Theatre can cover a wide range of experiences - it can be a place for light entertainment or take the audience into dark, thoughtful territory.
Charleston playwright Dan Kehde has produced some terrific work at both ends of the spectrum, but his latest effort tackles a deadly serious topic.
He sat down for a interview recently to talk about his next show:
Q: Tell us about The Rack.
Dan: The Rack is the story of the aftermath of a fictional elementary school massacre as seen through the eyes of members of the community in which it occurred. Centering around the grieving members of the shooter’s family as they try to understand the reasons behind the boy’s actions, the drama unfolds as the bodies of the victims and shooter are transported off site just as the blame for the shooting begins its relentless shift from issue to issue, person to person, and institution to institution until it finally comes to rest on... well that would ruin the ending, wouldn’t it?
Q: We should stress that this is an original play you've written - what was the genesis of this production?
Dan: To be honest with you, it began as something else entirely. I started it as a story about the increasing pressures on kids today, but as I developed the plot, it began to take a much darker turn and I went with it. As soon as Marty’s personality began to develop, there was no doubt that the piece deserved more information than I had on hand. The research took its toll, but Marty’s pretty authentic even if he is totally fictional.
Q: Audiences tend to favor "feel good" musicals - is it important to push the envelope?
Dan: Yeah, it’s going to take a brave audience to come and see this one. I don’t blame audiences for wanting to see the feel good musicals. You work hard all day, you come home, fight with your kids and the last thing you want is to go to some play where you’re confronted with issues you’d rather ignore. I can’t argue with that. It’s a miracle that most folks actually get up and see the feel good stuff as it is. But I do believe that there will always be a segment of the population who appreciates the artistry of live drama; part of that artistry being that we challenge our audiences as visually, intellectually and viscerally as poetry challenges a reader, albeit in a quieter manner. Writing challenging, edgy pieces is a difficult choice when you have to put food on the table and the segment of the population likely to come out for your show is very small. Nevertheless, as artists, the best we can do is try to let these audiences know that, even here, these plays exist, that these experiences can occasionally be found in local houses, and hope that enough folks attend to keep us going.
Q: Tell us about the cast you've assembled - this must be challenging material for them, too.
Dan: I lucked into this cast, I really did. We generally try to use as many 12-25 year olds as we can in our productions just because I like working with that age group. We brought in some older actors for the age appropriate roles last fall and again for the Lincoln opera in February, but I really wanted young people to originate the characters I’d created in this play. The kids that showed up for auditions were perfect. While I ended up still needing a few older roles for the Pastor and the Psychiatrist, they came in on their own. And yeah, our first reading was pretty tough. Many of the episodes that Marty experienced in his early life came from my own personal experiences and from kids I grew up with so long ago. It seems like pieces of the story resonated with the kids in the cast as well. There are dark passages in all of our lives. That’s part of the play. Our cast includes Nik Tidquist, Mandy Harper, Olivia King, Caitlin Moore, Angel Gandee, Katie Shaver, Siercia O’Brien, Janna Bailey, Matt Connelly, Rowan Maher, Ellie Paybins, Clayton Spry, Jeremy Drake and Patrick Felton.
Q: There will be those who look at the subject matter and think the show will be entirely tilted to one opinion about the topic - is that accurate or do you
think it's a more balanced approach?
Dan: I’ve taken my hits for interjecting too much of my own opinions into my plays, but playwrights aren’t journalists and the concept that we, as artists, should present fair and balanced works is counter to the whole idea of freedom in art. As an artist, why shouldn’t I say what I want? Art’s in the creation, isn’t it? Rather than in the replication? If something I write generates controversy or just conversation, isn’t it worth doing? The Rack is ultimately about the complete inability of one community to protect itself against an inevitable tragedy. How could I possibly write it void of my own opinion? Do my opinions make it less valid as a piece of art or more?
Q: Do you have a favorite sequence or scene in the play?
Dan: There’s a scene between Billie Edison, a victim of prior shooting, and the local newswoman, Lena Phillips, where Billie is trying to understand why these massacres happen in the first place. There she is, in the studio, disfigured and only recently able to speak, trying to make heads or tales of this terrible thing that killed her boyfriend and blew away half of her brain. That one still gets to me.
Q: Why would you urge our readers to see this play?
Dan: This really isn’t a play I would urge anyone to come see. Really. This is an extremely hard-hitting, visceral piece of theater that isn’t going to make anyone feel good while they watch it. It’s intellectually stimulating and emotionally exhausting. But it’s the world premiere,and we still have a few more weeks of rehearsal so I can’t even say if it’s going to be as good as I envisioned it when I wrote it. So far, I think it is. So far, I think anyone who attends will be changed for having seen it. I think the questions it raises are valid, the acting honest, and the overall experience just plain good art.
Q: Tell us when and where the play will be presented.
Dan: We open at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 3 at the WVSU Capitol Center, 123 Summers Street, Charleston, and run April 3, 4, 10, 11, 12. We’re not performing Saturday, April 5 because it’s prom night for two of the high schools where some of my actors attend and, rather than sacrifice performances with substitutes, we’re simply not performing that night. [Their performances are THAT good and it’s a small price to pay for including young people in my art.] Tickets are $8 for students and $15 for adults and are available at the door the evenings of the performances. All shows begin at 8 p.m. For more information, call the WVSU box office at 304-342-6522.
Thanks, Dan!
