Interview with the Director of “When We Get Good Again”, Dylan Smail

After the opening performance of “When We Get Good Again” by James McLindon, we checked in with the Director, Dylan Smail, to ask him about the show.

Question 1: Why did you want to direct this show?

“When We Get Good Again” stood out to me as soon as I started reading it. It has such a wittiness to its writing, and I am nothing if not a sucker for good character writing. I also loved how it’s the same location for the entire show, because I feel it really adds to the immersive experience. It makes the audience feel as if this is something that is happening in front of them at their coffee shop throughout a 12 day period.

Question 2: How would you describe your vision for this production?

My vision for the show was to always keep it down to earth and very much in reality. Not only do I want the audience to feel immersed in the coffee shop setting, but I also want them to feel that these are real people with real problems and not just over-the-top caricatures designed for laughs.

Question 3: How has the rehearsal process been for this show? What has been exciting? What has been challenging?

The rehearsal process for the show was spectacular! My actors excelled with every note, challenge, and issue that was put in front of them and they absolutely made the entire process easy. The most exciting part for me is when I finally see the character click with the actor and see each of them become and embody that character as a whole. The challenge comes when I have to actually articulate my thoughts out to the actors of exactly what I want, and I definitely would not be able to do that all the time if it were not for my stage manager, Stephanie Kelso.

Question 4: What has been your favorite moment so far?

I definitely have a lot of favorite moments from this entire experience, but the one that comes to mind the most is from right before our tech week started. We had just finished the full run and at that moment I felt almost like a proud parent. In that moment I realized that I was not stressed about the show opening at all, and if you know theatre, then that is pretty much unheard of in the space. I felt if the show was forced to open tomorrow that it could and would succeed, and that is a moment that will remain special to me for a long time.

Question 5: What should the audience be excited about seeing or experiencing at your show?

The audience should be excited to experience a uniquely charming show full of laughs, but also one that will make you think about not only academic dishonesty, but what drives the students to get to that point in the first place. Come for the laughs, but stay for the philosophical questioning!

Bonus: Who in the show is most like their character? Who’s the least?

I think there are some similarities from actor to character in all 4. If I had to choose, I would say Katherine who plays Nadiya is the most like her character at least in terms of demeanor and a little bit in terms of how each tells jokes. As for least like their character, I’d definitely choose Ethan who plays Roy. This is mainly because of how much of a hockey guy the character is, and Ethan is not as into sports. I definitely don’t think Ethan agrees with how Roy thinks, but I think that makes it all the more impressive with how he is able to find the Roy inside of him.

Visit here to learn more about “When We Get Good Again” and to get your tickets today.