Meet Eddie Page, Director of Witness for the Prosecution

What do you want the audience to experience from Witness for the Prosecution?

Right away I decided to cut several characters out of the script, the jury members. The audience will be invited to assume the role of the jury in this trial.  Of course, they won’t be able to resist the opportunity to play detective with all of the action on stage.  The audience will be challenged by all of the twists and turns of these fascinating characters and crave the resolution that has confused them throughout the story.  Most importantly they will have the freedom to choose their own path to go down (and there will be many). Who knows, maybe some will make all the right turns and receive the title of Chief Inspector?

 

How long have you been directing and what made you get involved in theatre? 

I have only been directing for a short time (about three years).  Each time that I have directed, it’s been a variety from a radio play, to a dramatic political thriller, to a heartwarming comedy and now a murder mystery written by the famous Agatha Christie! My first real stage experience was in the mid to late 70’s.  I was not an actor, but a professional magician with lots of illusions, half a dozen “chorus girl” dancers and oh yeah . . . a few live animals! It was there that I developed the love for drawing the audience into the action on stage.  I always try to keep the audience in mind by asking myself “what should the audience see and feel at this moment?” After a number of years off and having become a stage parent to my rising thespian son Michael, I found that I was attending show after show after show. The bug bit again and it bit hard!

How did you get involved with LTA?

In the fall of 2006, I waundered into the business office one day and signed up to take an advanced acting class with Roland Gomez.  After that class I asked Roland if I could assist him with The Will Rogers Follies and all of a sudden had the title Assistant to the Director!  I went on to be Roland’s Assistant Director for all of his shows for the next three years.  I guess when I hung around LTA, for even just a bit, the walls and people absorbed me.  I’ve even gone home a few nights for rest.

 

What advice would you give others who are interested in working in theatre?

Experiment; find you niche.  There are so many technical and artistic aspects of the theatre.  I’ve often found myself bouncing around from acting, producing, set design and directing.  If your interest is directing, a good strong knowledge base of the other technical and artistic areas really helps understand the complete process and helps build a better end product for the audience. Whatever your interest, just get involved.  There is opportunity for everyone here at LTA!

Eddie Page is directing Witness for the Prosecution at The Little Theatre of Alexandria (April 21 through May 12).  For tickets and information about the theatre, visit our website at www.thelittletheatre.com