Can't Help But Applaud How To Make A Rope Swing | by Dave Mortensen, Utah Theatre Bloggers Association | February 17, 2013

How To Make A Rope Swing | by Brandon Burt, Salt Lake City Weekly | February 15, 2013

SLAC brilliantly produces premiere of 'How To Make A Rope Swing' | by Blair Howell, The Deseret News | February 11, 2013

'Rope Swing' addresses age-old attitudes with vibrant new voice | by Barbara Bannon, The Salt Lake Tribune | February 9, 2013

Dan Nailen's Lounge Act: SLAC's Twisting Look at Small-town Racism| by Dan Nailen, Salt Lake Magazine | February 7, 2013

SLAC: How To Make A Rope Swing | by Gavin Sheehan, Gavin's Underground, Salt Lake City Weekly | February 5, 2013

Utah playwright's 'How to Make a Rope Swing' considers the divide of race | by Ben Fulton, The Salt Lake Tribune | February 4, 2013

PHOTOS: David Daniels, dav.d photography

With Playwright Shawn Fisher

-What was your inspiration for this story?

I would say there were two main inspirations for the story. On was a centuries-old Live Oak Tree that had been blown over by a hurricane down in South Carolina. It was a massive tree that had been a cherished symbol of the the town. On the side of the tree was a large black scar that was the result of years of plantation slaves who built cooking fires next to the tree. The tree had continued to grow for hundreds of years after the scar was first made, and so, as the tree became larger, it grew around the scar and started to close it over. The scar became deeper but harder to see. I found this metaphor to be haunting. The idea of a literal scar that changed through the generations was fascinating to me.

The second inspiration was my grandmother, Cora Fisher. She was a loving and generous woman who was a successful educator for many years. She told me stories of how she, as Superintendent, was mandated to integrate the schools in Bridgeton, NJ, a Northern town, that was segregated into the middle of the 20th century. The most interesting part was that she did this even though she held certain racist beliefs. This contradiction was the inspiration for the character of Mrs. Wright.

- We know some of it is based on real events and people and place. Can you tell us what parts of the story/characters are based in truth and where you took more artistic liberties?

Again... Mrs. Wright was inspired by Cora Fisher. Many of the descriptions in the play were ones I experienced growing up. We used to smash cars at Luciano's Junk Yard. The rope swing was a staple of summer and the old schoolhouse was based on the five-room South VinelandSchool, where my mother taught until just a few years ago. It, like the school in the play, was just demolished in November.

The town in the play, Oakbranch, was based on a combination of the town where I grew up, Vineland, NJ and a farming/oystering town called Port Norris, NJ. A little known fact is that in the early twentieth century, many in the African American community referred to this region ofSouth Jersey as "The Mississippi of the North." Before the Civil War it was economically linked to some Southern States and was actually south of the Mason Dixon line (although still part of a Northern state.)The basic history and timeline of school integration in the rural schools of the area is represented accurately in the play, but the specific events and characters in the play are fiction.

--What is your background?
What exactly do you mean by this? My "story" of growing up? Ethnicity and culture?

--Is there any significance in setting the play in New Jersey?

Yes. It is set in New Jersey because it is a Northern state with reflections of the South. I thought for Utah audiences it would be interesting to explore race without setting it in Mississippi or Alabama like most "race" plays tend to be. I didn't want it to be about a place we have all condemned as "racist" but rather a place where racism is less overt yet ingrained in its own way. Also, there is not much written from a South Jersey perspective. The culture there is rich and unique and very different than what most people see on the tv. I thought it would be interesting to bring to life the people I knew growing up.

With Director Adrianne Moore

-What do you hope is the main theme people walk away with from your production?

Well like all strong writing it's going to give you a lot to ponder. The themes of loss and the search for redemption are there; I guess the difficulty with assessing someone's true nature, our desire to judge, to take the moral high ground. The stories told by the central characters highlight the racism of mid century America and the struggles particularly around school integration.

- What intrigues you most about this play?

Well it starts with rather a simple premise. Two people who have a history are thrown together again, they have a task to complete and something will clearly, happen. But then the story that unfolds is just so unexpected, and painful and lyrical in its telling. And it flows at its own pace and seems so unforced.

- What is the difference between directing a world premiere and a play that has been produced before?

Well of course in a lot of ways it's not different. You do lots of background research depending on the themes of the play, close analysis of the script itself and collaborate with designers and then actors. And of course even if it has been done a million times before it will never have been done with this particular group of designers and actors – even if you've directed the play before it will be quite different.

Having said all that it is of course a different experience when you direct the first production.
The play was meant to be seen and heard obviously but more than that it was envisaged by the playwright as this 3D flesh and blood experience with current zapping between actors and between actors and audience. And this is the first opportunity for that to be realized so that's very exciting for a director. I always so enjoy observing the space between and around actors – people and ideas in motion, in space – the movement and rhythms of the piece. If you've spent a lot of time with the play on paper, as I have with this one, it always feels rather miraculous that eventually it feels like a living thing that an audience will get to experience. There's also the responsibility which feels immense. You always want to be true to the author's work, whatever you believe that truth to be, but the responsibility feels magnified when it's the first time the play has been produced.

How many World Premieres have you directed?

A few. Actually the last one was a play Shawn wrote a few years ago - Do Not Hit Golf Balls into Mexico. I calculated because you asked the question so I guess eight before this one and then a few shorter pieces that were part of productions featuring collected work like The Water Project for SLAC and Talking Wales for Utah Contemporary Theatre. One of the new works I directed was a short opera and that was very cool. The composer was very young and I think this was his first produced work.
When I was a student I did an internship with the Royal Court Theatre in London and their focus is really on the development of new work so that was when I was first exposed to the process of working on a new script. I was able to follow the development of scripts from first draft through readings and workshop productions through to fully mounted productions. Probably the most interesting part of this was observing the relationship between playwright and director. Understanding that it wasn't enough just to be appreciative of a writer's efforts but that the director really had a role to play in facilitating the successful development of the play - a lot of listening and asking questions. I have read a lot of new scripts, I'm sure that helps. I had a job when I lived in England where I had to read new plays sent to the theatre (I got paid by the script). I was part of a team and we would then pass the scripts we thought were strong onto the Literary Manager.

I'm awed by the skill of playwrights. They have to craft a story and discover the individual voices of characters, the life of a world and weave that together within an artistic form that has a great number of quite difficult structural parameters. So I have developed a profound respect for the art of playwriting and a fascination with the whole process of theatre making.

Our Green Room Gallery is a collective endeavor between community and artists. This space allows us to offer a variety of 
diverse visual perspectives from local artists based on inspiration found from themes raised onstage. In keeping with SLAC's mission to nurture our local, creative community, we celebrate these reinforcements born between the visual and performing arts.

Throughout the run of HOW TO MAKE A ROPE SWING we are pleased to present DISTINCTIVE AFRICAN ART, the collection of proprietor and curator, Gordon Dew.

Gordon opened the first and only African American art galleries in Utah, a unique and invaluable contribution to this community.

"I closed the bricks and mortar gallery in 2003. My virtual gallery can be seen at www.dewblackart.com. I am grateful to the Salt Lake Acting Company for the opportunity to share some of the works of truly fine African American Artist."   -Gordon Dew

This show includes the works of artists; Charles Bibbs (top right- NEW LIFE), Albert Fennell (bottom left- EMBRACE), William Tolliver (top left- THE DANCERS), Synthia Saint James (bottom right- OLOMO WOMAN), Dr.Raymond Lark, Rosalind McGary and Larry Poncho Brown (center- SON OF KINGS).

Sunday February 17, 2013

4:00 PM

What separates us is much smaller that what connects us. The panel will discuss the methods in which we seek to challenge ourselves and our fear to be vulnerable to diversity, and heal ourselves from the past.

Panelists

Terry Gildea (Moderator) Moderator and KUER News Director Terry Gildea is originally from San Antonio where he spent four years as a reporter and host at Texas Public Radio. While at KSTX, he created, produced and hosted the station's first local talk show, The Source; he covered San Antonio's military community for the station and for NPR's Impact of War Project. Terry's features on wounded warriors, families on the home front and veterans navigating life after war have aired on Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. His half-hour radio documentary exploring the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center was honored by the Houston Press and the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. Prior to his position in San Antonio, Terry covered Congress for two years with Capitol News Connection and Public Radio International. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington and a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. He moderated several SLAC panel discussions, most recently the December 2012 panel discussion in conjunction with MANNING UP, displaying a remarkable ability to engage both audience and panelists together, and we are thrilled to have him back for this event.

Tim Chambless is the Academic Outreach Coordinator for the Hinckley Institute of Politics and an Associate Professor/Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah. Since 1987 he has taught classes in American National Government and Political Parties as well as Law and Politics, Controversial Legal Issues and Mass Communication Law, and American Constitutional Law. For 15 years (1990-2005) he handled The Constitution telecourse seen statewide on KUED-TV Channel 9.

Prior to teaching, he worked for Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson and Utah Governor Scott Matheson, Congressman Wayne Owens and U.S. Senator Frank Moss. On June 8, 2010 he completed over 20 years of public service as a volunteer citizen planner for Salt Lake City Government where he served on the Board of Adjustment (over 11 years, nine years as chair) and nearly nine years on the Planning Commission – including terms as vice chair and chair.

Tim earned his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and then earned two graduate degrees at the University of Utah where he wrote both his Master’s Thesis and Ph.D. Dissertation on investigative reporter Jack Anderson--combining his ongoing interests in politics and government, media and law.

Shawn Fisher (Playwright) Shawn's original scripts include SCOPE, THE CROW SONG, CHUMMING and DO NOT HIT GOLF BALLS INTO MEXICO which was a 2011 National Finalist for the MetLife Nuestras Voces Playwriting Award and a nominee for the David M. Cohen National Playwriting Award. This SLAC production of HOW TO MAKE A ROPE SWING is an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award winner and a finalist for the Urban Stages Emerging Playwright Award (NY). In May, the play will continue on to the second half of its rolling world premiere at Cape May Stage in New Jersey. His work has been produced or had staged-readings at the Spanish Repertory Theatre (Off-Broadway), the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Urban Stages (Off-Broadway), Cape May Stage (NJ) and here at SLAC, among others. Shawn earned his MFA in Theatre Design from Brandeis University and currently serves as a Professor and Head of Graduate Studies in Theatre at Utah State University. At USU he runs the Fusion Theatre Project, and ensemble that creates original works that often focus on American attitudes towards race, violence, sexuality, religion and culture. As a theatre designer he has produced over one hundred productions throughout the U.S. He is a native of rural South Jersey, the setting for HOW TO MAKE A ROPE SWING, and he is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild of America.

Rebecca Sanchez is the Director of Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams' Office of Diversity Affairs. She previously worked in the same position for Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon and as Community Affairs Coordinator for former Salt Lake City Mayor Palmer DePaulis. Since her appointment in 2006 as Director of Diversity Affairs, Rebecca has promoted respect and understanding as tools to a stronger and more united community which welcomes and respects the uniqueness of all residents and visitors. Rebecca is very passionate about helping people connect with one another and shares the Mayor's vision of an inclusive community for all.

She grew up in Los Angeles and received her degree in Sociology at California State University at Long Beach. She is also a graduate of the University of Utah's conflict resolution program.