Excited and Terrified: Mitch Weindorf on CONSTELLATIONS

Director Mitch Weidnorf--seen here casually hanging-out with the signature of photographer J.T. Backes

Next weekend, All-In Productions places a couple of actors in-the-round at the cozy Tenth Street Theatre for a show about two people and endless possibilities in an infinite multiverse. Sounds complex, right? At its heart, though, it’s the emotional story of two characters delivered to the stage by a couple of really good actors. Show’s director Mitch Weindorf took the time to answer a few questions about the show for The Small Stage.


On the surface, from a basic logistical perspective this is a real challenging show: One actor. One Actress. A small stage. 70 minutes no intermission. It’s just...the audience and two people and a story. Thankfully, you have Libby Amato and David Sapiro working on this with you. Two truly talented actors. What’s it been like working with them on a show that’s designed to be this tightly-woven?

Working with Libby and David has truly been a delightful experience! When I first read the script about two years ago, I remember having this feeling of excitement of the possibilities of what could be with the show. My next thought was this is a show that needs to have experienced actors and design team working to do justice to Nick Payne's writing. Having worked along side both previously on stage and seeing their work, I knew Libby and David were the actors to bring Marianne and Roland to life. The experience they brought along with them allowed us to spend rehearsal time doing a lot of intricate, detail orientated work that you don't often have the luxury of.  This allows any of the technical elements to be smoothed out allowing the show to flow naturally.


Beyond the basics of the set-up, you have a tremendously complex script on a conceptual level. The idea of multiple different timelines and multiple different possibilities all existing in and within a multiverse cast against two people in a romantic connection...it’s a lot. How have the three of you been tackling the complexities of the script?

 The exciting and terrifying thing about this script is not only, like you mentioned, that it is filled with complexities of multi-verses, but Nick Payne also eliminates stage directions. He gives us the words the characters say and leaves the rest for interpretation. It is exciting to have a blank canvas to paint on, but also daunting since there are an infinite number of possibilities. I remember talking with my design team, mentors, Lindsey [Gagliano], and other theatre professionals about their thoughts on the show, even before casting to help me create a vision for the show. In the end, I decided to approach the show with simplifying everything, and allowing the words to do the work for us. Once we started rehearsals, Libby, David, Brittany (our Stage Manager and Assistant Director), and myself did a lot of table work. We read the show out loud and talked of concepts and ideas in the script. Then, we broke that down into each grouping of scenes, reading those and discussing, until finally we analyzed each individual scene and universe. The process took a good amount of time, but has definitely helped us shape our understanding of the show and finding little details that may have gone unnoticed. It was great because one rehearsal Libby would come in with an idea about a scene, David would have a completely different idea, and I would have yet another idea. The collaborative process allowed us to realize things that we may not have noticed or thought about. Even in the blocking, the process has been collaborative and open, allowing to create a show that finds different elements that may not have come to fruition without our table work and openness of ideas in the rehearsal room. This also allowed us to let the words be the focus of the show, rather than attempt to add spectacle or glamour to distract from flaws that may have been there. It's a bit unnerving, but I think ultimately, will be rewarding.


At the heart of all live drama there is the connection between people and an audience. Here you are aided considerably by one of the coziest spaces in all of Milwaukee: the Tenth Street Theatre. This can be both a blessing and a curse as you are flanked on more than one side by audience. You get a chance to reach out into the audience emotionally,but with two people, an audience, 70 minutes and no intermission, there really isn’t anywhere to hide. Have rehearsals addressed the intimacy of the venue you’ll eventually be performing in? 

I am thrilled to be working at the Tenth Street Theatre, and that they are allowing us to transform their space. Because of the intimacy of the show, I wanted to stage it in the round (audience on all four sides), leaving Libby and David and the words at the center of everyone's gaze. Thankfully, we have been rehearsing at the Underground Collaborative, which provides us with a cozy rehearsal room. We have had the opportunity to have designers and guests see rehearsals and sit around the edges to address what the intimate feel will be like when we move to the theatre.  


I’ve not had an opportunity to personally connect with the script. (Haven’t read it.) How would you introduce the concept to someone who is more comfortable with a more straightforward romantic drama? 

At the heart of the play, it is a show about two people, the choices they make or don't make, and the various circumstances around them. Nick Payne did a wonderful job of crafting variations of situations that people have experienced, like being at a BBQ, or going on a first date, or having a fight. Yes, the ideas of multi-verses and string theory are present, but it is Nick Payne's way of presenting Marianne and Roland's story. The relationship and situations are familiar enough, that those theories are playing a supporting role rather than dominating the show. What sets it apart from a straightforward romantic drama, is that you get to experience the triumphs and failures of these characters in a situation that you would normally only get one version. It's a choose your own adventure where you find out all of the possibilities.

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It’s a fascinating concept. I always find that my mind wants to wander off on its own when a piece of drama is exploring something that’s conceptually interesting. What’s the pacing like in this 70 minutes? Do we as an audience have much time to digest the story as it’s being presented?

I believe this is a show that doesn't lend itself to digesting the story since the plot is easy to follow. The important part of the show is the relationship of these two and how it changes based on their choices and circumstances. One of my favorite lines that stand out in the show is "Time is irrelevant at the level of atoms and molecules. It's symmetrical. We have all the time we've always had". While in our universe, we see time as a straight line always going forward no matter what, but on the atomic level, time doesn't exist. All of these scenes and moments exist simultaneously with one another. Marianne and Roland are meeting for the first time in one universe and engaged in a fight in another.   


All-In Productions’ staging of Constellations runs Jan. 12 - 20 at the Tenth Street Theatre on 628 N. Tenth St. For more information, visit All-In online.

All-in also posted a really interesting behind-the-scenes video with Weindorf, Amato and Sapiro, which is available on Facebook.

Check it out: