ready for anything.....

So – this weekend I went shopping to prepare for 3 months of rehearsal, and found myself buying like I was going to war, or summer camp, or a summer camp where we feared there might be a war (which I think was every summer camp in 1983 where we all asked each other if we’d seen THE DAY AFTER - really Steve Gutenburg's best work) – toothpaste, razors, canned goods – the kind of things that will do me well after the bomb goes off – or at least a glitter bomb going off. I’m stocked and ready.

Also, g3 is doing a profile of the show – so I had to turn in some especially sassy answers to their questions – it’s below.

-So, Sean, after living and working in Berkeley, what drew you to hot, sticky Louisville? Bourbon and the ponies, right?

Well, out in the Bay Area, no one does anything funny and no one makes good barbecue – so, after discovering those two things, I had to quickly flee . Toss in the fact that Actors Theater is a theater I have long admired and I was already half-way here. And, um, sure – the bourbon and ponies were a selling point also.

-Your directorial debut at Actors is "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Why were you chosen for this particular show? And why should we come see it?

I love theater that is an event – from the way you come into the space, to how the staff treats you to the show, to getting some of the show on you. I’m interested in experiences you can’t get from your tv or from movie. Which usually means immersing yourself in the show AND the world of the play. And that’s what this show is – even in the script they essentially say “please make it your own – as long as it rocks, we’re fine with it”.

And why this show in particular? Well, it’s the one show that will melt your heart, and then your face – who doesn’t want to work on that?

-Many people are familiar with the movie version of "Hedwig." Is the theatrical production interactive, like a concert? Just what exactly can we expect?

It’s clearly the same story as the movie (boy gets boy, boy trys to be become woman to escape eastern germany, boy loses boy, boy starts glam band and follows other boy around the country – ah, the old tale we all know so well) but it’s a much more interactive experience – not only do you hear Hedwig sing the songs live and perhaps give YOU the “car wash”, but she may even share some glitter/make-up tips at the end of the show. At its heart it’s a rock n roll show – and we all know that there’s nothing like seeing music live.

-Oooo, the Victor Jory as a club! Sexy! Tell us how that's going to happen...will there really be a bar in the theatre?

Yep. We’re turning it into a rather fabulous kitschy tiki bar – the kind of purposely tragic place that only Ms. Hedwig would pick. We’re putting in cabaret seating so you can be right up front. You will have never seen as many drinks in the space, or as much denim on stage.

-"Hedwig" asks some interesting questions regarding gender issues, labeling, prejudice. What sort of dialogue do you hope this production will provoke amongst Louisville audiences?

On one level, it’s a simple story about what happens when each of us gets our heart-broken. We’ve all been dumped, and we’ve all wanted to search for our other half, we’ve all felt alone and used our hair as our refuge – and then on another level, it’s about the fluidity of sexuality and questions the “labels” we so quickly place on things. Hedwig is a man becoming a woman, Yitzak is a woman becoming a man – does that mean their relationship is in fact a heterosexual one? A progessive one? One that defies naming it? It asks some nice big open-ended questions – and then it covers them with make-up.

-The character "Hedwig" is a dreamy role. Can you tell us a little about the actor playing her?

I first met David Hanbury when he was playing Hamlet in a punk-rock Patty Smythe-esque version of Hamlet. He’s always struck me as a performer with amazing depth, complexity and humor – that and he walk in some big-ass heels – that’s impressive.