Next Up at the Guthrie: Shane
Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 1:59AMArticle by Becky Fillinger, photos provided
Blake RobisonA discussion with Director, Blake Robison
When this Guthrie season was announced, I was so excited to see Shane on the list! We had many questions for Director Blake Robison. He told us about interpreting the vastness of the West on the stage, multicultural and multiracial casting and how fun the play is to direct and watch. Get your tickets for Shane, which runs from July 21 to August 27.
Q: When I think of Shane, I envision the wide-open vistas of the West, vast ranch lands, horses, cattle, frontier towns and homesteader cabins. How challenging is it to interpret or portray those elements on a theatrical stage?
A: Putting a western on stage holds a unique set of challenges. We didn’t want to recreate the film onstage, so elements such as horses and wagons had to go! Our scenic environment tries to capture a sense of vastness with a series of wooden ramps evoking western hills on the horizon. Iconic elements appear and disappear – a kitchen table, a saloon bar, a farm cultivator – to stir the audience’s imagination. The entire stage is framed by a wooden portal, feeling like the Old West, especially at the top of the show when the audience arrives to see an enormous period map of the Wyoming territory circa 1889 when the story is set.
Karen ZacariasQ: Playwright Karen Zacarías, a Mexican American, has reimagined Shane’s world from the 1954 movie in which all actors were Caucasian. In Karen’s play, the actors who play the main characters are Black and Latino. Her approach is historically accurate for 1899 Wyoming – one quarter of the cowboys were Mexican and one quarter were Black. How was this fresh perspective to Shane received in its world premiere at the Cincy Playhouse in the Park earlier this summer?
A: Audiences have responded to Karen’s version of the story enthusiastically! The original novella doesn’t contain many details about the characters’ backgrounds. This version gives everyone a unique and culturally specific backstory and identity. It is more accurate to the real demographics of the American West. Additionally, Karen has created a Native character to give voice to the Indigenous perspective. Our audiences have shown great appreciation for all of these story elements.
Q: Playwright Zacarías also has said “an engaged audience is the final character in the play.” Were your Cincinnati audiences engaged?
A: Very much so. There’s a lot of fun tension as the inevitable confrontation between Shane and Fletcher heats up. People are on the edge of their seats for the big saloon fight and the final shootout. There are some laughs along the way, too. It’s great fun.
Q: One of the central themes of Shane is the notion of what it means to be a man. In this version of Shane, the title character is the son of a Cuban slave. Is the theme of manliness, and the traits that make a man, even more vital than in original version of the work?
A: I think Karen captured this theme from the book and amplified it in her own theatrical way. Eleven year old Bobby has two role models: his dad Joe and the mysterious guest Shane. They are positive role models – masculine figures who hold similar values but express them in different ways. In today’s culture of “toxic masculinity” it’s an important discussion to have. The story demonstrates that there is a time to turn the other cheek and a time to stand up.
Q: One final question – was it fun directing Shane for the stage?
A: Oh my gosh, yes! The best part has been the collaboration with Karen, the actors, the designers, and our amazingly creative movement experts. I grew up watching all the classic westerns, and I still enjoy the newer ones like The Harder They Fall. To reimagine this cinematic genre for the stage has been a huge and gratifying challenge.
