Issue 24: A Number

Inside A Number

Nathan Darrow and John Dossett rehearse for A Number as Director Eliza Baldi looks on.

A Number covers an astonishing amount of ground in its succinct 70 minutes. "On the one hand, it’s a fast-paced, sci-fi thriller, much like an episode of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone," explains Director Eliza Baldi. "But it’s also a very elemental story about fathers and sons, loyalty and betrayal, the human need for redemption and enduring love. Ultimately, it’s a meditation on personhood, and fate."

Fortunately, this cast is well-equipped to handle all of the depth and complexity of Churchill's near-future family drama. We're thrilled to welcome Tony Award nominee John Dossett (Broadway's Gypsy opposite Bernadette Peters; War Paint) and Nathan Darrow (Showtime's Billions, Netflix's House of Cards) for their People's Light debuts as a troubled father-son duo... or trio... or perhaps a quartet.

Eliza has previously directed for our New Play Frontiers Residency & Commission Program. Andrew Moerdyk and Amith Chandrashaker make their People's Light debuts with set and lighting design, respectively. Robert Kaplowitz (Nina Simone: Four Women) returns to design sound, and company member Marla J. Jurglanis takes on costumes. Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale dramaturgs the production, with the assistance of Adrena Williams. Finally, Stage Manager Erin Edelstein is also at People's Light for the first time, keeping all of the team members (clones included) on track.

Surrounding A Number

We invite you to check out these opportunities to discuss and engage more fully with the production.

Gina recently sat down with John and Nathan to chat about the rehearsal process for this play.

Gina: What were your initial reactions upon reading the script?

John: I read A Number and I didn't get it. And then I read it again, and I... didn't get it. But that night, I had a very fitful sleep, and at 6:30 the next morning I read it again, and I finally started getting it. This play is very complex – there are many layers to unpeel, and we're still peeling away. But I'm very happy I said yes [to being in the play]!

And it just so happens that Nathan – I had never met Nathan, but my wife had seen him in a play Off-Broadway and just thought he was fantastic... it turns out that he lives 3 minutes from my house! We're neighbors! Go figure. It's fate.

Nathan: I read it on the subway, on my phone, and it was kind of immediate for me – the situation, and the language... it was immediately very penetrating and exciting.

John: He's much smarter than I am.

Nathan: How dare you.

Gina: Nathan, you act a lot for film and television... do those mediums present different acting challenges than live theatre? Or are they not as different as everyone thinks?

Nathan: You know, people say, "Well, it's for a camera. You don't have the audience." I think that isn't true. You always have an audience. You have the person operating that camera! You have a person pulling the focus, you have an electrician... Those are living people who are there while you're doing the scene. They have their own issues, their own questions, their own fears. And sometimes it happens: they respond! It's a tough audience, but it's an audience.

Hear more from these accomplished performers and get your own questions answered at Scoop, Wednesdays at 6pm.

More Access

People's Light is wheelchair accessible, service animal-friendly, and we offer assistive listening devices and large print programs at every performance. 

SummerBLAST season is just around the corner – classes begin the first week of July! As the Education department gears up for the summer fun, I caught up with my colleague Kathryn Moroney to hear about her plans for this year's program.

Marcie: As we count down the last days of the school year, the time is almost upon us for SummerBLAST. What are you looking forward to this year?

Kathryn: Oh, gosh, the energy! Having our building flooded with so many young people, all different ages and coming from different parts of our region, all getting to know each other as friends and collaborators... It does feel pretty thrilling to build an oasis of creativity and laughter and fun for students – children and teens are craving these joyful, low-pressure spaces to try new things and thrive. I’m excited to give that freedom and those memories to as many students as we can.

Marcie: Unlike some other theatre training experiences, our summer programs don’t typically start with a script or the idea of producing an existing piece of theatre. That seems like it could be a daunting task – like working without a net! Can you tell me more about working this way? 

Kathryn: Obviously here at People’s Light we love producing plays, but rehearsing an existing piece also dictates so much about how students must spend their time... Emphasizing the process of skill-building means we on the staff get to be nimble with how we plan out SummerBLAST days, and we can make sure everyone has personal attention and individual challenges as the work develops. We won’t find ourselves locked into who has a “leading” role or seems like a particular character “type,” because neither of those is ideal for a learning environment. We do share a project at the end of each age group’s SummerBLAST session, but until the students arrive, we only know our starting points. For the rest of the journey, we need them.

Read Kathryn's full thoughts here. To learn more about SummerBLAST classes, visit our website, or contact Kathryn at artsdiscovery@peopleslight.org or 610.647.1900 x137.