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Since the early 90s, James Still and IRT have been partners in success
Posted: May 01, 2008 in Things to do, Culture
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When James Still became playwright-in-residence at Indiana Repertory Theatre 10 years ago, he took the honor -- and the professional relationship -- at its word.
Despite his California address, Still travels to Indianapolis at least monthly. And what began as a two-year grant has morphed into a budgeted position within the state's designated Theatre Laureate.
"When I talk to folks about James and his presence with us, and what he does with us and for us, he is so much more than any kind of typical playwright -- or even an artist -- in residence," says IRT's Managing Director Steven Stolen. "James has involved himself with virtually any part of the theater that I ask him to, which is very unique."
"He's not interested in just being niched and segregated as a writer. ..... It's about using all of his skills and interests," adds Janet Allen, IRT artistic director.
Still's history with the IRT goes back to the early 1990s, when the theater first produced one of his works. But the "real turning point" in the relationship came in 1996, Allen says, when IRT presented the world premiere of Still's "And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank."
The production, Allen recalls, was technically complex because it contained a lot of video during a time when theaters were not using video very much. It was kind of a "trial by fire," and a bonding experience.
Shortly afterward, Allen asked Still to apply with the IRT for a Theater Residency Program for Playwrights, a grant developed by the Theatre Communication Group and the National Endowment for the Arts, and funded by Pew Charitable Trusts. The grant funded Still's first two years as playwright-in-residence and was renewed for a second two-year term.
Not only did the grant bring IRT and Still together on a more "authentic and deep relationship," as the playwright describes it, but it also connected all national recipients through annual conferences to compare notes.
"That is a huge benefit to an organization like ours," says Allen, "because we're very isolated. We're the only theater of our kind in the state of Indiana. We work very collegially with other theaters in Indianapolis, but none of them work with the same union configuration and the same funding schemes and the same perspective that we do."
But when the grant was up, both sides felt strongly about continuing the partnership. "We had certainly proved the value of his residency to ourselves, to our staff, to our board," Allen says. "And then we moved the pay structure for the residency into our operating budget."
Key to their success is a goal shared by Allen (a dramaturg "by trade and discipline") and Still: to demonstrate how influential a talented writer can be to a theater's overall development.
"By putting a writer in a key position in an institution," Allen says, "it could unlock a whole bunch of conversation."
And it has. Allen estimates that in the past decade, IRT has put on 10 productions of eight of Still's works, including "Iron Kisses," which continues through May 11 on the theater's Upperstage. Many of those productions were funded through NEA grant money.
Still also directs one IRT production each year, something that comes naturally to him. He graduated with a directing degree from the University of Kansas.
In fact, Still was adamant from the beginning of his playwright-in-residence status that directing would be a part of his responsibilities.
"I learn so much as a writer when I direct other people's plays," he says. "You can study a script, you can read a play or you can even go see a play, but that's not the same thing as being in rehearsal with it every day and really understanding, from the inside, how that writer structures that play. I feel like I'm a better writer because of the plays that I've directed at the IRT."
That lack of a self-centered perspective contributes to a rich theater/artist experience, Stolen says.
"This is a guy who looks at the world through a pretty wide lens. And that's a gift to us. ..... He looks at what we do, and even how we do his work, with a wider sense of its impact and its message than just 'It's my play.'
"...... He doesn't really want it to be about him. He never has and probably never will."
That's not to say that Still isn't personally connected to his works. Far from it. A playwright, Still points out, is in the unique position of seeing live reaction to his creations unfold before his eyes.
"...... So when it is sort of thrown out there and opened up and shared with more people, there are times when that's great, and there are times when it's the opposite, when people don't respond to something that you've cared so much about. And that's deeply painful," he says.
Fortunately, response to "Looking Over the President's Shoulder," which closed Saturday, and the current production has spared Still that distress.
"For the community to be so enthusiastic about both plays ..... is a pretty marvelous thing," says Stolen. "Opening night of 'Iron Kisses' was something quite extraordinary that we won't soon forget ..... ('Iron Kisses') reveals another aspect of James' great perception about people. It's a really, really powerful, intimate look at how people get along, how people care for each other, in the face of challenges."
What's next for Still?
One current project is a play called "Interpreting William," commissioned by the IRT with Conner Prairie in Fishers. From both past and present perspectives, the work examines the complex and controversial choices made by the museum's namesake, William Conner.
"It's really about trying to personalize history as opposed to thinking of history as just kind of academic and pat," Still explains. "Instead, the history was actually somebody's messy life."
He's also working on an Abraham Lincoln project for Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Titled "The Heavens Are Hung in Black," it will premiere in 2009 in honor of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
And there is no end in sight to his residency with the IRT.
"We talk about the future, and how long is our relationship going to be going on. And the really good answer is, I guess it goes on until we no longer are inspired by possible projects," Still says.
"Right now, there are a lot of things in the pipeline that will reel out years from now. I don't think any of us expect this to last forever, but it's sure great while it's happening."
James Still
Age: 48.
Residence: Los Angeles.
Hometown: Pomona, Kan.
Education: Graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in directing.
Honors: William Inge Festival's Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award; Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award for Distinguished Body of Work. Still's plays have been nominated for Pulitzer Prizes. They also have been developed and workshopped at Robert Redford's Sundance Lab, the New Harmony Project, New Visions/New Voices at the Kennedy Center and the Bonderman Symposium at the IRT. Three plays have received the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance for Theatre & Education.
Plays by James Still performed at the IRT
"Iron Kisses" (2008).
"Looking Over the President's Shoulder" (2001 and 2008).
"The Gentleman from Indiana," adapted from the book by Booth Tarkington, (2006).
"Searching For Eden" (2005).
"He Held Me Grand" (2002).
"And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank" (2005 and 1996).
"Amber Waves" (2000).
"The Secret History of the Future" (1992).
"Iron Kisses"
What: In this James Still play, a seemingly typical Midwestern family doesn't end up that way as a couple's daughter announces her divorce just as their son sends out invitations to his same-sex wedding.
When: Various times through May 11.
Where: Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St.
Cost: $24-$49, with $10 discount for seniors; students $19.
Info: (317) 635-5252 or go to www.irtlive.com
By Julie Cope Saetre / Star correspondent