-
Official Name
-
En-US
INGE 224 - William Theatre Festival Dec. 05 Tape 4
-
Description
-
En-US
NYC tape Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, Scott Ellis, Anne Phelan, Walter Willison
-
Internet Media Type
-
En-US
video/mp4
-
YYYY-MM-DD
-
En-US
2005-12
-
ISO or Range
-
En-US
2005-12
-
transcript of
-
0:00:00.320,0:00:06.480
And u then I'm uh the retrospective is going
to be at least I think at this point it's going
0:00:06.480,0:00:14.400
to be pieces from all 25 years and then little
reminisces from people who've been to Independence
0:00:14.400,0:00:20.080
and people who've hosted from Independence and
what all is happening there. Now you've been back
0:00:20.080,0:00:26.320
several times. When was the first time you came?
Do you remember? My first year was uh 2002. It was
0:00:26.320,0:00:33.920
Peter's first year as the artistic director and
uh it was interesting for me. I mean the festival
0:00:33.920,0:00:41.280
is has a special place for me because I grew up
in Witchah and uh I left Kansas many years ago
0:00:41.280,0:00:46.960
because there was really no professional theater
except for the really wonderful music theater of
0:00:46.960,0:00:52.560
Witchah. To give you an idea of how old I am,
I was in the original the first season of music
0:00:52.560,0:00:59.600
theater of Witchah a long time ago. Um, but there
was no real professional theater in Witchah and
0:00:59.600,0:01:04.880
uh or in Kansas really and I had to leave and so
I I had heard about the inch festival for many
0:01:04.880,0:01:11.680
years from people and I wanted to go but you know
I was like well it's kind of hard to get there and
0:01:11.680,0:01:17.360
finally um Peter invited me out and said you
know you really have to check this out and I
0:01:17.360,0:01:24.880
came out and I was wowed I was knocked out by the
entire experience. here is this small Kansas town
0:01:24.880,0:01:33.600
that just shuts down for four days to celebrate
theater in the name of William and it's it's a
0:01:33.600,0:01:39.440
remarkable experience all of the wonderful people
who host us there you know it's it's amazing
0:01:39.440,0:01:45.040
uh I can't say enough about it because
you know theater is a kind of creation of
0:01:45.040,0:01:52.080
community and that's what is so significant
about the festival and about independence
0:01:52.640,0:01:59.280
because they are creating I guess we are
creating a a theatrical community if only
0:01:59.280,0:02:04.240
for that few moments and then in recent
years of course Peter's work has begun to
0:02:04.240,0:02:10.160
expand on that and and I that's you know that's
what's so significant to me it's really about
0:02:10.160,0:02:17.920
the people it's the people of Independence it's
the staff at the Independence Community College
0:02:17.920,0:02:25.120
and u as we've talked about community with others
I keep being reminded of Bill Lingge who really
0:02:25.120,0:02:31.680
wrote about community. I think that was kind
of central especially Picnic. I keep coming
0:02:31.680,0:02:38.480
back to that. He wrote about independence and that
community still a part of it lives on there and is
0:02:38.480,0:02:45.840
bringing together a new kind of community today
I think. Well, there's always this irony to me
0:02:45.840,0:02:55.760
because clearly Bill Lingge had um a a a uh what
a tension in his life in his relationship with
0:02:55.760,0:03:03.600
his hometown. I mean, there's clearly a love
that runs through his work for these people,
0:03:03.600,0:03:10.800
but there's also a certain kind of of tension
uh with the community. And yet the community
0:03:10.800,0:03:19.920
has taken that tension and somehow turned it
inside out and turned it into u this festive
0:03:19.920,0:03:28.160
sort of loving, nurturing kind of atmosphere where
theater can just be celebrated. The thing that's
0:03:28.160,0:03:35.040
always amazing to me is that when I talk to people
in New York about the Inge Festival, they go, "Oh,
0:03:35.040,0:03:39.280
you know, gosh, it's, you know, it's so far out
there and it's so hard to get there and all that
0:03:39.280,0:03:47.200
sort of thing." And yet, once they get there, the
magic is created. You know, they want to be part
0:03:47.200,0:03:51.440
of that again. Of course, then they go back to
New York and they say, "Oh, it's so hard to get
0:03:51.440,0:03:58.480
out there. It's so far to go." And yet it's this
marvelous kind of community that's created and
0:03:58.480,0:04:04.720
recreated and continues to build on the past
and build toward the future. And that's also
0:04:04.720,0:04:11.440
what's important about the festival is this the
new voices award which is now the Otis Gernzi New
0:04:11.440,0:04:18.240
Voices Award. This is so important to the future
of theater because not only do we honor those who
0:04:18.240,0:04:24.320
have had such significant accomplishments in
the past, but we're honoring people who are
0:04:24.320,0:04:31.360
just getting started and who are beginning to be
recognized and who will take the theater forward.
0:04:31.360,0:04:38.960
And it's about the past, it's about the present,
it's about the future. If more communities in this
0:04:38.960,0:04:45.120
country could do what the ING Festival and
what Independence Kansas does, the theater
0:04:45.120,0:04:51.840
would be even more healthy than it is today. I
am not one of the people who says that theater
0:04:51.840,0:04:56.400
is not healthy in this country. But I'm one of the
people who travels all over the United States to
0:04:56.400,0:05:03.840
see theater. That's how I know. So you know it is
alive and well and it's more spread out than ever.
0:05:03.840,0:05:12.080
Oh, certainly the the um the theater has obviously
the theater has been so decentralized since um the
0:05:12.080,0:05:20.400
late 1940s when Margot Jones who uh was of course
a great advocate of Bill Lingge, since Margot
0:05:20.400,0:05:27.600
Jones created her Theater 47 in Dallas and before
that with the Houston Parks Department in Houston,
0:05:27.600,0:05:36.080
Texas and then just kept developing that until she
till we lost her tragically in I guess 1955 or 56.
0:05:36.080,0:05:44.480
And that's that's a a horrible story about, you
know, her being overcome by poisonous uh she had
0:05:44.480,0:05:49.840
her well, I'll just tell the story and you can cut
it out later. Uh she she had been um her apartment
0:05:49.840,0:05:55.760
had just been cleaned and they she they used this
heavy solvent on the the the carpet uh on the
0:05:55.760,0:06:02.080
carpets and um she sat down to make some telephone
calls and her windows were closed and back then
0:06:02.080,0:06:06.080
they didn't think to tell people to open their
windows and she didn't know and she was overcome
0:06:06.080,0:06:14.160
by the fumes of the carpet cleaner and she died.
It was just you know terrible tragedy. But um with
0:06:14.160,0:06:19.440
Margot Jones and with some of the other leaders
like Zelda Fitz Chandler at the arena stage in
0:06:19.440,0:06:25.440
Washington and others who began to spread the
tentacles of the resident theater movement
0:06:25.440,0:06:31.040
or some people call it the regional theater
movement around the country, we began to see this
0:06:31.040,0:06:35.600
development of theater. You know, at the beginning
of the 19th, I'm sorry, at the beginning of the
0:06:35.600,0:06:41.360
20th century, there were no theater programs in
terms of degree granting theater programs in the
0:06:41.360,0:06:47.440
United States. Starting in 1900, there were there
was a dramatic literature class in in Colombia at
0:06:47.440,0:06:53.920
Columbia University, which was about the extent of
it. Then gradually we see these programs begin to
0:06:53.920,0:07:00.960
develop. In 1914, the first degree granting school
was Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh. And that from
0:07:00.960,0:07:09.360
that point we are now 100 years later 105 years
later we're at the point where there are,00 or so
0:07:09.360,0:07:15.600
theater programs in colleges and universities
around the United States. That's exponential
0:07:15.600,0:07:21.760
growth. That's amazing growth. That's hundreds and
hundreds and hundreds of people every year who are
0:07:21.760,0:07:29.120
earning degrees, who are earning credits toward
a profession in the theater or who are earning
0:07:29.120,0:07:37.840
their way toward uh work in other fields for which
theater prepares people. Public speaking, talking
0:07:37.840,0:07:45.600
to groups of people in an intimate setting, uh
developing relationships. I mean, it's all about,
0:07:45.600,0:07:50.800
you know, the theater brings gives us that and
gives us the ability to work with other people.
0:07:50.800,0:07:57.600
Boy, can I go off? I've never heard that that kind
of numbers before. That's Oh, yeah. It's it's it's
0:07:57.600,0:08:02.800
around 1100 programs around the United States.
It's amazing. Well, you, as you said, you've been
0:08:02.800,0:08:09.440
uh you get out and around the country. Uh have you
been to either Well, I say either of the other,
0:08:09.440,0:08:14.480
maybe there are others. I know of two festivals
that probably are inspired by the inch festival.
0:08:14.480,0:08:23.920
The Albby Festival, which moved from Alaska now
to Omaha, and the Foot Festival in uh at Baylor.
0:08:23.920,0:08:28.960
Have you been to either of those? I haven't
actually um had an opportunity to go to either
0:08:28.960,0:08:34.640
of those two festivals. In the case of the Edward
Albby Festival, of course, when it was in Alaska,
0:08:34.640,0:08:41.600
it was, as Mel Guso, the late great Mel Guso
wrote, it it takes it's like the end of the
0:08:41.600,0:08:48.000
world to get out there. Um, it's even harder to
get there than it is to get to independence. And
0:08:48.000,0:08:52.640
um, I have not had a chance yet. Now, the Horton
Foot Festival, I think, is relatively new. Am I
0:08:52.640,0:08:59.120
right in that it's a couple of years old and that
sort of thing. U, my energies really go toward the
0:08:59.120,0:09:04.080
Inge Festival. And then of course I'm going to new
play festivals, you know, seeing what's happening
0:09:04.080,0:09:10.640
at the South Coast Rep in uh Southern California,
the Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky,
0:09:10.640,0:09:17.440
and then trying to get around to see of course in
New York, you know, I'm seeing dozens and dozens
0:09:17.440,0:09:26.080
and dozens of shows because that's part of what
I do. Uh trying to find the best in new plays.
0:09:26.640,0:09:35.280
Well, the the fact that you and your predecessor
Otis Gernzie uh see the best plays every year
0:09:35.280,0:09:41.680
uh makes it I think very special that both of you
went to the ends of the earth to come to Kansas
0:09:41.680,0:09:48.320
to to see the inch festival and then came back.
Yeah, it is. Well, the thing is Kansas of course
0:09:48.320,0:09:53.760
is always home in a certain way, but it is only
the festival that brings me back there. I mean,
0:09:53.760,0:09:58.480
I have family still in Kansas, but it's the
Inch Festival that really drives me, you know,
0:09:58.480,0:10:05.920
to come back. And while it's true that Otis
Gernzie and I have spent our lives, he spent
0:10:05.920,0:10:12.560
his life and I'm spending my life looking for the
best in new plays, the fear is always, of course,
0:10:12.560,0:10:17.440
that I'm going to miss one, that there's one
out there that I'm going to miss. And I know
0:10:17.440,0:10:24.080
that there are. I just do the best I can. you
know, we do the best we can and we go from there.
0:10:24.080,0:10:29.920
I read that from a uh film reviewer once that as
the lights dim, there's always that anticipation
0:10:29.920,0:10:37.440
that this may be the one that uh you can't afford
to miss miss any of them because well, you know,
0:10:37.440,0:10:42.880
they do all these announcements now uh where they
tell people, you know, don't crink if you're going
0:10:42.880,0:10:47.680
to have a candy, take it out and unwrap it now.
And you know, the audience laughs and you think
0:10:47.680,0:10:52.080
these people never go to the theater because
I hear it four times a week, you know, um, and
0:10:52.080,0:10:55.920
they tell them to turn off their cell phones. They
ring a cell phone and make it sound like it. What
0:10:55.920,0:11:00.400
I would really like for them to do after they've
made all those announcements is say to the entire
0:11:00.400,0:11:07.280
audience, "All right, now I'd like for everyone in
the audience to take a big deep breath and sigh."
0:11:07.280,0:11:11.920
And have everyone take a big deep breath and sigh.
And after everybody giggled out the first one,
0:11:11.920,0:11:18.480
do it again. and say, "Okay, now really everybody
take a big deep breath and sigh and release."
0:11:18.480,0:11:24.000
People need to let go of the day. They need to
move on. And I and and my wife and I actually do
0:11:24.000,0:11:28.800
take a big deep breath and sigh as the lights come
down because we want to be ready for that thing
0:11:28.800,0:11:36.080
that we're about to receive from uh the author
and from the director and from the actors. And
0:11:36.080,0:11:41.280
um I would like for it for I would like for
theaters to do that because it would be a a kind
0:11:41.280,0:11:47.280
of action that the audience would take that would
help it cohhere as a unit. And Mike, you know,
0:11:47.280,0:11:55.040
sort of wake people up. The the the well-known
uh I guess he's Scottish actor Brian Cox talked
0:11:55.040,0:12:02.720
wrote an article actually. I think it was in the
New York Times about coming into the um Is that
0:12:02.720,0:12:11.920
you? No, that's the phone. Oh, that's first time
that's happened. I can pick it up again. Maybe.
0:12:11.920,0:12:17.760
Unplug it.
0:12:17.760,0:12:33.040
You could just probably unplug it from
behind. It's the first time it's done that.
0:12:33.040,0:12:34.960
Where? What? I was talking about Brian Cox,
0:12:34.960,0:12:41.040
but I don't know. This will edit back.
This probably won't edit together. Um,
0:12:41.040,0:12:50.000
okay. Are we rolling? Yeah. Okay. Um,
you know, Brian Cox, a well-known actor,
0:12:50.000,0:12:55.120
I think he's a Scottish actor, tell wrote an
article actually in the New York Times about
0:12:55.120,0:13:01.200
what he does when he comes to the theater. He sits
down in his seat. He closes his eyes for a minute,
0:13:01.200,0:13:07.600
slumps down in the seat and just rests his eyes
and sort of changes his breathing and does a few
0:13:07.600,0:13:12.720
moments of meditation just to relax and get in
the moment and let go of the day. And I think
0:13:12.720,0:13:16.960
that's an important thing for audiences to do.
And I think that if we're going to do all the
0:13:16.960,0:13:22.080
cell phone announcements and the the wrapping of
the candies, why not do a big deep breath and sigh
0:13:22.080,0:13:28.720
like an acting exercise of sorts that sort of
brings the audience together together. We need
0:13:28.720,0:13:34.160
to do some training of audiences. Yeah, I think we
noticed last Oh, I noticed last night we went to
0:13:34.160,0:13:39.920
the theater. The number of people um young people
came in with backpacks on and some people brought
0:13:39.920,0:13:46.800
in shopping bags and yeah, this is uh okay, it's
time to get to the theater and then after that
0:13:46.800,0:13:50.800
I've got to go here and they don't Well, backpacks
and shopping bags, you know, it's it's part of the
0:13:50.800,0:13:55.600
detritus of everyday living that we have to carry
with us. I hate it when people bring shopping bags
0:13:55.600,0:14:00.000
to the theater. But I would rather they would
come to the theater with their shopping bags
0:14:00.000,0:14:05.680
than not come to the theater. And it's part of
the uh sort of the natural routine of New York.
0:14:05.680,0:14:09.760
People come in to do some shopping and they want
to catch a show. You know, God bless them. Thank
0:14:09.760,0:14:15.440
you for being there. We want you to be there.
Um try to find a way not to make noise with your
0:14:15.440,0:14:20.160
shopping bags if at all possible. That was a good
good audience last night. They didn't make nearly
0:14:20.160,0:14:28.160
the noise that young people make in theaters. So
I mean in in film theaters. Yeah. Um well I don't
0:14:28.160,0:14:32.720
know if is that bad though? Is it bad for people
to make noise in the theater? I mean is it bad for
0:14:32.720,0:14:38.560
them to even speak back to the actors? Sometimes
I think you know we think about what happened
0:14:38.560,0:14:43.280
in Shakespeare's day. I mean they spoke right
they spoke right to the actors. A great example
0:14:43.280,0:14:49.680
of that is the Olivier film version of Henry V.
The first 20 minutes or so uh takes place in an
0:14:49.680,0:14:54.560
actual Elizabeth and theater. Well, not an actual
Elizabeth and theater. That would have been 400
0:14:54.560,0:15:00.640
years ago, but it takes place uh in a recreation
of an Elizabethan theater. And you know, the
0:15:00.640,0:15:05.280
actors are talking to the audience. The audience
is talking back and they're having this there's
0:15:05.280,0:15:13.200
an interplay going on and theater becomes a live
action that's happening to us right now, which is
0:15:13.200,0:15:19.200
the best theater. Well, we heard in Spelling Bee
the other night when one of the uh actors gave
0:15:19.200,0:15:23.600
a wrong letter as she was spelling something
and the woman behind us gasped and said, "Oh,
0:15:23.600,0:15:31.840
no." And I was I wonder how often somebody uh you
know yells out the right spelling or something.
0:15:31.840,0:15:40.480
Sure. People very taken up by it. Um well, I we're
looking for sound bites and so we've got several
0:15:40.480,0:15:44.960
I think you probably got a bunch of sound bites.
Yeah. I I don't know if I my problem is I've been
0:15:44.960,0:15:52.240
teaching too long and so I don't speak in sound
bites. I speak in uh divergent sentences that are
0:15:52.240,0:15:58.160
meant to eat up an hour and 15 minutes. Well,
I think I heard some good ones there and and I
0:15:58.160,0:16:04.240
assume you look forward to keep coming back to the
inch festival. Oh, I do. I love coming to the inch
0:16:04.240,0:16:08.720
festival. You know, it for whatever difficulty
and maybe you should play this for the people
0:16:08.720,0:16:14.880
who are thinking about coming but not coming. You
know, the fact is that I I love coming back to the
0:16:14.880,0:16:22.400
Inge Festival because there's this regenerative
element to it. It it's a uh you know, it feeds
0:16:22.400,0:16:28.400
me every year because there's this celebration and
I have, you know, tears in my eyes at some point,
0:16:28.400,0:16:34.720
several times during the course of that weekend
because I realize how much love there is for the
0:16:34.720,0:16:41.680
theater. I was especially moved last year when
uh we did the Tina How salute and we did it in
0:16:41.680,0:16:49.600
the smaller theater, not in the memorial hall and
the intimacy of that was so incredible. It was so
0:16:49.600,0:16:56.800
electric. It was so alive. You know, that is what
theater is all about. And we're creating that.
0:16:56.800,0:17:03.520
And now what we have to find a way to do is have
more of that kind of work done at independence at
0:17:03.520,0:17:10.000
the at the community college over the course of
the year. More of those kinds of events where we
0:17:10.000,0:17:16.480
celebrate theater and where we create theater. And
that's what the festival is. It's a celebration of
0:17:16.480,0:17:28.400
theater and it's a remarkable creation of theater.
Thank you. That's great. Okay. I don't think we
0:17:28.400,0:17:34.560
all the MTV kids are warming up outside.
0:17:34.560,0:17:40.640
Okay. Okay. So, we'll just talk for a
minute or two. Okay. And uh uh as I said,
0:17:40.640,0:17:46.240
you have a different perspective on independence
than people who've just been invited to come
0:17:46.240,0:17:49.840
out and do a workshop or something. You came
on your own, didn't you? I didn't even know
0:17:49.840,0:17:54.720
where Independence was. When I decided
to do Picnic on Broadway, the revival,
0:17:54.720,0:17:58.560
I started doing research. And so, obviously, you
know, I thought, well, I'm going to go back to
0:17:58.560,0:18:04.160
his hometown. And I'll never forget landing
and then realizing in the airport that we're
0:18:04.160,0:18:09.760
going to have to drive for another hour or so
back. I was like, boy, this is way far. But,
0:18:09.760,0:18:16.160
uh, once I got there, it was just an eye openening
experience for me. It really, really helped me,
0:18:16.160,0:18:23.920
you know, with that play. Did uh do you think
that um you still found in Independence when
0:18:23.920,0:18:31.120
you did your research some of what an was writing
about? Well, it's interesting because uh uh Jill
0:18:31.120,0:18:37.120
was so incredibly helpful when I I was there.
She was uh she was like my guardian angel,
0:18:37.120,0:18:43.280
so to speak. So, she made sure I got to see all
the sites and places that I needed to see. And
0:18:43.280,0:18:54.880
uh I brought back photographs of injured
engines Let's start that again. Okay. Sure.
0:18:54.880,0:19:01.360
So, when I got there, I was really grateful
and lucky because Jill was very helpful, sort
0:19:01.360,0:19:05.920
of a guardian angel for me and showed me all the
places that I needed to see. And one place that
0:19:05.920,0:19:12.880
I went back was his home. And uh we I took a lot
of photographs. And when I came back to New York,
0:19:12.880,0:19:18.480
I gave those photographs to Tony Walton, the
designer. And that house is basically was our set,
0:19:18.480,0:19:23.200
you know, that's how we started. So, not only
did I get information and research, but I also
0:19:23.200,0:19:28.800
brought back a set, you know, from that. So, it
was it was incredibly important. And I remember we
0:19:28.800,0:19:35.600
came somewhere where you were in in tech and saw
your model. Yes. Yeah. We had the model. It was
0:19:35.600,0:19:42.720
all built and it was Yeah, it was it was perfect,
you know. But I remember just walking around that
0:19:42.720,0:19:48.960
town and really still getting a sense of what
it was like when he lived there and and started
0:19:48.960,0:19:55.680
writing. I just felt it, you know. I remember one
night I was sitting outside and heard the train
0:19:55.680,0:20:01.440
uh a train at some point and we were very close to
the tracks and and I started the play with that,
0:20:01.440,0:20:08.000
you know, just this sound that I remembered there.
So it would I just left there with such a sense of
0:20:08.000,0:20:16.960
who he was and uh and just this unbelievably great
feeling of independence and what that whole town
0:20:16.960,0:20:24.000
and is about and was. And I don't know if you've
been back since uh they uh the end foundation
0:20:24.000,0:20:30.320
purchased the home, but I heard they purchased the
home, which I thought was so terrific because it
0:20:30.320,0:20:35.600
was such an incredible thing to to be there and
it was so important, you know. Did they purchase
0:20:35.600,0:20:41.200
a new hotel? Is there another hotel or is just one
hotel? Just one hotel over there. There's the the
0:20:41.200,0:20:46.240
Apple tree. I love the apple tree. Love the apple
tree. And there's there is a micro hotel in Super
0:20:46.240,0:20:51.040
8. All right. All right. Good. But the Apple Tree
is still pretty much home to the Infest downtown.
0:20:51.040,0:20:58.800
Yeah, I love that place. Uh then you came back out
to how many festivals? Two. Two more. I came out
0:20:58.800,0:21:04.240
with uh with Cander and AB when they were being
honored. Uh actually no, I came out with Sonheim
0:21:04.240,0:21:10.240
with Steve uh because I had worked with Steve
several times and then I went back uh then I
0:21:10.240,0:21:14.800
sent in a tape because I couldn't come when John
and Fred were being honored. But uh and it was
0:21:14.800,0:21:19.600
so great to go back, you know, uh when Steve was
there. It just brought back all those memories of
0:21:19.600,0:21:25.040
of being in that in that town, you know, it's sort
of magical, you know, for me. But didn't you just
0:21:25.040,0:21:37.040
say that you were there uh the year that Arthur
Miller was honored or not? That was when that was
0:21:37.040,0:21:44.000
because I thought you said you flew back on the
plane with Arthur. Yeah. Okay. We should go back.
0:21:44.000,0:21:51.840
God, why are Yeah, I I was Why? So, I did go
back twice. Oh my gosh. I I was back twice.
0:21:51.840,0:21:57.440
You're right. Okay, let's go back again. I think
the first time you came out was when Arthur Miller
0:21:57.440,0:22:04.800
was on First time was Arthur Miller. That's right.
First time was Arthur Miller and uh I mentioned to
0:22:04.800,0:22:08.560
several people it was a thrill because I got
to fly back with Arthur Miller. So, that was
0:22:08.560,0:22:12.560
that was a thrill to be there. But yeah, it was
so great to be there with him talking and then
0:22:12.560,0:22:20.320
later on I came back with Sonheim when Steve Steve
was honored and I know I know Steve and had worked
0:22:20.320,0:22:25.440
with him. So that was great. And then when John
and Fred who were really family to me, they were
0:22:25.440,0:22:29.760
being honored and I couldn't go that year because
I was in rehearsal, but we sent a tape and stuff.
0:22:29.760,0:22:34.720
So we did a nice interview with you and Susan
and and Tommy. Yeah. Yeah. So that was really
0:22:34.720,0:22:42.080
nice. Um had you known Arthur? Had you visited
with him before in that festival? I had never I
0:22:42.080,0:22:47.040
never visited with him and the thrill was years
later I got to work with him on The Man Who All
0:22:47.040,0:22:52.960
the Luck which was his first play and we did it on
Broadway. So, it was sort of a terrific experience
0:22:52.960,0:22:58.800
and and to have a little connection with him at
the beginning uh from the Inch Festival and then
0:22:58.800,0:23:03.760
be able to actually sit down for over two years
and work on the project and bring it to Broadway
0:23:03.760,0:23:11.360
was as you can imagine was a was a highlight in my
career. Well, as we look back, we like to think we
0:23:11.360,0:23:18.640
have helped make some connections. Um we were
visiting with Terresa Reebeck and uh when she
0:23:18.640,0:23:24.880
was out at the festival she met someone who then
she later was working with as a director and so we
0:23:24.880,0:23:31.760
think those kind of things happen every I always
I have whenever I tell people about my experience
0:23:31.760,0:23:38.720
with the festival it's always with an incredible
fondness you know it was just I think I was out
0:23:38.720,0:23:47.840
there for like four days uh and spent it with Jill
a lot But it was just one of those magical times,
0:23:47.840,0:23:53.840
you know, and to be able to bring that back to
New York was was pretty remarkable. Just walking
0:23:53.840,0:23:57.840
around and the people were so terrific,
you know, just meeting the people and
0:23:57.840,0:24:05.680
uh you just it's hard to it's hard to let let go.
I mean, the fact that I went back twice, you know,
0:24:05.680,0:24:12.080
as I said, it's not easy to get there. Says a lot.
You know, it's funny that that you mention it,
0:24:12.080,0:24:18.320
as have almost everyone we've interviewed talk
about flying into Tulsa and then the hour or hour
0:24:18.320,0:24:25.760
and a half trip driving trip up to Independence,
which half the people we know here in New York
0:24:25.760,0:24:32.800
have homes an hour and a half, two hours north of
the city that they go to every weekend. Yeah. But
0:24:32.800,0:24:39.440
going out there, it seems like this is an eternity
to get from We're so spoiled in New York. I mean,
0:24:39.440,0:24:43.520
come on. Gets real. We're just really spoiled.
No, you know what it is? We're just not used to
0:24:43.520,0:24:50.960
it. You're just seeing fields and open space and
it just takes a while for us to get used to that.
0:24:50.960,0:24:55.600
You know, that's hard, you know, and it just feels
like it just goes on forever. And then you come
0:24:55.600,0:25:00.560
into this little magical place, independence, and
you're just so happy. You feel like you're home.
0:25:00.560,0:25:06.320
That's that sounds like a good good bite to end
on right there. Anything else you want to say?
0:25:10.000,0:25:16.800
No, just that I I think what I found most
remarkable about the the festival itself is when I
0:25:16.800,0:25:23.440
went back there because the first time I was only
there to do research and then I came back uh when
0:25:23.440,0:25:32.720
Arthur Miller was being honored and I was so blown
away by what that festival how the festival was
0:25:32.720,0:25:39.920
run, how what they did, h how they presented it.
I just thought this is so impressive, you know,
0:25:39.920,0:25:45.840
and I think people think h independence can't,
you know, it's just like, you know, some cornfield
0:25:45.840,0:25:51.120
place. And I was I was just and I have to probably
admit I probably thought that was what it was
0:25:51.120,0:25:57.200
going to be. And I was just sort of blown away by
the whole thing and was very moved was just moved
0:25:57.200,0:26:05.360
that out in this little town that they had this
honor going and and it was all about writers and
0:26:05.360,0:26:12.480
theater and and that you just felt good about
being there and about seeing a town like that
0:26:12.480,0:26:19.600
celebrate that writer and all the writers they've
celebrated and basically theater and how important
0:26:19.600,0:26:29.680
that is gave me Good. Thank you. Okay. Thanks for
coming here to us. So, you're living now in New
0:26:29.680,0:26:37.040
York, but um but you say parents are in Canada.
No, I grew up in Cleveland, actually. Okay. They
0:26:37.040,0:26:47.360
go to the Shaw Festival every summer. They love
it. So, a theater family, a stage mother. Okay.
0:26:47.360,0:26:54.640
So, Cleveland, uh some people then would say, You
grew up in the Midwest, so no one who lived in
0:26:54.640,0:27:00.000
Cleveland would say it was the Midwest. They all
think they're East Coasters. It's very strange.
0:27:00.000,0:27:05.440
Was coming to Independence then was that a first
time to come to Independence or to Kansas? Yeah,
0:27:05.440,0:27:20.320
I'd never actually that's not true. I did a
trade show in Witchah in 19 99 I think. No,
0:27:20.320,0:27:26.000
1994. And I remember staying at the Marriott
0:27:26.000,0:27:35.840
and the front shrubbery caught on fire at one
point and there was a lot of mold on people's
0:27:35.840,0:27:43.520
breakfasts. Oh dear. Well, Lonnie and I are from
Witchah. That doesn't speak very well. Witchah
0:27:43.520,0:27:52.160
at the Marriott, no less. Mold on green. Very
attractive. Um, but it was a trade show, so I was,
0:27:52.160,0:28:00.320
you know, it was the where you were the hotel to
the space to the hotel to the space and I didn't
0:28:00.320,0:28:11.440
see anything except the airport. How did you then
come to end up in Independence? I met Peter um at
0:28:11.440,0:28:19.760
the I'm going to get the name wrong.
uh I think it was the 11th or the 12th
0:28:19.760,0:28:30.720
annual Last Frontier Theater Conference up in
Alaska. Um and he we were actually staying in
0:28:30.720,0:28:35.120
the same hotel and we were walking over to the
theater space the morning that a play of mine
0:28:35.120,0:28:39.680
was being read and I was freaking out and he
talked to me and made me feel better and then
0:28:39.680,0:28:45.360
he liked the play so he said you should
apply for the in residency which I did.
0:28:46.080,0:28:53.520
And you were there in fall of 2003 then. Fall of
2003. Okay. And what did you do there? What does
0:28:53.520,0:28:58.000
uh for this audience, they won't know exactly what
a playwright in residence does in Independence,
0:28:58.000,0:29:04.480
Kansas in their own hometown. So tell us. Well, I
did a bunch of different things at that point. Um
0:29:04.480,0:29:11.760
we were the residents were still at Independence
High School, so I was teaching there three days a
0:29:11.760,0:29:21.920
week. and I was also teaching at Independence
Community College. Um, and I had I had taught
0:29:21.920,0:29:30.000
before though not specifically playwriting. Um,
though I'd done dramatury and things like that
0:29:30.000,0:29:36.800
and I absolutely loved it. Just loved it. It
was so exciting. Good students, students with
0:29:36.800,0:29:42.400
enthusiasm. Wonderful students. And you know,
the first day they're sitting in front of you,
0:29:42.400,0:29:47.280
you think you could figure out who who's going
to apply themselves and who's not, and you have
0:29:47.280,0:29:54.560
no idea. One kid sat in the back of the room sort
of hunched over and I thought, "Oh, he's going to
0:29:54.560,0:30:01.760
be trouble." Who's the best kid in the class by
far? What What did you ask them to do? What kind
0:30:01.760,0:30:11.360
of projects? Write a play? um short plays or
we did a bunch of different things. We adapted
0:30:11.360,0:30:20.240
uh all adapted Goldilocks and the Three Bears one
class um where everybody came out with completely
0:30:20.240,0:30:26.080
different never would have guessed um different
ideas about what Goldilocks and the Three Bears
0:30:26.080,0:30:32.240
is really about. Is it really about a real estate
agent? Is it really about uh a little girl getting
0:30:32.240,0:30:41.360
sucked into a different kind of culture? Um it it
is it about, you know, some wild naturalistic I
0:30:41.360,0:30:47.760
don't know what happening out in the woods? Um
really interesting, really great students. I'm
0:30:47.760,0:30:52.800
going to let this siren here get past us for
a minute. You're you're doing fine. In fact,
0:30:52.800,0:30:59.840
I'd like for you to repeat that little piece about
the Goldilocks once we get rid of the siren when
0:30:59.840,0:31:06.560
we play the video on the night of the tribute.
You know, the sirens can be distracting because
0:31:06.560,0:31:11.520
for all people know you're they don't understand
why you and this neutral background here have got
0:31:11.520,0:31:21.600
sirens going off in the background. So, every so
often we have to wait just like on a movie set.
0:31:21.600,0:31:30.560
And this is the crossroads of all
sirens, I think. That's right.
0:31:30.560,0:31:35.760
Okay. If you would, I'd love for you to repeat
that story about uh a project that you did there
0:31:35.760,0:31:43.760
at the school. Uh, one of the in-class writing
projects that we did was everyone, this was in
0:31:43.760,0:31:50.720
my the college class, wrote an adaptation,
I think I gave him 45 minutes, including me,
0:31:50.720,0:31:56.800
of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and they
could not have been more different. One of them
0:31:56.800,0:32:03.600
was about two high school kids running away from
home and trying to get away from their parents.
0:32:03.600,0:32:10.800
One of them was a love triangle. One of them was
a uh a pushy real estate agent trying to push the
0:32:10.800,0:32:18.880
bears out of their home. Um absolutely fascinating
that you know you can look at a story that we all
0:32:18.880,0:32:25.360
know so well and take completely different
things away from it. Good. Thank you. We'll
0:32:25.360,0:32:31.360
wait another minute. This usually doesn't
happen. So hold your tape there a minute.
0:32:33.440,0:32:39.840
a an inch festival then. No,
no, I said it on an EWA meeting
0:32:39.840,0:32:47.520
though. That's important. You got
a taste of the town. I did. Okay.
0:32:47.520,0:32:57.440
Um, you could have been brought to a college
town and stayed anywhere, but in this case,
0:32:57.440,0:33:06.240
uh, where did you stay and was that important? Uh,
I stayed in the Ine family house and for me it was
0:33:06.240,0:33:14.160
very important because when I was a teenager,
my brother was in a production of Dark at the
0:33:14.160,0:33:20.480
Top of the Stairs where he played Sunny and
I could drive and he couldn't yet. So, there
0:33:20.480,0:33:26.320
were multiple trips to the Cleveland Playhouse
for six weeks or however long the show ran. So,
0:33:26.320,0:33:31.120
I know that play better than I know most things
to the point where we would quote it around the
0:33:31.120,0:33:39.840
dinner table as a family. So, to be in that
house and to see, you know, the nick in the
0:33:39.840,0:33:47.920
side of the banister where he caught his head
and, you know, I I remember seeing photographs
0:33:47.920,0:33:57.360
of the set. It looks just like the front hall. It
was a little eerie. It is very much like that. I
0:33:57.360,0:34:05.440
think I think Ying must have uh taken pictures
from the house back to the theater designer when
0:34:05.440,0:34:11.520
it opened on Broadway because it's very similar.
So, you're there for nine How long? How long are
0:34:11.520,0:34:20.000
you there? I think we were there an extra week
because Niwala fell in the middle. Um so it was
0:34:20.000,0:34:26.080
the very beginning of September to the first or
second week of November, I think. So, not only in
0:34:26.080,0:34:32.880
The Inch House, but uh if you knew Picnic at all,
you got to see a little piece of Niwala, too. Oh,
0:34:32.880,0:34:39.600
yeah. And you know, I'd seen the movie. I was
waiting for uh Rosyn Russell to show up. No, it
0:34:39.600,0:34:48.400
was it was fascinating because you know I remember
the speeches about the father going out to sell
0:34:48.400,0:34:56.400
harness and the worries about the money and the
country club and and to be in that millure was
0:34:56.400,0:35:07.280
really it shook me up somehow. I can't really
explain it. So good experience. It was a great
0:35:07.280,0:35:13.920
experience and we had a wonderful next-door
neighbor um Andy Taylor who told me stuff about
0:35:13.920,0:35:22.960
the town's history and lent me a couple of books
and I went to the uh Grace Episcopal Church to go
0:35:22.960,0:35:29.360
to mass. I think the second Sunday I was there and
on the way out the recctor collared me and said,
0:35:29.360,0:35:34.640
"You can sing. We need you in the choir."
So, I did that which was a lot of fun.
0:35:34.640,0:35:40.080
And then I wound up talking to the alter guild at
one point about, you know, what was it like to be
0:35:40.080,0:35:46.720
a playwright and and why they should come to the
um readings at the college and just a completely
0:35:46.720,0:35:54.800
different how can I say this? It just it's
completely different from living in New York. Oh,
0:35:54.800,0:36:00.240
I'm sure. And of course, even in New York,
uh, your man on the street's not going to
0:36:00.240,0:36:08.560
understand the dynamics of the economy of a
young person who's writing and who's looking
0:36:08.560,0:36:11.920
at a residency. So, while you're doing
that, do you actually get paid? Is your
0:36:11.920,0:36:17.920
room aboard? Is this time what you can write?
You know, it's not your 8 to5 office job. So,
0:36:17.920,0:36:25.440
not many people understand why that was important
to you. Actually, my landlord understood. He said,
0:36:25.440,0:36:29.200
"You're going to do that? You're going to go
live in William Mch's house and sublet your
0:36:29.200,0:36:37.200
your apartment?" Of course, you can. Really? Yeah.
Well, I guess in New York, a few more people on
0:36:37.200,0:36:43.040
the street know about theater than the average
town of America, probably. And when you spoke
0:36:43.040,0:36:47.680
to the ladies guild there in Independence,
not very many of them would have understood
0:36:47.680,0:36:55.520
um your quote profession. So, oh, absolutely not.
No, I don't think my parents really understand
0:36:55.520,0:37:02.720
what I do. Probably not. I mean, we we're so
ingrained with 8 to5 and people have jobs and
0:37:02.720,0:37:10.320
we don't think about how a play gets written or
a movie gets written. No, it's it's very hard
0:37:10.320,0:37:16.080
for me to do a first draft. And I I'm reminded of
this in particular because I just finished one.
0:37:16.080,0:37:23.920
um if I'm here. I got spoiled. I got you
know I went to Independence for that length
0:37:23.920,0:37:28.960
of time and worked on an old play which I had
abandoned and then started a new one and then
0:37:28.960,0:37:34.320
I've been out at the Albby Foundation twice and
started two new plays there. But to to do it,
0:37:34.320,0:37:42.080
you know, where you're living with all of
the distractions and the day job and the the
0:37:42.080,0:37:48.160
uh what's the word? Schmoozing. Um, it's
really hard. Yeah, that's exactly what
0:37:48.160,0:37:52.720
I was looking for you to say that most people
wouldn't understand that about the distraction,
0:37:52.720,0:37:58.960
the day-to-day distractions. Well, you know, the
phone rings, it's probably not Steven Spielberg,
0:37:58.960,0:38:02.400
but it could be Steven Spielberg. So,
you pick up the phone or you think, "Oh,
0:38:02.400,0:38:06.640
I haven't checked my email for a couple of hours."
Or you think, "Oh, that friend of mine's having a
0:38:06.640,0:38:18.400
reading tonight. I really should go." And you just
get dissipated. the energy sort of flutters away.
0:38:18.400,0:38:23.920
So, you'd go back to Independence. Oh, yeah.
I'd go back in a minute. I love that porch.
0:38:23.920,0:38:33.280
That is the most That is the the front porch of my
childhood dreams. It's just beautiful. Great. Hey,
0:38:33.280,0:38:42.160
I'm gonna quit while ask her about the project
that she Okay. has some Kansas roots. Really? Oh,
0:38:42.160,0:38:48.400
do you really want to go there, Peter? Yes.
All right. Yeah. Tell me about the project. Uh,
0:38:48.400,0:38:53.920
actually, the last two plays I've been
working on, they're both set in Kansas,
0:38:53.920,0:39:02.880
and they're both based on FA. One of
them is based fairly closely on Gus
0:39:02.880,0:39:08.480
F and one of them is more based
on the various German legends.
0:39:08.480,0:39:15.520
Um, the straight play is called Kansas Faustst
and Faustst is a misunderstood professor who
0:39:15.520,0:39:24.240
teaches at ICC. Um, and the other is a musical
which I just finished the first draft of which
0:39:24.240,0:39:33.040
is called Werewolf Fast where he is also a mis
he's a misunderstood doctor at the hospital and
0:39:33.040,0:39:39.360
mysterious plague hits everyone in independence
and they can't figure out how to get rid of it.
0:39:39.360,0:39:50.480
But um Satan shows up and tells the doctor that
if he's willing to sell his soul to the devil,
0:39:50.480,0:40:00.880
he will cure everyone of this mysterious plague
and give FA the ability to become a werewolf.
0:40:00.880,0:40:07.760
And the first scene is actually uh set at Nola.
0:40:07.760,0:40:13.920
Wow. big production number. Really? Yeah. Not that
I've written the songs yet. This is just the book,
0:40:13.920,0:40:20.720
but the songs are coming and Rosyn Russell can
be in it. Ex We could I virtually I suppose,
0:40:20.720,0:40:30.160
but wow. So, uh, Niwala lives on through
Billings, through an I absolutely werewolf
0:40:30.160,0:40:37.520
fest I'm actually not as far along with
as I would like to be, but the other one
0:40:37.520,0:40:43.360
um there's a theater company in New York City
where I'm the literary manager and we did a staged
0:40:43.360,0:40:52.400
reading of it a year ago and I'm going to lock my
composer in a room soon and we'll finish setting
0:40:52.400,0:40:58.320
the three songs And hopefully we're going to try
and workshop that up sometime this spring. Well,
0:40:58.320,0:41:05.840
Memorial Hall is about to be completely remodeled
back events. So, I think the world premiere of
0:41:05.840,0:41:13.440
Werewolf. That's great. Well, thank you.
Thank you. Thanks for coming in and giving
0:41:13.440,0:41:21.760
us a very unique perspective. Have I scared
you yet, Peter? You always No, it's not true.
0:41:23.440,0:41:28.080
Let's go back way back and tell me how you first
came to Independence. What brought you there in
0:41:28.080,0:41:36.880
the first place? Well, truthfully, it started
when I was 18 and I met William. It's about 1967,
0:41:36.880,0:41:44.400
I think. Um, he cast me in a musical he was
writing based on bus stop called Bo, B- EU. He
0:41:44.400,0:41:50.720
was writing with a man named Jerry Rad. uh cast me
to play a character who was Bo Dicker's sidekick,
0:41:50.720,0:41:56.240
not Virgil, but a young kid who was his sidekick.
And it was cast in LA and it was uh going to go to
0:41:56.240,0:42:01.760
Broadway. While they were raising money, I went to
New York and I toured and ended up two years later
0:42:01.760,0:42:06.960
on Broadway. And when I got to Broadway, that show
had evolved and there was a big old marquee above
0:42:06.960,0:42:12.240
the Palace Theater saying Cherry starring Paula
Wayne. They had thrown out the score by Jerry
0:42:12.240,0:42:19.840
Rad and they had brought in a new score by two
Mottown writers, Ron Miller and Tom Baird. Well,
0:42:19.840,0:42:24.880
that show never happened and I did Two by Two
and then I went on and got my awards and Tony
0:42:24.880,0:42:29.840
Award nomination, all that stuff. And then I did
Pippen and while I was doing Pippen, the writers
0:42:29.840,0:42:35.600
who wrote the score to that musical of Busttop
took it to Josh Logan. Josh Logan then brought
0:42:35.600,0:42:43.120
in George Axel Rod to write it to revise Bill
inch's book and uh Josh Logan through the graces
0:42:43.120,0:42:48.080
of Richard Rogers turned up at my opening night in
Pippen when I took over the part and the next day
0:42:48.080,0:42:53.440
cast me to play Bode Decker opposite Bernardet
Peters. So I worked with Josh and I worked with
0:42:53.440,0:42:59.920
um and Billing. In fact, I was actually in Josh's
living room when Helen called and said that she
0:42:59.920,0:43:08.560
had found Bill in his garage and that he had
killed himself. So, historically, it's kind
0:43:08.560,0:43:19.200
of amazing to think that I was actually there.
That was really something. Um, anyway, so that
0:43:19.200,0:43:23.680
production was on hold for two years while they
raised the money and then the producer we were
0:43:23.680,0:43:28.080
going to play the candidate. works by London and
then the Kennedy Center and then come to Broadway.
0:43:28.080,0:43:34.720
The producer raised the money, the English
producer and the English producer stole the money
0:43:34.720,0:43:40.160
and disappeared. So after two years of waiting,
that show never happened. Couple years later,
0:43:40.160,0:43:45.440
uh Lucy Arz and I were looking for something to
tour in and Lucy and I said, "What? Let's look at
0:43:45.440,0:43:51.440
the bus stop musical." So we looked at it, but we
decided we didn't like that version. So I decided
0:43:51.440,0:43:56.720
to write a new book. At that point, I'd started
working with a composer named Jeffrey Silverman.
0:43:56.720,0:44:06.480
And uh Lucy was with ICM, and she introduced us
to Audrey Wood, who uh we met in New York at ICM,
0:44:06.480,0:44:12.160
who was just legendary, you know. She discovered
Bill, she discovered Dennis C. She discovered she
0:44:12.160,0:44:16.640
represented Robert Anderson, she represented
them all. And the first meeting, Audrey said,
0:44:16.640,0:44:20.640
"Let's hear some songs when you have them ready."
And we said, "We have five songs." We sang them
0:44:20.640,0:44:26.400
for her. and she said, "Oh, you must do the show.
You must play Bode Decker." And we had a producer.
0:44:26.400,0:44:33.040
Uh, we had to get approval from Helen. So, I was
sent to California or actually we were sent back
0:44:33.040,0:44:38.960
to California and we went to visit Helen and she
fast gave her approval. She was a wonderful woman.
0:44:38.960,0:44:44.400
She was, you know, her, she was so sweet. She
was so kind and she was very of independence,
0:44:44.400,0:44:49.600
you know. and she said to me, "You know, I have
all these boxes in this garage which are just
0:44:49.600,0:44:53.520
uh I don't know if you can use them." And I said,
"Well, I'd love to see his original drafts and all
0:44:53.520,0:44:59.600
that for the bus stop." And I mean, the garage was
filled with these boxes, papers like just floating
0:44:59.600,0:45:05.120
on the the garage floor, nothing organized, boxes
sort of half open, kind of like my own storage
0:45:05.120,0:45:10.160
space in California. And um I filled up my car
several times and made trips back and forth to
0:45:10.160,0:45:16.000
my home in Studio City. And I spent uh a couple
weeks just reading everything, putting them all
0:45:16.000,0:45:21.760
together so that all the scripts were in order
of what they were, putting, you know, writing
0:45:21.760,0:45:29.680
the titles on them and uh organizing everything,
which then ended up back in her garage. Well,
0:45:29.680,0:45:37.040
about shortly after that, a man named Tom, what's
Tom's last name? Snider. Snider showed up to see
0:45:37.040,0:45:44.160
Helen in California. uh because they had the idea
to open the library. Margaret had the idea to open
0:45:44.160,0:45:49.760
the library. Margaret Gohane. So Helen said,
"Well, I have all these boxes." So the boxes
0:45:49.760,0:45:55.360
all went to Independence. And what you see in
those files with those colored folders with those
0:45:55.360,0:46:01.120
handwritten, they're all my work getting all that
stuff together before it got there. So of course,
0:46:01.120,0:46:07.040
Oen invited me to Independence for the opening of
the of the uh the library. And I remember when the
0:46:07.040,0:46:15.280
first time I went, I had red cowboy boots on and
um jeans and a cowboy hat and I drove downtown and
0:46:15.280,0:46:20.160
it sort of I felt like I was in picnic actually.
It was 1980 whatever it was 81 when the library
0:46:20.160,0:46:27.600
opened 81. And uh but it still felt like the 50s
to me. And I went in, all I did was stop on Main
0:46:27.600,0:46:33.120
Street, go into the drugstore to get some film for
my camera and then drive two blocks away to where
0:46:33.120,0:46:40.000
um where Helen and Joanne Kershme were staying.
And uh by the time I got there, the phone was
0:46:40.000,0:46:43.680
already ringing off the hook saying, "Who's this
guy in town, you know, with the cowboy hat and the
0:46:43.680,0:46:50.080
red cowboy boots?" I mean, I literally was there
what, 15 minutes, you know, and the phones were
0:46:50.080,0:46:54.960
ringing and I thought, "Okay, felt a little bit
like Hal Carter, but I didn't take off my shirt."
0:46:54.960,0:47:00.640
But uh anyway, so my first experience was then
going to the opening of that library and meeting
0:47:00.640,0:47:08.160
everybody and meeting Margaret who I just loved
as you did. We all did. Um and Margaret said,
0:47:08.160,0:47:13.600
"I want to do something more, you know, I want
to try to have some kind of tribute to Billing
0:47:13.600,0:47:19.360
and and the Billing Theater have a festival
or something." And um so I gave her a list of
0:47:19.360,0:47:25.840
contacts and said, "Here's people that I think
worked and knew William." uh that would be of
0:47:25.840,0:47:31.840
help to you. And the number one person I said to
call was Jerome Lawrence because Jerry was a very
0:47:31.840,0:47:38.720
close friend of Bill in um so much to my surprise
a few months later I got a phone call saying we're
0:47:38.720,0:47:46.480
going to start the William Festival and Jeff
and Jerry and Martha Scott and myself were
0:47:46.480,0:47:52.000
uh I think we're the only people there that year.
We did the tribute and Jerry wrote a wonderful
0:47:52.000,0:47:57.200
tribute with scenes from his plays and Martha
and Jerry and I would do the scenes and then
0:47:57.200,0:48:02.720
intersperse with that Jeff and I would do songs
from Jerry's musicals like Maim and all that and
0:48:02.720,0:48:09.360
um was really a wonderful wonderful event and it
was the beginning of everything and then the next
0:48:09.360,0:48:19.120
year um we put together the tribute to to Bill
Gibson and at this point obviously we had the
0:48:19.120,0:48:24.480
rights to do bus stop and we had a producer. So
Jeff and I would bring little pieces of the show
0:48:24.480,0:48:29.600
there and do them and try out our material. It was
sort of a like now it's like we do workshops. Then
0:48:29.600,0:48:32.880
it was like, okay, we'll try this material out,
then we'll try this material out. I think the
0:48:32.880,0:48:38.560
first year we did a few things. The second year
we brought Joanna Rush, we did a little bit more.
0:48:38.560,0:48:44.880
Um the third year, I can't remember after with the
the Robert Anderson year. Um but at some point we
0:48:44.880,0:48:50.640
brought Kim Kriswell and did songs from the show
who was just terrific. and who's now a big star
0:48:50.640,0:49:00.080
in London. And um the next year we did um we did
a thing called Options and Inspirations about our
0:49:00.080,0:49:04.560
trials and travails of getting the show on. And
there was a producer there who said uh who liked
0:49:04.560,0:49:11.520
it and said we must do this in New York. So we did
a version of it at Circle Rep except they took out
0:49:11.520,0:49:17.200
the inspirations part which was the best part of
the thing because it was tied in with how William
0:49:17.200,0:49:22.320
and his works and he had inspired us to write bus
stop and sort of parallel the two things and they
0:49:22.320,0:49:27.520
made it just a review of our songs. Um so it was
not our shining hour. I wasn't real pleased with
0:49:27.520,0:49:31.200
the work because somebody else directed it and I
didn't think they did a good job. And Jeff and I
0:49:31.200,0:49:36.160
had had success with another show off Broadway
called Broadway Scandals of 1928. Um, which was
0:49:36.160,0:49:40.320
our own show and in LA with Front Street Gaties.
But nonetheless, it ran at Circle in the Square.
0:49:40.320,0:49:43.680
Were you there? Did you come to the opening?
Because I know I think Margaret did. Margaret
0:49:43.680,0:49:47.760
was there and so was Jodie McDowell. And that
some other people from Independence came though.
0:49:47.760,0:49:52.240
I think maybe Dell came. I don't remember. But I
know some people, it was really cool. People from
0:49:52.240,0:49:56.720
Independence came to the opening. And so we had
our little run there. Joanna Rush was in it and
0:49:56.720,0:50:04.240
myself and Jeff. Um, then I was working the next
year and I think I couldn't come the next year,
0:50:04.240,0:50:11.600
but I came the for the Garson Kanan. I I don't
know. I think I skipped John Patrick was the one
0:50:11.600,0:50:15.600
I think I must have missed. I'm not sure about
that. What was the first one that you did? The
0:50:15.600,0:50:19.840
Garson Kanan. I think you were there for John
Patrick. Was I there? I might have been. I think
0:50:19.840,0:50:26.560
I was there for like five years. Yeah. And and
um Garson was wonderful. That was wonderful. That
0:50:26.560,0:50:31.360
was the first time you had multimedia with all the
things. I remember it was so great. And I remember
0:50:31.360,0:50:39.760
um one of my favorite things is ever is uh coming
down the staircase and singing Make Someone Happy
0:50:39.760,0:50:48.640
to Garson while you were showing Ruth Gordon up on
the on the screen. It was it was so terrific. And
0:50:48.640,0:50:52.400
when he said afterwards, he said, "This is I've
heard this song sung hundreds of times and I've
0:50:52.400,0:50:56.960
never heard it sung as well." Okay. Well, that was
like getting a Tony award, you know? I mean, that
0:50:56.960,0:51:03.520
was like really that was definitely one of the
highlights of my all the experiences there. And
0:51:03.520,0:51:07.600
I would run into every time I'd run into he and
Marian Seldy's on the street, we'd see each other
0:51:07.600,0:51:13.040
at 8th Avenue in New York and Marian would say,
"Oh, are you going to sing to Garson?" You know,
0:51:13.040,0:51:22.160
it was great. So, uh, so yeah, I remember that.
And then um I was busy doing a book called Theater
0:51:22.160,0:51:29.280
World and Grand Hotel happened. That's what
happened. Uh I got Grand Hotel on Broadway, which
0:51:29.280,0:51:34.400
was actually the last time I saw Margaret. Um and
I think I didn't come the year before because I
0:51:34.400,0:51:38.560
was working on another project. It was probably I
think I was start touring in Carnival or Carousel,
0:51:38.560,0:51:45.040
one of the two. And uh I couldn't be there. And
Jerry kept calling me wanting me to come back and
0:51:45.040,0:51:53.200
Margaret wanted me to come back and um she came
to see uh Grand Hotel with Jod and you were going
0:51:53.200,0:52:01.040
to honor Betty Comden and Adolf Green and uh I'll
never forget it because she stayed at the Aangquin
0:52:01.040,0:52:06.880
and I went to her hotel room and I sang Neverland
for her in the hotel room. Um I said, "Well,
0:52:06.880,0:52:14.240
if I can't leave Grand Hotel, I'll sing this for
you now." you know, and I did Neverland. And um,
0:52:14.240,0:52:21.120
of course, then Margaret got ill and I just
I couldn't leave the show, you know, we had
0:52:21.120,0:52:25.920
opened and and I actually played two two and a
half years without ever missing a show. And uh,
0:52:25.920,0:52:32.160
but I spoke to Margaret. I think she she died like
the day after the festival, right? I spoke to her
0:52:32.160,0:52:40.320
the day of the festival. And I think she died like
right like she held on for the festival. But, uh,
0:52:40.320,0:52:46.640
it broke my heart. I mean, she was the heart
and soul of of the William Festival as far as
0:52:46.640,0:52:52.000
I'm concerned. She was the one who had been his
childhood friend. She was the one who showed me
0:52:52.000,0:52:56.320
um a letter, you know, the letter that you've
seen the letter that he that she wrote asked
0:52:56.320,0:52:59.600
telling him she was raising money where he said,
"I don't think there are certain people in Kansas
0:52:59.600,0:53:07.120
who who won't um let this happen right now." Um,
I know Helen was always concerned about. There
0:53:07.120,0:53:14.720
are certain stories that um she didn't want seen
by anybody and uh because they dealt with people
0:53:14.720,0:53:19.280
in the town that she felt would hurt because they
were still alive. I don't think they would have
0:53:19.280,0:53:24.480
because they were fictionalized but nonetheless.
And of course uh anything to deal with Bill's with
0:53:24.480,0:53:28.960
anything to do with homosexuality. They were not
as enlightened as we are in these will of great
0:53:28.960,0:53:36.320
will and grace days. Uh anyway, they were not as
enlightened as so anything to do with that they
0:53:36.320,0:53:46.720
would hide and it was sort of uh kind of sad but
anyway Margaret was the she was a spearhead and
0:53:46.720,0:53:54.720
she was so totally accepting of everything. She
loved Billing. She loved not only his work but
0:53:54.720,0:53:59.600
I think she loved him as a person, you know, and
it was her lifetime goal to get that to get that
0:53:59.600,0:54:04.400
going. and Tom the first year before he moved
he was very he was very gung-ho about it. You
0:54:04.400,0:54:10.000
did you meet him? Did you know him? Yeah, he was
nice. Um anyway, so then I was involved in Grand
0:54:10.000,0:54:18.240
Hotel during this period is when our dear Audrey
Wood went into her coma uh within those few years
0:54:18.240,0:54:25.840
before. And um when Audrey went into the coma,
that was interesting too because Audrey called
0:54:25.840,0:54:33.520
me not to digress but I'll digress. Um, we were
playing the score for Ann Margaret who'd wanted
0:54:33.520,0:54:39.280
to hear the score in California and um because
Lucy got there playing our song and and Mar
0:54:39.280,0:54:45.840
and the night before Audrey called me and it
was about um 7 o'clock California time. So,
0:54:45.840,0:54:51.840
it' be four o'clock four o'clock this time, I
guess. Four o'clock. Four or five o'clock. And
0:54:51.840,0:54:56.320
uh usually I had my answering machine on that
would tape everybody's business calls so I could
0:54:56.320,0:55:01.680
play them for Jeffrey Silverman. I didn't have it
turned on because I picked up the phone and she
0:55:01.680,0:55:06.960
started saying all kinds of wonderful things about
what she felt about the work about, you know,
0:55:06.960,0:55:10.160
she was great because she was an agent who always
called and said, "Are you eating? Do you need
0:55:10.160,0:55:14.480
more money?" You know, she wasn't like agents most
agents today and most agents always who just say,
0:55:14.480,0:55:19.120
"Okay, here's the job. Go to the audition." She
was really genuinely concerned. She was concerned
0:55:19.120,0:55:24.160
about Bill. She was concerned about Tennessee. She
really cared about the people she represented. So,
0:55:24.160,0:55:28.640
she called and said a lot of very kind things.
And at the time I was like double thinking and
0:55:28.640,0:55:33.200
saying this is like amazing. This is like what
you say to somebody after they've achieved a
0:55:33.200,0:55:41.760
great success with something they've written. And
uh then she said goodbye and hung up which kind of
0:55:41.760,0:55:47.440
like I I don't know if you ever talked she never
said goodbye. Even her book is called I never say
0:55:47.440,0:55:51.840
goodbye. She would always just whatever the end
of the conversation was hang up. So, I was sort
0:55:51.840,0:55:56.640
of startled. And then that night at 11 o'clock,
I got a phone call that two hours later she had
0:55:56.640,0:56:03.600
passed out and gone into a coma. So, I've always
held on to that that she knew. I just hit my mic.
0:56:03.600,0:56:08.000
But I've always held on to that that I think she
knew, you know, I think somehow she knew something
0:56:08.000,0:56:15.840
was wrong and she called to say goodbye. Well,
when that happened, um, a lot eventually Jeff and
0:56:15.840,0:56:21.360
I decided it was time to we just our hearts went
out of working on bus stop, you know, and then,
0:56:21.360,0:56:27.040
um, Jeff moved on to his very successful career,
first as a conductor on Broadway. Bernardet Peters
0:56:27.040,0:56:32.080
gave him his break when she asked him to, uh,
he was a rehearsal pianist for song and dance at
0:56:32.080,0:56:38.560
the Andrew Lid Weber show and she asked him if he
would um, take over for John Macheri as conductor.
0:56:38.560,0:56:44.480
So he did and then he ended up conducting Lay
Miz on Broadway for a couple years and then
0:56:44.480,0:56:51.520
Phantom in Los Angeles where he moved to raise his
son. Uh he's since gone on to write lots of film
0:56:51.520,0:56:59.280
scores and TV scores and he's got I think at this
point I think he's got seven Grammyinning albums.
0:56:59.280,0:57:05.120
He arranges and conducts for Yanni. Um he does a
lot of a lot of varied things. So he went and had
0:57:05.120,0:57:10.720
that career. I was doing my performing career uh
producing records, working with Wright and Forest,
0:57:10.720,0:57:18.560
performing, just doing multitasking all over the
place, um and directing. And um two years ago,
0:57:18.560,0:57:22.560
it's weird that you're asking me to do this
now, which is what this sort of leads up to,
0:57:22.560,0:57:29.760
is that two years ago um after not touching Bus
Stop for like 22 years. Of course, you can't not
0:57:29.760,0:57:37.360
think about it, but um and being away from the
festival, I saw an actress on TV and I thought,
0:57:37.360,0:57:42.560
gee, she would be really good in Bus Stop. Too bad
I'm not writing it. And that was on a Friday. And
0:57:42.560,0:57:47.360
no, that was on a Monday. And the next Thursday,
three days later, Jeff Silverman called and said,
0:57:47.360,0:57:53.680
um, "What about bus stop?" You know, he was he
had got a divorce. He was in love with somebody
0:57:53.680,0:57:59.040
new and his kid was now a teenager. And he said,
"I really, you know, we never finished that." And
0:57:59.040,0:58:03.360
I feel so I sent him some material. And I said,
"But this actress I like will probably never be
0:58:03.360,0:58:11.440
available because she's big TV star now." And that
was on a Thursday. The next Tuesday, I went to an
0:58:11.440,0:58:15.920
awards ceremony at Lincoln Center and Patrick
Hoffman, who runs the Lincoln Center Theater
0:58:15.920,0:58:21.040
Library, the film and tape collection, said, "Oh,
a friend of yours is back in time. She's looking
0:58:21.040,0:58:25.200
for a Broadway show, and it happened to be this
particular lady." And I thought that was kind
0:58:25.200,0:58:29.920
of uncanny. Well, that was in June of two years
ago, and I still didn't do anything about it. I
0:58:29.920,0:58:37.040
just kind of thought about it. I ended up doing a
an off Broadway uh concert version of Minis Boys
0:58:37.040,0:58:42.880
by Hal Hacked and Larry Grossman and Arthur Marks
and Bob Fiser and I rewrote the show. Well, Hal
0:58:42.880,0:58:46.720
Hacked who wrote the lyrics was they and they were
all so delighted because it worked and it hadn't
0:58:46.720,0:58:52.400
worked before that Hal said, "You've got to meet
my agent at ICM, Mitch Douglas." And Mitch had
0:58:52.400,0:59:01.360
been Bridget Ashenberg's secretary way back. He
had just started when we when we left AOL, right?
0:59:01.360,0:59:08.240
So Mitch had been he had been Bridget's secretary
and so we knew him from times past and um he said,
0:59:08.240,0:59:11.440
"Would you write me a list of the things that
you're interested in doing?" And I wrote the list
0:59:11.440,0:59:15.600
of all the projects I have, but the bottom thing
was I'd really love to get back to bus stop and
0:59:15.600,0:59:21.360
reinvestigate that. And I think I dropped off a
letter at 5:00 on a Monday, which of course he had
0:59:21.360,0:59:26.160
gone. And Tuesday, the next day, I was sitting
waiting for a screening of Chicago, the movie
0:59:26.160,0:59:32.000
Chicago to begin. And my cell phone rings and it
was Mitch saying, "Oh, I just read your thing.
0:59:32.000,0:59:38.960
Listen, if you want bus stop, you know, it's
yours, you know, because it's yours." So, because
0:59:38.960,0:59:44.240
Joanne was not was ill at the time, it took us
about six months to get the papers in process. Um,
0:59:44.240,0:59:51.280
so I have immersed ourselves in William again.
I've been rereading everything that I have copies
0:59:51.280,0:59:56.080
of that he ever wrote, all the unpublished and the
published stuff. Getting my head back in a place.
0:59:56.080,1:00:00.480
We wrote a totally brand new show. I mean, I think
there's six songs from what you heard before. It's
1:00:00.480,1:00:08.160
all um it takes place in the 50s. It's it's much
a little bit it's more in it's more darker. It's
1:00:08.160,1:00:14.000
more has the it's a play about l musical about
loneliness and uh which is what the play is.
1:00:14.000,1:00:23.440
And uh I think it's quite wonderful. We have
a wonderful producer that I just adore. And um
1:00:23.440,1:00:27.840
amid all my other things I'm doing, suddenly I'm
in Williamland again doing Bus Stop the Musical.
1:00:27.840,1:00:33.760
And the irony of this is when Billing first asked
me to be in that first musical of Bus Stop when I
1:00:33.760,1:00:38.640
was 18, which is 40 years ago. He gave me a copy
of the script, the Dramatist Guild script. And I
1:00:38.640,1:00:41.840
remember laying on my bed because I was still
living with my parents. And I was laying on
1:00:41.840,1:00:46.320
the bed and I was reading the book and thinking,
"God, too bad they've already written this as a
1:00:46.320,1:00:53.200
musical because I sure would like to write this."
And here, like 50 for, you know, 40 years later,
1:00:53.200,1:00:59.440
it's back. So, I feel like it's, you know, I even
have a charm around my neck that Betty Field gave
1:00:59.440,1:01:04.560
uh to people when they did the picture of Bus
Stop. She gave everybody a little charm that I
1:01:04.560,1:01:12.880
wear around my neck next to my heart. Um, uh, and
I've remained close with Gene, who I just adore.
1:01:12.880,1:01:21.600
We've never been out of touch. Oh, you can say
that one again. He's so bored. He's so bored. Um,
1:01:21.600,1:01:25.680
no, I was saying I I've remained touch.
I've remained, you know, close. Joanne K,
1:01:25.680,1:01:32.400
last time I saw Joanne, uh, and Bridget actually,
too, was there was a revival of Picnic at the
1:01:32.400,1:01:39.200
Circle in the Square, which is actually a block
from where I live. Jean came and stayed at uh
1:01:39.200,1:01:47.920
the right and force department and uh and Joanne
was there and Bridget was there and that was the
1:01:47.920,1:01:51.760
last time I saw Joanne. I've talked to her on the
phone. I talked to her on the phone since but that
1:01:51.760,1:02:00.000
was the last time I saw her. But I was that the
Scott Ellis production. Yeah. Wasn't very good.
1:02:00.000,1:02:03.520
Why don't you switch out tapes
for a minute? We uh wasn't very
-
Language
-
En-US
en-US
