敞开的手

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罗伯特Caisley Directs "敞开的手"

Neither playwriting nor directing a play is easy. Both call for different strengths. Playwrights hunker down in days and nights of solitude with only the tapping of their keyboard to keep them company. While directors must be excellent communicators, transforming written word into action, collaborating with cast and crew to bring a story to life.

罗伯特Caisley, professor of theatre and head of the Dramatic Writing Program at the University of Idaho, has a universal toolbox that complements both roles.

Caisley was playwright and director for the West Coast premiere of “敞开的手,” October 12-21 at the Forge Theater, 甜蜜大道404号.,莫斯科. Originally commissioned in 2015 and produced in 2016 for The Clarence Brown Theatre in Knoxville, 田纳西州, “敞开的手” is a witty urban comedy that has a serious undercurrent as it explores the implications of generosity.

Like Playwriting in Reverse

The rehearsal process has revealed some script discoveries to Caisley as the actors give life to the words.“The act of writing is a very unconscious process for me. 但作为导演, I have to be able to interpret what’s on the page and render it in terms of visual action,凯斯利说. “It’s like playwriting in reverse; trying to decode what’s I’ve previously solved only in my imagination.”

Quintet of Quirky Characters

Portraying a quintet of quirky characters are Kylee 蒂尔, Katy Sokol and Bryce Gowey from the College of Letters, 艺术 and Social Sciences; Justin Johnson, a 2018 Theatre 艺术 alumnus; and 克雷格•米勒, assistant professor of acting and directing at U of I’s Department of Theatre 艺术.

蒂尔, a senior Bachelor of Fine 艺术 in Theatre major from Mountain Home, said the script is very contemporary and relatable with job, money and relationship issues. Her character – Allison – is complex and has a hard time accepting gifts, worried that strings may be attached, 甚至在她生日的时候.

“It’s really fun watching her (Allison) unravel. I get to go a little crazy,” 蒂尔 said. “And working with Caisley is very collaborative.” “He has just as much fun as we do. He’s very open with trying different things,” she said.

New to the U of I stage is Miller, who arrived in 莫斯科 in August to teach theatre history and acting. Miller was the artistic director and education director at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, 加州, where he produced several award-winning seasons and six of Caisley’s plays.

“I love the way he writes his characters and dialogue,” Miller said. “He’s deftly in tune with how people speak,” Miller said. 在《365滚球官网》中,” Miller plays David Nathan Bright, whose generosity arouses suspicion among some young urban professionals. The conflict quickly ramps up, something that Caisley is very good at, Miller said.

Even though Caisley has worked closely with two previous professional productions of “敞开的手,” at Clarence Brown Theatre and the Phoenix Theatre 印第安纳州polis, 印第安纳州, he said it’s satisfying to build this production from the ground up with his U of I students and colleagues.

‘It’s a very different journey, but a truly exciting one,” he said. “What could be more agreeable than getting an opportunity to produce the play exactly as I imagined it when I first conceived the idea — all of the details of set, 服装, 照明, 音乐, 选角和分段, not simply the dialogue.”