AMY AND THE ORPHANS Interview with Scott Ellis

Ted Sod: Why did you want to direct Amy and the Orphans by Lindsey Ferrentino? How did you get involved with this production?

Scott Ellis: This play is a Roundabout commission, and while I was at a staff meeting, it was brought up that Lindsey had written a play about a pair of adult siblings, a sister and a brother, who have another sibling named Amy who was born with Down syndrome. I thought that sounded like a unique idea, and I wanted to read it. I wasn't reading it with the intention of directing it; the subject matter piqued my interest because when I was seventeen, I worked at an institution populated by adults and children with Down syndrome in Fairfax, Virginia. I was fascinated by the idea that Lindsey had written a play about a person with Down syndrome, and I really only wanted to know what this story was.

TS: When during that first reading did you decide you should approach Lindsey about directing it?

SE: I found I was connected to the writing immediately. It's a beautifully written story. I also love that Lindsey wanted to cast an actress with Down syndrome. I knew that was the only way it could be done. Lindsey wrote the role of Amy for the actress Jamie Brewer specifically.

TS: What do you think the play is about?

SE: Family, like so many plays. But Lindsey's play is also about creating a family for yourself when yours isn't a part of your day-to-day life. This play puts a spotlight on a woman with Down syndrome who has become her own person. One of the things I love about this play is, how often do we get to see people on stage who have Down syndrome, or any disability for that matter? Lindsey wrote it about her own family. She investigates a very difficult family decision. A decision that one can regret or one can embrace. Most families, at some point, are damaged. I think in this play, Lindsey is asking, "How do we heal that damage? How do we try to make that better?"

TS: Can you talk a bit about the kind of research you have to do in order to direct this play?

SE: There wasn't a ton of research, only because as I already mentioned, I had worked in a group home like the one Amy lives in. It's not that I don't like to do research, but I had a visceral, gut reaction to the play when I read it. It was something I related to and understood immediately. I suppose I understand it in a different way because I have experience with people like the character of Amy.

TS: This is going to be the world premiere production. What are the director's responsibilities and challenges when he works on a new play?

SE: I think as director you're there to support the storytelling and the writer's intention. That's the actor's job as well. For me, to have the opportunity to explore it with the writer and these amazing actors in a rehearsal room is a gift because we are all still in discovery mode, figuring out what everything means and how it all fits together. It's important for me as a director to try to focus on what the playwright wants to say to the audience. I feel when I'm directing a new play, we are all discovering things that none of us have ever thought of before. We'll find out so many things about the arc of the story and the characters during our rehearsal process. And it's my job to support that exploration.

TS: Do you ask a lot of questions of Lindsey? Will you give us an example of one of the first questions you asked her?

SE: My questions for Lindsey are usually about finding where the relationships in this family exist. The parents are different from their children. And certainly, the children are all very different from each other. So, I ask Lindsey questions in order to find out what they have in common and also what their profound differences are. That was something that I talked a lot about with Lindsey early on. I talked about how she visualized the movement of the piece before working with the design team. We move to different locations quite a bit in the play. Lindsey writes scenes where the environment should be very real. Her scenes have texture. There needs to be storytelling with the objects of the room, so that was something that we talked a lot about. The next thing we have to talk about will be the sound and music cues.

Director Scott Ellis with Playwright Lindsey Ferrentino

TS: A substantial amount of the play takes place in a car -- correct?

SE: A good chunk of it, yes.

TS: Isn't that hard to do on stage?

SE: You are right, it is. We've had many conversations about how this piece should look on stage, and what the car will be was a major part of those conversations. We have discussed all the possibilities: whether the car should be realistic or more abstract, and we've come up with a combination of both styles that I think will serve the play and specifically the action that takes place inside the car.

TS: You've assembled a talented design team. It seems to me that two of the designers are new collaborators for you. You've never worked with Rachel Hauck, the set designer, or Alejo Vietti, the costume designer, have you?

SE: No, I have not worked with Rachel or Alejo before. I knew some of Rachel's work, and it was Lindsey who asked if I would consider working with her because Lindsey knew her work and admired it. I thought, if this is someone she feels comfortable with and has worked with before, that's probably a good reason to explore a new collaborator. When I met her, I knew right away ours would be a good collaboration, and it has been. It's a very difficult piece because the play moves to so many locations in the course of the action. So, Rachel and I have been asking each other, "How do we get the various set pieces moving?" It was a challenge, and Rachel has done a phenomenal job. As for Alejo, I was around Holiday Inn, overseeing it during rehearsals. He designed over 400 costumes for that show. I hired him because I watched him and I liked how he worked. I liked how he dealt with the actors. I thought he was very level-headed, and I remember thinking, someday, I'm going to use him. So, when this project came up, I called him and said, "Come on in and let's talk!" I was happy it worked out.

TS: Does working on a play like this alter the way you think about being a parent?

SE: My whole life has changed because of being a parent. I don't think I look at anything the way I used to in the same way. I think what I learned most as a parent is there's no black or white. There's no wrong or right way, every parent does the best they can, and they try parenting their children without really knowing what the answers are. It's a responsibility that is constantly moving and changing. You make decisions, and sometimes it's the right decision and other times maybe it isn't the right decision.

TS: You've worked with both Debra Monk, who is playing Amy's sister Maggie, and Mark Blum, who is playing her brother Jacob, before. What makes you decide to work with an actor multiple times?

SE: People always say that casting is 75% of the director's job. It can be the most important thing one does. It's easy to work with people you love; that happens all the time now. I'm fortunate enough that I've worked with a lot of great people throughout the years and I love being in the rehearsal room with them. There's a shorthand. You know and trust each other. I am thrilled to work with Mark and Debra again and all the other actors who we cast and am working with for the first time.

Scott Ellis with cast

TS: The understudy for Jamie's character, Amy, is a male actor, correct? What is that going to be like?

SE: I said to Lindsey that I felt this play can work with a male or a female protagonist, with some minor line changes. I said ultimately the option should be explored because you don't want to limit the play's opportunity for possible productions. The understudy we've hired is an actor named Eddie Barbanell.

TS: When Eddie goes on, will the title change?

SE: There will be an announcement at the start of the show about the title change, which will become "Andy and the Orphans." Eddie will be performing some matinees once we get up.

TS: That will be fascinating.What else are you working on? I know you've been directing some television in Los Angeles.

SE: Yes, I directed A Christmas Story Live for television and I'll be directing the stage musical version of Tootsie.

TS: Will that happen before you direct Kiss Me, Kate next season at Roundabout?

SE: Yes. It's going to be a busy year and it hasn't even started yet!

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