A few months ago I sat down to choose which plays I would cover for my pre-fringe articles this year. One of those companies was the Players of Notorious Temerity. Partly I did so because of the quality of their past shows as reported by my friends, and partly because one of the two individuals directing their show is the wonderful Katie Willer, someone who I respect and admire.
So... you'll note above that I said Katie was one of the two directors. This show has two directors! That's just asking for some issues, don't you think? Well, we'll soon see...
I jsut noticed that I've rambled on for two whole paragraphs without mentioning the show's title, so I guess I should work that in here... Baggage.
The show is two plays that revolve around a travel theme. But the baggage of the title isn't only refering to the physical belongings of the travelers, although in some cases it is...
Anyway... now that they are on the home stretch, I thought I'd make a few inquiries about how things where going. And so, I present a brief (5 questions only) interview with Katie Willer:
Q: Now that the rehearsal process is almost done, what has been the most pleasant surprise thus far?
A: Every time something falls into place is a pleasant surprise. Getting our rehearsal space, having air conditioning in our rehearsal space...mmmm...having our sound designer actually able to be present at the performances to run his own sound live, Dan and I having sheets of the same notes (therefore almost always being on the same page), every moment that just finds itself and hits, the pacing falling into place all of a sudden...I'm not taking anything for granted. The whole process has been a pleasant surprise, and we're grateful.
Q: How about the most unexpected challenge
A: The Buffalo Fish. That sucker keeps falling apart. But mainly, spacing for the Arena [at the U of M Rarig Center]. Both of us are familiar with the space, so we thought we had it. But we got into our one run-through during tech, and saw everything we needed to fix within the next three days. Yikes!
Q: What do you hope will be the main thought carried away from your show by members of the audience
A: "Man, I need to ride a train soon." Or, "Where am I?" Either or.
Q: What is your favorite line from your show?
A: Dan's is ... "My shoes are full of ditch water."
Katie's is ... "I can't help myself, and I don't care, and I won't stop."
Q: Why the Fringe? You've done shows both within and outside it, so what are the advantages of putting this show up now?
A: Minneapolis is open during the Fringe. They come and they want to see anything possible. For many people, this is their theatre for the year. they come and bulk up for the nexxt few months. Maybe they'll see two other shows through the year, and usually then it's if they know someone in the show, or it's the Guthrie. But during Fringe, someone with a free slot on their schedule may just wander into our venue and try out something new or different. Maybe they'll love it, maybe they'll hate it. That's almost not the point.
So... a few thoughts of one of the directors of the show Baggage. It seems that having two directors hasn't been a problem for them as they're almost always on the same page, and it's clear that they love the Fringe. This is Katie's last production in the Twin Cities for a while, as she'll be headed off to Grad School in the fall. So, if you want to catch a play by a terrific group, before they're on hiatus, go see Baggage... Oh yeah... And their show includes a Buffalo Fish! How surreal is that?
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