What most excites you about this production?

Back in October of last year, I had directed a staged reading of Hope’s Last Chance for Wily West’s Spooky Cabaret.  I had directed it as a drama because of a previous reading I had seen of the piece at PCSF.  Then, at intermission, after the audience had been in hysterics for most of the first act, I came back and informed the cast that “Well, it’s a comedy”.  At the end of the reading, we were all a buzz and we knew there was something really special about this piece and could all see the opportunity to really let it soar as a comedy.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

Before rehearsals, I was really nervous about how I was going to explain this show to the actors.  When you read the play, it doesn’t come off immediately as being a comedy.  There were even some actors that came in to audition, had read the play and didn’t understand why it was a comedy.  So, my initial description was that it was a “serio-comic, farcical thriller”.  It had moments that were genuinely scary, funny and ridiculous all at the same time.  But, as in any comedy, the characters have no idea that they are in one.  So, it’s been a journey to really unearth their objectives, increase the stakes for each character and give my actors permission and encouragement to go above and beyond.  But that we, above all else, remain true to what is written and make sure that the opportunities that we find are routed in sincerity.  Because that is what I think makes a successful comedy: characters in life or death stakes, pursuing their objectives in a genuine way. 

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

I love ghost stories and stories in general of the paranormal.  So, I’m always doing research on those, listening to podcasts like Mysterious Universe and The Realm of the Weird.  But this play in particular, took me back to one of my favorite movies, High Spirits.  If you haven’t watched it, you should.  It has a lot of the elements that this play has.  Each character is so earnestly pursuing their objective but it doesn’t take itself too seriously and for some reason, we understand that it has it’s own internal logic.  We accept that ghosts can touch humans or turn back into humans and we’re ok with all of it.  We’re along for the journey because we’re invested in the characters and I hope that’s what we achieve with this play.

This play is about ghosts - have you ever encountered the supernatural yourself?  

I have not, but I am very easily scared and if I made it through without having a heart attack, I would most likely be traumatized forever.  That being said, I secretly want to see one.

What is the scariest movie or play you have seen?   Why?

I still remember seeing Woman in White when I was 14 at California Theater Center and never being so scared in my life.  The moment when she screams and appears in the audience is still something that haunts me today.  I hope to give the audience at least a few thrills like that in this show.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

I know it sounds simple, but I hope that they will have had a good time.  There are some really funny moments and truly jump in your seat moments too and that they feel satisfied and surprised by the story we told.  Ultimately, I “hope” that they walk away feeling like someone just told them a really great ghost story.  Because, to me, that is why I am involved with theater, to tell really great stories.

BRADY BROPHY HILTON  (DIRECTOR) Brady just successfully directed the world premiere of Gorgeous Hussy: The Last Interview of Joan Crawford by Morgan Ludlow for Wily West.  She began her directing career in Seattle, directing a number of shows with Book-It Repertory Theatre, Cornish College of the Arts, and Groundwork Theatre. In the Bay Area, she has directed It's All in the Mix for All Terrain Theater, Sheherezade 2011 for PCSF, Boys Clinging Together for the SF Fringe Festival, readings of The Cocktail Plays, Ashtad and Dardanos, and Love in the Time of Zombies for Wily West Productions and "TGIF" Monday Night Foreplays for PianoFight.   She has served as a producer for Sleepwalkers Theatre and is the Staged Readings Producer for the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco (PCSF). She was the Education Director for Teatro ZinZanni for a year and a half where she developed and ran their circus educational program Camp ZinZanni and she worked as the Education Associate for Book-It Repertory Theatre for three years. Brady graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Original Works, cum laude and trained with the Young Conservatory at ACT.

What most excites you about this production?

I think I’ve been excited about this pretty much since Morgan first told me about it.  I love the idea of old Hollywood and getting to see the under belly of it, so to speak.  I’m also big fan of documentaries and biographies so that really sparked that part of my interest.  And then in February when we had our final reading and Susan and Ryan read, I think all of us in the room were just blown away.  With no rehearsal, they were able to capture the heart of both of these characters.  All of us left that reading with a sense that this was going to be something really special and that is honestly a director’s dream.  On top of that, this is my first production where I really get to delve into mixed media, so that is exciting.  I really enjoy a challenge and being able to learn new skills.

What is the greatest challenge you face with this show?

I think on a technical level, it will be the introduction and implementation of the slides and video footage of Joan’s movies.  It really is a third character in the play, so figuring out at what times it distracts and the times when it engages I think will be the biggest challenge.

What kind of research are you doing to prepare?

All of us started off reading the book that inspired the play and then from there, we have been focusing more on watching footage of Joan in her later years.  Susan and I have been making observations about the toll being a heavy smoker and drinker has on one’s body.  Also, playing with the idea of where she feels weighted, where her voice resonates from and the little behavioral gestures that seem to be her hallmark.  We want to stay true to the script and the Joan that Morgan has written, but at the same time make her recognizable to an audience.

What have been some of your favorite previous roles (or productions you have been involved with)? 

I moved to San Francisco about three years ago and just love this community.  Everyone has been really welcoming and there is so much new work here to be a part of in a myriad of ways.  I’ve been lucky to be a producer and director with some wonderful theater companies in the area.  And I feel particularly lucky to be working with Wily West as a director for Sheherezade 13, Gorgeous Hussy and Hope’s Last Chance.  Quinn and I actually looked at each other during Sheherezade and got so excited that we get to spend the year together making plays and having fun!  In between shows with Wily West, I’ll be assisting in editing and directing a documentary film, which is a brand new venture for me.

Since this play is about our public and private selves or personas - what parts of you as an artist are very public and what are some more private or personal interests that you would be willing to share? 

We’ve been talking a lot about the “mask” of Joan Crawford.  The idea that there was this external thing that demanded absolutely everything of the farm girl Lucille LeSeur to the point where she had nothing left of herself or for herself.  It defined everything that she did in her life and when it started to fade, she didn’t have any idea who the woman behind it was.

I think that every artist, on some level, struggles with the personal vs. the private self. We inherently need our personal lives to inform our art, but where do you draw the line?  How much of yourself do you give to your art in time, energy and definition of who you are? And for each person, it’s different.

What do you hope audiences will take from this production?

I think that most people are going to come into the show expecting Joan to scream, “No more wire hangers!!” and make Roy scrub every inch of the bathroom with a toothbrush or something.  That is really the Joan that lives in our imaginations when we think of her.  We think of Faye Dunaway and this woman with these big eyes, huge voice and hellish personality.  I even have a picture of Joan Crawford that says at the bottom, “Don’t Make Me Go All Joan Crawford on Your Ass!” But that is the mask and I think that Morgan does a beautiful job at showing us our own stereotypes and letting us, through this chance interaction, challenge them and ourselves to dig a little deeper. 

BRADY BROPHY-HILTON is a freelance theater director and producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her directing career in Seattle, directing a number of shows with Book-It Repertory Theatre, Cornish College of the Arts, and Groundwork Theatre. In the Bay Area, she has directed It's All in the Mix for All Terrain Theater, Sheherezade 2011 for PCSF, Boys Clinging Together for the SF Fringe Festival, readings of The Cocktail Plays, Ashtad and Dardanos, and Love in the Time of Zombies for Wily West Productions and "TGIF" Monday Night Foreplays for PianoFight. She has served as a producer for Sleepwalkers Theatre and is the Staged Readings Producer for the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco (PCSF). She was the Education Director for Teatro ZinZanni for a year and a half where she developed and ran their circus educational program Camp ZinZanni and she worked as the Education Associate for Book-It Repertory Theatre for three years. Brady graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Original Works, cum laude and trained with the Young Conservatory at ACT.