Dog Opera
nytheatre.com q&a preview by James Grausam
October 18, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Director.
Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
Born in New Jersey, raised in Littleton, CO went to University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Who is more important in the theater: the actor, the playwright, or the director?
Trick Question...it all starts with the playwright but without the director's vision and the actor's artistry a play is just a pile of paper. The most important person in the theater is the producer. It called show BUSINESS.
Do you think the audience will talk about your show for 5 minutes, an hour, or way into the wee hours of the night?
Dog Opera - the title alone is worth an hour long conversation. The plot gets about 5 minutes of discussion but the emotional journey of the characters will stick with the audiences long after the curtain comes down.
Which “S” word best describes your show: SMOOTH, SEXY, SMART, SURPRISING?
All of the above.
Can theater bring about societal change? Why or why not?
Of course, Dog Opera is a great example of theater raising awareness about the AIDS crisis while imparting practical information about the transmission of the HIV virus. Theater has been shaping societal values for thousands of years and continues to influence our opinions about everything from politics to religion.
