by Kirby Lindsay, posted 14 March 2014
The next production at West of Lenin is the family drama ‘Royal Blood,’ scheduled to transform and draw even more attention to Fremont’s adventurous, west-side theater from March 21st – April 4th.
“I’ve been writing this play for years now,” explained playwright Sonya Schneider, “I’ve been tweaking it and changing it for several years. The production is the culmination of that.”
For this production, Schneider serves as both playwright and producer, sharing the latter title with her husband Stuart Nagae. They’ve enlisted the talents of director Laurel Pilar Garcia to bring together this work about a dysfunctional family clinging to their belief in a royal birthright. The production features a talented ensemble cast of Todd Jefferson Moore, Amy Love, Mari Nelson, Nicole Merat and David Hsieh.
A Lift Out Of Mediocrity
“It’s a family drama,” Schneider explained about ‘Royal Blood’, “I hope there is some comedy, but it is certainly not a comedy.” She admitted that her family provided some inspiration, but “my family does not and never claimed to have a connection to royalty.”
With this piece, Schneider explores the need for an identity. “I’m fascinated by the way we as Americans try to separate ourselves from others,” she explained. The play, and its characters, demonstrates the advantages to holding strong to an identity, particularly one that might lift a family out of mediocrity, while also showing a number of disadvantages. Yet, Schneider also shares her fascination with the family dynamics of how we treat others, in the family and by extension the world.
Really though, Schneider resisted any chatter about her play and any message it contains. “A lot of my vision will be formulated in the moments between the actors,” she explained, “I’m thrilled with all of our actors.”
‘In Rehearsal, And In Collaborating’
“We have a wonderful cast!” Schneider acknowledged, more than once, “They’ve helped me during the creation of the script.” While she did a table read of ‘Royal Blood’ a few years ago to get a sense of how it sounded – and Hsieh also participated then – Schneider has continued to develop her play, and her characters right into rehearsals.
She loves the part of the writing process where she can sit and write, and let her imagination soar while the words flow. “The opportunity to see [a work] through is meaningful for me,” she said of the process – from idea to a professional performance before a paying audience. “My hope for the play is that it is a journey for the characters,” Schneider said, “I’m pulling them through, and I hope that they are growing along the way. I’m always striving as a writer to see how much my characters can grow.” As a result, after the part where she puts words together, Schneider admitted, “my second favorite is in rehearsal, and in collaborating. I think being involved as a playwright is an opportunity for me to see how the work can evolve.”
“So far I’ve had three productions,” of her plays, Schneider said, “and I’ve been very involved,” in them all. For many playwrights, the plays they write, when produced, will be put together by an unknown, unseen cast and crew. “I would find it very hard to be a playwright in that way,” she said, “I love being involved!”
“As a playwright,” she said, “you have to see your work come to life, to complete the process.” Schneider and Pilar Garcia were friends before this production of ‘Royal Blood’, and Schneider knew she would be okay with continuing to collaborate. “Laurel welcomes it. We work together really well. She encourages me to be there,” Schneider said, yet “there is a benefit when I’m not there as well…”
Surprises do crop up through the process. The actors, and the director, can find things within the script that Schneider hadn’t noticed, or they may put an emphasis in places she hadn’t considered. “That’s a really wonderful feeling,” Schneider said, “when that happens – when Laurel and the actors find something. Just because you have a picture or a vision, it doesn’t keep others from seeing something new in it.”
‘A Supportive And Trusting Place’
After moving to Seattle, Schneider worked at Intiman Theatre for four years, as Artistic Assistant. “I fell in love with that side of theater,” she said. She loves working with the actors, seeing the designers come together to create the world, and seeing the director draw the whole piece into a solid production.
For ‘Royal Blood,’ “I feel very fortunate to have this team come together,” Schneider said about the whole design team, “it sets up a really supportive and trusting place when you have a team like this.” Jennifer Zeyl did the set design, and Schneider acknowledged, “I think she is a visionary.”
Still, one element remains to be added to bring the play from page to reality. “I’m excited for people to come in and add that final piece,” Schneider said about the audiences at West of Lenin. The audience will complete the process the playwright begins, alone, years before, with their presence, and honest reactions.
See ‘Royal Blood,’ at West of Lenin between March 21st and April 4th, by purchasing tickets through Brown Paper Tickets. Seating is limited for this production, so order your place now for this vividly staged premiere of ‘Royal Blood.’
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