Red Riding Hood will play in the Eve Alvord Theater from February 11 through March 6, 2022 and is recommended for patrons aged five and older. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online or by calling the Ticket Office at 206.441.3322
SCT is so excited to produce the world premiere of Red Riding Hood. Can you share a playwright’s perspective on the process of developing new work to seeing it live on stage? What’s something that you are really looking forward to?
When a theatre commissions a new play it’s a leap of faith — for everybody. The theatre puts their confidence in the artist’s ability and imagination, the audience puts their trust in the theatre’s programming, and the artist has to trust that their impulse and craft will result in an engaging play that audiences will want to see and that the theatre’s will be proud to produce. It’s a daunting and exciting undertaking for everyone.
In your interview with South Coast Repertory you mentioned that “When Seattle Children’s Theatre came forward with a commission, it felt like the exact right moment to explore Red Riding Hood and the beliefs and biases the fairytale perpetuates.” Can you share what was happening at “the exact right moment” that compelled you to write this play?
We were and are in an expansive cultural moment that’s asking us to be more intentional and inclusive in our thinking and our choices. The same old ‘safe and familiar’ won’t cut it any longer — that’s true across social and political norms, and more than ever in the arts. When Courtney Sale and I were talking about what this new work could be, we were conscious of the shifts in gender equality and how that might look in the retelling of an iconic fairytale. What was initially a tidy morality tale about a girl who goes off the path and falls prey to a clever wolf became something much more relatable: a story about connection and courage and the freedom to create new narratives. That’s when it got really interesting to me.
Things aren’t what they seem in Red Riding Hood — at least not the characters anyway! Do you have a favorite character, or perhaps one that was the most fun to create?
This project was a blast from the word ‘go’. When I landed on idea of who the
wolf was (a ‘great’ actor), and who Red was (a busy courier/delivery person), it cracked open the world of the play and the dynamics between the two of them.
All of the other characters from the fairytale show up, but having the two actors who play Red and Wolf play all of them gives it a mad-cap feel — and an exhausting amount of running around for those two fantastic actors!
wolf was (a ‘great’ actor), and who Red was (a busy courier/delivery person), it cracked open the world of the play and the dynamics between the two of them.
All of the other characters from the fairytale show up, but having the two actors who play Red and Wolf play all of them gives it a mad-cap feel — and an exhausting amount of running around for those two fantastic actors!
Humor abounds in this play — can you speak to your process of adapting a classic fairytale into a fun-filled romp?
Comedy is a language I relate to and it seemed especially right for this very serious tale. I didn’t want to avoid the darkness; but to me humor is a way forward from it. Physical comedy is also something I love; from Buster Keaton to Jerry Lewis to Carol Burnet to Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. It’s just a great humanizer and connector and seemed a natural fit for this play. I threw everything and the kitchen sink into this one and, knowing Steven Dietz as a director, he will infuse this production with all manner of crazy, delightful staging — all of it underscored by Robertson Witmer’s fantastic original music.
What message do you hope to leave with audiences after experiencing Red Riding Hood?
That there is joy and power in writing your own story.
If you were to invite a family who may not have a lot of history with theatre to see Red Riding Hood, how might you describe your play?
Red Riding Hood like you’ve never seen it. Two actors tackle all the roles in this funny, modern retelling. Wolf may be hungry and sneaky, but Red is courageous, clever — and talented!
