Review Fix chats with playwright Ludovica Villar-Hauser about “This Will All Be Yours†his new production currently running at this year’s Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City.
Review Fix: What initially attracted you to this production?
Ludovica Villar-Hauser: Both my parents have farming in their backgrounds — most particularly my mother’s family in Austria. So in the summers we always went to Austria in the mountains and we participated in harvesting. We drank fresh milk ate fresh vegetables, cheese and butter… so I’ve always felt very connected to the idea of small family farms.
Review Fix: What do you think you’ve learned about yourself through this whole process?
Villar-Hauser: I’ve never done a play with music before, and I have really enjoyed this. I would love to do it again and honestly, that’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned. I love music. I just never considered myself someone who could or would want to direct a musical. So I am surprised — and thrilled — to learn that this is not the case.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?
Villar-Hauser: That’s a really tough question, because I think the crazy thing about theatre is that we don’t really know how people are going to respond to a show or production… If we did, we’d all be millionaires and be having constant successes.
Review Fix: Tell me about the cast. What makes them so special
Villar-Hauser: One of the things that makes this particular cast so special is that they are ALL incredibly talented. Sometimes there are casts when there are one or two who are brilliant and the others … well, not so much. But each member of this cast is wonderful — truly — and that makes them a joy to work with for me as a director. And, incredibly, with all that talent, there’s not a diva among them, which is extraordinary! For each member of the cast it has been entirely about the work and the joy that we all feel in contributing to and creating it. On top of it all, they’re all such nice people. As a director — as a human being — I could hardly ask for more.
Review Fix: Bottom Line. Why should someone see this show?
Villar-Hauser: To enjoy a terrific cast. To see a fascinating play. The story is simple but compelling … a family owns an orchard in Western New York in 1979, at a time of great change — how that family is affected by those changes and all that’s going on around them. The play is particularly relevant today, with our growing awareness and interest in knowing where our food is coming from.
Review Fix: How do you want the production to be remembered?
Villar-Hauser: This production could be another Rent. Obviously it is very different. It’s not edgy. It’s not rock. I say Rent in the sense that it is really talking about something that is important to people at this particular time. I definitely think it could have a following.
What would be truly wonderful would be if the play were remembered as a catalyst for getting people to really think about and address the issue of where their food is coming from. I thought I knew about food… I don’t. I have been eating asparagus forever — all year round. I love it. Well, asparagus I only recently learned has a very short growing season. Clearly I’ve been getting it out of season. From where? There’s room for all of us to learn.
Photograph by John Quilty.
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