Every action has a purpose. It may be trivial ““ a young man walks five blocks because he needs to buy groceries. Or, it could be life-changing ““ a young woman moves across the country because she is looking to start anew in another city.
Casual theatergoers may not look for these underlying motivations in the characters of a play, seeing the characters as simple portrayals onstage, parts of a script being delivered by an actor or actress.
But they do, and a champion of this idea of “throughline” is Marilyn Fox, a visiting assistant professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, actress and the artistic director at Pacific Resident Theatre, which is currently in the midst of its 25th season. Fox also directed an undergraduate production of “Paradise Lost” by Clifford Odets last December at UCLA’s Ralph Freud Playhouse.
She is currently co-director of “Barrie: Back to Back,” a double feature of two plays by playwright J.M. Barrie (“Rosalind” and “The Old Lady Shows Her Medals”) running at Pacific Resident Theatre that has been extended through Oct. 8.
According to Fox, a “throughline” is a clear and consistent idea running through a work that leads to one final destination in the performance. This makes the play satisfying and understandable. Fox also said that her approach adheres to the belief that each character has one underlying motivation for everything he or she does throughout the entire play.
In the case of these two plays, some characters are motivated by a desire to experience the benefits of middle age.
“They’re people who are either young or old, but they don’t get to be parents, they don’t get to be husbands, they don’t get to be wives, they don’t get that middle part of life … and the characters are longing for that … and they’re afraid of that,” Fox said.
Fox also said the two plays are good examples of Barrie’s unflinching honesty as a playwright.
“When people can’t express certain things in their life for one reason for another, those things get expressed in other ways that maybe are not appropriate or acceptable. … He talks about (that),” she said.
Joe McGovern, who plays Kenneth Dowey, the male lead character in “The Old Lady Shows Her Medals,” said that several rehearsals were spent figuring out these overarching actions, and that the results are extremely rewarding.
“You almost don’t have to act any more,” he said.
Fox’s methods come from a great deal of experience, especially, she said, her experience as an actress.
“All of what I understand about … running the theater and directing and teaching … all comes from my interest in (and my love) of acting.”
Kevin Railsback, a UCLA alumnus and male lead in “Rosalind,” is a former student of Fox and the late Gar Campbell. According to Railsback, Fox inspires trust through her demeanor.
“She commands a lot of respect through love. … She’s a very gentle, caring person but she’s also a great director and she’s got a great eye and she definitely helps you hone in on something,” Railsback said.
McGovern said that working with Fox to create an authentic and affecting experience for theatergoers has been the highlight of his acting career.
“She’s an advocate for the set and she’s an advocate for the play and she’s an advocate for J.M. Barrie. She’s just a champion for all things beautiful inside the theater,” he said.