On the day of our opening night, I am feeling all sorts of things – nervousness, relief, but above all excitement. It is always so great to see things that you imagined come to life and to share a play with other people.
During my twenty-odd years doing theatre, I actually have not directed that much, as this is my fifth endeavour at the helm. I am a bit of a collector of plays, but it is always a bit of a challenge for me to find plays that I would like to direct instead of act in, seeing as I do love being on stage so much. Paula Vogel has been on my list of favourite authors for a long time now, and when I made the decision that this spring I wanted to direct again, ’The Baltimore Waltz’ was one of the first scripts that came to mind.
I am not a big fan of surrealism, because I am all about making things feel authentic and real on stage. But in this play, strangely it was the surrealistic flavour that made me so drawn to it in the first place. When doing a play about dealing with an illness and losing a loved one, a little bit of absurdity makes it easier to handle. And of course surrealism and authenticity do not negate each other. 😊
I want to thank Arno, Nastia and Austin for their hard work and commitment in making their characters and the play touching, funny and genuine. Theatre is an intensive hobby, and it is not always easy to balance it with work and husbands and boyfriends. You end up spending a lot of time together, and that is why it is great to do plays with people you love. I am so proud of you and what we have accomplished together!
-Pauliina
During my twenty-odd years doing theatre, I actually have not directed that much, as this is my fifth endeavour at the helm. I am a bit of a collector of plays, but it is always a bit of a challenge for me to find plays that I would like to direct instead of act in, seeing as I do love being on stage so much. Paula Vogel has been on my list of favourite authors for a long time now, and when I made the decision that this spring I wanted to direct again, ’The Baltimore Waltz’ was one of the first scripts that came to mind.
I am not a big fan of surrealism, because I am all about making things feel authentic and real on stage. But in this play, strangely it was the surrealistic flavour that made me so drawn to it in the first place. When doing a play about dealing with an illness and losing a loved one, a little bit of absurdity makes it easier to handle. And of course surrealism and authenticity do not negate each other. 😊
I want to thank Arno, Nastia and Austin for their hard work and commitment in making their characters and the play touching, funny and genuine. Theatre is an intensive hobby, and it is not always easy to balance it with work and husbands and boyfriends. You end up spending a lot of time together, and that is why it is great to do plays with people you love. I am so proud of you and what we have accomplished together!
-Pauliina