Editor’s Note: goose, written by Michael Yichao, will run for six performances at the 30th Annual Rhinofest, directed by Brent Ervin-Eickhoff. The production will run January 19th – February 24th, 2019 on Saturdays at 12:00pm in The Back Space at Prop Thtr, 3502 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618.
A semi-finalist for the O'Neill Theater Center National Playwright's Conference, goose is a play about relativity, quantum mechanics, hunting, cake, and geese.
The cast features a rotating cast comprised of Joe Lino (Young Dallin/Goose), Bobby Wilhelmson (Dad/Older Dallin), Isabel Rivera (Goose/Allie), Ryan Murphy (Dad/Older Dallin), and Ashley Greenwood (Goose/Allie).
The production team includes Brent Ervin-Eickhoff (Director), Jamie Kreppein (Stage Manager), Samantha Courter and Jessica Ervin (Puppetry Design).
Read other Picture This Post reviews of plays starring Joe Lino.
The show’s publicity materials describe goose’s story—“Dallin's turning 13... and no one's coming to his birthday party. Left to his own devices, Dallin takes a journey through memories, space, and time as he reflects on the strangeness of getting older”. At least in this short summary form, this play seems to strike chords similar to a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED work by award-winning David Rabe recently presented by Gift Theatre (Read “Gift Theatre Presents COSMOLOGIES Review – Pondering the Meaning of Life Slapstick-Style”. Stay tuned for a review of goose on these pages shortly after the opening.
Here, Picture this Post (PTP) interviews goose Director and sometimes PTP Writer Brent Ervin-Eickhoff (BE) on how what the experience of presenting a Fringe Festival work is like.
(PTP) What drew you to this script as a director? How did your collaboration on this project come about? How long has this production been in the works?
(BE) As a director, I’m always excited by plays that have an element of magical realism to them. To me, theatre is the best place to experience these types of plays, because it becomes a truly communal experience between actors and audience, with the audience filling in the blanks with their imagination to support the storytelling. In addition to some of the more fantastic elements of the script, I was also really drawn to the humanity in Michael Yichao’s play. goose asks a lot of big, existential questions about life, death, the universe, and our purpose in it. Yichao explores these ideas with a beautiful, kid-like wonder and lyricism that feels really refreshing and hopeful, and I was really excited to share this play and playwright with Chicago audiences.
I first found the script a few years ago when I worked at Silk Road Rising and was looking for plays by Asian American playwrights. That was in 2016, and Michael Yichao had only written a one-act version that was presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. When I had the opportunity to pitch something for Rhinofest this year, I immediately thought of this play, and reached out to him to see if I could get the rights. I was excited to learn that he had a new, two-act (although still only about an hour) version that expands upon the play I’d initially read, adding an older version of Dallin for the second half. I think it brought a totally new perspective to the piece and got me even more jazzed about working on it. Thankfully, Yichao was equally as excited about getting this new version in front of an audience, so he agreed to grant us the rights. We’ve been working on the piece since December, so it’s been a pretty quick turnaround considering how much text the actors have had to work with.
Are the actors in the cast ones you have worked with previously? Why did you select these actors? Any comments on how they were ideal for their parts and this work?
When I first read the play, I immediately thought of Joe Lino for the role of Young Dallin. Joe and I went to undergrad together at Ball State University, and I’d assistant directed a show he’d been in, so I knew him from that experience. What really drew me to him for this role was seeing him in a friend of mine’s directing capstone. It was a production of Hauptmann by John Logan and it was just really incredible. Joe monologued for a large portion of that show, and was just riveting.
Bobby Wilhelmson was recommended to me by my wife, who’d just understudied a show with him at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. She thought he had the same kind of energy and charisma to play Older Dallin and Dad, and encouraged me to reach out to him. When I met with him to talk about the play, I knew he’d be great in the role and really understood the importance of totally connecting with the text to capture and keep the audience’s interest. Ryan Murphy has that same quality, too. I mostly saw Ryan play more villainous characters when we went to school together, so I think it’s going to be fun for him to have an opportunity to show a different side of himself in this show.
Ryan and Isabel and Ashley--Isabel and Ashley are trading off as Allie and Goose--all went to Ball State with me, too, but are a few years behind me and relatively new to the city. I was really excited to be able to get them involved so that Chicago can get to know these talented actors more. I’d never worked with Isabel before this show, and she’s been so great to get to know better! Isabel and Ashley both totally get Allie’s younger energy, and do a great job of straddling her transition into teenagerdom and how she’s had to grow up faster than other kids her age because of some of the hardships in her dad’s life.
Everyone involved has been super invested in really digging in to Yichao’s text, which has been great, too. He offers so many different ways to approach his characters, and the actors have all been more than game when it comes to making really interesting choices. It’s always great to get to work with BSU alums, but I’ve also really enjoyed getting to work with Bobby, who doesn’t have the same training as some of the other cast members. I feel like he really helps round out the room and has helped me grow as a director, too, which is an awesome thing that will benefit me even beyond this project.
Will people who know what quarks, strangeness, Heisenberg Principle etc have a leg up in watching this play or is it more of a coming of age/slice of life story?
I don’t think knowing about physics is imperative to understand the play, but you may be quicker to understand more of the metaphors and some of the humor. Since it starts with 13-year-old Dallin speaking to the audience, Yichao is able to explain the major concepts in “little kid” terms, so I think everyone will be on the same page, whether or not they have much experience in science. I guess I’d say that it’s more of a coming of age story, but that the science is an important lens through which to view growing up through.
Does loving or hating hunting figure into how much you will like or dislike this play?
I don’t think so. The hunt that Dallin and his dad go on is more symbolic of their relationship and Dallin growing up than anything else. Same for when Allie goes hunting with her dad. It’s also Dallin’s first real, concrete experience with death and how fragile life is, which becomes a larger theme in the latter half of the play, so it’s definitely pivotal to the storytelling. But I think that regardless of how you feel about hunting, you’ll probably see some aspect of your feelings reflected through Dallin, his father, or Allie’s experiences hunting.
Any other tips on whom you imagine will especially love this play?
I actually think that middle school kids and their parents would really dig it. It’s a weird play in that it’s about a kid, but also about growing up and death, which people don’t always think of as family-friendly. In an interview, Yichao said that there was a performance in Edinburgh of the one-act version where the audience was just this thirteen-year-old kid and his dad, and that after the performance the kid said to his dad, “That was me on stage.” I think the beauty of the show is that everyone can identify with Dallin, young and old, and that makes it more accessible to everyone. I’d definitely love to see some families in the audience at Rhinofest--we got to do a production about bison as a special performance at the Chicago Fringe’s Kids Fringe, and it was awesome. Kids are already so imaginative that it’s great to have their energy helping bring the story to life, too. But I think the play’s universal (pun intended) themes will resonate with audiences of all ages.
What are the special challenges of doing a short run Fringe work?
Budget is always a challenge of doing a short run Fringe work since you don’t necessarily want to spend an arm and a leg on something that only performs six times. This is my first time with Rhinofest, so I’m by no means an authority on their history, Rhinofest has a very DIY vibe to it that I’ve found really creatively freeing. It’s definitely pushed me, too, to figure out how to tell the story with less, but it’s been a great way for me and the actors to really hone in on how much of the story can be told with just actors and text. The actors actually came up with a big piece of the concept for the show, that the world of the basement transforms and melds as Dallin goes into and out of his memories and dreams, which was a super DIY way to circumnavigate having to buy a ton of props for the show. I love that we’re telling this story with a sheet and some chairs and a few key props that we already have lying around the house.
That said, we are building a goose puppet, which is super fun and challenging and another great part of bringing the magic of Yichao’s play to life. Sam and Jess have been watching all of these videos on different techniques and approaches to puppetry and have really embraced the do-it-yourself spirit of the festival, too. This is an ultra-low-budget puppet, but they’re still finding great ways to make it expressive, even if it’s just built from ping pong balls, papier-mâché, wire, and some hula hoops and fabric. To save money on materials, I’ve made tons of separate trips to craft stores so that I get to use coupons each time I go. It’s great that half of it is recycled, too, since that lowers the cost while also helping the environment.
Some of the actors are also involved in other projects, so scheduling has been tricky. I’ve found it’s made me get more organized as a director, though, so that we’re always making the most of every rehearsal. I’m really grateful to be involved in Rhinofest and excited to see everyone’s work and get to talk to some of the other artists about their shows. I feel like it’s a great way to meet other artists, which can be tricky when you’re a director who’s a little more isolated from project to project. The lineup looks really diverse and exciting, too, so I really think people will enjoy spending time at the fest no matter what they decide to see!
When:
Saturdays at 12:00pm
January 19 and 26
February 2, 9, 16, and 23
Where:
Prop Thtr's Back Theatre
3502 N Elston Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
Tickets
Tickets are $15 in advance online at Rhinofest's website, or Pay-What-You-Can at the door.
