It was refreshing to read the play this way, rather than from a director or artistic director's perspective. A director takes in the whole play, trying to make sense of the work in terms of its journey, its rhythm, look, sound, and meaning. An artistic director reads a play thinking of the company, the season and the audience ~ how does this play fit with the theatre's mission, the other plays offered, and audience requests? As I read the play today, I felt the urge to answer some of those questions as they cropped up, but that impulse was swiftly overtaken anytime Jocasta showed up on the page.
Simple questions arose. How old is she? Does she line her lips in brown lipliner? What brand of cigarettes does she smoke? Then more difficult questions emerged. Why does she stay in Pico-Union? Is she a victim of her own power, trapped by her position as much as by her fate? What makes her laugh?
Our director, Elizabeth Huffman, sent out the script to the whole cast last week, and we've been asked to arrive at the first rehearsal in late March as memorized as possible. I'm sure this work over the next two months will only grow the list of questions...
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