Review Fix Exclusive: Q & A with ‘Beautiful Thing’ Director Michelle Kuchuk

Review Fix: Was part of directing Jamie to make him start off a bit confused or nerdy and have him get more and more flamboyant as the play progressed?

Michelle Kuchuk: For me and for Trip (who played Jamie), it wasn’t that he went from one extreme to the next. It was that he went from being aware that things in his life were changing without a clear knowledge of WHY, to being more and more aware as the play reached its end.

RF: The father figure in the play was actually awesome – he did a great job understanding and having an open mind relating to the topics at hand. Would it be possible to let him stick around at the end instead of kicking him to the curb?

MK: The supposed breakup and blocking that occurred at then end between Tony and Sandra was actually written into the script. Jonathan Harvey wrote the exit and the words exactly as we see it in the production. That being said, I didn’t view it so much as a harsh kick to the curb as something that probably needed to happen for both characters. For Sandra, she needs to stop relying on boyfriends and grow up a little (independently) herself, and [as] for Tony, he needs to find his place in the world with someone who could be his equal, and not his sometimes lover, sometimes mother-like figure. Because I think Sandra ultimately needs to grow up and start spending more time with people her own age (and not with teens and younger boyfriends), and because I think Tony could give a lot of love to someone who is completely ready to receive it. The breakup, though sad, was the best thing for both of them.

RF: What was it like creating a small independent play?

MK: Creating a small independent play has its benefits and also its challenges. On the one hand, I felt very supported by my artistic director (Stephanie Barton-Farcas, also the dialect and fight coach of the production) and the theater company itself; if I needed something, I knew exactly who to talk to. On the other hand, it can sometimes be stressful, as a small company with more limited resources and the fact that the entire cast and crew (including myself) have day jobs and, in the case of some, families. At the end of the day, however, I think it is an incredible experience to put on a small, independent play. As a director, I was involved in everything I wanted to be involved in, and I felt such a sense of attachment and accomplishment from having a part in every aspect of the production. The eight of us cast and crew members who were there everyday all pulled their weight in contributing to the production, and as a small group, it gave us all a lot of ownership and responsibility.

RF: How much creativity did you give to the actors, and how do you feel they transformed their characters to make them their own?

MK: A lot of what inspired me to direct was the freedom that you can give to the actors in the creation of their characters. The director must know every single thing about the play and then some before rehearsals begin, and then must have a clear idea of his or her vision for the production. Without that preparedness, a production is shapeless. I spent about two months with the script before rehearsals even began; I had to learn and discover these characters separately and as a unit. When the actors came in with their own take and talent, I could work with them to get to the point of my own understanding without taking their own personality out of it completely. We all worked together to create these characters, and I personally love that even though these characters are different than the actors portraying them, they have made them their own and found that they have many similarities after all.

RF: Are you from New York City? If not, where are you from?

MK: I’ve actually moved around a bunch — I was born in Connecticut, moved to Dubai and then moved to Cape Cod where I had spent summers growing up. After going to college in NYC, I didn’t move away!

RF: How old are you?

MK: Only my actors know!

RF: When putting together past productions, did you use the same props? Tell me some things about the stage props and how the actors work with them. (I noticed that they put everything in place before each scene.)

MK: Nicu’s Spoon (like all theatre companies) makes use of the same props through the years. I’m not involved with every production at Nicu’s, but there are definitely props we pulled and props we had to buy, and then there are those props we brought from home! As for the set pieces that the actors put into place before every scene, that is a typical practice for many theaters — if the actors can be their own running crew, the play is much smoother and the transitions are much faster. Of course, on Broadway and in bigger theaters where you have gigantic sets, there is always a crew for set changes. For a set as simple as ours, however, it made sense for the actors to make the changes.

RF: What are your personal life goals?

MK: One of my personal life goals is to be passionate about as much as possible in my life. It’s hard to say what will fill up my life in the future, but I know that directing fulfills me on so many levels, and is something I want to continue to do and to learn about.

RF: A lot of the actors have worked in other things. What is it like watching the actors go from role to role, and going into an intimate setting?

MK: I’ve seen three of the five actors in other roles, all of which were either at Spoon or a smaller setting. I love watching actors develop and grow in different roles, yet still have the underlying current of themselves making that particular portrayal different than how anybody else would do it.

RF: The Spoon – do they only put out plays that have a message?

MK: Nicu’s Spoon is dedicated to putting out socially reflective theater that challenges stereotypes and challenges its audience to embrace an idea that they might not know about, care about or have an opinion about. What I like about the company, however, is that we don’t try to always find plays that scream any particular message down our audiences’ throats – many of the productions I’ve seen and been involved in have asked the audience to come up with their own opinion based on what they’ve seen. I think that is a good message in itself – to challenge us to think for ourselves.

RF: Do you think you’re ready for Broadway?

MK: My next immediate goal is to assistant direct under a more experienced director so I can continue to learn and to grow.

RF: Are you working on anything else?

MK: I’m not working on any other productions at the moment.

RF: What is or are some of your favorite parts of “Beautiful Thing,” and do you think Jamie should be the lead role instead of Ste?

MK: I have so many favorite parts! Certain scenes have made me tear up, and many moments have made me laugh. I love all of the littler and subtle moments that have developed through the rehearsal process – Jonathan Harvey has written a play with an ensemble cast, which is great to work with because no character is superfluous and every relationship is so significant to the plot.

RF: After all is said and done with working and plays, how you unwind and relax on your free time?

MK:
I actually try to see theater in my free time! I love to cook and have dinner with friends – if I’m really relaxing and unwinding, that’s definitely one of my favorite activities.

RF:
Where did you go to school, and what degree did you graduate with?

MK: I went to New York University with a major in psychology and a minor in theater.

RF: How did you find Nicu’s Spoon? Or did they find you?

MK: I found Nicu’s Spoon on a Web site that advertised theater internships when I was studying in Italy during college. I wanted an internship for the following summer, but ended up assistant directing the fall play, and then became a company member the following year. “Beautiful Thing” is my fourth play with Nicu’s.

RF: Describe your relationship with the actors? Friends or strictly business?

MK: I knew a couple of the actors in “Beautiful Thing” from past shows at Spoon, but I like to conduct my rehearsals (especially the initial ones) as efficiently and as logistically clear as possible. That being said, I love laughing, and so I like to think I’m clever and crack everyone up from to time… but in all seriousness, I think it’s important to have a mix of humor and efficiency at the beginning, but then as the cast and crew becomes more comfortable and becomes closer with each other, it’s good to replace the initial business-like attitude with understanding, and create an atmosphere that the actors can feel nurtured in. Once the play opened, my actors were joking that I had completely lost my calm-and-collected attitude because only then could I finally relax!

RF: What would you tell me if I were going to watch your play twice? Would it be better or worse the second time around? Would anything change? Where are you while the play is going on? Backstage? Home? Behind the scenes? Do you ever take a bow with the actors?

MK: I think that any time you watch a production for the second time, you are able to catch smaller moments and end with a greater understanding of the play than the first time around. I would say to anyone going a second time to go with an open mind so as to pick up on issues and instances they may not have discovered initially. Theater is always changing, and the actors will always become more nuanced as the performances continue. When the play is going on, I’m either watching or running lights, but most of the time I’m away from the theater. The director has to turn the production over to its stage manager when the run begins.

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