Interview: Director Brandon Weinbrenner Talks The Landing Theatre Company's FOOL FOR LOVE

The Landing Theatre Company opens its 2015-2016 season in their new home with a production of Sam Shepard's one-act classic FOOL FOR LOVE. You may have guessed from the title that it's a love story, but the relationship between Eddie and May is far from your typical boy-meets-girl fairy tale. This boy and girl are already well-acquainted and, in fact, can't seem to escape their love's dark, desperate gravitational pull. In this interview, BroadwayWorld.com talks to director Brandon Weinbrenner about understanding FOOL FOR LOVE, the challenges presented by Shepard's work, and his own directorial style.

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Do you remember the first time you read Shepard's FOOL FOR LOVE? What were your first impressions?

I first read FOOL FOR LOVE back in college and I thought ... wow, these people are scum! Of course that was a very judgmental, ignorant first thought, but I can't help it. May and Eddie live so much outside of the world I exist in, that I knew I had to find common threads between us if I ever directed the show. The longing for passion and yearning for acceptance and sense of self is what unites the characters and me. We all want to be loved and to be wanted, and May and Eddie have found each other and know that each other is the only thing they want, no substitutions will do. You can sleep with other people, you can go on other dates, you can even lie to yourself and convince yourself you aren't in love - but love is love and it is greater than logic. That's what Shepard is telling us in this play.

You have described your directorial approach as "immersive." If you would, please describe what that means from the day you sign on to opening night.

It means that I have read articles dissecting this play, written by other artists, by college students, by whomever. I want to know all opinions on this work. I also listened to the music that Shepard associated with this show. I researched the Mojave desert and run down motels, read other Shepard plays, looked at pictures and read reviews from notable productions. I want to know the history this play has with the American theatre.

Out of curiosity, what was the playwright's suggested music?

Merle Haggard.

Shepard's play is often described with words like "dark," "unsettling," "disturbing," "horrific," etc. How would you describe FOOL FOR LOVE?

Passionate, intense, biting, unrelenting, ferocious, sexy.

How to you approach this kind of material with your actors?

I encouraged the actors to think beyond the scope of logic or reason. These characters do what their hearts tell them, not their minds. There is a force, an unexplainable push this story has on these characters that propel them into action. Instead of getting in our heads and trying to explain this force, lets just do it and feel it and share it with the audience.

What makes the material accessible for the audience?

Anyone can connect with love and passion and heartbreak. May, Eddie, Martin, and the Old Man all represent archetypes in a tragic love story. Whether we recognize it or not, we know these characters and can connect with their journey.

Does FOOL FOR LOVE pose any specific challenges to a director?

Yes! There's a trap in FOOL FOR LOVE. If you make the show all about a "mood" or a "feeling," it lacks the specificity and action that is needed to keep an audience engaged in a fast paced show for an hour. You have to give them variety in this motel room, show all the different ways the characters try to get something from each other. There's nothing stagnant about this piece, and if you focus on trying to achieve a certain "vibe," you'll get stuck.

And finally, why should Houstonians come out to see FOOL FOR LOVE this April?

Shepard is so seldom produced in Houston and is truly a love story in the American West. The intensity is enough to keep you glued to the chair for an entire evening, and all we're asking for is an hour!

See FOOL FOR LOVE now through April 16 at the Landing Theatre Company's new home, The Landing Theatre @ the Docks, 1119 East Freeway (Providence Street), Houston. Shows are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 3:00 p.m. For more information, call 562-502-7469 or visit landingtheatre.org.

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