The great thing about good theatre is that, often, lines and scenes from the a play will be remembered days later. Good plays keep you laughing or talking about them for a good while. This is the case, for me, after seeing Where’s My Money? A play written by Academy Award-winner John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck, Doubt), which is now under the direction of Dora-winner David Ferry (below) here in Toronto.
The play itself is about relationships and the ghosts from previous relationships that sometimes continue to haunt us. Under Ferry’s direction, the cast is able to deal with witty, funny and ironic dialogue quite easily; leaving the audience waiting for the next great line. The cast is formed by Ingrid Rae Doucet (Celeste), Anna Jane Hardwick (Natalie), Christian Bellsmith (the ghost from Natalie’s past), John Clelland (Henry, Natalie’s husband), Michael Kash (Sydney), and Mary Francis Moore (Marcia Marie, Sydney’s wife). I do not want to divulge much about the story because I believe you need to go see for yourself. Some days after seeing the play, I had a chance to exchange a few questions with its director; here is what Ferry had to share with me and hence, with you.
HM: In choosing a play, how do you go about envisioning it on stage? Do you already have an idea of what the actors will do before you have picked your cast?… This particular play has some clever dialogue, as most of Shanley’s work does, is that part of the reason the Co-Op decided to work on this? Perhaps you can tell us a bit as to how this production came about.
David Ferry (DF): I read the play carefully several times and research it from a genre and dramaturgical Point Of View (for instance if the playwright is living -as in this case-what other productions have been done, including the original, what has the writer said about the play etc). I look for a central unifying image, visual and textual that helps me organize an interpretive approach to the piece: in this case , Celeste’s line “A ghost story about love” (Celeste meaning Celestial or heavenly ) and an image that came to me of veils and sheer curtains, illicit afternoons of lovemaking with curtains blowing in the summer breeze, relationships viewed through gauze.” that leads to a staging concept. In this case the actors approached me to direct them in this play, so most of the casting was pre-ordained. I often think in a contrarian way about casting..looking for unusual or non traditional casting choices.
DF: We worked very collaboratively, I try to set up a context or an environment in which we can work creatively. I set the actors a series of “homework” exercises and textual research to investigate the facts and questions in the txt. We do improvs to fill out the backstories of the relationships. My job is as a facillitator. The text of the play is as written. My staging is different from a more traditional proscenium, box set approach I think.
HM: I particularly liked the minimalist set, is that something you had thought of beforehand or was it a concept you came up with Shawn, stage manager?
DF: As seen in the picture here, the set concept was mine, I worked with designers Joe Madziek and CJ Astronomo and Patrick Du Wors in executing my concept. The clever solutions were theirs. A lot is determined by working with a non traditional theatre space and technical restrictions of their lighting capabilities etc.
HM: Lastly, what can we look forward to after you finish working on this production?
DF: I am working on a production that opens next weds (June 2) in a small garage in a lane in Little Italy. “The Howie Rookie Lee.”
There is some adult content in this play. But the cast does a great job in keeping the audience engaged whether it be by laughing or even gasping here and there. Ferry’s direction works very well along with the set, lighting and music. You still have a chance to see the play this weekend. It runs until May 30th at the Pia Bouman Studio Theatre; 6 Noble Street (West of Dufferin, north of Queen–past the Gladstone). For more info, go to www.alleyco-op.org
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