Coming up next at McCarter is a production of Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Crimes of the Heart. In an interview with Artistic Programs Associate Erica Nagel, Set Designer Andromache Chalfant offers insight into creating the physical world of this American Classic.

Andromache Chalfant has been designing whole houses lately, even though the play takes place in just one room. “It might seem odd to do so much thinking about rooms of a house that you won’t see on stage,” she says, “but you can look at hundreds of layouts for old homes before you find one that really lets you get inside the logic of the house.”

“Setting the whole play in a kitchen is great because it’s a central recognizable element,” Chalfant says. “But it creates a challenge to fill the stage believably. One way to address that is to think about the rest of the house. How do you make the house live in the transitions — the thresholds between the kitchen and the rest of the house or the rest of the town? What do we see when we look through those doors?”

“I don’t know if this is part of the quintessential Southernness of the play, but there is an utter lack of privacy in this kitchen. There are all these entrances that disrupt private conversations or actions. In this house, people can enter your space without warning. So that’s interesting to consider thematically, of course, but it also necessitates practical consideration of things like, where do we put the doors? How many ways in and out are there? How do windows figure into the public and private spaces in the MaGrath sisters’ world?”

Although the term “Kitchen sink drama” has taken on a slightly old-fashioned, or even disparaging valence, Chalfant is quick to point out that the term was actually coined to describe a revolutionary form of theater, which depicted working class people, and stood in stark contrast to the popular plays of the day set in parlors and drawing rooms.”A kitchen is like the backstage of the house,” Chalfant says. “It’s the least formal room. It’s where things are prepared.”

When asked about how it feels to take on a modern American classic as a set designer, Chalfant thinks for a moment. “What is the definition of a classic? Something that lasts, I guess. Something that holds up. A classic takes on new layers of meaning over time.”

When audiences experience McCarter’s production of Crimes of the Heart, the creative team wants the audience to feel not only the presence of the rest of the MaGrath house, but also the history within its walls. “The MaGrath kitchen has layers of history from the 1940s through the 1970s,” says Chalfant. “So I’ve been thinking about what the bottom layer of history is in the MaGrath kitchen. Under any updates, like new appliances or remodeled floors, what is the underlying structure? What has this family been building on for the last 30 years?”

By Erica Nagel

Crimes of the Heart runs from March 8-27 in the Matthews Theatre.

It is such a pleasure to watch these Crimes of the Heart actors dig into their roles, but it’s even more fun to be able to sit back and be utterly and completely swept away by how this play sounds. I knew the play was set in Mississippi, but I wasn’t prepared for how entertaining and inherently musical Beth Henley’s language is. In fact, during our last stumble-through on Sunday, director Liesl Tommy told the cast that the play has to “sing.” At different points in rehearsal, I actually find myself closing my eyes and simply listening to the banter…

Thom Jones, the production’s vocal coach, is incredibly specific about honing in on this particular southern dialect. He has specifically stressed the importance of avoiding the trap of entering what he calls “Tennessee Williams-land.” According to Thom, Tennessee Williams’ characters are breathy, elevated and tend to drop the R’s at the end of their words. In this Mississippi dialect, the R’s are stressed and there is a drive and a weight to the delivery. It’s been interesting to see what accents and dialects the actors came in with on the first day, and how they are now beginning to move from each actor’s “idea” of a Southern accent and the reality of that region of Mississippi.

Posted by Garrett Ayers, Directing Intern at McCarter Theatre.

McCarter Theatre’s Education Department is devoted to creating enriching, theatrical experiences for students in grades K-12. The First Stage Program is an after-school educational theater process designed both for students with years of experience and those who are investigating theater for the first time. The New York City High School Acting Intensive is one of the First Stage classes that is designed for local high school students who have demonstrated a serious commitment to their craft as performers. As a culmination of their work in class, the students put on a fully realized production in New York City.

This year, the class was taught by NYC-based director and teaching artist, Michael Goldfried. The culminating performance, status update, was written entirely by the students and adapted by Michael into the final product. I was able to get in touch with Michael to get some more information on this exciting process.

Jocelyn Gammon: In 420 characters or less (per Facebook’s status limit), what is status update about?

Michael Goldfried: status update is about growing up in high school in the age of facebook and the internet. It’s about how life has gotten more social…it’s about shifting identity and relationships in a hyper socialized digital world. The name status update obviously evokes Facebook, but the play is about how social status shifts online, and also the whole thing serves as a kind of “update” on the status of what it means to be a young person in America right now.

JG: Can you talk about what it was like to devise the piece with the students?

MG: It’s a great experience to collaborate with these young actors to make this piece. Our collaborative process took three months and included improvisation and acting exercises, dance, writing, scene work, dramaturgy and of course, rehearsals. Although each of the cast members created the character they are playing, nobody is playing “themselves.” Each actor is playing a part, requiring all the imaginative leaps and rigorous work necessary for the craft of acting.

JG: What is it like to create, write, and direct an original piece of theater?

MG: I am interested in making theater where the director and performers have a level of “creatorship” in the work that is not always the case in rehearsing plays. I do believe that actors often know more about dramaturgy than they get credit for, and I would include young actors in this - especially when they are part of the creation process.

Needless to say, toggling between writer and director isn’t always easy, but this is actually done quite often in film. Directors like Woody Allen and Lena Dunham act in the work they write and direct. One of my heros is Charles Ludlam, who wrote, starred and directed his own plays for the Ridiculous Theater Company. In that spirit, I co-created, directed and acted in a play called Mrs Smith Presents a Benefit for the Carlyle Foundation Empowerment School for People and Cats with Severe and Persistent Challenges. It’s a ridiculous comedy that I made with David Hanbury, and in this one, we both performed in it. I think the best word to describe these endeavors is hubris. But when it works, it’s heaven.

JG: Obviously the subject matter of this project is relevant to say the least. Where did the idea for this play come from?

MG: I’ve personally noticed that spending time on Facebook feels a bit like being back in high school. It can bring up a lot of familiar stuff: fitting in, standing out, staying current, and being “liked.” Which got me wondering: what is Facebook like for people who are in high school?

This was the question that began my collaboration with McCarter Theatre’s Education Department and the company of young actors in the show. We began our process with inquiry: What is your social life like now that it includes “social networking? What does it mean to have a relationship online? How is your personal identity connected to your online identity? (An identity that’s easier to craft, but harder to keep private). And what might life be like without the internet and cell phones? (We might all shudder to imagine that - and perhaps secretly long for it as well).

JG: What should the audience expect going in, and what do you hope they will take away?

MG: My hope is that people come to the show with a curiosity about what it’s like for young people to live in a digital world, and a desire to see how that might be theatricalized in a fun, dynamic way. As for what the audience might take away by the end of the play - I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.

For more information on the First Stage program and other Educational opportunities, visit McCarter’s Education website: McCarter Theatre Education Department