that, Mary. Your professional background in theatre
and voice acting is impressive indeed. What brought you to RT?
MM
- Well, though I honor my 25 years as a voice actor, my heart, and art,
lies in the theatre ... certainly focused on RT (naturally -- it blends
voice and stage!). In 2000, five of us who shared the same vision got
together and formed Readers Theatre Repertory in Portland, Oregon. The
other four were Bob and Mooch Martin, who have worked with theaters
in Kentucky, Portland and Japan for the past several decades; the Martin's
son Matthew, and Doreen O'Skea, both University of Portland theater
program graduates. Practically, we're a loose collective of co-artistic
directors. This year, Doreen has moved east to work in academia and
theatre with her husband, and we're working with Jamie Miller, another
University of Portland graduate.
RTD
- Most RT activity these days seems to be in the area of education and
therapy. While this is important and valuable in its own right, do you
have any sense that the hallmarks of theatre could be lost in the process?
MM
- Not only lost, but theatregoers are mislead into thinking that that
is all RT is, or can be. Punch and Judy. I love the fact that any theatre
can be educational or therapeutic or both, but not at the loss of the
broader art form to the world at large. It's like saying, after attending
one's child's kindergarten art show, "all painting is finger painting,"
and never going to the museum again. It happens with RT. It is about
protecting the potential for damage to the broader application of the
art form, if the public perceives it as only fit for the elementary
classroom, or, in higher education, in speech and debate competitions.
There are people who consider themselves theatregoers who refuse to
attend a readers theatre, not knowing what they're missing! By the same
token, there are folks who never miss a show of ours, because they come
to be moved, and changed, and stirred, and touched, and provoked and
awakened in some way -- just like they are when they see good theatre
anywhere. They get it.
RTD
- Your play titles suggest a Readers Theatre of substance, definitely
for grown-ups and definitely theatre.
MM
- We work very hard to provide "Small stories with big ideas at
their heart," and I promise you, they are genuinely grown up! By
the way, one marker of readers theatre as theatre for us has been our
evolution away from "theatre blacks, stools and stands" and
toward lighting, sound, blocking, props and costumes. This shift occurred
almost immediately for us, as we realized what our actors were capable
of (we're an Equity waiver company, so we can work with the same union
actors seen on Portland's largest stages), and how we saw ourselves
as being able to manifest our mission. We never use anything other than
legitimate play texts, and thank God we NEVER read stage directions.
RTD
- Any last words?
MM
- Yes indeed, and thanks for asking.
Though we
do not rely necessarily on the music stands and black stools of traditional
readers theatre, I would be remiss if I did not stress that we DO rely
on several of the conventions of readers theatre, and do so because
of our love of the traditions.
First, the
lack of memorization and reliance on scripts: this is a reading, and
the company, tech crew, director, actors, and audience need to recognize
and appreciate this art form for exactly what it is.
Second, our
short rehearsal process. We rehearse for two evenings only, so we count
on actors with powerful and rapid character-building skills, along with
our own responsibility to bring to the table our understanding of what
the play is about.
Third, the
use of the voice: no matter what the actors are doing on stage, the
voice is the vehicle that tells the tale, much like radio.
Fourth, the
presence and use of the stools and stands in other ways. As an homage
to RT, we do use our stools and/or stands as props for other purposes.
Sometimes they are tables and armchairs; sometimes they are the top
of a washer and dryer set; sometimes they are bushes. And believe it
or not, sometimes we sit on the stools and rest scripts on the stands!
These are
just a few final thoughts to let you know that despite our tendency
toward theatricality, it is not because we wish to be other than RT...
it is because we believe that RT is much more than most companies believe
it can be!
MM
READERS THEATRE REPERTORY
http://www.readerstheatrerep.org
In our
next issue Mary McDonald-Lewis will discuss READERS THEATRE REPERTORY'S
play selection and some associated production issues.