Interview: Adriane Galea of UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT at Outvisible Theatre Company says It's Special and a Great Conversation Starter

Outvisible Theatre Company commenced their third season with a world premiere production of Unsportsmanlike Conduct, which opened September 21st in Allen Park. The play, winner of the Detroit New Works Festival, by Jeff Stolzer is being produced at a time where society, particularly young people, are largely engaged with and affected by the #MeToo movement, which the work aims to highlight accordingly to the theatre company. Unsportsmanlike Conduct is about a cocktail waitress who after spending the night with an NFL quarterback rebuffs his sexual advances the following morning and discovers his romantic pillow talk was manipulative and insincere. Upset by his deceit and lies, she leaves. But they will meet again - first in his attorney's conference room and then in a court of law - after she accuses of him of date rape. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak with director, Adriane Galea, quickly about working with the world premiere show and why it is important.

BroadwayWorld Detroit: Can you give our readers a brief background of yourself and then your theatre career as an introduction?

Adriane Galea: I got into theatre by way of teaching voice to musical theatre kids. I started music and vocal directing for community theatre, then professional theatre, then I started directing. Once my music studio transferred from a home-based studio into a building, I decided to start a theatre company, Outvisible Theatre Company, and I wanted to focus on stories that would make the audience think and that are socially conscious without a pushy messaging.

BWW Detroit: How would you describe Unsportsmanlike Conduct in your own words?

Adriane Galea: The most relevant he-said-she-said that's Brett Kavanaugh meets Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

BWW Detroit: What made you want to direct Unsportsmanlike Conduct?

Adriane Galea: It won the Detroit New Works Festival, which Outvisible Theatre Company produces, in 2016. Part of winning comes with an offer to develop the play for a world premiere, and I was happy to put Unsportsmanlike Conduct into development. Part of what intrigued me was the talkback after the reading, which we do after each reading in the festival. Unsportsmanlike Conduct definitely had the most heated debate over what the audience saw. Little did I know how timely it would be come time for it to be produced.

BWW Detroit: Did you do any special research in preparing to direct the show?

Adriane Galea: Yes and no. I did a lot of research in academic journals initially on the effects of date rape, the effects of being falsely accused, and the effects of not being believed. I even wrote a paper on it because I'm a huge nerd and very interested in dramaturgy. Once it came time to produce the show, though, we had to focus more on the elements of how the production could go from words on a page that had never been staged and make it become a tangible product.

BWW Detroit: What makes it special working with a world premiere that hasn't been performed before?

Adriane Galea: So much! This was a first for me, and directing a world premiere is a lot different than directing any other show. This is an oversimplification, but usually scrap everything but the dialogue and come up with a vision, but with this, I had to try to figure out how to make the playwright's vision come to life. It was frustrating until I realized that's how it was supposed to be, and then it was really fun. It's special to get to be a part of creating something that never existed before, especially when you have actors who are as amazing as Jeremy Kucharek and Danielle Wright are, to create the roles. It was also really cool to see how excited Jeff Stolzer, the playwright, was with the finished product.

BWW Detroit: What does the #metoo movement mean to you and why do think it's important to have art that expresses it?

Adriane Galea: I think it's really important to have art that allows women's stories to be told in general. I don't think I know a single woman who couldn't say #metoo, though to varying degrees. We need to do better at believing the victims, or at the very least, at least try. What makes Unsportsmanlike Conduct interesting, but also challenging, is - I think - it forces the audience to confront some of their own personal biases because there are no clear answers.

BWW Detroit: Why do you think the messages in this show are so important, especially today?

Adriane Galea: Well, in some sense, I wish we were doing a show that came out and said, hey, here's this strong woman, and here's why she's 100% right and justified and justice will be served. And I don't want to give too much away, but it's just not that simple - just like in real life. I think that's also what makes it important, though. We don't have to look too far to find real world examples of a he-said-she-said sexual assault allegation. The audience may not leave loving the story, or least being satisfied with it, but I can almost guarantee it will make for an interesting ride home if not for discussion for days to come, and that's definitely what I'm most proud of.

BWW Detroit: Do you have a favorite moment in the show?

Adriane Galea: The things I love in this show are made by the actors. I get most excited when I see Jeremy Kucharek make Noah human and empathetic - a character who isn't necessary that way, so it's exciting to see his work. It's also exciting to watch Danielle Wright find moments where you can really indisputably root for Kaylie, because that's what non-director me wants to do, ultimately.

BWW Detroit: What makes Outvisbile Theatre Company's production of Unsportsmanlike Conduct special?

Adriane Galea: It's a great conversation starter. If you see it, you'll get why it's so special, mostly due to what's currently happening in our country right now.

BWW Detroit: Why should people come see Unsportsmanlike Conduct?

Adriane Galea: I hope people will want to challenge themselves, which means they definitely should come see Unsportsmanlike Conduct. If they want mindless entertainment, this isn't the show. Also, I think it's really important to support new work, so the audience has the chance to be a part of a brand-new story, which is so cool.

Connect with Adriane Galea on Twitter at @playingivory and on Instagram at @playingivory.

Connect with Outvisible Theatre Company on Twitter at @OutvisibleThCo, on Instagram at @outvisibletheatrecompany, and on facebook.com/outvisibletheatre.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct will play its final performances this weekend: 8pm Friday October 5th, 8pm Saturday October 6th, and 3pm Sunday October 7th in Allen Park. For more information and tickets, visit www.OutvisibleTheatre.com.

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