Sean Graney is a theater adapter/director and the founding director and artistic director of The Hypocrites, a Chicago theater company. Graney has taught at Columbia College Chicago, Lake Forest College, the Theater School at DePaul University, and the University of Chicago. Graney received his BFA from Emerson College and has written and adapted several plays. As a director, he has helmed more than 30 productions for The Hypocrites since 1997. He has won four Jeff Awards. He just completed a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. (radcliffe.harvard.edu)
I nervously dialed the number into my phone and awaited an answer on the other side. When he finally picked up, I was excited to talk to my director. Sean directed me in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, we called it Cat. He is an amazing director and I was very lucky to work with him at such a young age.
The last time I spoke with him was when I was a freshman in high school, so it had been a while. When he answered the phone I was thrilled to hear a familiar voice. Of course he asked my how school was going and commented on the weather, he was walking down the street in the cold Chicago winter. I started by asking him about the shows he directed with children in them. He told me he had only done a couple of shows with children involved including my show, Cat, and The Hairy Ape. He told me that he has worked with children's theatre, but he mainly focuses on shows with adults. I asked him, "What was it like to work with children, specifically in Cat?" He answered, "I loved it. The energy that you guys brought was just amazing and it was really fun to try to orchestrate. We would rotate through different sets of children and the energy from each set was amazing. You have to reevaluate your vocabulary and you can't get away with any BS with children, you have to be more honest and direct with them. You have to tell them exactly what is going on, but you don't have to do ego- stroking like you have to with adults. The kids are so excited to be there and so willing to do almost anything, so it's a really great experience." I asked him if he thought that children were more mature after being in a show with adults. He said that he has heard different theories about this from different directors. "More mature might be slightly misleading because the children might feel like they are more mature, but they just end up having a false sense of maturation. They have done an adult "thing." They didn't necessarily gain adult traits, but they might have gained adult responsibility and treatment of others. Some children leave the show feeling more confident than they should. I was curious to see his take on the family aspect of theatre, the sense that the family is greatly affected by having a child in theatre. "I think it is like any extracurricular activity. Nowadays, schoolwork takes such a priority and if they do anything outside of school it is a huge commitment and they need a big support network from the family. It requires the parents to do a little extra, they have to do their homework and stay on track. They may have to pick them up from a late rehearsal or drop them off. The family certainly has to be in on the choice to do theatre and really support the child. |
I asked him what it was like when there were multiple children in a show, like in Cat, and how he deals with them all at once.
I remember from my show, "The company hires a sort of child keeper, not a babysitter, but someone who helps the younger actors get to their places on time. It isn't necessarily the director's responsibility to keep an eye on them, and some of them are older. But some of them a young little guys so they need someone to help them get in their places. "What is the greatest thing a child learns from being in an adult show, about acting specifically?" "Children have a lot to learn from people who have been doing something longer. So if acting is something they are serious about, being around adults who choose to do it as a profession is a good way to learn technique and devotion. They will also learn about community and being responsible for others and everybody doing their part. Everyone is essential to the production and not being too ego-centric. There are many steps between going from the Chicago stage to a Hollywood film." I asked him what is was like trying to find child actors for certain roles. "It takes a different type of casting. You have to be more specific and more targeted and more responsible. Not only do you have to audition the children, but you have to have conversations with their parents and explain what the play is about and talk them through any questions. You have to make sure the parent is comfortable leaving the child in your hands for so long. It is a different way to audition." "Is it harder for kids to say goodbye to their "new family" at the end of a show ?" "The less shows you do, the harder it is to say goodbye at the end of the show. Especially if it is a good show and the audiences are really excited. It is hard to realize that it is just the unfortunate nature of the industry, you form a tight bond rather quickly and then the bond dissolves. Some people you keep in touch with, but it is something you have to get used to. I imagine it is more heart breaking for people who haven't had a ton of experience in theatre." We wrapped up our conversation by talking about some of my wonderful cast members from Cat. He was shocked to hear that I still talk to many of my cast members. We talked about my future in acting at Emory and I said I might try to do some shows next semester. Talking to Sean was a great way to remember my wonderful experiences of theatre in downtown Chicago. He provided great insight on what it is like to deal with children in professional productions. |