WEST CHESTERFIELD, N.H. — “Under Milk Wood,” first commissioned by the BBC in 1953, and described by poet Dylan Thomas as "a play for voices," comes to Actors Theatre Playhouse Fridays and Saturdays, Sept.
20, 21, 27 and 28. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m.
There is also a special matinee at 2 p.m. Sept.
22. For tickets, visit atplayhouse.org .
The play tells the story of one spring day in a small fictional Welsh village populated by some of the best-loved characters in British literature. Thomas’ interest is not only in what happens in the streets and houses of Llareggub but also what is inside the minds and souls of the residents. A Welsh epic, a work of poetic genius, a modern classic, it holds a mirror up to the audience and shows them their own humanity.
The cast includes Ian Hefele, Josh Goldstein, Jim Bombicino, Robert Wellington, Noah Carmel, Bridget McBride, Louise Krieger, Kristina Meima and Nicole Winot. The production is by Robert Kramsky. Kramsky took the time to speak with writer Cicely M.
Eastman about why he chose "Under Milk Wood" and what audiences can look forward to. Q Why did you choose to do Dylan Thomas’ "Under Milk Wood"? A I have been in love with it for about 50 years. I've directed it with high school students but never with adults.
When we were putting together the season at Actors Theatre, I didn't want to do a full-length production, fully staged, fully costumed and so I was interested in a staged reading. My love for "Under Milk Wood" put it on the top of my list. What I love most about it is the language and the characters.
It was originally written as a radio play, as a play for voices. What intrigues me is what actors can do with their voices to create characters and bring Thomas’ poetry to life. The piece is rich with imagery, but he also plays around with language.
He makes verbs out of nouns and adjectives out of verbs. It is beautiful just as a language, an opportunity for actors to focus on their voices. Plus "Under Milk Wood" has these unique characters that are fun for actors to bring to life primarily with their voices.
Q What intrigues you most about this play? A The language is unlike any other play I have ever worked on, and the characters are really interesting and quirky. As an audience member, we can see some of these qualities in ourselves or people we know. Like these characters, we are all a little odd and have acted strange at some point in our lives.
Q Taking into consideration the space constraints at Actors Theatre, how do you plan to present it visually? A Because it is a staged reading, and with no set per se, I am placing all nine actors on stage for the entire piece, seated at specific benches or stools as their home base where they start and end. There are moments or vignettes with two or three character moments when those actors will walk away from home base, come forward, and act out their one- to two-page moments and then go back to their seats. That's the staged part of the reading rather than having them permanently seated throughout the production.
There is some movement, there is some physicality, it's not just their voices, but it will also be their postures and their gestures. This is something Thomas didn't have originally as a radio play, although there have been other productions of the piece with actors moving. As far as costumes, I'm having everyone wear all black because each actor has multiple roles and I don't want to focus on changing costumes.
That would be distracting. Having them all wear black makes it neutral and all that the audience is focusing on are their facial expressions and listening to their words. Q What excites you most about the cast chosen for this play? A It's a combination of actors I have worked with before who I know and respect, and a few actors who are new to me.
I selected actors for specific characters in the play, choosing those with interesting voices who could articulate clearly, particularly for the “Voices” or narrators in the play who have the most lines. I had to go through all the characters to plan who would play which role. There was a bit of juggling because I had to consider which characters they were playing.
I didn't want them to have to immediately transition into another character but instead could go back to their home base. Q Are there challenges posed in directing "Under Milk Wood" that other plays do not present? A The greatest challenge is that you have to create this world of characters and these relationships without the help of props and scenery and a lot of movement, primarily focusing on the voices. I want the audiences to get a sense of the mood of the piece but also get a sense of Llareggub, the name of the Welsh fishing town and what these characters are like mostly through voices.
The challenge for me as a director is to make sure that the voices are clear and precise so that the audience can understand every word, some of which may be Thomas’ unusual words. Q What do you think you will bring to this play under your direction that may provide a different experience to the audience that other productions do not? A I think the way I am staging it is very theatrical, a combination of voices and seated actors mixed with moments that come alive physically between characters. Just having actors seated without any kind of moving around is a little stagnant, even though Thomas would like the audience to just focus on his language, to close their eyes and visualize his poetry.
I think we are such a visual world now it helps if there is some movement. Q Are you doing the full script? A I am presenting about 95% of the script, taking out only some Welsh names and expressions that would probably only confuse audience members. I didn't want those distractions.
Q Anything you would like to add about this upcoming performance? A I want people to know that it’s a staged reading. It takes a different attitude going to the theater because you're not going to see costumes and props and sets, you are not always going to see actors in a scene standing next to each other. You have to be willing to approach this knowing it is not going to be a traditional play.
Instead, it is going to be very theatrical, with this piece you really have to focus on listening to Dylan Thomas’ words. That's what he intended, it was the advice he gave his actors. The voices in the play keep saying, listen, listen, listen.
And that is what the audience needs to focus on..
