Social Security
Ferndale Repertory Theatre, Ferndale CA, 1999
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Directed by Patrick Spike
Set by Tom Roscoe Lights by Joe Collins |
These photos are the property of Patrick Spike, please do not duplicate, download, copy or print without expressed permission. Thank you.
"Ferndale Rep's Social Security is nifty, easy and entertaining theatre at its best!"
- Barry Blake, The North Coast Journal 1/28/99
"The Ferndale Rep has another comedic gem on its hands with Social Security. ... It's not often you hear uncontrolled guffawing, and there's plenty to go around in this production."
- Scott T. Smith, The Times Standard 1/28/99
Concept Statement, Social Security March 28, 1999
Introduction
This particular production was an interesting occurrence in my work. I was not originally scheduled to direct this show, but the director who was assigned, due to unpredictable circumstances, was unable to do it. Literally three days before auditions were to take place the Artistic Director of Ferndale Repertory Theatre came to me. I read through the script that night. Though I immediately recognized that this script looked deceptively simple on the surface but was, in fact, a very tricky piece to make work correctly. However, it did have only 6 characters, a single set, a nearly contemporary time period and would be fairly simple to at least produce. I accepted the position.
Concept & Goals
Conceptually, I saw this play as a delightful light comedy meant to entertain and reflect some very familial relationship traits that many of us endure. At the same time, this is a play with a lot of heart. Lighter comedies have a trap into which many actors and directors fall. Under the assumption that comedy is not a serious genre, they fail to invest enough into the characters. Yes, comedy of this sort often relies on stereotypes, but at the same time, the connection one wants from the audience comes from distinct and specific living and breathing characters. Within their crazy world, their goals are very important. The second trap to avoid is tendency to over sentimentalize: wanting to make the characters too idealistic, their feelings too syrupy. I attempted instead to lean into more irony and play against some of that sentiment.
Challenges and Approach
As noted above, this is a very tricky script in that it involves an enormous amount of static dialogue and storytelling. It lacks physical action. I had to find action within the scenes and capitalize on it. I utilized the scenes with inherent action and played it as fully as possible. The challenge of the static scenes then became how to make the telling of the stories and the reaction to those stories more active. Developing specific character behaviors and standard means of interaction (such as Barbara's repeated business of hitting David when he said something rude) added not only valuable physical business, but also punctuated key comedic moments and added a sense of context and history to the character’s relationships.
Outcome
All in all I was very pleased with the outcome of this production. I consider it among some of my best work especially considering I had no previous knowledge of this play and virtually no preparation time. Luckily the design team and I had worked together previously and saw eye to eye on nearly all issues. I felt that the creativity of the cast, designers and my own work blended seamlessly. The audiences seemed to greatly enjoy it, the reviews were very positive and sales exceeded all expectations. The process was truly a joy for me and for the cast. We’ve even discussed the possibility of a reunion production to bring this group together again in the future.
- Barry Blake, The North Coast Journal 1/28/99
"The Ferndale Rep has another comedic gem on its hands with Social Security. ... It's not often you hear uncontrolled guffawing, and there's plenty to go around in this production."
- Scott T. Smith, The Times Standard 1/28/99
Concept Statement, Social Security March 28, 1999
Introduction
This particular production was an interesting occurrence in my work. I was not originally scheduled to direct this show, but the director who was assigned, due to unpredictable circumstances, was unable to do it. Literally three days before auditions were to take place the Artistic Director of Ferndale Repertory Theatre came to me. I read through the script that night. Though I immediately recognized that this script looked deceptively simple on the surface but was, in fact, a very tricky piece to make work correctly. However, it did have only 6 characters, a single set, a nearly contemporary time period and would be fairly simple to at least produce. I accepted the position.
Concept & Goals
Conceptually, I saw this play as a delightful light comedy meant to entertain and reflect some very familial relationship traits that many of us endure. At the same time, this is a play with a lot of heart. Lighter comedies have a trap into which many actors and directors fall. Under the assumption that comedy is not a serious genre, they fail to invest enough into the characters. Yes, comedy of this sort often relies on stereotypes, but at the same time, the connection one wants from the audience comes from distinct and specific living and breathing characters. Within their crazy world, their goals are very important. The second trap to avoid is tendency to over sentimentalize: wanting to make the characters too idealistic, their feelings too syrupy. I attempted instead to lean into more irony and play against some of that sentiment.
Challenges and Approach
As noted above, this is a very tricky script in that it involves an enormous amount of static dialogue and storytelling. It lacks physical action. I had to find action within the scenes and capitalize on it. I utilized the scenes with inherent action and played it as fully as possible. The challenge of the static scenes then became how to make the telling of the stories and the reaction to those stories more active. Developing specific character behaviors and standard means of interaction (such as Barbara's repeated business of hitting David when he said something rude) added not only valuable physical business, but also punctuated key comedic moments and added a sense of context and history to the character’s relationships.
Outcome
All in all I was very pleased with the outcome of this production. I consider it among some of my best work especially considering I had no previous knowledge of this play and virtually no preparation time. Luckily the design team and I had worked together previously and saw eye to eye on nearly all issues. I felt that the creativity of the cast, designers and my own work blended seamlessly. The audiences seemed to greatly enjoy it, the reviews were very positive and sales exceeded all expectations. The process was truly a joy for me and for the cast. We’ve even discussed the possibility of a reunion production to bring this group together again in the future.