Turns out you CAN take it with you!

After the joyous homecoming that was directing for the Hofstra University Shakespeare Festival last fall, I had yet another chance to direct some of my students in a production of Kaufman and Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You this semester.

I was brought on as a last-minute replacement director, something that I had never experienced before, so it was a unique and somewhat scattershot process. The student designers were a little concerned, seeing as they were already nearly done with their initial designs, but fortunately for all parties involved, I had very few notes: I thought their work was absolutely astonishing, and the number of gasps I heard from audience members entering the theatre and seeing the stunning set, props, and lighting confrimed for me that I was not alone in that opinion.

The play is a sweet, somewhat dated screwball comedy, so my goal with the actors was to have as much fun as humanly possible so the few moments of real pathos felt earned. They not only rose to the challenge, but they constantly added new ideas and perspectives that not only made the play funnier, but also highlighted its central theme: everyone should be loved for who they are, and we should be able to pursue what makes us happy, because in the end, you can’t take it with you.

What I will take with me from this process is a reminder of just how envigorating a free-flowing rehearsal room can be, and how there are lessons for us as actors even in the silliest-seeming places. Whether it was teaching xylophone solos, researching Russian drinking customs, or precisely choreographing someone getting knocked over by a massive fireworks explosion with their pants around their ankles, every rehearsal had some sort of surreal surprise for us, but the cast’s spirit of teamwork and their refusal to settle for less really elevated the project to something I’m very proud of.

I’ve put some of our wonderful production photos up over on the Directing page, but here are a few other favorites.