Interviews with our Directors by Emily Rhinehelder
Interview with Todd Evangelista 2014
Todd Evangelista is one of our well known directors. His Sherlock Holmes series and his adaptations of famous horror works by Poe and Lovecraft have been successful and He has entertained our audiences for years.
How did you get into theater?
I took a drama class in high school, and in high school, I was thinking about suicide 24 hours a day, but when I was on stage, I was happy. Later on, in college, we had to put on a play and I had an aptitude for it. I knew that I was right, and that the director was wrong, so I knew that theater would always provide me with fights.
What inspired you to start directing?
When I got into theater, I met Beverle. Her son asked me to be in the show, Caesar. I also did Odd Couple, and I played Felix. I started noticing things that were wrong with the shows. Eventually Beverle had a director who dropped out of the show, so she asked me if I would direct a show, The Taming of the Shrew. I rewrote the entire play, so that I would only need 14 actors, and during the course of the play, seven of the actors dropped out, and the seventh was fired, so I had to take that part. It was finally a show where things were up to my standards, and I didn’t feel let down by the director. Every summer I would direct another Shakespeare play. I did that for seven years and then I took a break. Then we got the Old Town Hall, so I decided to come back. Before it was a very limited amount of plays you could put on in a tent. The Old Town Hall lets us do pretty much any show.
How is your directing style different than your acting style?
I think I’m more comical as an actor. I like to do more things with timing and situations. With directing, I’ll do mysteries or whatever comes along.
How do you decide the shows that you do?
I tend to pick things I think have been done incorrectly. The book, Murder of Roger Ackroyd, uses a clever gimmick, but not one time have I seen it used in acting or on TV. I said, I’m going to do it with the gimmick. Sometimes I wanna fix things, sometimes, it’s just pure laziness. It took me a while to realize is that the problem is at the script level. If something is going to work o the stage, I need to take the script or the story and I need to completely redo it to my specifications. I write the shows now.
What’s your favorite show?
A Doll’s House.
Why?
My favorite show is Dolls House because on opening night, I was able to rewrite Act III, so that it could be performed. I never knew I could do that until I did it.
What’s your least favorite show?
Witch House. But not cause it was bad. Mostly cause everybody was yelling at me.
Why?
Witch House reached way beyond our grasp. We were able to do it, but I can see there was a cognitive dissonance between the images and effects in my head, and what was on stage.
What has been the hardest part about directing?
Accepting other people’s quirks, and even when those quirks spoil the effect, letting it go.
What has the easiest part been?
Picking the shows. They come fast and furious.
What is your favorite part about directing?
Getting the idea of the show out of your brain and up onto the stage. Only then is the weight removed.
What is one show that you really want to do? Why?
Spider Baby. I wanna fix the middle of it. There’s a whole twenty minutes that doesn’t have Lon Chaney Jr. in it. It’s just them walking around the house and none of the people have motivation. I’d also like to have the ending make a little more sense. Also, Nowhere Man, because of the first person. If someone writes something in first person, it means they survived the event, but as the narrator goes along, he says something is going to kill him and he burns the manuscript. You don’t know what’s going to happen and I like that twist.
What was the inspiration for the Sherlock Holmes shows?
Ben Saylor. Each time I look at a theme of the character I want to bring out. The first one was realizing that Moriarty was behind the cases. The second one was redemption. The third one was “looking back”. The next one was Sherlock vs. Cthulhu. The last one was passing the torch to the next generation. The fight is unending. The idea of crime is not going to stop.
What is it about Sherlock Holmes that you think draws the audience in?
I think they like how the character is portrayed. I think each time we give them a little more insight into the character. I think that you get a mystery, so you have to solve something, but it’s a fair mystery that isn’t gruesome. It’ an intellectual affair. They like the interactions. People also love Mrs. Hudson and they like the humor.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m president of the theater now. I’d like to try and continue three plays a year that I direct. I would also like to foster new directors in Dover, especially directors that I think are going to create good shows. I like to encourage that activity and encourage new actors so that they keep acting with us.
Any last thoughts?
I wanna try and be more original, but the thing that our audience likes is that we do things in original ways, using characters they already know, such as Holmes, Poirot and Ms. Marple. I also like that we do shows from authors that are unknown to them.
Todd Evangelista is one of our well known directors. His Sherlock Holmes series and his adaptations of famous horror works by Poe and Lovecraft have been successful and He has entertained our audiences for years.
How did you get into theater?
I took a drama class in high school, and in high school, I was thinking about suicide 24 hours a day, but when I was on stage, I was happy. Later on, in college, we had to put on a play and I had an aptitude for it. I knew that I was right, and that the director was wrong, so I knew that theater would always provide me with fights.
What inspired you to start directing?
When I got into theater, I met Beverle. Her son asked me to be in the show, Caesar. I also did Odd Couple, and I played Felix. I started noticing things that were wrong with the shows. Eventually Beverle had a director who dropped out of the show, so she asked me if I would direct a show, The Taming of the Shrew. I rewrote the entire play, so that I would only need 14 actors, and during the course of the play, seven of the actors dropped out, and the seventh was fired, so I had to take that part. It was finally a show where things were up to my standards, and I didn’t feel let down by the director. Every summer I would direct another Shakespeare play. I did that for seven years and then I took a break. Then we got the Old Town Hall, so I decided to come back. Before it was a very limited amount of plays you could put on in a tent. The Old Town Hall lets us do pretty much any show.
How is your directing style different than your acting style?
I think I’m more comical as an actor. I like to do more things with timing and situations. With directing, I’ll do mysteries or whatever comes along.
How do you decide the shows that you do?
I tend to pick things I think have been done incorrectly. The book, Murder of Roger Ackroyd, uses a clever gimmick, but not one time have I seen it used in acting or on TV. I said, I’m going to do it with the gimmick. Sometimes I wanna fix things, sometimes, it’s just pure laziness. It took me a while to realize is that the problem is at the script level. If something is going to work o the stage, I need to take the script or the story and I need to completely redo it to my specifications. I write the shows now.
What’s your favorite show?
A Doll’s House.
Why?
My favorite show is Dolls House because on opening night, I was able to rewrite Act III, so that it could be performed. I never knew I could do that until I did it.
What’s your least favorite show?
Witch House. But not cause it was bad. Mostly cause everybody was yelling at me.
Why?
Witch House reached way beyond our grasp. We were able to do it, but I can see there was a cognitive dissonance between the images and effects in my head, and what was on stage.
What has been the hardest part about directing?
Accepting other people’s quirks, and even when those quirks spoil the effect, letting it go.
What has the easiest part been?
Picking the shows. They come fast and furious.
What is your favorite part about directing?
Getting the idea of the show out of your brain and up onto the stage. Only then is the weight removed.
What is one show that you really want to do? Why?
Spider Baby. I wanna fix the middle of it. There’s a whole twenty minutes that doesn’t have Lon Chaney Jr. in it. It’s just them walking around the house and none of the people have motivation. I’d also like to have the ending make a little more sense. Also, Nowhere Man, because of the first person. If someone writes something in first person, it means they survived the event, but as the narrator goes along, he says something is going to kill him and he burns the manuscript. You don’t know what’s going to happen and I like that twist.
What was the inspiration for the Sherlock Holmes shows?
Ben Saylor. Each time I look at a theme of the character I want to bring out. The first one was realizing that Moriarty was behind the cases. The second one was redemption. The third one was “looking back”. The next one was Sherlock vs. Cthulhu. The last one was passing the torch to the next generation. The fight is unending. The idea of crime is not going to stop.
What is it about Sherlock Holmes that you think draws the audience in?
I think they like how the character is portrayed. I think each time we give them a little more insight into the character. I think that you get a mystery, so you have to solve something, but it’s a fair mystery that isn’t gruesome. It’ an intellectual affair. They like the interactions. People also love Mrs. Hudson and they like the humor.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m president of the theater now. I’d like to try and continue three plays a year that I direct. I would also like to foster new directors in Dover, especially directors that I think are going to create good shows. I like to encourage that activity and encourage new actors so that they keep acting with us.
Any last thoughts?
I wanna try and be more original, but the thing that our audience likes is that we do things in original ways, using characters they already know, such as Holmes, Poirot and Ms. Marple. I also like that we do shows from authors that are unknown to them.
Interview with Greg Lavelle 2014
Greg Lavelle is one of our many directors here at the Dover Players. He is known for his humorous work, which he writes and produces himself. His current show, Jake’s Revenge is a sequel to Jake’s Dilemma, both of which are originals by Greg. Greg stars as Jake, a grumpy diner owner in the middle of nowhere who is convinced aliens are after him. After viewing a performance of Jake’s Revenge, I interviewed him about his work.
What inspired you to start directing?
They said “We need somebody to direct”, and the only way to get plays produced, is to direct.
Did you ever see yourself directing?
Hell no!
How is your directing style different than your acting?
Well, I’m different than Jake. I’m out there to have fun.
What is it about your directing style that you think sets you apart from other directors?
I like to let people create; I’m not a puppeteer.
What inspired Jake’s Dilemma and Jake’s Revenge?
I ran across some bills with 1’s and 0’s in the serial numbers. It exploded from that. The sequel, Jake’s Revenge, just happened.
Did you have Jake’s Dilemma planned for a while?
I wrote it and showed it to Mark and Jim.
What do you hope people take away from the show?
Laughs and cake.
What has been the hardest part about directing?
The hardest part has been not being able to see the show from the audience. In Fresh Start at the Sunrise Laundromat, I envisioned one thing, but I was on stage so I couldn’t watch what was happening.
What has the easiest part been?
Everything, except for finding actors.
What is your favorite part?
I can put my own spin on shows instead of someone else’s.
What is one show that you really want to do? Why?
There are two, actually. One is Unexpected Guest, by Agatha Christie. It’s the greatest practical joke, because you think it ends one way, but at the end, you are completely wrong. Christie drives me crazy. The second is The High Road, which I would like to put on for Black History Month. It’s strong and it’s only with education that you can be free.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m thrilled to stay here, but I would also like my plays to get picked up elsewhere.
What keeps you coming back to Dover?
There are spots in the schedule.
Any last thoughts?
What I would really like is for people to get the real message from another of my shows, A Fresh Start at the Sunrise Laundromat, which is that the middle class is getting eliminated. There are also messages of the Christian faith.
Greg Lavelle is one of our many directors here at the Dover Players. He is known for his humorous work, which he writes and produces himself. His current show, Jake’s Revenge is a sequel to Jake’s Dilemma, both of which are originals by Greg. Greg stars as Jake, a grumpy diner owner in the middle of nowhere who is convinced aliens are after him. After viewing a performance of Jake’s Revenge, I interviewed him about his work.
What inspired you to start directing?
They said “We need somebody to direct”, and the only way to get plays produced, is to direct.
Did you ever see yourself directing?
Hell no!
How is your directing style different than your acting?
Well, I’m different than Jake. I’m out there to have fun.
What is it about your directing style that you think sets you apart from other directors?
I like to let people create; I’m not a puppeteer.
What inspired Jake’s Dilemma and Jake’s Revenge?
I ran across some bills with 1’s and 0’s in the serial numbers. It exploded from that. The sequel, Jake’s Revenge, just happened.
Did you have Jake’s Dilemma planned for a while?
I wrote it and showed it to Mark and Jim.
What do you hope people take away from the show?
Laughs and cake.
What has been the hardest part about directing?
The hardest part has been not being able to see the show from the audience. In Fresh Start at the Sunrise Laundromat, I envisioned one thing, but I was on stage so I couldn’t watch what was happening.
What has the easiest part been?
Everything, except for finding actors.
What is your favorite part?
I can put my own spin on shows instead of someone else’s.
What is one show that you really want to do? Why?
There are two, actually. One is Unexpected Guest, by Agatha Christie. It’s the greatest practical joke, because you think it ends one way, but at the end, you are completely wrong. Christie drives me crazy. The second is The High Road, which I would like to put on for Black History Month. It’s strong and it’s only with education that you can be free.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m thrilled to stay here, but I would also like my plays to get picked up elsewhere.
What keeps you coming back to Dover?
There are spots in the schedule.
Any last thoughts?
What I would really like is for people to get the real message from another of my shows, A Fresh Start at the Sunrise Laundromat, which is that the middle class is getting eliminated. There are also messages of the Christian faith.