by Steve Peterson
How did you originally get involved
in theatre?
In high school, a girl I was dating got
the lead in the school musical. I didn’t
want her to be rehearsing all night with other guys, so I tried out for the
show. Much to my surprise, I was given
one of the lead male roles. I’ve always
suspected that it was because I could sing on key. Anyway, that was 1960, and that’s where my
life in the theatre began.
When did you start writing plays?
In 1988, I wrote my first play, Zamo.
It was a children’s show for adults.
It ran at the Mayfair Theatre in Santa Monica for three months.
Where did the idea for VOICES come
from?
One day in January 1991, I was
driving in my car, listening to Public Radio, and they began playing excerpts
from The Slave Narratives. Recorded in 1931, The Slave Narratives are recordings of African-American men and
women, who at the time were in their 80’s and 90’s, speaking about their lives
as slaves. As soon as I heard their
voices, an idea for a play came to me.
Where was VOICES originally staged
and performed?
VOICES
was first performed in 1992 at Moorpark College where I was
a professor of Theatre Arts. A year
later, it was produced in Los Angeles.
Have racism and the conflicts involving
racism changed in America, since the play’s first performance? And, if so, how?
Yes and no. In the
late 1980s and 90s the idea of inter-racial romance was becoming more common,
but old prejudices still existed. Today,
inter-racial marriages and relationships are, for the most part, accepted by
society, and much more public. I have
been in an inter-racial marriage for over 30 years and I can tell you that
times have changed, for the better. But,
while society may be more accepting of the idea of inter-racial relationships,
it can still be a difficult thing for many individual families.
How did the play become part of
Griot Theatre’s inaugural season?
I met and cast Sabah el-Amin in my
play, Sojourner, the Story of Sojourner
Truth, in 2005. That play received 7
NAACP award nominations and won for Best Ensemble Production in Los Angeles, in
2006. So in 2010 when I was asked to
direct Peppur Chambers’ House Rules I
was happy to find that I was working again with Sabah, this time as a producer. My relationship with Sabah has been very
successful. When she told me that she
and her husband, Malik, were going to start Griot Theatre, I was immediately
supportive of the idea, and as I had been speaking with Sabah about producing Voices sometime in the future, they
asked if it could be included in their inaugural season.
What would you want the take away to
be for an audience member?
I write and direct plays to move
audiences to action. By that I mean, I
want audiences to leave the theatre and talk about what they just saw. Good or bad, love it or hate it, I want them
to be engaged. Voices is not just a history lesson. It’s a play about love and race, and for me,
the most important issue in our country—r-a-c-e. Combine race and love, and everyone has an
opinion.
What future projects are you
currently working on?
I have a film script, “The
Blacksmith’s Son”, a mystery set in contemporary Montana, in development. I also have three plays I am working on, The King of Hollywood; the Clark Gable Story,
Waiting for Huey, a comedy about men
growing old but never growing up, and Second
Chance, a romantic comedy about second marriages.
~~~
Les Wieder, now retired, was Professor Theatre Arts, Moorpark College
(28 years) Plays include: “Sojourner:
The Story of Sojourner Truth” (Hudson Theatre); “Elijah”, the opera (Libretto)
Civic Arts Plaza (Thousand Oaks); “Voices” (Hollywood), “Zamo”, Mayfair
Theatre, “The Secrets of Harry Lay” (San Diego); DIRECTING: “Sojourner: The
Story of Sojourner Truth” (Hudson Theatre); “Elijah”; “The Secrets of Harry
Lay” (San Diego); “House Rules” (Hollywood); AWARDS: NAACP Drama
Award for Best Ensemble Production, “Sojourner”; NAACP President’s Award
Griot Theatre of
the West Valley presents Les Wieder’s Voices
directed by Malik
B. El-Amin, produced by Sabah El-Amin.
Previews March 21-22. Runs March 23 – April 14. Dark April 5.
Fri-Sat at 8pm; Sunday at 3pm.
Open Captioning available March 30 & April 7. Theatre is equipped with a "Hearing Loop" for hard-of-hearing audience members who wear hearing aids
with T-Coils & Cochlear Implants. Tickets:
$25; Seniors/Students/Groups 10+: $15. Buy Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com. On the campus at Bethel Encino. 17500
Burbank Blvd. Encino, 91316. www.GriotTheatre.org and www.Facebook.com/GriotTheatre
No comments:
Post a Comment