Interview: Alyssa Ryan And Daniel Rodriguez Hijo of SEE NO EVIL At Original Productions Theatre

When Alyssa Ryan, the executive director of the Original Productions Theatre, saw she had a vacancy in her theater’s calendar for October, she immediately knew who to call -- playwright Cory Skurdal.

“We’ve worked with him in the past and I've always enjoyed his writing,” said Ryan, whose theater will present Skurdal’s SEE NO EVIL Oct. 24 -Nov. 3 at the Abbey Theater (5600 Post Road in Dublin). “Cory writes in lots of different genres, but I particularly enjoy his psychological thrillers.

“He had sent me a couple different plays. I read SEE NO EVIL first and immediately I just had this sense of ‘ohh, this is perfect.’”

Skurdal, a Columbus-based writer of 10 full length plays, sets this thriller in Maine in 1969. It centers around the Ripley family. Judith Ripley (Josie Merkle) and her son Malcom (Nick Palatas) look after her blind, emotionally frail daughter Isabel (Julia Cannell). They receive help from Dinah Garrett (Rachel Scherrer), a nurse who serves as a companion to Isabel, and soon Garrett begins discovering the dark, twisted secrets of the old money household. Rounding out the cast are Dan Griscom, who plays Clarence Hubbard, the family doctor, and Jasmine Newman, who plays Lily Brewster, the household’s maid.

“Corey’s so good at throwing in twists that even if you think you have figured everything out, you haven’t,” Ryan said with a chuckle.

Director Daniel Rodriguez Hijo remembers raising his eyebrows at some of the twists and turns of the script.

“I was very intrigued by it and knew I had to direct it,” he said. “I just had this epiphany of I need to do this.

“There's a lot of unspoken interactions occurring, a lot of sneaking around and putting up facades. No one’s really sitting down and being honest with each other. It's been a fun and difficult challenge.”

Hijo has directed over a dozen plays and acted in over 50 more. He discovered the world of theater when he was in the sixth grade and was cast in NOT SO GRIMM FAIRYTALES.

“From that moment on, I’ve been enthralled with theater,” he said. “(I love being a part of) the storytelling and building a community.”

“(As a director) I’m kind of like an English teacher diving into the different meanings and symbolism in each show. Even in the shows I’m just acting in, I like to explore the details of the script. Directing gives me an outlet to act on those ideas.”

SEE NO EVIL is the third “world premiere” the OPT has produced this year, following Lauren Wilken’s THE FACEBOOK EFFECT last February and Sean Cooney’s VAN GOGH’S IN THE ATTIC last April.

Playwrights Billie Hazelbaker, Ryan’s grandmother, and Dave Morgan founded Original Productions Theatre to give a platform for artists who had original works but struggled to get them produced. Ryan became involved with the theater after attending an open house event in 2018.

“I helped with the inaugural production, which was one of Dave’s plays,” Ryan said. “From that point on I just said, whatever you guys need help with, I'm happy to do it. 

“It's important for us to explore local playwrights because oftentimes they get overlooked. It's the same notion as buying from a local farmers market. You are supporting your local community and you're hoping to inspire other artists.”

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