[00:00:01] Speaker A: Thank you so much for joining us today, Scott. And out of your busy schedule as you're preparing for opening night of Fun Home, which is tonight, actually. It is. So how has rehearsals been going for the show?
[00:00:12] Speaker B: It's honestly too smooth, I'm worried. No, it's been great. We've had exceptional rehearsals since day one. Honestly, it's been really great. I have such an amazing cast that just really threw themselves into it, so. Been amazing.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: So can you tell us a little bit about the show and then what drew you to wanting to direct this one?
[00:00:34] Speaker B: Sure. So the show is autobiographical. It's about Alison Bechdel. It's based on a novel, graphic novel that she wrote called Fun Home.
It's really about her relationship with her dad and she's reflecting on different times in her life as a small child, 10 or so years, 8 or 10 years old, and then as a teenager going off to college and then as you know, a 43 year old woman looking back. So it really is about her looking back on her life and her relationship with her dad and her family. It's true, it's real, it's honest.
That's really what drew me to it, is just the honesty of it. People want to say it's a sad show or it's a down or it's a bummer or whatever. And I don't, I don't like that. I think it's, I think it's real. It's life. It's. It's things we experience every day. It, you know, Allison is a lesbian cartoonist and that doesn't mean you have to be gay to understand the themes. It's about a, you know, a father and a daughter in their relationship. It's about a mother and how she copes with her marriage. And so it's more than just, it's just so much more than just a sad show. And that's what drew me to it, is the honesty of it.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: You know, I think it was in the interview with Laurie where we're talking about how there's this really great blend of like, while there are sad parts, there's also this a lot of like light and like you're looking back at a person and there's the good and the bad of everybody. And that's really kind of one of the beauties of this Fun Home.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. I mean, absolutely. That's what I mean, I think is it's so honest, it's real. There are parts that are like, oh, wow, that's really funny. And I think people are kind of afraid to laugh sometimes, but you can, because there are times in our lives that aren't maybe the best times, but funny things happen, and we're allowed to laugh at the funny things. And I think that's what's so honest and real and just amazing about this story is, you know, you can see yourself in it. You don't have to be good. You don't have to be a lesbian to look at. Oh, you know, maybe my relationship with my parents wasn't great, you know?
[00:02:54] Speaker A: Absolutely. Because it's. It's a family story at the end of it, you know.
[00:02:57] Speaker B: It is. Yeah. Yep. Absolutely.
[00:03:00] Speaker A: And you mentioned about the funny parts, and there's one part that, like, you, I did laugh out loud about, and I won't. I won't spoil it or anything, but it's when the kids are doing their dance and it's just like, there's a very realness to the background of what's going on, and they're doing this dance in front of it, and you just can't help but you. Like, there's a little bit of, like. Like you're laughing, but you're, like, maybe, like, slightly uncomfortable, but. But it is funny. It's really funny. It's a really great scene.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: It. It is. So there are. There are two, like, fantasy scenes in the show.
One is. Is kids playing. It's them playing there. That's what you're talking about. And it's. I'm not going to spoil it either. It's amazing. It's great. It's just three kids playing in their home, which is a funeral home. And it's funny. It is. And then the other scene is a child's fantasy of an escape, which is super. It's weird to say, but a super fun song. And it's super like, oh, wow, this is really fun.
And then reality hits.
So it's.
It can be fun. And then reality hits, you know.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: Absolutely. Which, again, that. That's life, is that there's always those moments of. And you. You see this again with talking with Alan yesterday about his. His character, Bruce. But, like, at the very beginning, you see him be very kind to his kids. And then there's, like, the reality of, like, what happens as they're growing up and you're an adult and adult things are happening and you start to realize more about your parents. And, like, you do a really good job of blending that as well.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, Alan does an amazing job. This whole cast is really incredible. But Alan has really. It's It's a difficult role because he has to be dad, but it's not easy being dad. I'm a dad. I have four kids. And it's not easy being dad sometimes. And at the same time, Bruce is really battling with his own inner demons. You know, it's no surprise. In the beginning we said, you know, allison says, my dad was gay. He was a closeted homosexual.
And this is one of the things she's come to terms with the whole show. She's like, we are the same, but she doesn't want them to be the same. So she's struggling with that battle as well. And I think it's super important. Laurie, you've mentioned just amazing as our Allison, she really has taken this character and made it a realization. It's not. She's. Alison is not just a narrator. She's not just narrating her story. She's living it at the same time, which is amazing. You can watch this show twice, watch it once, and watch everybody doing their amazing stuff, and then just watch. Just watch. Laurie, she's incredible. She's incredible. She has so much character every time. It's incredible.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: I was. I was. When I was talking with her, I said, there's a few scenes where you're supposed to be looking at what's happening on stage. And I kept watching her because her face is doing all of this work over in. In her little corner, and you almost forget that she's there sometimes, but she's, like, going through the gambit of emotions from start to finish and does it with her. And I were talking about it like, there's not a lot of lines, a lot of dialogue, but she's just giving you everything, and it's fantastic.
[00:06:11] Speaker B: Yeah, she's taking you through this whole journey through the entire show. She leaves the stage for, like, 30 seconds. She's on stage the entire time. And it's hard not to be drawn to her and watch what she's doing. So, like I said, I mean, come to the show twice.
Really, just once, so you can just watch her the entire time.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: Absolutely. I agree with that 100%.
So there are a lot of heavy themes in here. Obviously, you had mentioned about there's family. You're talking about sexuality. You're talking about mental illness. You know, so as a director, how do you approach, like, kind of talking about these subjects? Because there's a lot of heaviness happening on stage.
Is there something specific that you. How you approach it?
[00:06:50] Speaker B: So we kind of just dealt with it head on. You know, we Didn't.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: We didn't hide it. I think we live in a world now that's much different than when. When. When Bruce, you know, was like, it was the 1970s. So, again, Bruce is a real person. He lived this life. This is his story as well as Allison's.
And so Bruce is a closeted homosexual in 1970s. Had to hide that.
I think we. We. We try to be just upfront with it. Again, you know, if you talk about mental health, it's right in the opening, Allison says that he killed himself.
So, you know, we experienced that. So I think we just tried to be real open and honest and true with the cast and say, hey, this is. This is what it is. This is what happened. There's still debate about whether or not Bruce Bechdel killed himself or it was an accident. Allison truly believes he had killed himself. He stepped in front of a truck. She says, you know, the newspapers, when it happened, reported it was a horrible accident, but it's not 1980 anymore, and it's 2024. And so you deal with these issues. We have to deal with them head on. We can't fight them anymore. So I think that's kind of how we went through the process of. We talked about it, and we, you know, this is. This is what happened. This is a real thing. This is real life. So we just kind of dealt with it head on.
[00:08:08] Speaker A: I mean, absolutely. And I think it's. You know, I had asked your wife, who is also involved in the production, and I said, how do you handle some of these topics with, you know, because your kids are in the show? And I said, how do you handle some of these topics with your kids? And she said, you're just opening on. It's just kind of like the show, you know, you just. You state them how it is. If they have questions, you answer. And I think that, like, the show does it very well of, like, this is kind of Allison's truth, and it's just there, and it's real.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: We, as parents, we try not to hide realities of life. Sometimes we live.
We live in Oxford, Michigan. Four years ago, there was a school shooter, and they experienced that. So to hide these types of things from them just seems like nonsense now. So we just. We deal with it head on and we say, hey, this is. This is reality. We also do it so that, you know, I have two teenage boys. If they are feeling like they have suicidal thoughts or harming themselves, then I want them to be able to come to me and say, hey, this is what I'M feeling, and this is what I need. So I think we, as, you know, my family and I as parents, have always been open and honest and true with our kids. Different parents are going to parent different ways, and I don't think anybody's wrong, but that's how we have dealt with. And I think that's why I came into the production the same way.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: Absolutely.
So how has Fun Home challenged you as a director?
[00:09:33] Speaker B: Oh, man, this is probably one of the most challenging shows I've ever. I mean, last year I directed. Co directed Christmas Story, the musical. Like, that's fun. It was like, just a super fun show.
This one. I think it, again, being real people, you don't want to do them an injustice.
That said, I didn't know these people, so we can only go off what's in the script. But as a director, I very much trust my actors to bring a character with them and come to me and say, I want to try things. I like to let my actors act. They are creators, they are artists. So I let them do the work for me. And then, you know, the vision that's in my head, I help them, you know, to realize what that is. But, you know, Alan came to me and we had lots of discussions about who Bruce is and who we think he is. And there are times he would play it one way and I'd say, hey, try something else. Try it. You know, think about it this way. Or we. We talked a lot about, you know, what do you think Bruce thinks here? What do you think Bruce thinks of Brooke or, you know, Brooke, who is plays our medium, Allison, you know, the teenager. So, you know, we had a lot of those conversations.
Alexa, who plays Helen, you know, we had a lot of conversations about who Helen is, and she plays Helen differently than I think we've seen it done most. And I think she brings a real authenticity to the character that it's just different. It's fresh. I love it. And we talked a lot about, like, is this okay? Are we okay, like, making.
We don't know. We can only read what we think, and you can only bring your own experiences to it. That's all we can do. So, you know, Alexa brings a lot of her own experiences as a mother to it and those feelings. So it's. It's really incredible.
[00:11:19] Speaker A: I was gonna say, when on Monday at the rehearsal, you had mentioned about how you have this, like, your directing approach of kind of, like, allowing them, like, they're. You said, I. That they're actors. They. They have this, like, this art and this craft, they know what they're doing. I let them do it. And I thought that you could, you could see that translated on stage really well because they didn't feel like people playing characters. If I could. People on stage. If you were seeing a family.
[00:11:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, thank you. I really proud of it. It's one of the, you know, when I direct, I. So I'm also an actor and, and, and I like being on stage. But when I direct, I feel like, you know, I, I want to let the artists be artists and the actors are the artists. That doesn't mean they don't try things. And I go, I don't like that when I'm not doing that. You know, sure, it's still. There's. There's things, but. But allowing them to try those things and, and just really play. Because really, when it all comes down to it, we're just a bunch of adults playing pretend.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: Um, sure.
[00:12:20] Speaker B: That's.
I let them do that. Let them use their creative creativity. Um, I love it. I'm not the hands on, like, move your hand this way. Director. I want to let them do what they want to do.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Now, are there parts of, like, being a director? Grant, I've never acted, I've never directed. I've not been. I'm only on this side of it. But, like, are there parts that you. You're like, that's not how I saw in my head. It has to be more like that.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: For sure. Yeah, for sure.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: There was a. There was a line that Alan delivers, and he delivered it the same way a lot. A lot, a lot. And like, we work kept. It's not right. You don't sound like a dad. You sound like. Okay, you sound like. You sound like Alan, who's a little, little disturbed. Just disappointed. You know, you need to be. You need to find your dad voice.
And so I really actually worked with him a lot. We, like, this is just not working. We need to keep trying. And we got it. I'm like, that's it. We got it. You know, and that's a. That's a great, amazing moment when you get something like that. But there's. Sure. I have this. I have this idea in my head of what. Of what some various particular scenes look like. And I let him try something. I will always let the actor try something.
I just have no problem saying that doesn't work. I don't love the way that looks.
Let's try something else. Let's make another choice. Let's do something different.
[00:13:40] Speaker A: Because honestly, from. Again, from an hour's perspective. Like, while they may have an idea, it doesn't always, like, to an audience, it might not translate the right way.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: Yeah. And we're still having these conversations now. I got a text message from Alan earlier today. He's like, hey, do you think this one part of this scene works? Right? And I'm like, yeah, it does. Like, you know, I've been watching it a lot for the last three months, so.
Yeah, and it does. It's just, you know, we always have these second guessings of ourselves and I think sometimes we just need somebody to tell us, oh, it's good, it's really good. And we don't need to change anything. So.
But I think it's always a process, right?
[00:14:22] Speaker A: And we're always our own worst critics. We're always going to think we're better. And having someone like you being like, it looks great. Like, let's let it breathe a little bit.
[00:14:29] Speaker B: It's not to say I haven't been second guessing myself.
It happens, you know, but. But at the same time, you know, I, luckily I have my, my wife at my side going, stop it. It's amazing. Stop it. So.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: Well, I, I'm going to be honest with you. It is a fantastic show and I hope that my reactions on Monday attested to that.
[00:14:48] Speaker B: That was nice to have somebody who hadn't seen the show and give some. Have hear some different audible gaps. Gasps. It was great.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: I tried to be quiet, but there was just like, there, there is some parts of this that you just, even though you, you know, like, again, you said, Allison, what the show is about as a character, but there's still just moments. You're just like, oh, that, that's a shock. It's shocking to see that on stage. And that's fantastic to see it.
[00:15:12] Speaker B: And you know, that's a testament to the actors because when we started this, there were two things I told the actors. One was I told Laurie, you are not the narrator. You are a character in this show.
[00:15:23] Speaker A: Make sure.
[00:15:24] Speaker B: And she embodied that. And she took it and she just ran with it. And she's amazing. And what I told all the other actors were, she tells the audience up front, I was gay, my dad was gay, and he killed himself.
You don't know that Small Allison or Helen with small Allison or Bruce, as you go through this, you don't know Bruce. You don't know you're going to kill yourself. You have to play this role like you're living in this moment right now.
And that's it. So And I think that's what they do. The most incredible thing they do is they live. You know, when they. When they're. You know, when Bruce is meeting with someone for the funeral home, he's in that moment, in that time.
We don't. He does. It's almost like he doesn't know what's coming. Which is really what I asked of them is don't. You don't know what's coming.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: I have to say that it's, like, still, like, took my breath away when, like, again, we know where this is going, but the scene where Alan just kind of like, you realize it and the way that the lighting and the staging is done and stuff like that, you're just like. You almost. Again, don't expect it. And then it's happening and you're like, oh, yeah, we knew this was coming, but it takes your breath away. Absolutely.
[00:16:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Again, that's to Alan and the rest of the cast. Laurie and, you know, Cora, my daughter, who plays small Alison is honestly. I know. Dad. Dad. Pride. Here she is. Incredible. Again, I asked her to. You don't know that you're going to grow up to be this lesbian cartoonist. You know, you like to draw. You know that you like to dress like a boy.
That's where you live. And she did. She really lives there.
[00:17:03] Speaker A: Ring of Keys is fantastic. And your. Your daughter has singing and acting chops. Like, I don't know, like, I know it runs in the family there, but, like, wow, that. It was so impressive, that song.
[00:17:15] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you. That's why we took it to the Channel 4 news.
[00:17:20] Speaker A: So, speaking of the music and. Or just the musical aspect of this, how do you think it enhances the story of the Bechdel family?
[00:17:28] Speaker B: You know, the thing is, the show moves so quickly.
The music is always kind of there and underlying. And if you listen, if you really listen to the music, you'll hear it keeps coming back.
There are hints and there are foreshadowing directly in the music about what's going to happen. In fact, there are even lyrics that are repeated once by Allison and then by Bruce and. Or by Bruce and then by Alison. So I think what the music does is it really sets that tone, but then it also keeps you in this world where you see the tie and the connection between Alison and Bruce.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: Absolutely. And because there is kind of that foil and mirror throughout the show of just, am I becoming my father? Like, that worry, that anxiety.
[00:18:18] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:18:20] Speaker A: With this show, it's only one act. Is there a challenge to only having, like, a One act show. Like, I feel like there's like extra pressure because you're telling a story in like a, like a shorter amount of time.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: Yeah, for, for sure. Especially when, you know, it comes to like, should we. It's. It's presented with no intermission and Broadway is presented with no intermission. So you start to like, this is one of the things I second guess myself. Should I add an intermission?
Are people going to be like, oh gosh, I have to sit for an hour and 50 minutes because that's what we're running about an hour and 50 minutes. Is that too long to make people sit? And then you're like, well, no movies are less than two hours or more. So but for me it was like, okay, if I put an intermission in, where do I put it? If I put it after changing my major, the rest of the show is pretty sad. So I don't. We can have people sit there for 50 minutes and just be sad. That also, I think just messes with the flow that there's no. I don't know if you notice, like transitions are nearly non existent. The transitions just go one scene to the next. You're in and out of these memories that she's remembering. Like you go from her being a young girl right into college. And there's no, there's no dark blackout transition. It's just like, oh, now we're in college. So I think, I think when you're running a Show that is 90 to 150 minutes, you have to let the show be what it is. And so that's what we're doing.
[00:19:52] Speaker A: Do you like, when you're taking into account, are there changes or like cuts that you, that you think about making to a show that you're like, oh, we're getting, maybe we're pushing too close to like two, two and a half hours. Or do you just like kind of keep it the way it is?
[00:20:07] Speaker B: I never, I will never cut myself. I don't think.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:20:10] Speaker B: I don't. The writers, they have the content there for a reason. Who might have trouble me wrong.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:20:18] Speaker B: If it's running long, it's, it's one of two things. Transitions are taking too long or dialogue needs to be sped up somewhere. Right. So I'll look at how we're doing it and look at changing the pacing in other ways. Like for this show, we were running it about two hours. We were able to trim 10 minutes by speeding up some of the songs or just by speeding up some of the scenes and the dialogue. There are some points that dialogue is overlapping. It's meant to overlap, and we weren't really doing a good job of overlapping it. So, like, we just would work a scene over and over and over until it matched up the way we wanted it to. That sounded right. And then also trimmed some content some time, rather.
[00:20:59] Speaker A: Okay.
And you also work with a. Wow. Wide array of ages for this show. That was a tongue twister.
Does your approach change depending on, like, if you're working with a younger actor compared to someone who's older or more established?
[00:21:15] Speaker B: Oh, for sure.
You know, I do work a lot of youth theater as well, so I'm very used to working with, you know, 8 to 18.
So, like, when. But when it comes to working with the kids, they are 8 to 12. So.
Yeah, you. I don't know, you work with them knowing that they don't have the experience that Alexa or Alan or Lori have and sometimes don't have the understanding. But, you know, we.
I gotta say, though, these. The three kids that we have, my. Both my daughters and Rosalie are amazing. They're professional. They're like, I never once was like, what's happening with these kids? Why aren't these kids listening? They were always on. They came prepared, they came ready. So it was honestly really easy.
[00:22:07] Speaker A: I love that.
So what are you hoping audiences take away from Fun Home?
[00:22:14] Speaker B: I really just. They walk. Hope. They walk away going, you know, oh, I identify with something again. Even if you're, you know, not in LGBTQ+ community, you look and go, oh, my mom maybe had some struggles for my. My dad. I, you know, I remember having a moment like that with my dad.
We're just reflecting back and, like, remembering, like, maybe things weren't really the way they were, how I thought they were when I was a kid.
And maybe it turns into something more. And maybe they can look at their parents differently because that's. I think that's really what's at the heart of the story. Is Alison looking and seeing, like, oh, my dad wasn't the man I kind of thought he was until she kind of looked back and reflected on that.
[00:23:06] Speaker A: And then also, you're the president of Ridge Dale Players, so I know you're not just looking at the show. You're looking kind of forward in ahead of what's next.
[00:23:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:13] Speaker A: So what's coming next for the theater?
[00:23:15] Speaker B: We have actually, like, three shows coming up. Really? Our youth theater has Babes in Toyland in December. They're rehearsing now, and that's amazing.
RJ is music directing. That just plug him there.
And then auditions for our next straight show, which is called Knock Em Dead. It's a, it's a, it's a crazy comedy. Improv is involved. It's a audience participation murder mystery. Super fun. Auditions for that are next month in November. And then after that, our next big musical is how to succeed in Business without even Trying. And that's. So that's. Auditions for that will be in like February. So we're really excited for that next musical.
[00:23:57] Speaker A: I know I have a friend who's already told me that she's auditioning for that because apparently that's a big one that people in Michigan have been waiting for. So I know we're excited for that.
[00:24:05] Speaker B: It's been a bit. We're really excited to be bringing it to our stage. We hope to get a lot of people come out for that one.
[00:24:13] Speaker A: Awesome. Thank you so much for your time today. Scott. Ridgedale Players Fun Home opens October 25th and runs through November 10th. So get your
[email protected] and we're so excited to see it. So break a leg. Thank you so much.
[00:24:26] Speaker B: Thank you. Appreciate the time.
