Interview with Stephen Svoboda

Stephen Svoboda is the playwright and director of Odysseus Died of AIDS playing at The Lion Theatre- Theatre Row in March. He’s also one of my favorite teachers ever. We flagged him down and picked his brain in prep for the NYC production.

Erin Austin: I first saw Odysseus in my sophomore year in the UM studio theatre. But I know it’s been around longer then that. When did you first start writing Odysseus DOA?

Stephen Svoboda: Back in 2001 when I was in graduate school at Ohio University. It has gone through 14 drafts and many title changes, but the basic version of the play wasn't really finished until 2005. Now it has just been fun to workshop the play around the world and do all the fine-tuning.

EA: Have you always been interested in Greek mythology? Where did the inspiration come to combine a modern tale about AIDS with the Odyssey?

SS: I’ve been obsessed with Greek mythology since I was little and feel head over heels in lust with Harry Hamlin as Perseus in the original Clash of the Titans. The inspiration to combine the play came when I was having a serious block as to how to proceed with the play. The show is about a dying man achieving glory, about living a life worth being remembered, and the play didn't seem to have enough size to hold up such a large conceit. When the Odyssey became a part of the story everything fell into place in 2 weeks of re-writing. It was essentially the key that unlocked the last crucial piece to the play working.

EA: You’ve seen this play performed in multiple cities, countries and with different production values, rehearsals, etc. How have the audience reactions been different at each restaging? How have they been similar?

SS: The play is like a machine. No matter what version of the play I've seen, from readings to full on technical productions, it always has the same emotional impact on the audience. They laugh and then they cry. My favorite review from the run in Syracuse was from a young woman who said, "The play was so good I had to blow my nose in my scarf." I think the lights, sound, projections and all that help makes the story clearer and utilize the theatricality of the script. This also allows me to re-create for the audience the character's feelings of being trapped and overwhelmed. There is no intermission. I want the audience to laugh and cry, but most importantly I like capturing the idea that death is inescapable.

EA: Ha. “I had to blow my nose in my scarf.” That’s awesome. I think a lot of the audience reaction (in reference to the drama as well as the comedy) comes from how much we can relate and identify with the characters. Is there a particular character you are especially attached to? And if so, has it changed over time?

SS: I will always be incredibly attached to Elliot and Resean. Elliot is the "me" character. I wrote this play when I thought that I would die from HIV at a very young age and I wanted to confront the fears of losing myself and saying good-bye to my mother. His journey of gathering the troops and creating something memorable is very much my journey everyday. Resean is my inner voice. A few years ago I was doing some Hypnotherapy and meditative healing and during the session the shrink asked me to imagine a person of strength and compassion visiting me. It was Resean. (Not even a real person). You can't help but smile and feel calm when you are in the presence of her character. This production has been a little different. The mothers have taken on a new connection with me as a writer. In the past they were in my mind simply the antagonists, or really the people who couldn't let go, but recently a little boy I was trying to adopt from Tanzania died from AIDS related illnesses, and all of a sudden I was able to play the role of parent and child when looking at the play. I think it has helped me to humanize the mother's in this production.

EA: Yeah, she’s so harsh but her stakes are so high. My heart just broke for her… Okay, we are going to change directions here. Who are your biggest influences, theatrically speaking?

SS: Theatrically speaking I am a huge fan of work that mixes up genre and styles. I really like to mesh historical styles with postmodern theatrical techniques. This play, hopefully, combines the epic nature and imagery of Aeschylus, the alienation of Brecht, and the characters of Paula Vogel. I think that plays should experiment with form and embrace theatricality. You don't need elaborate, overdone sets. You simply need to engage the audience's imagination. I hope we do that in this production.

EA: Okay, so in a perfect world I would write, direct, and act in everything all at the same time- and pick out the pre-show music. Obviously this is impossible. What’s your advice for those of us who like to direct our own plays?

SS: Make sure you can have distance. I am a re-writer. Writing the first draft for me is the hardest part of the process. I can script doctor someone else's work in a heartbeat, I think that is from 8 years of being a playwriting teacher, but writing that first draft is a real struggle. I think this really benefits me as a director. I try to come into the process as if it is a re-writing and doctoring process. I use the production to solve the kinks in the script. I've been known to change something at the last minute, because truly the play is never really finished. I also recommend working with talents actors and designers that you trust. People whose instincts are similar to yours, but will call you out if the play isn't working.

EA: What’s coming up next for you?

SS: Well, right now I am running two Arts Center's in upstate NY; one in Syracuse and one in the Adirondacks, so I am always busy. I am currently directing a production of the Wizard of Oz with a rock 'n roll score that stars 40 kids from a local school and 20 adults with developmentally disabilities and then in June I will be directing a professional production of Peter Brook's Conference of the Birds in a 140 year old church on an island. The cool thing about my current job is I really get to participate in the full spectrum of what theatre is.

EA: Thank you Stephen. Can’t wait to see Odysseus.

Odysseus Died of AIDS
Written and Directed by Stephen Svoboda
Theatre Row - The Lion Theatre
410 West 42nd Street (Between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York NY 10036

Cast Members:
John Bixler, Laura Austin, Maha McCain, Temar Underwood, Adam Perabo, Brett Davenport, Kate Metroka, Darian Sundberg, Binaifer Dabu, Nathan Young