The Rogue Machine, LA’s newest theatre company, seeks to be a theater of ideas and imagination, promising to bring productions that will be theatrical, complex and ambiguous and absent of ideology.  Their opening salvo, The Compleat Female Stage Beauty is set in the mid 1600’s, the Restoration period and deals with issues that could be as relevant today as they were then and in some ways mirrors social situations that often make today’s news. 

We had the good fortune to speak with two of the principal forces behind the production, Tracie Lockwood who plays the leading female role, and director John Perrin Flynn, the company’s artistic director and vital force of the production.  We are privileged to share these conversations with you.

 

Conversation with Tracie Lockwood 

 

Conversation with John Perrin Flynn

RP - How was it that you came to audition for the role?

TL - I didn't formally audition.  We had done some readings of the play in the past where we invited people and asked them for their opinions .

RP - This play is based on actual events - is it a biographical story.

TL - It is in a way, but it's more what they might call "historical fiction".  The author definitely took some creative liberties but it is based on facts and almost all the title characters are real historical figures and it is based on a real event that happened, which is that women replaced men who played female roles in 1660 England.

RP - And that was because King Charles II issued a decree allowing women to appear on stage, and so that was the beginning.

TL - He did, that's right.

RP - From what I have read about the play, your character replaces a man who was well known for playing female roles - and essentially, you took his job away from him, is that right?

TL - Well, sort of . . .

RP - How do you feel about that?

TL - Well, it's a little different than that.

RP - Let me rephrase that.  How does one prepare for a role that could be called playing a "bad guy"?

RP - Hello John.  We have covered your work before at ReviewPlays.Com back in November 2006 when you directed Lost and Found and at that point we gave the play a "Pick of the Week".

JPF - Yes, I remember.

RP - Now you're with a new company and you are the head man at the Rogue Machine.

JPF - Well, I am the Artistic Director but we think of ourselves as a collective and in fact, John (Pollono) who wrote Lost and Found is a member of the company.

RP - When you took on the task of directing this current piece, did you have a specific idea or vision of what you wanted to accomplish?

JPF - Yes.  There were a lot diverging views, that we found this play unique.  We are a collective of a lot theatre artists, many of whom I'm sure you know.  We felt that there was a hole to fill - a hole that has to do with producing both new plays and totally exciting plays that are being written now.  There's a couple of good theatres doing it - Circle X does that and a few others, but there are many more plays than that.  Some of us worked at the Odyssey or the Pacific Resident Theatre and they have their kind of plays that they like to do, so we found that there is a certain kind of plays that are causing tremendous excitement in Chicago and London.  We were hoping to get a theatre where you could rest assured that eventually you could see a very fine play.  Then we also wanted a play that would not only be good in Los Angeles but also be flashy!  A big cast - something that might be difficult to achieve the production values - in short, something that would be a bit of a WOW!  It would have a subject matter that would be interesting to the people here in Los Angeles, because we're very much involved in developing an audience.

To me this play is about the artist's journey.  The lead guy is this man Kynaston who is at the peak of his profession.  He is the leading female actor in England in 1661 and he's arrogant and reckless and full of himself, but also extraordinarily talented.  In the play he causes his own downfall.  Eventually he is redeemed when he remembers that what he is about is his art. So it's sort of a parable that sits well with most careers in Los Angeles.

RP - I guess so.  I was discussing Tracy's role where she plays a woman who takes over the part this man played on stage.  How did you approach that role of this woman literally taking over and leaving this man without his job?

JFP - It's really kind of amazing because she's really quite audacious.  She has also determined to change the world and be the first woman to act on stage.  The playwright gives us the story quite well if you choose to see that, and she certainly has chosen to do that.   She first hooks up with a very wealthy important man in England becoming his mistress.  Then she convinces him to invest in a theatre that needs help and then has him say that one of the prices for his help is to give his girlfriend a part.  Sound familiar?  What is more amazing is that she has appeared in a second theatre, but then she goes right to the first theatre where Kynaston is performing Desdemona in Othello and says "I want to audition", so the director asks what role she wants to read for and she says " Othello - the role of Desdemona."  She's got balls!

RP - Very much so!  I've read some of the reviews for your play and they have been quite favorable.  You must be very pleased about that.

JFP  - Well. I am, but as in all things here, we've  also gotten bad reviews.  Occasionally I've done shows that are solid but don't always please some.  Even Lost and Found got some bad reviews but I'm extremely pleased with what we've done here.  This assemblage of actors is great.  They are so good and so talented and so alive in playing opposite each other on the stage.  The sets and the costumes are simply dazzling; they are the best costume I've ever done and we have this very interesting concept.  We asked what would happen if we did a play as a period piece in 1661 - a costume drama.  We'd make it look like an old stage, we'd make it Baroque-ish and all those things, and people would see it and what they might say is "this is how people looked like then", but they might not understand how it applies today.  So Stephanie Kerley Schwartz and I were talking a lot and one day the LA Times style section ran a picture of a model that looked like she stepped out of Sweeney Todd or something.  She was a runway model and except for certain little touches, she could have been a model in the Restoration period.  It occurred to us simultaneously that most people didn't dress like her during that period.  These were a certain level of society - but certainly the highest level of society.  These were people with huge amounts of disposable income and we could easily blend the costumes of the restoration with haute couture of today, and maybe find a way to explain to our audience what these costumes were about and what they looked like.

RP - That's interesting.  When you and Stephanie and others got together to talk about this, that's sort of a committee - and how does a committee ever reach a consensus?

JFP - In this case when you're directing a group of creative artists you work as a collective.  You have designers and lighting people, and a lucky director gets more than he wanted and the people are going to bring you something fresh and exciting.  Then you can say that you're going to go all the way up there and they are going to get you back so you can see the big picture.  That's what you always hope for.

RP - You are in the third week now and you have a couple of weeks more to go, is that right?

JFP - We start our third week tomorrow and we're scheduled to go to June 1st but may extend it to June 15 if the houses sustain it.

RP -  Theatre Theater is in a relatively new location - they moved from Hollywood, when, about a year ago?

JPF - It  was actually more like two years ago.  I think that Jeff actually left the old place about three years ago.   He had it going for a while as it was, and then he and I had a long talk (I've known him a long time) and he said when he decided he wanted a bigger theatre he didn't realize it would be so much work.  He felt he was not being successful in getting artists anymore and was more of a landlord, so he was looking for someone to share the space with him.  So thinking it through, we agreed that Rogue Machine would be in residency about half a year - maybe two thirds and then Jeff would do a couple of plays as Theatre Theater and it seems to be a good arrangement.  We're liking it very much that way.

RP - Tell me about the name Rogue Machine.  How did your company come up with that?  Was that a collective decision also?

JPF - It was actually.  It was kind of a fun meeting and as we kept bouncing names around, we came up with the name.  In a network of computers a rogue machine is a computer that's not supposed to be there and is disruptive.

RP - Right

JPF - So we kind of think that it applies to The Rogue Machine, and certainly this culture.

RP - Your mission statement suggests that the Rogue Machine is interested in works that may be more edgy - maybe more off the regular track.  Do you have a particular genre thst you are seeking?

JPF - We're most interested in plays that question issues for who we are, for our culture and to quote Willie (Shakespeare)  "that hold a mirror up to nature."  We're hoping that we can connect in various ways, but we're not really looking for a "family drama" as such.  Having said that, I'll probably be proven wrong because the right family drama will come along that will have much more to think about and so we'll say then that that's the play we want to do.   And of course at the same time, theatre should be an exciting evening. It should be entertaining as well, so that when people come they'll say - "that was good!  I'm going to come back here again!"

RP - Can you talk a little about the set - what were you looking for and how did you decide on the blocking and things like that.

JFP = That was something that Kerley Schwartz and I worked on together.  We built a set which we think captures the world in which we want the play to be and then I began blocking.  I'm looking for dynamics that will reveal what's going on between the actors and I'm also looking for how it plays with the audience.  I come with a play sort  of blocked in my mind, but I'm open to what the actors also bring to the project, because I think it's very important to do so.

RP - In the case of Tracie who is wearing a dress that seems a little difficult to maneuver, do you take that into account in your blocking.

JFP - NO!! (laughter)

RP - Did it ever happen before or maybe with this play when an actor will bring something and tell you - "why don't we try it this way instead and see how it plays?"

JFP - That happens all the time!  I feel that the more it happens the better as far as I'm concerned.  You know, we're all artists and if they get inside the people they're portraying they sometimes discover that what we thought a line meant it didn't mean at all.

RP - Let me ask this to wrap up, and this question is for Tracie and John.  What is the thing you fear the most each night the play goes on?

TL - I think as an actor you always fear that you may not bring the kind of energy and truth that it deserves.  You have all the things that are going on in your personal life and it's a constant fear of adults, so you check all that at the door and say right now I get the opportunity to put my life on hold for two and a half hours and just be in someone else's life and have their joys and all that and the fear is that you may not be able to that and the other actors will suffer for you not being present and the audience will suffer also from that.

RP - How about you John, what are your fears each night?

JFP - Well, Tracie fears for herself - I fear for all fifteen of them!  Essentially the issue is "will they stay alive?"  I have to say with this cast their fears are good for me because they are pretty extraordinary actors.

RP - Is there a closing thought that each of you would like to say?

JFP - Come see the play.  We believe that theatre is a really important art form.  We're here not because we're looking for a job - not because we're waiting for a job - we're here because we love the theatre.  We believe there's an audience for this type of plays in Los Angeles and we hope to find them.

RP - Tracie, how about you? 

TL - I absolutely second that.  Theatre for the sake of theatre, not for any other promotional agenda and we would like people to support that.

RP - You mean you're not building your resume?

TL - (Laugher) We're always our resume - but only we're building it through love more than anything else!

RP - Well, thank you both for your time and I will be seeing you in the play in the next week or so.  Best of luck and may you have great success with the show!

As with every interview we have done, the thing that came across more than anything else was the sincerity and genuine desire to create for the pleasure of sharing with others.  Those are always the qualities of true artists, true professionals and true human beings.

Tracie Lockwood and Michael Traynor

TL - That was the title role.

RP - And you come in and perform the title role and this poor guy, Edward Kynaston who was the leading actor playing female roles is out of a job!

TL - I think that one of the interesting things about this play is that when she performs the role the first night she doesn't play the role brilliantly - she's actually quite terrible at it.  But the fact that she's new is the appeal to the audiences of the time.  There's a parallel to actual times today, when, for instance, a well known model might decide to try films, and because of the notoriety of the person, she gets the job and replaces a trained actor.   It's something that artists in this town face all the time.  The roles don't necessarily always go to the best person - they often go to the novelty.

RP- Or perhaps the one with the better connections, or those who know the right people?

TL -  Exactly!

RP - Speaking of the right people, you are part of this company, the Rogue Machine?

TL - I am.  It is a brand new company and it's a collective of actors, writers directors - just general theatre artists.  Most of us have known each other for years, actually, because we work in Los Angeles theatre and we just decided that we wanted a space where we could dedicate ourselves to newer works and the kind of plays that we wanted to do, instead of being at the mercy of houses that were producing works that we were not necessarily passionate about.

RP - What kind of plays do you like to do?

TL - Well, our goal is that eventually do new works - all new works.  It's taking some time to build the theatre company and build the reputation where playwrights will come to us and say "I've got this piece and I'd like to have it done by you"   so our goal is to eventually get to the point where all we do is new works.  

RP - Can you share how or when you became interested in acting?

TL - I began when I was a little kid.  I eventually ended up going to UCLA for Theatre school and stayed in Los Angeles to work.  That's what appeals to me about this company, that it's mostly working actors who are passionate about theatre.  Most of the people in the company are working - they have TV careers and are working but they are passionate about theatre because we feel that's where the exciting work is able to happen.

RP - Are you currently working in TV?

TL - At this point I'm doing only the play, but as you know in this town actors earn their living either on film or TV.

RP - Do you have a favorite role that you've done - or would like to do?

TL - You mean theatre roles?

RP - Well, let's say just in general.  Or do you separate them?  Theatre roles vs. TV or film roles?

TL - Well - - - for me, I guess most of my favorite roles are in the theatre.  I like the energy of having the audience there.  A play is never the same from one night to the next, since the audience informs the performances.  Not so much that you're looking to see what they're thinking, but just their energy and how they're responding to the play.

RP - In film there's less pressure, isn't there?  If one makes a mistake, there's always the opportunity to re-shoot, but in plays you don't have that luxury.  And you prefer to do that?

TL - Well yes, because in film they say "cut" and you do it again, but in a play if you mess up you have to find your way out of it.  You really can't stop in a play so you see where it's going to take you and what happens.  There's something really interesting in that because sometimes something even better happens.

RP - I sort of hesitate to ask you, but has that ever happened to you?

TL - Oh yes!  I think it happens at least once a week where something goes wrong!

RP - Once a week?  I can't believe that!  You're a pro, how can it be once a week?

TL - Well, I'm not saying that you necessarily forget a line but in this cast of seventeen members - figure if one person forgets something even once, that averages to more than once a week!

RP - Missing a mark or things like that?

TL - That's right.

RP - Can you talk about your next project?  Do you have something planned after this?

TL -  Well, we are in the process of reading plays for our second production right now, so within the next a two weeks  I would say that we we should be ready to make an announcement about what our second show will be.

RP - Getting back to this production, I saw a couple of production shots where you seem to be in a very elaborate costume - were all the costumes so intricate?

TL - Well, they're using a really interesting design concept where they didn't want to do just a straight restoration period costumes.  They felt that even though it was set then, it's has very modern themes, so they wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between the period piece and something accessible to a modern audience, so they went with the concept that high fashion couture today is pretty similar to that era, in that the fashion then was a lot more for show.  It was "look at me" clothing and less functional or interested in making an artistic statement.  So their design concept was to take that and marry the two worlds together.

RP - So do you feel comfortable in the costumes?  The dress in the photo seems to be a challenge to wear.  Were you OK walking around the stage with that?

TL - Yeah, well - that's why you go to theatre school.  So you can learn to wear corset and heels.  Every thing else they teach is just superfluous.

RP - So the main objective is just to learn to walk in high heels?

TL - Exactly.  The main objective is to learn to walk in period clothing - - - I'm kidding of course, my teachers would not approve.

RP - I know you're not serious . . . but I'm printing it anyway.

TL - (laughing)  Why not?  Go for it!

RP - Being that this is your first role with this company, have you done this type of part before?

TL - In most of the period pieces I've done I've been the romantic heroine, which is a different thing.  Those roles are not quite as substantive - you find the character fawning over a "pretty boy" but that's not such a meaty role.  This role is more substantive because its about bigger things.  This is more challenging because its more objective.  She wants to be noticed as an actress and there is a crisis of self-esteem - am I good enough to be doing this?  What does this mean for these characters and what does it mean for her?  It's completely changing gender roles.  For example, however the election turns out, it was interesting to be doing a play about a woman trying to break into a man's world at a time when we actually have a viable female candidate for president of the United States.  There are some interesting parallels.

RP - So do you think this play makes a political statement?

TL - I don't think it's necessarily a political play, but it has something to say that we are a period in our history where people who have not been able to break certain glass ceilings are about to break it.  So the question is what are the results of that, and what happens when they achieve that?

RP - Hopefully what will happen is that you'll have a whole lot of people come to see you and you might find yourself on the receiving end of many awards and recognitions at the end of the year.

At this point, director John Perrin Flynn joined the conversation with some thoughts and comments about the production and the company.