Chatting with Holly- An Interview with Director, Hollis Welch Sullivan

I had the good fortune of interviewing long-time staff member and alumni of Weston Drama Workshop, Holly Sullivan this past week for our blog. The responses to the interview are listed below.


CB: When did you become involved with Weston Drama Workshop and in what capacity?

HS: I first started with WDW when I was a student member at about age 10. I had seen a Workshop production the previous summer and couldn't wait to be invovled. The year I started, the morning show was Treasure Island - they were straight shows in the morning back then - and I played a pirate with a crippled hand. I even sported a grease-paint beard! Quite lovely. :) After that summer I was hooked. I was involved with Workshop every summer after that (except for the one when my dad thought I should try doing something else. I was so bored that summer he never suggested anything other than workshop after that!) When I was in college I started music directing the morning shows and worked my way up to directing. I took a few years off to get married and then a few more when I had kids but I've been involved many more years than not since I was 10 years old.

CB:What has been your favorite WDW experience and why?

HS: I cannot narrow all those years and all those shows down into one singular favorite experience. There are several that come to mind... I'll never forget the 1976 season - the last season we were at Country School on the outdoor stage. Very appropriately is was an Americana selection of shows: Tom Sawyer in the morning and Oklahoma and Dark of the Moon on the outdoor stage at night. Unfortunately, a few of the night shows were rained out so after the closing show of Oklahoma an extra performance of Dark of the Moon was scheduled around midnight that same evening. As the production got underway, the full moon rose up behind the tri-lons and gave the production a very mystical quality!

Another favorite moment was when I got to be the title role in The Merry Widow. It was a beautiful production with period costumes and the cast was full of so many talented people. It was a real time of growth for me as a performer.

Just because three is a magic number, my third favorite WDW experience was having the privilege to direct Ragtime a few years ago. The production team worked so hard to make every aspect of the show come together. When you combine so much talent with a fabulous book and score and then get an amazing cast who worked so hard and gave it their all, you can't help but have an award-winning outcome... and we did! :)

CB: Favorite spot in the Regis College Fine Arts Center?

HS: One of my favorite spots in the Regis theatre is the set of stairs on the right as you enter the theatre from the ramp to the left of the box office. When I've directed a show I like to slip into the theatre and sit on the stairs and watch the cast, pit and crew work the magic that we practiced making together. It is a thrill to sit there and see the story unfold and to get a sense of the audience's reaction to the show. Of course, now that I've told you where this spot is I'm going to have to find a new spot this summer... :)

CB: Favorite summer delight?

HS: I'm not sure what you mean by favorite summer delight. However, assuming you mean it in a workshop-related sense, I really like opening nights. After weeks of hard work and fun times it's great to see it all come together and for the cast and crew to get the applause they so richly deserve.

CB: Favorite musical?

HS: I have a lot of favorite musicals. However, the one that I'd most like to try directing sometime soon is Kismet. I was in the chorus of this show twice - once at WDW and once with the Weston Friendly Society - and loved it both times. The music is based on compositions by Aleczander Borodin and is amazing. The story is sort of an Arabian Nights and has many fun characters. It has gorgeous songs, whirling dirvishes, dancing and a captivating story. It's just magical. It is one of those shows that is not too well known and isn't done a lot which is too bad. It's funny, beautiful and I just love it.

CB: Why do you believe the story of OKLAHOMA needs to be told?

HS: Oklahoma has been called the grandfather of the modern American musical and it is a well-deserved title. While it is not the only show that can or should be credited this way (think Showboat, etc.) it has certainly played it's part in terms of developing the art form. Oklahoma helped to establish music as an integral part of telling the story of the show. The songs helped to further the plot and develop the characters which a lot of musical theatre prior to Oklahoma did not. The story itself is a charming love story set in the time when the Oklahoma territory was on the verge of becoming a state in this great nation of ours. The Rogers and Hammerstein score is full of many memorable songs and features a beautiful ballet which, as with the songs, helps tell the story. Unfortunately, far too many of today's students are unfamiliar with the story and score for this great show. WDW has so many talented members year after year who are serious about developing their craft and they don't realize that part of their education is missing because they haven't been exposed to some of the classics like Oklahoma. Hopefully, a lot of those same talented students will come this year and learn first-hand what has made this show stand the test of time.


CB: What is one word to describe Weston Drama Workshop?

HS: Just as I couldn't think of only one favorite memory, I don't think I could sum up WDW with only one word. However, if I could limit myself to three words I would choose Quality, Friendship and Fun. WDW has high standards and their shows are always of very high quality, well worth the amount of time and effort required of all involved. Over the years, many meaningful and lasting friendships have been formed among the members of WDW. I love the fact that I have had the privilege of directing the children of some of the friends I made back during my student years at Workshop. The generations continue! This very fact alone is a testament to the fact that Workshop is fun. People wouldn't come back year after year if they weren't having fun. Many students audition for Worskhop because they are interested in a particular show or they want to be on stage. However, many others come back year after year because they know their time will be well-spent AND they will get to spend time with their friends from other towns with whom they did workshop last year. What more could you want?


Holly Sullivan will be directing the PM Program production of OKLAHOMA! this summer at Weston Drama Workshop.

And so it begins...

It seems like yesterday we were sitting in the Regis College lobby packing up scripts and scores, vacuuming the theatre, sweeping the black box, and moving the furniture back into the Green Room. However, plans for the 49th Anniversary Season of Weston Drama Workshop are already underway. The work for the next year begins the day after strike.

The first step in the process is season selection. Shortly after Workshop, we sit down and review all the participant comments and surveys to inform how we proceed for the following year. We then send away to read for many, many scripts. After a few months of reading and discussion, we sit down to meet and put together what we believe to be a diverse, challenging, and comprehensive season of shows. We think that this year, our season certainly fits that bill.

This past Tuesday we held our Annual Meeting. It was so much fun to see all of our participants and some new faces as well. A board meeting followed. The Board of Directors of Weston Drama Workshop is a group of parents and alumni who work tirelessly year round to ensure that the program is a success. They serve on committees and carry out hundreds of hours of volunteer work each year. This year the Board has four new members: Chris Holownia, Meg Kelly, David Ortmeyer, and Betsy Selig. They have quite the year ahead of them in preparation for our 49th Season and the 50th Anniversary Celebration to follow.

The next step- hiring the staff. It is always a long process, but a fun one. We meet with old staff members, and new people we have never met before to put together our staff for the summer. This process usually takes us about two months. At the conclusion of hiring all the staff, we immediately go into pre-production for the shows. Pre-production is when we plan everything that needs to get accomplished: set designs, costume designs, lighting designs, props lists, casting breakdowns, rehearsal schedules, basically everything we need to do get ready for Auditions in May. In fact, pre-production for our set designs has already begun. Nick Sulfaro, our set designer this year, met with Director, Aidan O'Hara to discuss set conceptualization for The Who's TOMMY this morning.

So, as you can see Weston Drama Workshop may seem like a summer program, but really it takes a year of preparation to pull off four stellar productions.

This blog- Shop Talk, we hope, will be an accessible way for you to follow what's going on at Weston Drama Workshop and hear from many different voices throughout the year.

Bye for now,
C.


Chris Brindley,
Associate Producer