Interview: Jessica Kubzansky's Multi-Tasking Discovering THE BODY'S MIDNIGHT

In a co-production with IAMA Theatre Company, Boston Court’s current production - Tira Palmquist’s The Body’s Midnight opened April 18, 2024. Boston Court’s artistic director Jessica Kubzansky directs this world premiere cast of Ryan W. Garcia, Jonathan Nichols-Navarro, Sonal Shah and Keliher Walsh. Midst her multiple responsibilities, Jessica found time to answer a few of my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Jessica!
My pleasure, Gil, it’s great to talk to you!

Boston Court has always been known for their many successful productions. It seems that in the past few years, many theatre companies have been joining creative forces to produce new shows. What factors brought Boston Court and IAMA together for The Body’s Midnight?
Stefanie Black, IAMA’s Artistic Director, and I have long been fans of each of other and of our company’s work, so the idea of doing a co-production is something that’s been on our radar for a while.
 
Who approached whom?

That answer is lost in the mists of time! Let’s say we mutually approached each other.
 
What would you three-line pitch for The Body Midnight be?
It’s a play about the beautiful and strange adventures that happen to a couple and a marriage when they set out on the most surreal road trip of their lives.

If you were to submit Anne and David for an adoption agency, what qualities of theirs would you include?
I’m resisting putting them up for adoption! But one of the things I profoundly love about this couple is that they really love each other, they take no guff from anyone, they are both passionate, witty and stubborn, and their love language is intellectual sparring.
 
What character flaws would you conveniently leave out?
Maybe I would not emphasize “stubborn.”

I see you at many venues supporting L.A. theatre, so you must be acquainted with a lot of Los Angeles actors and creatives. Whom in this production have you worked with before?
Yes, and there is so much amazing work going on in our town all the time. Los Angeles is an incredibly vibrant theatre community. We are blessed.
For The Body’s Midnight, I’m delighted to say that most of the people on this production are new to me, which is very exciting. In the principal cast, I have not worked with any of the actors before (one has worked at Boston Court before, but not with me directing). Three of the four of them are IAMA ensemble members who were new to me. Two of our understudies I’ve had the privilege of directing, either at Boston Court or elsewhere. Most of the designers are brand new to me, although sound designer John Zalewski is one of my most long-time joyous collaborators. And everyone I have the privilege of working with is fantastic, we have such an amazing village collaborating to make this production!

How involved has The Body Midnight’s playwright Tira Palmquist been in pre-production?
Every step of the way. It’s been a fantastic partnership.

Have you been familiar with Tira’s other works?
Yes, Tira’s play This Floating World was in a prior Boston Court New Play Reading Festival.

As Boston court’s artistic director, do you get first dibs in directing new productions?
That’s a very complicated question! You would think that would always be the case, but most artistic directors will tell you that it entirely depends on a variety of other factors including other guest director’s schedules, playwrights’ preferences, and so much more. I would say about half the time I get first dibs, and half the time other factors prevail. However, I’ve never directed a play at Boston Court that I wasn’t happy and proud to direct. Tira’s play I expressed passionate interest in from the beginning.

What elements of a script do you look for to be produced by Boston Court?
There are so many different kinds of plays that could be considered “a Boston Court play.” But what they all have in common are that they are inherently theatrical, textually rich, and visually arresting. We are always trying to engage the cultural conversation around what is happening in our world today, to represent a diversity of stories and storytellers on our stage, and to invoke the power of the collective imagination to illuminate our common humanity.
 
What components of an incoming script persuade you to direct rather than assigning someone else, like the wonderful Michael Michetti, to take the reins?
When Michael and I were co-artistic directors, we each chose plays based on our particular passions. In terms of how I choose plays to direct in general, I don’t know how to answer this any better than to say, I usually choose plays that feel like they need me, in particular. It always starts with how moved I am by the story, and the richness of the text, and the theatrical demands I envision for the production storytelling.
 
Are you just as involved in booking the Branson as you are with the mainstage? Or have you delegated someone else to take charge?
Since January of 2020 (note the crazy timing), I have been the sole artistic director in charge of programming all the art in building, which includes, theatre, music, and visual art. I work with Margaret Shigeko Starbuck, our associate artistic director on all of that programming, with Adrian Centeno, our literary manager on all theatre and New Play Development, and our ArtUpfront coordinator Stephanie Sherwood on the visual art. We're very blessed in Boston Court's artistic cohort.

What did you want to be growing up? Actress? Director? Writer? President?

Since I was eight years old, I was determined to be writer! I started by writing bad novels, and then segued to playwriting and did that through college and thereafter. And then along the way, the storytelling morphed into more often telling stories as a director, although I do occasionally revert to playwriting!
 
Who were the creative people you looked up to as a youth?
I had so many heroes growing up, too many to name here. But a few in particular, such as my ninth-grade English teacher, Josephine Lavely, who first introduced me to the concept of playwriting by assigning us to write a fourth act to Ibsen’s The Doll's House ten years later (long before Lucas Hnath had his brilliant idea). John Barth, William Alfred and Edward Albee were professors or personal mentors. In terms of playwrights, there are simply too many to name. And in directing, Andrei Belgrader, Robert Lepage and Julie Taymor, who taught me that nothing is theatrically impossible.

Thank you again, Jessica! I look forward to seeing your latest directorial creation.
Thank YOU, Gil!

For tickets to the live performances of The Body Midnight through May 26, 2024; click on the button below:

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