Theatre Spotlight : Gwendolyn Snow
For today’s Theatre Spotlight, I am excited to introduce Gwendolyn Snow who is an actor, director and vocalist from Brazil Indiana. She is also a co-founder of TeamTheatre LLC. For this interview, we talk about her experience working as a director on several projects. Enjoy!
1. As a director, what draws you to say yes to a project?
Usually, I am drawn to a project if I enjoy working with the artists involved, or if the script proposes some interesting characters or relationship dynamics. I enjoy working with interesting stories because my job as a director is to make the plot as clear as possible, and if it’s already well written, the piece will sing.
2. What was your most favorite play to direct and why?
I directed a movement theatre piece entitled “Golden Girl By The Sea” written by Dorothea Gloria. It was dynamic, and it had a huge chorus. It was a director’s playground! I had so much fun helping the actors find specific movement as a group underlie the dramatic exchange happening in the dialogue. This piece was about a young woman, struggling with her sexual orientation, who goes on an epic, sometimes scary, sometimes comical, journey full of Greek Gods, and their minions. I had never had the chance to utilize a chorus before, and I quickly realised how the use of bodies, repetitive movement themes, and stage pictures really help to elevate the work.
3. Was there a particular project that you directed that really challenged you?
Last summer I was a guest director for a seminar class. I had a group of writers watching me work with actors on the scripts that they had written. Then the actors and I took questions on the process of directing new works, and on their scripts specifically. The scripts were from new writers so there was a lot of justifying that needed to be done both in my suggestions to the actors and the actors acting the material. It’s an interesting process to wrap constructive feedback in an easy to digest package and in the same conversation comment on my own process.
4. What are the things you look for in your actors during the rehearsal process?
I really enjoy working with actors who come in with clear choices and also communicate those choices and what they want for their characters clearly. Because it’s easy for me to then say, “YES ! AMAZING. Now, do it more/better/slower/faster/more defined!!!” or “Okay, it’s not clear yet, let’s look to the script.”
5. Are there any future projects that you’re planning on doing?
I am currently working on devising a project that includes elderly writers and performers. I think inclusivity and oral tradition is very important especially for the elderly who have so much to give, and are often very isolated. This project would give people a platform to tell the stories that were told to them.
6. Given the current situation, where would you like theater to go?
I hope that this break will give smaller companies a chance to really re-group and find ways to integrate more into their communities. It’s time for more “grass-roots” art.
A big thank you to Gwendolyn Snow for doing this interview with us. To learn more about Gwendolyn Snow and TeamTheatre LLC, follow them on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TeamTheatreLLC/
