From Director Joanna Henry - 33 Variations

It's so exciting that auditions for 33 Variations are this weekend! We've been planning this for almost a year, and the enthusiasm builds with each meeting, with each discussion, and with each design. The past month has been a series of “melding of the minds” with the designers: reviewing the script, looking at the challenges, and creatively collaborating on the overall look and feel of the play. It's especially thrilling to be able to have an extremely talented pianist be with us on stage to perform these variations live as the play progresses.

33 Variations is a story about “a mother coming to terms with her daughter, a composer coming to terms with his genius.  And, even though they‘re separated by 200 years, these two people share an obsession that might, even just for a moment, make time stand still.” (Dramatists Play Service website). 
 
It has been a fascinating journey not only into history and music, but also into the minds of the master Ludwig van Beethoven and the musicologist Dr. Katherine Brandt. Researching this play has revealed a vast treasure trove of anecdotes, family feuds, madness and passion, fear and acceptance, genius and love.  The author Moises Kaufman has said that 33 Variations is “a play WITH music… a play WITH dancing… a play WITH singing…It really tries to redefine how the theatrical space is used.”

The process of bringing Kaufman's words and Beethoven's music alive on the LTA stage begins this weekend with our auditions. Then, the real work starts as the actors, designers, stage managers, producers, crew, and I all work in partnership together to share this story with our audiences. I, for one, am so looking forward to the journey.

Joanna Henry
Director of 33 Variations

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