I have the opportunity to direct any play I want. I’d really like to do something that could go off in many possible directions, that offers bountiful opportunities for me to experiment with character, set, costume, etc. Somewhat in the way Shakespeare’s plays have lent themselves so well to hundreds upon hundreds of creative reinterpretations. Anyone have any ideas for a play in this vein? If your answer would be “Pah, any play leaves lots of room for directorial interpretation in the hands of a good director!” then just put your favorite play.
I am far from an expert on drama, but Thornton Wilder’s Our Town seems to jump out as a play that could leave a lot of room for the same kind of interpretation that Shakespeare has enjoyed. Seems like you could move the town setting to any period, just as *Hamlet *or Romeo and Juliet have been moved.
How about the Greeks? Trojan Women. Lysistrata. Medea.
How about Elmer Rice’s The Adding Machine?
How about something like Waiting for Lefty? Or the Federal Theater Project plays? Triple-A Plowed Under?
Shakespeare and the Greeks work because they wrestle with Big. Universal. Themes.
More contemporary pieces can work when a play’s theme aligns with current issues.
Let us know what you decide upon and what you do with it!
In college, my major advisor did a bang-up job with Mother Courage and Her Children, in terms of multi-racial casting and stretching the cultural references across several generations.
Any limitations on cast size? Any subject matter off limits? Need a comedy or drama?