Question: What are you most excited about as far as bringing the show to the stage in Fairfield?
Kate Brauer-Bell: This classic whodunnit was first made into a stage play in 1943. The world was at war, and the theater provided a much-needed escape. In today’s difficult times, the community is as eager for a fun escape as the audiences of 1943. We really committed ourselves to this spirit--the play is a mystery, but it’s also a comedy. I think it will take our audience by surprise and hopefully delight them and provide a welcome escape from reality for a couple of hours. If we achieve that, then we’ve done what we hoped to do.
Q: What has been your approach to directing the show and what’s it been like for you to see the story come to life on stage?
A: What I love most about theater is that it’s a collaborative art form. As director, my job is to work with the script as it is written and help the cast discover their characters and conflicts over the course of the rehearsal process. What truly surprised me as an outsider to the Fairfield community was the high-quality caliber of performers who showed up to audition. Although this is community theater, the production quality rivals that of the professional theaters in which I have worked. The theater facilities and staff at the Fairfield Community Arts Center are outstanding, like no other community theater in town. Highly gifted performers come from miles to perform here. That’s really special, and as a director, it makes my job so easy.
Q: How have you seen the actors complement one another on stage?
A: Chemistry between actors is not something that can be fabricated — it has to be natural. In casting this show, I really worked to find a group of eleven actors who could interact with one another in a believable, natural way. The characters played by Kayla Swelbar (who plays Vera Claythorne) and Chase Engel (who plays Philip Lombard) provide the story’s romantic backbone, so it was important to find two actors who could play off one another with natural affinity and humor. Once those two were cast, our other actors fell into place--we have Jacob Campbell (as William Blore) providing comedic relief and a whole cast of suspects revealing motives and clues as the story unfolds.
Q: What’s one of your favorite things about the show and why?
A: I’m enjoying the rehearsal process immensely. When you are working with such gifted actors and such a dedicated, skilled production team, every rehearsal is nothing but fun. I think the fun we are having as a cast and crew is going to extend to the audience as well. When people are this enthusiastic to create exciting, often eccentric, characters, you can’t help but fall in love with every single one of them, for all their idiosyncrasies.
I’m also really enjoying the opportunity to share this experience with my youngest son CJ, a high school freshman who is working backstage as our running crew for this show. A real benefit of community theater is that it brings together people of all ages and being able to work alongside my own son is something very special. The community here in Fairfield is very family focused, and that’s not something you find everywhere.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share?
A: I wasn’t originally slated to direct this show. It was sheer luck that I landed this opportunity. The original director had to withdraw, and I just happened to learn that Fairfield Footlighters was looking for a director from a friend of mine. When the Footlighters board of directors invited me to meet with them at the Fairfield Community Arts Center, the warmth of the people and the beauty of the facility had me hooked.
HOW TO GO
What: “And Then There Were None” by the Fairfield Footlighters
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Cost: $17
Tickets: Call (513) 867-5348 or visit fairfieldoh.gov/tickets
More info: fairfieldfootlighters.org
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