By Vivian Auslander
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| Director Benjamin Hanna |
He directed BACT’s
world premieres of Ivy + Bean, the
Musical, which involved occasional worms, and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Musical, which featured a
wandering dog, Bingo. Now, Benjamin Hanna has taken on an entire quirky pet
store with Bad Kitty On Stage! Let’s
hear from him what that’s like.
You are directing
this production. What does a director do?
I play a variety of roles. One of them is to find a way for
everyone on the creative team—actors, designers, producers, marketers—to see
the core center of the play, to guide everyone’s vision, and to shape that
collaborative effort. This play is adapted from a series of books, so I have
the opportunity not only to look at the play but also at the source material. I’ve
had the gift of working with the author and the playwright to do this. Another
role is being a detective—sleuthing moments from the books that help us find
the voice of Kitty and the world of her imagination. Since the books are like
comic books, I’m watching to see if we’re giving the same effect that turning a
page and seeing the word, “Pow!” or “Meow!” would have. If we do, then I know
we’re resonating with the spirit of the books.
What do you mean by
“the core center of the play?”
It’s as if you had a wonderful chocolate with something
special in the middle that you can’t see but want to know what it’s like—how it
tastes, smells, feels. Our job is to find that out. It’s like making the map in a chocolate box
so everyone can see what is in the middle of each character’s story.
So you are guiding both
context and style?
Yes, we need to create the wacky, upside down world of
Kitty, and we have to have that feeling of turning a page and discovering a new
adventure. The play explores what being “bad” is like. Kitty isn’t being
bad—she’s doing what kitties do naturally. And that’s what kids do—sometimes
they get in trouble for exploring, and that can shut down imagination, understanding
and connection. So we’re using Kitty’s world to look at exploring—and being
different. Like a comic book, the play will be an explosion of “different” – all the animals will be exaggerated and
unique.
What drew you to this
work?
The opportunity to work with Min Kahng, the playwright. I’ve
wanted to work with him ever since I saw his musical adaptation of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon—I loved
that show. Also, when I read the books, I was intrigued by what a challenge
they would present—and what great fun! When you step into our rehearsal room,
it’s full of laughter, joy and celebration. I don’t feel like I’m working—I’m
exploring with a group of highly gifted artists, who are smart, funny, and
open. I’m honored to have been trusted with Min’s beautiful adaption and Nick’s
amazing source material. And my team of artists has been delightful. They all
understand working for children, and, in this short time, they have created
their own Bad Kitty family.
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| "It's like a roller coaster." |
What has been the
greatest challenge?
I thought that Puppy and Kitty not having words would be the
challenge, but Min has done a phenomenal job of adapting the books so that
“Meow” and “Woof” have hundreds of meanings. And Sango, who plays Kitty, is a
genius. When Kitty meows, I know exactly what she is saying, because Sango
knows every beat. The challenge has been controlling chaos. There is so much is
going on, so fast, that I have to decide whether the train is going 100 mph, 96
mph, or 80 mph! I need to control the explosiveness so the audience can follow
Kitty’s journey of learning. It’s like a roller coaster. You need moments when you
dip down and have some calm to absorb what Kitty has learned and anticipate the
next big event. The other challenge has been thinking through every aspect of
Kitty’s life. A friend of mine overheard a 10-minute phone conversation I had
with our dramaturg, Julie McCormick, about what kind of cat scratcher Kitty
would want in her imagination, what would make it special to her. My friend was surprised that we have
dramaturgy in children’s theatre. But this is not just a play about cats. It’s
about us—you and me—and how we get along.
Are you looking
forward to anything in particular on opening day?
Having an audience! The humor is very sophisticated. It will
be fun to see which jokes appeal to the grown-ups in the audience and what will
entertain children of different ages. One of the reasons I love working with BACT
is that the company embraces the challenge of having everyone in the theatre
enjoy the production and walk away with something to discuss.
