Doubt
nytheatre.com q&a preview by D. Schuyler Burks
September 19, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Scenic Designer.
Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I was born and raised in Littleton, CO, just twenty minutes south of Denver. Then spent a killer four years at a little art school in Georgia called the Savannah College of Art & Design learning the craft of Scenic Design. I landed here in NY just about a year ago and have come to love every moment of exploration and expression available throughout New York.
Why do you do theater (as opposed to film, or TV, or something not in the entertainment field)?
To be honest, I'm still mostly figuring this one out. There's this uncertainty throughout the process, especially in tight budgets, rough performance spaces and fast-paced schedules. I think that's a kind of a fuel. I'm young and I want to see what can be done, what's new. I want to see possibilities instead of direct answers to questions. That’s the appeal of theatre as opposed to film and television. These digital forms of entertainment further rely on computer technology to composite images, messages and emotions whereas theatre is retaining its immediate form of communication by remaining tactile and intimate.
Do you think the audience will talk about your show for 5 minutes, an hour, or way into the wee hours of the night?
I would certainly hope that the audience walks away with enough to talk about that it keeps them going for a few days! With this show specifically, we’re taking a somewhat unbiased approach to Flynn and Aloysius. There’s an approach based in unwavering belief for our characters and the lingering, nagging doubt that soon follows after the results of following those beliefs to an end. If we can instigate the hard emotion of doubt in our audience I think we’ve succeeded.
Which “S” word best describes your show: SMOOTH, SEXY, SMART, SURPRISING?
Smart. This show is super smart. The text is so tightly spun, John Patrick Shanley conveys perfectly the hazy chatter that is the feeling of doubt.
Who are your heroes?
Heroes. My folks and family back home deserve a special credit like that. Outside of the sentimentalities, my heroes tend to come in from outside the theatre realm. Personally, Joe Strummer has always been a sort of an inspiration. His passionate advocacy and thirst for civil knowledge has always been a source of discipline, not to mention he put together some great studio/shop tunes over time.
