Interview: Director, Justin Attkisson, SYLVIA, by A.R. Gurney

JUSTIN ATTKISSON, DIRECTOR OF 'SYLVIA', BY A.R. GURNEY

Justin Attkisson is the Artistic Director of Appalachian Creative Theatre. He is a Charlotte native, a graduate of Appalachian State University (ASU) with a B.A. in Theatre Performance and an Actor's Equity candidate. After graduating from ASU he worked at Blowing Rock Stage Company and then directed and performed in Greensboro, NC with the City Arts of Greensboro. He is a actor, director, sound designer and set designer.

Tell me about Appalachian Creative Theater and your aspirations for it.

We are relatively new, this is only our second season. I'm a Charlotte native. I went to college at Appalachian State University, that's where most of my training happened. I did a lot of work after college in Greensboro and Winston-Salem all in the Triad area. When I moved back to Charlotte, I saw that the theater community had exploded from the time I was in high school. It was huge. There was so much more theater going on. I thought about opening a theater company in Greensboro but there was a lot of people who wanted to do theater but didn't want to see theater. The audience was small, about 15 people a night and it was mainly other actors. It's not really an "artsy" town. So when I moved back to Charlotte, I started meeting more people in the theater community. I worked with Three Bone Theater for a show. I believe that Charlotte is the most supportive theater community I've been a part of. I started very bold. I went to Michael Ford, at Upstage, and told him I wanted to start a company. He was very supportive and he booked one show. Then, we added another show two weeks later. We started last year doing a five-show season. Afterwards, we added a one-act and became a part of the League of Independent Theater. What we are striving for is to be Charlotte's "Thinking" theater, it's a very broad term we came up with. We try not to do plays that are 'fluff' pieces. We try to find those shows that are message- driven. We usually steer clear of comedies, but Sylvia is a comedy. We try to take the realism of comedy - or the heaviness of a play like Closer that we doing in June, with a message to create dialogue on controversial issues. Sylvia is one of the lighter plays that we have ever done.

Justin, how would you describe yourself as a director?

When it comes to acting, I'm a character actor. When it comes to directing, give me the 'heavy stuff'. With Sylvia, I am throwing everything to the script, the cast and the people working with me-- it is the easiest show that I have directed. I directed a comedy last year and I declared that I would never do another comedy. It was stressful and tiring. But with Sylvia the playwright did a really good job of separating the comedic moments and the general storyline about the marriage that is deteriorating on both side. The husband, Greg, is not happy nor is his wife, Kate. That relationship, and the structure of the play is what is important. I tried to focus so much on that relationship. Yes, the show is called Sylvia but it is the relationship between the couple that is important.

I see there is a dog mentioned, is Sylvia a dog?

Sylvia is the dog. She's a dog that walks upright at times. We try to let the audience know that she is a dog in a very subtle way. But she really is the personification of the issues and problems the couple is having in the marriage. At times the husband will refer to Sylvia as "sweetheart", and at times it is inappropriate. Then, sometimes you see Sylvia as a representation of the younger other woman in comparison to his wife, who he is not happy with. Other times, Sylvia is his confidant who he needs to release his stress. Sylvia is the "tipping point" for the problem.

What are some of the issues that you convey in the play about the marriage?

You see the unhappiness in the relationship displayed through Greg. He is unhappy with his work. I think this happens a lot with people with jobs...they get in one job, they get comfortable, and then they get promoted to another job, however, they don't like it. Yet, they go through the motions and they do it well. However, they still are not happy. He talks about his work and what he does with his life - how it isn't 'real'. His wife. Kate, asked him, "What is real?" He responds, "Sylvia is real. Sylvia is something I can grasp. I want to do something that I can put all my efforts into that I care about." Another issue we deal with is the "empty nest syndrome" with the wife, Kate. The kids are out of the house, she dedicated her life to them. She goes back to school and obtains her Master's degree. She's a teacher and feels that now that the kids are gone, it's time for her to live her life and do what she is passionate about. In the show, she gets a grant to study abroad and her husband is not happy about it.

Sounds like it has a lot of "things you can walk away with"! How do you act out all of these scenarios on stage?

The comedy is over the top and funny, where it needs to be. However, I really wanted to concentrate on...here's the story, here's the relationship, here's the dog and this is what I want you to take away with the storyline.

So you did a marriage with your ideology of presenting a serious topic merged with comedy as well, right?

We always try to pick a show that has an issue. There are several issues in Sylvia. In relationships, divorce is so common now. When I was growing up, divorce was not common. I am a product of divorce, my parents divorced when I was in third grade, so I been around it. In the show, you see early on that the couple is not in a good place. Towards the end, the relationship does get better, but it is not necessarily fixed. It doesn't just instantly get better. We show that relationships are constant work in the final scene. It is a powerful thing to get across to the audience.

Tell me about the cast selection.

It was hard casting for this show because most of our previous shows required a younger cast. However, Sylvia needed a more mature cast. A lot of the independent theaters are facing the same issue...it is hard to find men to cast in Charlotte. It was also difficult casting the role of Sylvia because so many women wanted to portray her (the dog). I read approximately 20 women for the role. There were so many directions that I could go with the storyline. I rounded it down to three women. I had to look at my perception of Sylvia. She is fun, she is goofey, and she is a companion. The person that I cast, Callie Bachorski, I actually acted with in Greensboro, and she happen to move back to Charlotte. She is hardworking and willing to try anything. She has auditioned with us several times, but this is the first time I had an opportunity to direct her in a main show. I directed her in a one-act in Greensboro. Pam Coffman portrays the wife, Kate. Although Pam auditioned for several of our shows, this is the first time that I have a chance to direct her. She is hilarious, funny and could personally relate to the character because her husband's relationship with their dog. Tom Ollis who portrays Greg, came in "fired up" for the show. He was off book first. Robert Bradford, one of the first person I met when I returned to Charlotte, portrays ensemble characters (Tom, Phyllis and Leslie). We ramped up those comedic moments with those characters so you can see and focus on the clear, concise, serious moments with Greg and Kate. I love this cast. I never worked with a cast that are this close. I believe this is the favorite cast that I have work with.

What are your upcoming projects?

Well, Sylvia is, (February 27 - March 1) and (March 6-8). In between Sylvia we are producing a "new works" show called Down From The Mountain, March 3-5. We are showcasing two playwrights from Charlotte, one from Greensboro and one from Charleston, South Carolina. After that, the next big show we are producing is Closer by Patrick Marber, I am directing that as well. That has been a passion piece for me for a while. After that, we are doing Catfish Moon, by Larry Sartin in July, directed by our executive director, Caitlin Cashman. Then we are doing Closet is for Clothes. And, we end the season with Dog Sees God: Confession of a Teenage Blockhead, by Bert V. Royal, directed by our production manager, Joe Watson.

** All shows mentioned in this article will be performed at Upstage, in NoDa, 3306 North Davidson, Charlotte, NC. Sylvia will be performed at Upstage, March 6 at 10:00 pm and March 7&8 at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information visit website: http://www.upstagenoda.com