2007-2008 Season: Souvenir
Associate Artistic Director Kirsten Brandt interviews R. HamiltonWright director of San Jose Repertory Theatre’s production of Souvenir.
Full Interview
1 Introductions
2 Florence Foster Jenkins was a woman with a great deal of conviction. What drew you to her story?
3 It could be very easy to turn the character of Florence Foster Jenkins into a caricature. How did you and actor Patti Cohenour approach creating that role?
4 What about the character of Cosme McMoon?
5 Can you talk about how the structure of the play influenced your design decisions?
6 Florence Foster Jenkins was known for making her own costumes and coming in flamboyant, lavish and eccentric clothes. Are we going to be seeing any appearances of what those things might have been?
7 Stephen Temperley (the playwright) has done such an exquisite job in constructing the nuances of the piece.
8 Why do you think this is an important play or that the story of these two people is important for contemporary audiences? What do you want them to take away from it?