Interview

A heart-to-heart with USC play director

David Ackles talks about his directorial project with 'Threepenny Opera'

By Andrea Parker
Staff Writer

David Ackles, the passionate director behind the School of Theatre production of the "Threepenny Opera" currently running at Bing Theatre, is an articulate man who was intelligent about what he had to say.
Born and raised in Chicago, Ackles moved to Los Angeles at the age of 12 to begin a movie career. Later, he received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from USC and has now returned as a member of the School of Theatre faculty. Ackles has recorded several albums and has received high praise for his poetic lyrics and musical talent.
Ackles shared some of his thoughts on Brecht, society and the joy of directing.
Why did you choose to major in English and not music?
I wanted to learn to do it all, which meant learning the construction of poetry, so I could write my own lyrics and play construction so that I could write the book to whatever musical I was creating. In the end, it in no way limited my horizons, being an English major. In fact it opened up the possibility to do so many things. Then in graduate school, I was a communications major so that I could focus a little more on theater.
How has your music background influenced your work in theater?
I see everything as having rhythm. I think life has rhythm. If you are aware of it, you can hear it all around. So in directing I look for the rhythms in people's speech and emotions and how they relate to each other. Rhythms are a very strong component of my directing style.
Give us some background on "Threepenny Opera"?
It is based on "The Beggar's Opera," which was written 200 years ago prior to the writing of "Threepenny" in the early 1920s. It is really a strange piece. Any musical that follows in the footsteps of someone who is a notorious thief, housebreaker, womanizer, murderer, all of those things, and follows his life and career all the way to the gallows is unusual.
Was this criminal seen as a hero?
In the modern sense yes, in that he was an antihero. He is in every way the embodiment of the anti-virtues. He lies, he cheats, he steals, he is unfaithful to friends and women. In this sense he thinks that he is above judging, and in a way he's right, because of the type of society and the societal values that he was placed in the midst of. The middle class had such a lack of validity of the life that he represented, which was the lower classes, the depraved way of life, the people who had no chance of ever rising above their station, no chance of ever being able to compete, to rise up into that section of society which forms our sense of ethics and correct social behavior. They were born into a situation where they would never have a chance to conform to these values and so therefore they rejected them. Which is one of the joys of "Threepenny," watching how this society functions.
So if you can't join them, destroy them?
Yes, that is exactly what he does.
Any parallels to today's society?
Strong parallels. The sense of the haves and the have-nots. In the 1870s, the haves were very worried that the have-nots were going to take over. The haves worried that the rejection of the bourgeois values of the majority posed a threat to society, and they were right.
What's it like working on a college campus with college performers?
It's a huge advantage. It's like being given a playpen and inviting a bunch of friends in to play. There are so few restrictions, as opposed to the commercial theater, where you are answerable to whoever put up the money. Here you are responsible ... to the educational standards of whatever institution you are working in and it's important to understand them and abide by them. The good side of it is you don't have the egos to deal with. You don't have the people who say, `Well, this is the way we've always done it," because these people have never done this before, so they are fresh to it, they are excited, they have energy and enthusiasm; there is not a diva in the cartload. I mean it is wonderful to work with these kids. Exciting people and so talented, I feel very lucky.
What excites you about doing "Threepenny Opera"?
I love the show. It is one of the few shows in the 20th century which has truly advanced the art of musical theater because it brings a serious subject matter to what had been frothy entertainment. Now, mind you, I believe that the first obligation of theater is to entertain, which "Threepenny" does, but the fact that it chose as its subject the examination of our social value system fascinates me. It changed in many ways the course of musical theater; we found that we could address serious topics, and thereafter did--not always, but often. It has a great score, intriguing and lively in musical theater. Very free-form. No rules that say it must be done this way or that way, so that the imagination of the creator is able to rise as much as possible to the imagination of the original creators. Much like Shakespeare.
What is your process, the patterns in your directing and your approach to the work?
The process begins with casting. If the casting is done right in accordance with your vision for the show, the actors will be the right people and will know, given some clues, how the character is to develop. I prefer to come in with the entire show already pre-staged. That doesn't mean that things don't change--I mean, you have to be flexible--but it helps the actors if you are thoroughly and completely organized, so from the first moment to the last they know where they stand and what they say, when they say it and why. And if you have thoroughly thought things through and given them physical clues, the actors will come up with a character that fits the clues.
What advice you will you give your actors in those last moments before opening night?
There's a reason why they call it "play." I want everyone to go out and play and have a wonderful time doing it. If you are playing at the top of your profession, the audience plays along. It is a shared game whose end result is tremendous satisfaction on both parts. And I hope that they can capture that feeling.
Has acting lost that sense of play between actor and audience?
In some ways, yes. Acting has become so introspective that it has been reduced to satisfying the actor rather than fully satisfying the actor, the author and the audience. As an audience member, I like to be in on what's happening. I like that to be shared, and in some cases it is quite frustrating to go and see that what I am supposed to be doing is merely appreciating how wonderful the performance is. That's not what theater is about to me.
How does one incorporate this sense of play into a piece that is considered highly dramatic, like "Hamlet" or "Macbeth"?
My feeling is that those plays particularly are written to be played larger than life. Those characters are not life-size, they were never intended to be perceived as life-size, and if you can't play to that dimension then you have cheated the audience out of what they came to see.
If you were to wrap "Threepenny" up into a box, like a present that you were giving to the audience, what would you like them to find inside--to come away with?
One, the sense of having had a theatrical experience, that they will know that they have been a part of this experience. That they will have been thoroughly entertained and engaged. Even though this is epic theater, which normally puts the audience off, what Brecht wrote is irresistible; you cannot help but be drawn in. And I would also like to have them come away thinking about what Brecht has to say.
Is there a wake-up call to society within the show?
That may be too strong. There is certainly a reminder that says, "Don't be smug. Look at who you are, where you are." But I think that we should do that anyway. It's just too easy to get preoccupied with work and studies and relationships. It is very hard to take the time to step back and look at our society and what your place in it is and what you accept and reject. We just don't have the time. So theater can provide that opportunity to take a step back and look. I think that all good theater does.
How has the rehearsal process changed you?
I have regained the joy of directing. It's been about four years since I have directed. Directing is never less than satisfying. The pure joy of creating in this wonderful playpen is something that I have been missing, and boy, have I regained it.
How have the actors affected your original concept?
Actors always enrich your concept because they are other universes and they are making themselves available to you. So what you begin with as a fairly bare-bones outline of a concept begins to be filled in by what the actors bring to it. They are a rich and varied group of people and they have made the production rich and varied as well.
What is your favorite moment of the show?
For silliness, the end of the army song. For impact, the moment when Mack is approaching the gallows and must face his demise. He has a speech which is quite riveting and to which the actor brings tremendous power.
What are your favorite aspects of directing?
I love the whole process. Nothing can compete with the researching and developing of your concept. The initial creating is very exciting because your mind can go anywhere. Also, the first meeting of the actors--the first time you hear them read the script, their voices become reality. When you first hear the music being rehearsed. The first moments on the set, in costume, with the lights. There are many steps ... that rekindle your love for the entire project.

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"Threepenny Opera" is now playing in Bing Theatre.