The Power of Dr. Seuss

I cannot help but bring the political into my work. Whether I am writing or directing, I am interested in how the issue of power filters into a story.

When directing Pride and Prejudice I was compelled to delve into Mary Wollstonecraft and really investigate the social and economic pressures that shape Darcy and Elizabeth. Productions of Big Love are often high on shock value but low on resonance. Don’t get me wrong – I love to shock, but in my production I wanted to explore how the original Greek play influenced Charles Mee’s choice of text and music. I wanted to see the suppliants through the current Syrian refugee crisis and of course I wanted to delve deeply into the complexity of love and male/female relations. This approach led to a collage that I think supported the playwright’s ideas.

Themes of social justice keep popping up in my work whether I mean them to or not. I think it is because I am intrigued by characters who just “get on with it” in spite of the odds. I am drawn to characters that show resilience in the face of tragic circumstances. Currently I am working on an original television series called Red Fish, Blue Fish. It is the story of an underclass of Americans. They are documented and undocumented, rich and poor. They come from Hartford, Warsaw, Detroit and Lagos. But they are united by a common goal: to learn to read. And this simple task takes them on a profound and spirited journey with unexpected consequences.