Q&A With "Ashley" Director

By Connect Mason Reporter Kenneth Trotman

Here’s the Q&A with Jessica Billings, director of After Ashley.

1. What do I want the audience to walk away with?
My realistic goal is that people walk away thinking about the play, the characters- and the living people, the action of what they have just seen. I have walked out of too many theater shows saying "That was cool. I'm hungry- Outback anyone?" If just one person talks about the action of the play and how it affected them for more than five minutes, I will be happy.

2. What is the theme of the play?
Continuing from above, my dream goal would be that every audience member walks out of the Theater boycotting the idea of "perfection" that the media has imposed on society. It is acceptable not to weigh 110lbs and to not have an airbrushed complexion. More importantly, it is acceptable to be unhappy and to have problems, or to have opinions that differ from the mainstream. "Real people aren't pure innocents."

3. What was the most challenging aspect of getting the play to where it is now?
Wow. There wasn't any one part that was more difficult than another. For me, it was difficult to integrate the design elements with the performance aspect---smoothly. As the captain of the proverbial ship (director), I was in control of everything, which means I take credit for anything that goes right and goes wrong. There was just so much happening at once that I thought my head would explode. Aside from that, it's hard to give up control of the production to the stage manager on opening night.

4. How is the Mason version different from other versions?
I can't really answer this question that thoroughly. I wasn't in D.C when Wooly Mammoth Theater produced "After Ashley" awhile ago, and the play itself was only published last December. The premiere production was at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and it opened to mixed reviews. Kieran Culkin and Anna Paquin performed the roles of Justin and Julie, but I didn't make it to New York to see it, so I can't really say much else. Though I can say, this might be the first (or one of the first) college-level productions.

5. How have you seen improvement and how do you think the GMU Players did?
Well in a theatrical production, there is ALWAYS mass improvement. The actors in the production worked their asses off. They never stopped working. They were never satisfied with their work, and I would be walking around checking on the technicals aspects, when one of the actors would grab me and ask a question or two. Their dedication was unbelievable. The design team worked tremendously hard as well. They wanted everything to be as wonderful as possible well. I was blessed to be working with such "incredible" individuals.

6.How was it working with Mary Lechter?
At first, it was intimidating. She is a professional working actress, and I am still a student. She was just amazing though. Working with her has taught me invaluable lessons as both an actors and a director. She never stopped trying to solve a problem. Another important thing that I think actors should take from her example is that she wasn't afraid to talk to me about a problem or any difficulties that she was having. She broached them immediately. I am incredibly thankful that I had this experience. She is an amazing woman.

7. What kind of prep work (table work) did you do for the show?
Studio shows at GMU get four weeks of rehearsal, including opening night. We rehearse for four hours every week night and during the day on Sunday. It's taxing, and it's a very short time to get a product ready for viewing. For this production, we had three days of table work before break- that is analyzing the script, finding out character objectives and tactics, and answering anyone's questions about the script. Professional shows have four weeks rehearsal, but they don't have school, and they rehearse eight hours a day, so we jammed in tablework as best we could before we got on our feet. I really wish that I could go back and do more tablework, but alas- no time. As for me, I read the play too many times to count, and I formed opinions of the characters based on what I wanted to show as well as planned specific "stage pictures" that enhanced or told the story of the play.

8. Why should a mason student come see this show? There is nothing like live theater. For anyone who is never gone, you should go to live theater atleast once in your life, even if it is bad theater. Theater can touch people in a way that television and film could never dream of doing. It is that connection between the life on stage and the life in the audience that is the magic of Theater. Other than that, "After Ashley" is an accessible show, meaning that it speaks about issues relevant to today's society. Everyone can identify with an aspect of the show. It's comedy, but it is also heartbreaking. Also, professional theater is quite costly- if you can see live theater for $5- DO IT!

9. Shows I've been in at Mason.
My bio: Erika Mann in "Mephisto," The Herald in "Marat/Sade," Mary Jane in "Jesus Hopped the A-Train," Strophe in "Phaedra's Love," and Aunt Kate in "The Cripple of Inishmaan."

Read a preview of After Ashley here.