Communication Breakdown

Editor: I am one of the directors in the production of Many Faces of Love being presented by Sonoma Stage Works at the SCC that was reviewed by Kira Catanzaro. Before the review came out I was interviewed by Kira over the phone while I was driving (hands free). She asked me about one of the two one acts that I directed, Moony’s Kid Don’t Cry by T Williams, specifically about the rehearsal process. I told her a wonderfully big energetic actor playing Moony was a pleasure to work with because he brought so much energy to each rehearsal and that energy was perfect for his character. However we needed to find more nuance in his presentation so I described to Kira a few ways we accomplished this in rehearsal. Unfortunately when the review came out the actor described took offense to the description of the process and felt belittled to the point that he almost quit the show. It was only after the Artistic Director call and asked a retraction of the on line version of the review that he would return. The description of the process was lost in translation and is my fault because I was not being careful or sensitive about how we directors get the most out an actors performance. Kira being an actress and having been through many rehearsals herself I felt comfortable discussing this with her and describing to her how I work. I am so sorry that it has caused such a stir and it reminds me how powerful words can be especially when misconstrued or misinterpreted. I think Nestor Campos is an amazingly talented, energetic actor who was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend him to any director.
Joey Hoeber
Sonoma