Gilbert McCauley directs live theater; his most recent work, New Century Theatre’s play by Cheryl West called “Jar the Floor,” opened Thursday and will be onstage through Aug. 6 at Theatre 14 at Smith College in Northampton.
It’s a story, McCauley says, about four generations of black women coming together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the family matriarch.
“They wind up (accidentally and on purpose) ripping off the scabs of old wounds in attempt to express/protect themselves on the emotionally perilous battlefield of mother/daughter relationships,” he said.
McCauley, who teaches theater at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, directed the first-ever production of “Jar the Floor” in 1991 at the Empty Space in Seattle, and again, 10 years later, at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.
He says creating good theater is about promoting good communication and sharing experiences.
Hampshire Life: What is your creative process like?
Gilbert McCauley: I start by reading the text and having some kind of experience with it. I then share as best I can that experience with the designers and actors. They, in turn, share their own experiences with the text and we shape that into something the audience can experience.
H.L.: How do you know you’re on the right track?
G.M: There is generally a feeling of “rightness” that comes from the flow of ideas.
H.L.: What do you do when you get stuck?
G.M.: When I get stuck, I go back to the images, the sounds and the feelings that emerged in our early experiences of the text.
H.L.: How do you know when the work is done?
G.M.: As a director, I’m never really done. The show opens and I just have to stop.
H.L.: What did you do today that relates to your art?
G.M.: The thing I love about theater is that everything relates to it. In a way, I’m always working and playing at the same time. It’s being conscious of that that makes the experiences more rich.
H.L.: Why do you do theater?
G.M.: To teach myself how to trust the creative process in my daily life as much as I trust it in my art.
— Kathleen Mellen
New Century Theatre’s “Jar the Floor,” directed by Gilbert McCauley, will be presented through Aug. 6 in Theatre 14 in the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts on the Smith College campus.
For showtimes and ticket prices, and to reserve, visit newcenturytheatre.tix.com.