In the midst of a very chaotic 2020, there were glimmering moments of hope鈥攁nd the announcement last September that director Margo Hall would be taking the reins at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre is one of them. An award-winning performer, director, playwright, and educator, Hall has been a leading artist in the Bay Area theatre community for over 30 years, and is the first female artistic director at LHT.
Now, the first production under her reign is beginning this weekend: Erika Dickerson-Despenza's [hieroglyph]. The digital presentation, , runs March 13 through April 3.
On the phone with 半岛体育 shortly after assuming the role of LHT's artistic director, Hall chatted about her career path, what advice she has for up-and-coming artists, and what she hopes is the future of Black theatre.
On landing the gig...
You have conversations, it wasn't the lottery. I鈥檝e been working in the Bay Area for over 30 years with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, so I鈥檝e had a relationship with them for a while. I鈥檝e performed, and worked to support this theatre. So when the two original artistic directors passed away [Stanley E. Williams and Quentin Easter both died in 2010], I was doing Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine by Lynn Nottage at LHT. I was approached then about doing AD and I wasn鈥檛 ready yet. I was still freelancing and pretty young in my career and didn鈥檛 feel I was the right person at the time. Then, [Steven Anthony] Jones took over, and I directed a musical during that time. Then Stephen and I did a show and he said he was thinking of stepping down, and I said I still didn鈥檛 think I was ready; I had more things to do on stage and in the community.
On why she took the role now...
This time around, with COVID and the killing of George Floyd and WeSeeYou White American Theatre... I had a moment of clarity to commit myself to my Black community and move all of my energies in that direction. I wasn鈥檛 hesitant at all and that鈥檚 why I felt it was the right time. It鈥檚 also the right time in the world because of COVID. I鈥檓 going into a job that I鈥檝e never done before and I have time to settle in. There鈥檚 nothing opening next week. I can go in and get my mission together and raise funds and get us ready for the next phase. I can approach it in a way that鈥檚 not rushed. I鈥檓 thinking about our strategic plan and what we want to be.
On her role as a mentor...
I鈥檝e worked in so many theatres, I know what it feels like where you feel safe, creative, and at home. Depending on what space you鈥檙e in, it can be challenging, so I鈥檓 really interested in making the space a room that I want to be in. For the last 10 years of my career, I鈥檝e had the opportunity to work with new Black artists from festivals, educating at UCBerkeley and community colleges in Hayward, and I鈥檝e developed a lot of relationships with mentees. And I鈥檓 just overwhelmed and overjoyed with the work by these new playwrights. It鈥檚 not just writers鈥攁ctors, designers, people who don鈥檛 get enough exposure, I鈥檝e always found ways to connect with people. Like a lighting designer, I feel it鈥檚 my mission to give them opportunities even if it鈥檚 not something I鈥檓 working on. So when I was thinking about my missions for LHT, it鈥檚 in order to do that, we need funding, and a way to use my platform in my position now as a producer to create a space for all these new black voices.
On the challenges productions of color often face...
Most of the productions I commit to as a director deal directly with Black and Brown folks, where I feel most comfortable. When you鈥檙e directing a piece like that, it鈥檚 important to have a production team that also reflects what is happening in the play. It鈥檚 sometimes challenging when you go into certain institutions that have people they work with that aren鈥檛 people of color; and you鈥檙e explaining things that are culturally relevant and they don鈥檛 get it. It鈥檚 not a matter of them not trying to understand, but they鈥檝e never been exposed to it, like lighting a black person鈥檚 skin. It becomes a challenge explaining, like 鈥淲e need amber gel!鈥� Since we have a multitude of skin tones, you can鈥檛 just do one color鈥攊t doesn鈥檛 work. People who light productions with white people, you don鈥檛 have that challenge. The shades of Black and Brown people are varying, and that鈥檚 a challenge and it鈥檚 really hard.
I was working on Red Velvet, and the play was set in London during the 1800s with Ira Aldridge, one of the first Black men to play Othello, as the main character. So talking about the sound design, and the designer wanted to bring in music influenced by the orchestras of the U.K.鈥擨 understand why that鈥檇 be the aesthetic, but the main character is African. So I asked him to dig deeper and figure out the African element. And he was great, he said 鈥淥h my god, you鈥檙e absolutely right.鈥� There would not have been that instinct. I have to be really clear about my vision and guide people. Some people are receptive and other people are not.
In the Bay Area, I haven鈥檛 had a lot of issues, I鈥檝e had them here and there. Most of the time, folks are willing, and it could be because of my reputation. I worry about younger directors; I鈥檝e been vocal, I come in with 100% of myself, and my job is to really create a space where they can gain that confidence.
On what she advises younger folks to do...
The first thing I would say is to try and get control over who your design team is going to be. Try to get as many people of color on the design team; if that鈥檚 not possible, make sure you鈥檙e really clear in your vision so you can say exactly what you need and what you want, so you can convey that to the designer who may or may not be familiar with what you鈥檙e trying to present.
I would also say form relationships with designers of color, and the job of the director is to have the best team. You need to build and find those folks who think like you and understand culturally what you鈥檙e trying to do. A lot of theatres will just say 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know...鈥� and you can have a list of people to recommend. And if they are nervous, say 鈥淲ell, you have a relationship with me, and I鈥檓 vouching for this person.鈥�
On what theatre looks like when it comes back...
I think it鈥檚 time for theatre to focus back on the community; I feel like this idea of community theatre has been given the wrong narrative like it鈥檚 some non-professional aspect and it鈥檚 totally wrong. It鈥檚 about engaging in conversation, not just talking about the play. Having panels, bringing people for dinners in a room鈥攖hat continues the conversation. Currently, it鈥檚 all about producing a play and then it鈥檚 gone. There鈥檚 no follow-through or conversation about what we just witnessed. And if theatre is really doing the work for social change...I鈥檇 like to see when theatre is an opportunity to use our platform and find ways to have some really hard conversations.
I also think it鈥檚 time, especially for Black plays and plays by people of color, to reflect our joy. We鈥檝e had several years of our trauma being put on stage and a lot of that has been in order to educate a white audience or just plays that are being written for the white gaze. I want us as a Black community to reflect our joy and magic and have the space 鈥攏ot just the theatre鈥攂ut the community to do that.
I would also really like to see people, before they decide to produce a play, especially a predominately white institution, and sit down and see how they can support that play and the artist and if they feel like they can鈥檛 do that adequately, support another theatre that can and provide resources in the form of a co-production. Really being honest about 鈥渋s my company in a position to do this safely?鈥� Also, what type of audience engagement are you doing so that you have a balanced audience? It鈥檚 hard for a Black artist in a work about slavery and it鈥檚 a white audience looking back at you, who have no idea what they're going through or they're apathetic. So, people are learning and communicating with each other. That鈥檚 what theatres are supposed to do鈥攏ot just putting the black play on the stage but having the audience and community talk and learn about each other and the world. Anti-blackness comes from the lack of understanding of the humanity of Black folks.
On what鈥檚 next for LHT...
One of my bigger missions is to get us a theatre. And also in the meantime, do some co-productions to continue to tell our stories. We have a few things in the works. We need money and we鈥檝e been nomadic ever since LHT lost its San Fransisco space. Getting the resources necessary to do productions is something we鈥檙e focusing on. Financially, we鈥檝e not really gotten back to a place from many years ago鈥攃ampaigns like the and will help.
A lot of Black theatres are not funded the same way as the ones that have legacy funds and things like that. So part of our goal is to do a January 2021 production with another San Francisco theatre that has the resources to do it. We鈥檇 come in as co-producers and it would be a filmed production. We鈥檙e not doing Zoom productions, we鈥檙e trying to find other ways.
Longer-term things are in the works, too, maybe a big musical? I have a lot of connections with people all over the world and because of this new position, people are offering support. I鈥檓 looking at things now, and most of them will be once we can congregate even if it鈥檚 outdoors.
[Quotes have been edited for clarity.]
