[Minterview=mini-interview]
Christina Rios is the driving force behind R-S Theatrics and the director of their production of the Jason Robert Brown/Alfred Uhry musical drama Parade (profiled in an earlier blog post), which runs September 6-15. I've done some cabaret showcases with Christina and R-S in the past, but this was my first chance to pick her brain on the subject of Parade.
Q: What made you choose this particular play?
A: I first heard this piece in 1999 and I was immediately hooked. Not just intrigued, not just moved - but hooked. I started shopping it around to friends I had who enjoyed musicals (and in an opera department, that wasn't many) and did so for years just to share it with others and have meaningful discussion afterwards. But it was several years later when I shared it with a friend and his roommate that I really remember distinctly: the roommate and I stayed up until 2am debating the merits of the piece, the message, etc...and when I got home I was exhausted both emotionally and physically - but I felt the most alive that I had in years. Ultimately it was THAT that I was looking for for years - thought-provoking, conversation-starting theatre. I suppose that I had always known that theatre was a powerful medium, but up until that moment I didn't know how powerful it could be. And I began to see everything differently. I didn't want to be an ingénue anymore and show up in the 3rd scene and fall in love, I wanted to do pieces that felt like they really mattered. I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself.
I actually shopped Parade around for years to other theatre companies and no one would touch it with someone else's hands - and in a way, I see now that that was the way it was supposed to work, because, R-S Theatrics was really born out of that 2 am night and it makes total sense that it should be R-S giving Parade its St. Louis debut.
I chose this piece because I have been blocking it for the last 14 years. Because I have had costumes and lighting and music in my head since I was 18 and I can't imagine a better time and a better cast and crew to produce this piece with.
Q: What would you like the audience to take away from Parade?
A: Well, you probably won't like my answer much, but I don't think it really matters what I want people to take away from this show. Not that we all haven't worked our tails off on this piece, but for me, the real magic of theatre happens once people have stopped applauding and start really thinking and discussing what they just saw and how it made them feel and what THEY took away from it.
I don't do "director's notes" in the program, because I truly believe that my vision for the piece is never even remotely as important as the impact it has on the individual audience member. I just want it to make people think.
Q: Would it be safe to say Parade is a good fit for the R-S Theatrics mission?
A: Our mission statement is to produce St. Louis premieres of thought-provoking works that demand conversation long after the applause has died down. If there is any show ever that demands conversation post-show, it is most definitely Parade.
For more information on Parade and other R-S Theatrics shows, visit r-stheatrics.com.
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