This interview was originally published in IPH’s bi-monthly Members-Only Newsletter. You can be the first in the know about upcoming special events and screenings at IPH by becoming a Member today.
A Theatre Charlotte production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning THE FLICK comes to IPH in February. Annie Baker’s play tells the story of three employees who sweep up trash between screenings at one of the few movie theaters in Massachusetts still showing 35 millimeter films. They talk, debate and bond over films but don’t know whether their tentative friendships can last. Director Kyle J. Britt discusses the challenges of staging the play in a cinema, the enigma of having work friends, and why going to see movies on the big screen still matters.
How did this staging of THE FLICK come about? Was the idea always to perform it in the cinema?
At Theatre Charlotte, we produce seven main shows a year, and one of those is what we call TC+. The purpose is to create theater that we can bring into the community and that doesn’t have to take place on a traditional stage. THE FLICK takes place in the auditorium of a movie theater, so partnering with IPH felt like a natural fit. Performing it at IPH, with the actors and audience right there in the theater, feels exciting and like a fresh way to present this show.
The play deals with loneliness, connection, and the impact of film on our lives. What themes resonate with you the most?
A character named Avery is experiencing clinical depression. My family, like many others, has been touched by depression. How Avery connects with people — and doesn’t connect — and all the truths that come from knowing what depression is like resonated with me. At the same time, the play is brilliantly funny, and it speaks the language of film, which I love. The characters constantly make references to films that the audience will know and love.
How does performing the play at IPH enhance its message?
It’s a slice-of-life show, very natural. It should feel as if you’re watching these people working in the theater. You’re not watching them on stage with a fake row of seats. You’re actually watching them clean the theater right in front of you.
What is the biggest challenge of doing it at IPH?
What’s interesting is that this show will be completely different the two weekends we’re doing it. The first weekend, at Theatre Charlotte, we’re putting the audience on stage and doing the play in the auditorium. The weekend at IPH, we’re doing it with the audience essentially behind the actors, who are cleaning the first few rows of seats. It will be a more intimate show.
At IPH the audience will face the screen — the opposite direction from what you’re meant to face based on the blocking in the script. It will be a challenge, but also an interesting experience to see the show from both directions.
Are there other themes you find compelling?
One of the questions the play asks is, can you be friends with the people you work with? A lot of us have had experiences where we work with people, become good friends, then leave that job and never speak to those people again. We’re like, oh, I thought we were friends, but I guess not. We had a productive workday relationship that didn’t carry through to the rest of our lives. It’s an interesting question to ask and to watch play out in front of you, as you think about your own relationships.
How do you hope audiences will feel when they leave the theater?
I hope they will leave with a deeper understanding of the real things people go through. I also think — because it’s a running gag — that they’ll walk away without leaving so much trash in the theater.
How important is the cinema-going experience to you?
I was a film major in college, I worked in a movie theater, and now my day job is at an entertainment company that produces theatrical events. The collective filmgoing experience is important to me. I may not feel the way that Avery does, that 35 millimeter celluloid is the only way to go, but I love the cinematic experience of watching a story together. We do live theater for the same reason.
Theatre Charlotte will perform THE FLICK at IPH Feb. 19–21.