Ken Ludwig's Postmortem

Sean Glover, after interviewing the cast and crew of Ken Ludwig's Postmortem, shares the thoughts, feelings, and analytical viewpoints they have about the current production at Barnstormers Theatre.

Postmortem Interview & Analysis

Interview Conducted by Sean Glover

After an unfortunate closure of Barnstormer’s Christmas show in 2020, the local community theatre has thrown its hat back into the ring of productions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, Barnstormers is producing an old Ken Ludwig show named Postmortem, which actually was the snowball that rolled into what people now know as The Game’s Afoot. Postmortem is a thriller that was written in 1989, which follows the lives of seven actors and actresses invited to dinner at Gillette’s castle. These seven all know each other through the association of William Gillette-- the star of the show, as well as the star of his own Sherlock Holmes play.

STeven Sabel Q&A

Steven Sabel stars in Postmortem as William Gillette-- he also performs double duty backstage, acting as his character and as the director. Steven Sabel has more than 30 years of experience in theatre production, including more than 20 years in production management. He is an award-winning producer and director with more than 160 successful productions to his credit.

Q: Who is William Gillette? What is he like?

A: It’s interesting playing a character that’s based on a real-life person-- you don’t get to do that very often, so when you do, you try to do as much research into the life of the real person as you can to see: how much research did the playwright do? What I found out is that Ken Ludwig really did his homework… He personifies him quite well… He (William Gillette) was one of the greatest actors of his age and one of the greatest, pre-film American actors of all time… In fact, one of the few American stage-actors who was able to go to England and be successful there, as well… William Gilette was able to conquer the audiences of both New York and London, which was very rare at the time… (He was) very eccentric, very rich, and in fact, this play is set in a castle that he actually built and still exists to this day… By all accounts, he was very much like Sherlock Holmes and happened to play the role for thirty years… Many of the traits that he fabricated for Sherlock Holmes have been replicated by all of the other actors who’ve played that role.

Q: What motivates you to direct (in general)?

A: ... As a director, you’re telling the overall story of the play whereas, as an actor, you’re telling your character’s story. I am, first and foremost, a storyteller. I consider that to be my number one attribute as a theatre artist, so I think I get more of a reward out of directing than I do from acting. Mainly because of the joy I get from telling the overall, cohesive story and helping the actors tell their individual stories-- connecting the tissue altogether.

Q: What are the difficulties behind both directing and starring in this show?

A: The most difficult aspect (of both directing and acting) is not having a set of eyes on the scene when I’m on stage… This isn’t the first time where I’ve been doing double duty, you know, where I’ve been both the director and been in the show. It’s happened many times throughout my career as a director. Over the years, I’ve gotten better at it, because I’ve been able to develop that ‘third eye’--that exterior picture--of what the scene looks like. If you ask these actors, it’s not uncommon that we would be in the middle of a scene, and I’ll turn to one of them and say: ‘You need to adjust your blocking, you need to step further to the left or further downstage, be cognisant of the proscenium, or open the scene up wider.’ Sometimes, that’s probably a little unsettling for them, because they’re not seeing it that way. That’s one of the most difficult parts-- it’s having a visual in your mind of what the stage picture looks like while you’re actually in the picture.

The other aspect is keeping a list in your mind of mental notes that you want to give to the actors after the scene is completed. When you’re just directing, you’re in the audience-- you have your notepad. You’re writing your notes down. When you’re directing and you’re also in the show, you don’t have a notepad with you onstage to be writing down notes about what other characters are doing… Now that we’re getting into the polishing phase of the rehearsal process, where we want to develop our continuity and not stop and start, I have to remember the notes that I want to give the actors so that I can write them down later or deliver them at the end of the scene… The tough parts are the parts where I think of something in the scene that I want to share with the actors, and I try to footnote that in my brain so that later on during notes, I can give that note… Luckily, there are plenty of moments in this play where I’m not on stage. In those moments, I’m the director, and I’m sitting in the audience with my notepad and taking notes.

Q: Why did you choose this show (Postmortem) to be performed at Barnstormers Theatre? What makes it special?

A: With the COVID-19 restrictions that came and the adjusting that the theatre had to do in order to be able to continue programming, there were several directors that were slated to direct shows this year who were not comfortable with the idea of directing the show that they had chosen for both camera and live-audiences… A few of them withdrew their productions this year. That’s when the Barnstormer’s Board found themselves in a pickle, where they needed programming, and that’s when I said: ‘Well, I’m very comfortable with the idea of directing a show for both live audiences and live-streaming. I have a play that I’m very familiar with, I’ve done before, I have a lot of the props for, that has a small cast so that it fits within the COVID-19 restrictions’… That’s basically what “Postmortem” became. It became a replacement show for all the other shows that were postponed to the next season.

Q: So it was that type of show where all the pieces you needed fit together perfectly?

A: This is now the sixth production (of “Postmortem”) and the fourth time I’ve played this character (William Gillette). Part of it was that I have such a familiarity with the script, the text, the characters, the flow of the show, and you don’t do a show that many times unless you really love the show… So, I really love the show-- it’s a great play. It has all the elements that it needs to have to be highly entertaining. It has a lot of humor and intrigue. It has rich characters. It has some very surprising reveals at the end… even some misleads that make the audience believe that different people might be the killer. It’s an extremely well-written play-- I happen to believe it’s one of Ken Ludwig’s better plays… It had everything that Barnstormers needed, and I had everything I needed to make it happen.

The COVID-19 protocols that have been put in place for our state have caused Barnstormers to take a beating. Two shows in the middle of their production and almost half a season have been cut from the theatre’s calendar. The community theatre still remains strong, and the cast and crew of Postmortem have been the building blocks to shape that piece of our town’s history back into place.

Q: How is COVID-19 affecting the rehearsal process for this show?

A: Hardly at all. It postponed our rehearsal process for some time when we (Josephine County) were under the highest level of restrictions, which postponed our performance dates as well. However, as restrictions have been loosening to the point where we’re able to rehearse, it really hasn’t affected our rehearsal process at all. If anything, the only thing I’m constantly harping on from the actors is that they need to project, especially since they have to deliver lines through a mask.

Q: With many lives being shaken by the COVID-19 protocols, how do you keep the spirits of your cast uplifted?

A: ... When you walk through those doors, the world fades away behind you, and I think that’s true for everybody here (at Barnstormers)... There’s been no requirement to help lift their spirits at all-- this building does that. Working together as collaborative artists does that. We walk in the door and leave the world behind us, and we enter into this world of creativity, shared experience, and collaborative, artistic work. We’re all just so thrilled to be doing that… It’s one of the biggest positives of our (the cast and crew’s) day.

Pearl Swanson Q&A

Pearl Swanson is a twenty-year-old patron of the arts who has stepped in as the stage manager of Postmortem, which means the behind-the-scenes aspect of this show is their domain. A notable work of theirs is their recent contribution to Barnstormer’s production of Pygmalion back in November, where they were also the stage manager.

Q: What is your favorite part of stage management (as a whole)?

A: ... I would say… stage-managing, in general, is when you keep everything together, and you get to oversee everything being managed and put together. It’s really satisfying when you’re the cause of that… I never thought I would like to manage anything, in general, but once I did it a couple of times, I was like: ‘Wow. That’s really satisfying.’ I love communicating with people, keeping track of things, and doing paperwork, honestly. It’s just nice…

Q: Do you find stage managing to be more satisfying than being on stage as an actor/actress?

A: I feel like it (stage managing) definitely has a different kind of satisfaction than acting does. For acting, the applause is your source of satisfaction-- you know you’re doing a good job… The satisfaction of stage managing is seeing the things you want in place and watching everything run smoothly… It’s a different perspective of focus.

Q: Compared to other shows you may have done tech for, what makes this show special?

A: I’d have to say: the cast and the director. Steven (Sabel) is very experienced-- I’ve never worked with someone as experienced as him before. I completely, one hundred percent, trust his process. It helps me be at ease to know that I’m not… clashing against anyone or anything. Everyone is super easy to work with… Everyone’s really passionate about this show, so I don’t have to keep track of everyone, like: ‘Hey, be on top of your lines! You called line a lot.’... I’ve barely had to worry as much as a stage manager would normally.

Q: What are the responsibilities that you have gained as the stage manager of this show due to implemented COVID-19 protocols?

A: I keep track of everyone’s temperature… When they (cast and crew) come in, I have them sanitize their hands, find their temperature, and then, later on, I’ll take the papers home, at the end of the rehearsal, and I’ve been keeping them in a folder to keep track of them. So, if we ever need to, we can look back at a certain time where someone had a high temperature and backtrack (from there)... It really hasn’t been too difficult. It’s pretty simple, and everyone’s been open and honest about where they’ve been or if they’ve been in contact (with someone who tested positive for COVID-19).

Justin Hauke Q&A

Justin Hauke is a drama teacher from Wisconsin who now teaches theatre at Grants Pass High School. He has directed recent productions at the high school, such as The Last Night of Ballyhoo and WORKING: The Musical. This is Justin’s first time performing in a show at Barnstormers and his first time performing in a full-length show for quite some time.

Q: Who is Bobby Carlyle? What is he like?

A: Bobby Carlyle… (a) young ingenue and a slick wannabe… That really wraps him up. He’s a caring guy--he’s real--but he’s definitely envious of the leads. He wants to make it big… (He is) very confused as to why he’s not on top...

Q: This is the first show you have starred in at Barnstormers. What is it like?

A: It’s fun being back on stage… A conversation that Steven and I had was about how this was ‘walking the walk and talking the talk.’ I talk to you guys (drama students attending GPHS) all the time: ‘You got to do this! You have to do that!’ Often, it’s probably easy for a student to go: ‘Then why don’t you go do it?’ So here I am: actually doing it. (I’m) making sure that I’m a good person at rehearsal-- I’m not the lazy actor who has all of the excuses… I’m actually committing to this… Mostly, I’m just excited to be up on stage with an awesome cast… Like Pearl (Swanson) said: it’s some of the best off-book rehearsals they’ve been a part of.

Zymri Anderson Q&a

Zymri Anderson plays the young ingenue of the show, putting all of her experience to work when portraying the role of May Dison. Zymri, while still young, has an array of past theatre experience, which includes the role of Martha in Rogue Music Theatre’s production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Q: Who is May Dison? What is she like?

A: May Dison is the young, innocent ingenue of the show. She’s strong-willed and has her own opinions. (I) wouldn’t say (she’s) likable, but she has a strong personality. She’s kind of the young, up-and-coming, starter-up of the show.

Q: What are her relationships with the other characters within the show?

A: Her main relationship is with Bobby Carlyle-- they’re an item. On stage, she plays Alice in Sherlock Holmes, so she’s the opposite (of) William Gillette… They are (Dison and Gillette) a couple on stage, and then offstage, she’s close with all of her castmates… However, those are the main two.

Q: You’re the youngest person in this small cast. What kind of difference does this make in your performance on stage?

A: I hope, very strongly, that it doesn’t make a big difference. With a lot of help, it won’t. I’m definitely much less experienced than all of these amazing actors, and they’ve got (a lot of) time and skill. Just working with them, though, has helped me grow so much. The director (Steven Sabel) has also helped me grow so much.

Annie sABEL Q&a

Last, but not least, Annie Sabel stars as Louise Parradine: the former actress of William Gillette’s play. Annie is the Executive Director of Barnstormers Theatre and has been since March of 2020. As the wife of Steven Sabel, she has produced and starred in many productions alongside him, and it is not hard to observe the unbreakable bond this duo has after their debut in Barnstormer’s production of Pygmalion.

Q: Who is Louise Parradine? What is she like?

A: Louise is a former actress turned medium, who was a part of the Sherlock Holmes play that all of these characters are somehow connected to… She was in it for two years, and she played Teresa: the French maid. She was very good friends with Maude, who was originally thought to have committed suicide, but (the characters) soon realize was killed. That’s the whole central plot of the mystery: who could be the killer? Louise, after Maude’s death, went crazy… She definitely recovered to the point where she could be around these people… Any one of these characters could be the killer, and Louise is definitely one of the suspects.

Q: What is it like starring with Steven Sabel in Postmortem after both of your appearances in Pygmalion?

A: I’ve seen Steven do this play three times at this point, and I wasn’t in it any of those times. This is very fun for me because I finally get to participate in this play that he says is such a great one to be in, and it truly is… Pygmalion was a lot of fun for us because we both got to just be actors… For Steven, he’s so used to directing as well that it was such a joy for us to just be actors together. To explore those characters together… This actually feels a little more familiar to me than Pygmalion did since I’m so used to seeing Steven as a director. I’ve been directed by him so many times that this just feels normal, I guess… We have what’s called a ‘short-hand,’ which is when he can say something to me, and I’ll be like: ‘Yeah, I’m on it.’ We understand how the other works, so it’s very much like a small, community theatre version of big, Hollywood directors, who have their actors that they always work with, and that’s how our relationship is… We love working together-- there’s no doubt about that.

It is true that, amongst the public, this may not be a play for the books; however, it rests as a place in the cast and crew’s hearts that will never fade away. This enticing murder mystery full of zany characters, major plot twists, and phenomenal acting amongst all of the performers is a must-see and can now be viewed with limited, in-person seating. Tickets are on sale via ShowTix4U.com, as well as over-the-phone sales for sitting in the actual audience. Visit barnstormersgp.com for more information, and enjoy the show.

Photo Credit:

Postmortem Production Photos - Jonas Stewart, 2021.

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