Unique elements

And so, I officially turn the production over to the cast, crew, and most importantly, you, the audience. I’m glad the show’s now able to settle into its run with confidence. People are often surprised when I tell them that the director is not part of the day-to-day running of a production after opening night. The stage manager is put in charge of keeping up the integrity of the show. Before a show opens, my role as a director is to lead and inspire the collaboration of artists and technicians who will bring to life a new interpretation of a playwright’s words. My goal for opening night is to deliver our interpretation as a clear, thoughtful, and entertaining production. Here are some elements that make this production of The Sex Habits of American Women unique:

1. Unlike many theatres, Signature has flexible seating and can change the orientation of the audience to suit the production. I chose seating on three sides so the audience could be as close to the stage action as possible and feel like they were sitting in the same ‘50s living room as the characters on stage. Also, I wanted the audience to be able to see each other reacting, laughing, blushing, and making personal connections to their own life experiences.

2. Even though the play’s location is New York, NY, no references to NYC are specifically made in the script. So to make the home more universally familiar to the audience, we designed a spacious 1950s suburban house.

3. Previous productions have shown the film segments on one large screen on the back wall. I wanted the film action to be more integrated with the stage action so we placed TV monitors throughout the house that are only visible when turned on. In addition, I wanted the audience to watch the films like they watch TV — a current American family activity that started in the ‘50s.

4. I added a few short musical sequences (i.e. the very beginning and the curtain call) that introduce the characters and reflect the TV shows and music of the time period. I wanted to transport the audience back in time, in an idealistic way, before we see how difficult it was to keep up the appearance of a happy American family.

And so, my job is done... which always makes me a little depressed. All that work, and then it disappears after just a few weeks. Alas, theatre is mortal, just like us... I wax poetic.

Thanks for tuning in!

— Michael