Directing Thesis Interview: Calvin Atkinson

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself (your name, where you are from, the kind of work you’re interested in, etc.)?

Yes — I'm Calvin Atkinson, third year Columbia MFA Director. I was born and raised in Boston and spent many years in Philly before moving to NYC seven years ago. I’ve been directing for a little over ten years, mostly in small, scrappy venues and as a teaching artist or director in educational spaces. I have a background in musical theatre, though I’ve mostly directed Shakespeare and classical work.

Can you give us a brief overview of your thesis?

Sally is a new adaptation and reworking of Jerome Kern’s 1921 hit musical comedy of the same name. My creative team and I spent the last several months examining the original show, finding what we love about it, and then updating it to appeal to a modern audience and to fit the parameters here at Columbia, at the Lenfest Center for the Arts where it’ll be performing. 

It tells the story of Sally, a dishwasher that dreams of being a famous dancer. Through a crazy little turn of events involving a talent agent, a Broadway star, and a deposed English Duke, she gets to experience how the “other half lives” and live out her dream for one day. And then she has to decide if that’s still her dream, or if there might be something else out there for her… it's a take on the old “rags to riches tale.”

Why did you decide to do this particular production for your thesis project?

I actually picked this show with my team of collaborators, and not fully on my own! I had the idea to take an old, forgotten, public domain musical and to revive and reimagine it. Meg Ledford and Calvin Hitchcock—my two primary collaborators—and I loved Jerome Kern’s music and felt that the story had something urgent to say today, and with the right adjustment, we could find the way to say it. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your process in directing this show?

As a director, no two processes ever feel quite the same to me. Since I also choreographed it, the first half was all about shaping the thing: build and/or teach choreography, figure out the blocking, learn the music—it was an intense first two weeks of sculpting. Then halfway through, we switched gears. We went back and worked in greater detail, investigating all the little moments and discovering the humanity in the characters. And of course we've had to unlock the sense of play among the actors that you need to do a musical comedy!

What do you hope the audience will get out of the performance?

I hope they’ll really think about the path of being an artist, with all its roadblocks and gatekeepers and judgy detractors. And whether they have their own artistic practice or have an artist in their lives, Sally will lead our audience to think about how that path can be nurtured — because maybe our art can be a simple act that can majorly reshape the lives of those around us, like it does for the characters in the show. 

What has been the most exciting part about this project?

Simply seeing it come to life. This was just an idea I had, and something I had always wanted to do: to take an old forgotten show and see if we could find reason to revive it and find why it matters to remount it. So there have been a lot of “dream come true” moments seeing it come together in real life. And I have to give a major shoutout to Meg Ledford who wrote the new libretto. The original script was such a mess; confusing; a little problematic, and Meg has turned it into something funny and sharp that totally resonates today. She has been an amazing collaborator and this project simply would not be what it is without her. 

What is your philosophy for directing?

Definitely one thing I've been philosophizing about during my time at Columbia, as someone who calls himself a classical director, is: what is my definition of "classical"? Is it Shakespeare (which I love to do), or classic musical theatre, or the great plays from mid-century America? What do I believe should be my version of a classical canon, and how can I expand that in my own way?

But in terms of my process, my philosophy as a director is to make sure that everyone in the room can do their best work. From the designers, to the actors, to the technicians, to the stage management team—I want to set up a process where everyone can do their art to their best capacity. Once we're moving in that way, with everyone working at a high caliber, then my voice emerges in how we shape the piece and figure out what will be most resonant to an audience. So, my starting point is to build a holistic process with clear structure and an organized and clearly communicated plan, and then we go deep into the meaning and purpose of our piece of theatre.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I want to be directing theatre all the time, in lots of different and interesting places. Still based in New York and working on cool and interesting projects with my favorite collaborators here, but also doing gigs around the country—spending a few months in one city or another that I've never explored. Because then I could use directing as a way to see the world, which would be amazing.

What is the next play you want to direct?

The next thing I will be directing is The Taming of the Shrew at Columbia -- which will be exciting to return to Shakespeare after a little hiatus. Then I'll be assistant directing with Anne Bogart on Carousel at Boston Lyric Opera. After that I'll be directing Andrew Reid's playwriting thesis here at Columbia in the spring. Beyond that, there are so many projects that I've been building at Columbia that I want to come back too—Sally of course, I hope has a life after this, and Mo Holmes's play Perish in the Flood, which we worked on together. And I want to do more revivals of weird, old gems of musicals, and I have many more Shakespeare plays I'd like to hit in the future.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself and/or this project?

Yes, of course—come see Sally October 3rd through 6th at the Lenfest Center for the Arts! Tickets are free online!

And also I would say that this has been an absolute passion project of mine. It has been amazing to bring the best team of artists in the entire universe together to work on this... and I always say that about my team of artists, but I really mean it! It'll be a vibe.

About the Director

Calvin Atkinson (he/him | Director-Choreographer) is a freelancer in New York City currently completing his MFA in stage directing at Columbia. Formative past projects include Perish in the Flood (CU), Troilus and Cressida (Under St. Marks), Rosencrantz... Are Dead (Hampshire Shakespeare), Bat Boy: The Musical (U Penn). Up next: assistant directing with Anne Bogart on Carousel at Boston Lyrics Opera. @calvinatk on IG