A Conversation with ‘Suicide, Incorporated’ Director, Jonathan Berry

Ted Sod, Roundabout's Education Dramaturg, interviewed director Jonathan Berry to discuss the play.

Ted Sod: Why did you want to direct Suicide, Incorporated?

Jonathan Berry: For this play, I think Andrew has so beautifully and painfully captured what it is to be a young man in the world. The play is remarkably clear-eyed and honest in its dealing with the challenges society places on men - the perception that all men must remain strong, that somehow the showing of emotion is a sign of weakness, and the damage that can occur when there is no release from that pressure. The image of the man being strong and silent has dominated our perception of what is "correct" and is so deeply embedded in our cultural understanding. I am grateful to be a part of a vehicle that addresses that bias head on, while at the same time being honest about the challenges men face and compassionate to those who are struggling with it. It's great to be a part of a project that dares to voice a truth that is often ignored.

How did you and Andrew come to collaborate on this play? What changes will there be if any in your approach to the play since first directing it in Chicago?

I'm a believer that every theatrical process is best when all those involved are engaged and excited and bring the best of themselves to the work. So in many respects, my roll as director is to put forth why I think doing this play is important, what I think the play is about, and then respond to what that inspires in the designers and actors. So my ideas about what the play is about hasn't changed, but because I am working with entirely new people, they will, necessarily generate a completely unique response. I'm grateful for my intimate knowledge of the play and how it has to work on stage, and am excited to find, with this new team, a completely different path.

What do you think the play is about?

The play, for me, is about the struggles of being a young man in society today - specifically, the pressure that comes from trying to live up to this ideal of masculinity. The young man is made to feel like there are standards that he must uphold, and that failure, or the experience of pain or loss is something that is not acceptable to express. By holding that in, we cut ourselves off from the very human connection that is required to make it through life. The play is about men who reach the critical point where the need for connection is so strong that they are faced with the choice of asking for help or ending their lives.

Jake O'Connor and Gabriel Ebert in 'Sons of the Prophet'; Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, 2011

How did you research the world of the play? What kind of research did you have to do in order to direct it?

A lot of the research was listening to or seeking out accounts of young men who attempted suicide, or reading survivor stories for those loved one's left behind. I read a lot of David Foster Wallace, specifically one of his graduation addresses that spoke about how he tried to function in the world - trying to get past the idea that everything is happening to you rather than the idea that things are just happening and you're experiencing them.

I grabbed onto Kindlon and Thompson's book Raising Cain, that speaks specifically of the emotional life of boys, and how boys grow up differently and the need to acknowledge that difference - how the basic wiring of boys remains more geared towards physicality and release and how the education system is changing to make that kind of release inappropriate, and the effect that it's having on boys. I think that same study talks about parent's response to babies crying and how that changes with gender - how girl babies are allowed to cry, while boy babies are more actively shushed and told not to.

I also work very visually, so I always have a lot of photos that feel right to me - that I somehow respond to emotionally, and then I try to work with the designers to determine what it is that creates for me that feeling. Same is true for music.

What did you look for in casting the actors? What traits did you need?

With casting, all I'm ever really looking for is whether or not I believe the person is acting from a place of honesty. Once that's established, I think about the needs of the play and the traits of the character - what qualities does an actor have, that the character also has? What is their energy, what is the vibe they give off coming through the door?

Sometimes it is a physical thing - when we were casting Tommy and Jason, it was really important that the two people look like they could be brothers - so some physical similarities, and then also, the right age gap between them -as that relationship is crucial to the story telling.

I will try to give everyone some kind of adjustment, to see if they are able to listen to and take direction. Also, if they are clearly a good actor who just has a different take on the character, I need to see if they can be flexible and have a willingness to try something else.

Finally, I'm a big believer in intuition. Getting a read on what kind of person they are. The ethos of the room is really important to me, and a single person who is negative, or aggressive in a bad way, or is focused on the wrong thing can really turn a room quickly. I see it as putting together a team that has to work together - they need to be an ensemble, and I try to put people together who will be excited about working with each other.

James McMenamin and Toby Leonard Moore in 'Sons of the Prophet'; Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, 2011

How will the play manifest itself visually? How are you collaborating with your design team?

The key word that we've been focusing on with the design is pressure - I see that the play happens from Jason's perspective, so everything that the audience sees and responds to needs to be about supporting the feeling of Jason's experience. Jason puts an incredible amount of pressure on himself to be successful, and he sees no room for error. He is also trying to keep clean and control an emotional experience that defies order. He says, of his experience, that all the color has drained out of his life, going from color to black and white.

With the design, we've tried to create a space that feels a little blank, a white box that Jason has to manipulate to bring about the changes in scene to scene. Any changes in the space will be handled primarily by Jason, pushing one scene away, pulling another on. The design team has talked about the experience almost like a treadmill that keeps getting faster. It's manageable at first, but as it speeds up, you have the breathless lack of control and danger of falling. The sound design will support that, and the lights and costumes are working in a limited palate to create focus, isolation, and a sameness to the world.

If we're successful, your experience with the play should be one of pressure, of breathless increasing pace and finally, hopefully, one of release.

What inspires you as a director? Do you see other directors' work? Go to movies? Museums? Travel?

For me, I don't have specific things that I do to recharge or to receive inspiration. I do see a lot of plays and love it when I see some kind of smart production idea that I've never seen before. But mostly, I try to find things that, while in process, make me think of the play. I find trying to be open to that, if you're lucky, the world suddenly becomes filled with things that reflect the play. It can be a piece of music, or an image, or a movie or newspaper article.

I like photography a lot - both looking at and taking pictures. Particularly candid street photography - a photo that captures an honest moment, getting access to something that maybe should be private - I love collecting those - little life stories that inspire engagement. I try to just keep my eyes open. I see things all the time that I want to put on stage.

Suicide, Incorporated is playing at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/Black Box Theatre through December 23, 2011. For more information about the show or how to purchase tickets, click here.