Cathy Thomas-Grant Discusses ‘The Interference’

INTERVIEW: CATHY THOMAS-GRANT

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO

This year Rogue Machine Theatre tackles four Hollywood Fringe Festival productions in an offering that includes: In the Valley of the Shadow by Katherine Cortex, the American premiere of The Interference by Lynda Radley, the Los Angeles premiere of We Are Not These Hands by Sheila Callaghan and the world premiere of The Pleasure Project by Ava Bogle. The Interference by Glasgow-Based Irish Playwright Lynda Radley is among those that is sure to stir audiences, provoke thoughtful discussion and contemplation about human rights issues. This production is produced in Association with Pepperdine Scotland and uses live-mixed soundscape to examine the forces that are unleashed when a man of talent and privilege is accused of a rape – in this case a university sports star. In this Tin Pan L.A. exclusive director Cathy Thomas-Grant discusses the challenges in putting this play together, the importance of its message and what audiences can expect from this award winning play.

Alexandria Garrett and Katelynn Kutiper. Photo Credit: Ron Hall.

How did Rogue Machine discover this piece?

We knew that they wanted to be involved in the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Rogue Machine had two award nominated productions running in last years Fringe with wonderful support from their audiences, so they were excited to do it again. This year they were hoping to focus on female playwrights and social issues, we thought The Interference would be a perfect fit.

The company looks for plays that are new to Los Angeles so the producers, John Perrin Flynn and Heather Tyler, took a chance and offered to produce it in association with Pepperdine Scotland. We were thrilled that they saw the potential of this piece after a reading. There is something so intriguing about this play, beyond its timely subject matter and social message, which has connected with audiences. I think that Rogue Machine thought it would resonate with audiences here in Los Angeles.

How did you get involved as the director of this play?

Every two years, Pepperdine University sponsors a summer program that takes a small company of students and a commissioned play to Scotland in order to perform that play at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. This past year the play was The Interference. It originally began as a piece about everyday sexism on university campuses, but through talks with the playwright, Lynda Radley, and through copious amounts of research, the play eventually became what it is now: a piece of agitprop theatre highlighting the sexual assault epidemic. This is so prevalent, not only in the US but also in the UK. As a member of the theatre department faculty at Pepperdine University, I have had the pleasure and privilege of directing all of the shows that Pepperdine Scotland has produced.

Cathy Thomas-Grant.

What challenges did you face directing this?

The subject matter was difficult to tackle. While doing our best to remain sensitive to the issues presented, and being mindful about the effect this play might have on people who have had similar experiences but perhaps never entered a dialogue about the issue, we still wanted to remain truthful.

Lynda Radley did an excellent job of scouring the multi-faceted issue for facts, while also allowing it to function as a piece of art. It might easily have veered off into the angst-ridden and anger-fueled piece that it could have become.

Parker Johnson, left, Alexandria Garrett and Brandon Ruiz. Photo Credit: Brittney Rivera.

What were you looking for when casting this play?

The company was chosen before the play was even written – that’s how the program works: students apply at the beginning of the fall semester and then interviewed. What we were looking for in company members were dedicated individuals who could approach this sensitive material with maturity, an open mind, and a willingness to serve the script as best they could. Since the program is eight weeks of intense rehearsals and is spent living in close quarters, we were also looking for people who are pleasant and easy to work with.

The company’s first glimpse at the play was during a weeklong workshop in the spring of 2016, where all members of the company read for a variety of roles – this was mostly for the sake of finding out what worked and what didn’t work within the script. However, it quickly became clear, following the workshop and discussion with the playwright, who worked well in certain roles so we cast the show based on what we had seen during that week.

How is live-mixed soundscape incorporated into this play?

Simultaneously with the rehearsal process, our sound designer, Michael John McCarthy, and our sound artist, Katelynn Kutiper, spent a great deal of time composing bits and pieces of the soundscape that is heard during the course the play. Katelynn is on stage for the entire show providing an actual representation, through sound, of the interference that Karen, the protagonist, experiences as she tries to tell her story. Sometimes Katelynn is providing cover for transitions between scenes, sometimes she is obscuring words through effects, and sometimes she is distorting voices and adding to the cacophony through pre-recorded sound bits.

What excites you most about this show?

The entire company is excited that there has been such an interest in having this show performed at new student orientations, and at universities across the country. The potential for this show to reach more audiences, hopefully made up of university students and university administrators as well, is a wonderful prospect. We would all like Karen’s story to be heard by as many people as possible, if only to open up dialogue and debate about this issue. The only way to change anything is to start talking about it.

What do you want the audience to come away with after viewing this production?

Our culture has been inculcated with misogyny and it is up to us to recognize that fact and to react against it. The first step is to acknowledge the problem – only then can we get around to doing something about it. The Interference invites audiences to have a conversation, to step out of their comfort zone and to confront this issue head-on. It’s very difficult but essential that we, as a culture and as individuals, begin the fight to ensure that every person is given the respect and recognition that they inherently deserve. This is a human rights’ issue. We are hoping that audiences who attend will come away realizing the importance of this issue.

Any final thoughts about the show you’d like to share?

The sexual assault epidemic is not new, but it has newly come to light and been given attention in a way that it never has in the past. Rather than shrink from uncomfortable discussions which force us, as a society, to confront sexist modes of thought and gendered issues that we have allowed to proceed unchecked, we should take the time to face this issue head-on. We owe it to everyone who has ever been affected by sexual assault, whether it be a survivor, a perpetrator, a parent, a loved one, a jury member, a prosecutor, or a journalist. This show allows us to join in the conversation, to hopefully learn something we didn’t know before, and to step forward with purpose towards justice for those who have been denied a voice.

TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION: 

PERFORMANCES: 8:00pm on June 6 & 7, and at 6:00pm on June 8, 2017
Rogue Machine (in the Met Theatre)
1089 N Oxford Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
(Street parking or lot at Medical Center east of the freeway, at 5300 Santa Monica Blvd. $6)

For reservations: www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4752
or at www.roguemachinetheatre.net/now-playing