Sylvia

About

Greg and Kate have moved to Manhattan after twenty-two years of child-raising in the suburbs. Greg’s career as a financial trader is winding down, while Kate’s career as a public-school English teacher is beginning to offer her more opportunities. Greg brings home a dog he found in the park—or that has found him—bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her name tag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. She offers Greg an escape from the frustrations of his job and the unknowns of middle age. To Kate, Sylvia becomes a rival for affection. And Sylvia thinks Kate just doesn’t understand the relationship between man and dog. (Taken from LowellArts)

When first handed the script of Sylvia, I had to pause. How could I not read inbetween the lines of this piece? "A piece written by a man, about a man, and two b*tches," as one advisor of mine put it. I knew I had to do everything in my power to strip the misogyny out of this production. My answer came from the audition pool -- Art Zima, auditioning for the role of Sylvia. I loved it. Without changing any of the script, all of the strange sexual undertones were reduced to enjoyable humour. I also, opting out of the usual abstract NYC sky line for a set, wanted to present the piece from Kate's lens. I placed it in their apartment, with easy to adjust set pieces to signify setting changes. Decorated with things that I believed Kate would: a poster of William Shakespeare, a well-stocked alcohol rack, plants, and books. The final product was well received, enjoyable, and much more politically appropriate.