Latest / The BSB Podcast / Exclusive Interview: Julia Glander, Connor Allston, and Kristin Shields of Tipping Point's 'Lungs'

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Exclusive Interview: Julia Glander, Connor Allston, and Kristin Shields of Tipping Point's 'Lungs' · The BSB Podcast

• 0:00
  Thank you so much, the three of you, for joining me today.
• 0:01
  How are we doing?
• 0:03
  Very well.
• 0:05
  Thank you.
• 0:05
  happy to be here, Brian.
• 0:07
  Yeah, thanks for having us.
• 0:08
  Absolutely.
• 0:10
  So Julia, I'm gonna start with you.
• 0:11
  What is the story of lungs?
• 0:15
  story of first of all I read this play 10 years ago a little over and thought oh I have to do it at some point and so here we are.
• 0:23
  um So the story is about a couple um I'm saying 30s you know and millennial generation and um they are pondering the question of whether or not to bring a child into the world
• 0:41
  that's kind of telling them not to and what I mean by that is
• 0:45
  is climate change, what's happening with the environment, social unrest.
• 0:50
  It's like everything.
• 0:51
  um so anyway, it ends up being a 30-year conversation in this play.
• 0:59
  And what's unique about the play is its structure.
• 1:02
  It's beautifully written, and it feels to me like we are eavesdropping on their personal relationship.
• 1:10
  And we are.
• 1:11
  We learn many, many things.
• 1:13
  But!
• 1:14
  This particular couple, they don't even have names.
• 1:17
  So they really do represent every man, every woman.
• 1:21
  I think that people will, when they see the play, will find themselves in it, no matter what age they are.
• 1:28
  I think it's really a universal truth within this play.
• 1:33
  So the structure lends itself to, because it is a continuous sort of conversation that comes back as they age.
• 1:41
  slower as they're younger and very quickly as they get older.
• 1:46
  um But it's challenging for me the director and the actors because it's not just a play that we're used to.
• 1:56
  It's a different type of storytelling.
• 1:59
  So in a nutshell, that's it.
• 2:01
  I gonna say, that makes my next question really hard.
• 2:03
  was gonna ask Connor and Kristen who they're playing, but if they don't have names, no.
• 2:08
  But they can answer that.
• 2:09
  They know who they're playing.
• 2:12
  Let me start with you.
• 2:13
  Who is your character and how do they factor into the narrative?
• 2:16
  I play a very heady PhD student who is very aware of climate change and carbon emissions and our impact on the planet and where we're headed and wanting to do the right thing and
• 2:35
  really over thinks so many decisions in my life, including this decision to become a parent and uh
• 2:43
  take charge and I know what I want and I will figure it out if I don't.
• 2:51
  So like very type A personality.
• 2:53
  type A personality.
• 2:54
  I am also very type A personality, so it's a good thing.
• 3:01
  Hmm.
• 3:02
  All the time that you're spending together.
• 3:06
  Connor, who are you playing?
• 3:08
  So I am playing her partner who is quite the opposite.
• 3:15
  is very, he's a musician.
• 3:17
  So it goes from gig to gig, gets some like, you know, free records every now and then, but not really a stable job and really gets everything from her.
• 3:27
  Everything that she's reading, he wants to then take on and read.
• 3:31
  He doesn't really have anything of his own, especially when we find out when they're apart.
• 3:36
  He really doesn't have.
• 3:38
  like interests, he just kind of drops everything that was troubling him from everything that he was reading when he's by himself.
• 3:47
  So um he is trying to find validation in other people and doesn't really have a lot of confidence in himself.
• 3:55
  What an interesting dynamic between the two of them that has to play out.
• 3:59
  One so type A and then one that's so laissez faire.
• 4:02
  That must be an interesting dynamic for the two of you, I assume.
• 4:07
  It's fun.
• 4:08
  think it's really
• 4:09
  Well, and already there's sparks flying.
• 4:12
  So that gives you an idea when you get both of these people in the same room.
• 4:17
  m
• 4:22
  really supporting one another.
• 4:23
  um And also someone who is so strong, like when does she need help and when is he willing to give it?
• 4:31
  It's, you know, like, do we ever want to drop those roles and maybe switch it up?
• 4:35
  And that's also on the table too.
• 4:39
  So Julia, you mentioned that you read this like a decade ago.
• 4:43
  What decided like that you wanted to direct the show, but also why did it feel like it was the right time to tell this story?
• 4:49
  Well, a couple things.
• 4:51
  um When I read this, well, I immediately loved it.
• 4:57
  I identified with a great deal of it, even though I'm another generation, um the older generation.
• 5:05
  uh It still spoke truth to me and my own experience.
• 5:12
  So it was that, but it was also because I'm always looking for different types of storytelling.
• 5:18
  And here at Tipping Point, this was one that I remembered.
• 5:21
  Also because we had, when we were putting the season together, know, budget is always a concern.
• 5:28
  And we'd already, I put the first four shows together and we had a lot of actors already in the season and we were like, oh, we need a two-hander.
• 5:37
  And I immediately went, oh.
• 5:41
  I know what play it is.
• 5:42
  And also because I was kind of working on a family theme, um this fit.
• 5:48
  I was like, oh yes, this is the very beginning of a family.
• 5:52
  um So that was another reason.
• 5:55
  And I loved the structure of it.
• 5:57
  I loved that it focused on the rhythm and time and space, but that nothing was literal.
• 6:03
  I mean, even Playwright says, sound and lighting should not...
• 6:09
  um
• 6:10
  uh tell us when there's a scene change.
• 6:14
  So that was exciting to me that we, you know, we're going to create different moods with what we use and how we heighten the play, but we certainly, it's not built in that now the
• 6:25
  lights dim for the next scene or there's nothing like that that happens within the structure.
• 6:31
  And I enjoyed that and I thought that uh there were so many good gems in the play, both in the relationships and between the two of them, also just the writing, the writing as well.
• 6:47
  I was really intrigued by it.
• 6:50
  There's so much that's just drawn you into this project.
• 6:52
  Mm-hmm.
• 6:54
  Connor, what drew you to wanna be in the show?
• 6:56
  So I come from a background of a lot of musical theater and a lot of librettos, which are not, it's very, they're well written, but it's very surface level writing, very much
• 7:10
  trying to introduce you to the characters and get you from one song to the next.
• 7:14
  And so this is very much a uh dense uh text that you can do a lot of things with.
• 7:25
  And it's scary and exciting at the same time to be able to like dive into that as an actor um and play with that character and kind of like find um your own way with it.
• 7:38
  And it's been very fun to like play with Kristen and listen to Julia.
• 7:43
  And that's what really drew me to the script, especially reading it.
• 7:48
  It's a lot of like dashes and overlapping lines and odd spacing.
• 7:52
  It's very...
• 7:54
  cool and very different and I'm loving it so far.
• 7:57
  Sounds like very technical piece.
• 7:59
  Yes, yes.
• 8:02
  Kristen, what drew you to this project?
• 8:04
  I wanted to do a two-hander, a two-person play for a while.
• 8:08
  And I am at a point in my life where I just really, I craved a challenge and then I got this and this is like the biggest challenge I've ever had.
• 8:17
  So I careful what you ask for, but uh I love how intelligent this character is.
• 8:24
  This woman is...
• 8:26
  so thoughtful and well spoken and the depth that she carries.
• 8:31
  I feel like so many female characters are not written with this depth.
• 8:35
  It is a gift.
• 8:36
  It is a gift to have this many words.
• 8:39
  And as we slowly conquer each page, it feels like a little win.
• 8:47
  It feels like a, in a way, like a personal victory as we take on this challenge.
• 8:52
  So it really...
• 8:55
  It's invigorating.
• 8:56
  It's something I've never worked on a piece like this before.
• 8:59
  She's not just like a pretty girl, you know, like wants to fall in love.
• 9:03
  Like this is a woman with a point of view.
• 9:08
  was going to say it feels like it's probably very rewarding to have such a challenging show like this.
• 9:14
  But there's probably also pressure being the only two, a two person show.
• 9:17
  Like that's, that's a lot of pressure, I would assume.
• 9:19
  Yeah, the actor nightmares are definitely happening.
• 9:22
  Like where you're on stage and you don't know what your next line is or maybe you're not wearing pants.
• 9:27
  Those are happen-
• 9:32
  And you only have each other.
• 9:35
  Yeah, but we've got each other and thank goodness we do.
• 9:38
  And so that feels like, I feel supported with Connor.
• 9:44
  There's a lot of trust there.
• 9:46
  We have performed together before, so we just have to uh support each other.
• 9:52
  And it's nice to know that, because then you're more comfortable doing the show when you feel that safety.
• 9:57
  Julia, what has been a challenge maybe for you directing this show?
• 10:02
  How has this challenged you?
• 10:03
  Well, it's so funny to even talk about because we've only had a read through and one rehearsal.
• 10:10
  So I'm sure all the challenges are ahead.
• 10:13
  um with this one, and I kind of talked about this last night when we were at our first real rehearsal, um sometimes you come in and you have a basic idea of what you've got your
• 10:32
  vision.
• 10:33
  and you come in and you go, okay, I know what to do with this first scene.
• 10:35
  I know where we're gonna go.
• 10:37
  I know my stage.
• 10:39
  I know how to stage this.
• 10:40
  I know what to do.
• 10:41
  And I came in with some of that, but this play is very different because there aren't designated scenes.
• 10:50
  It's sort of like we have to make that up as we go along.
• 10:54
  Where is it?
• 10:54
  Where is there a transition?
• 10:56
  Where is the new beat?
• 10:59
  and we're not playing up these transitions.
• 11:01
  These 30 years move through the play.
• 11:05
  So I don't know if I'm explaining that quite well, but this is a different way of working to a certain extent.
• 11:10
  So the play that the two of them do together, we discover a lot.
• 11:16
  We discover how we move through this play.
• 11:21
  And I mean literally move.
• 11:23
  um So that was a challenge, but really fun last night.
• 11:30
  came home and I have a long drive getting home and I was thinking about it the whole night going, that works great.
• 11:37
  So I was having a lot of those uh feelings about it and excited to see what we do for our next rehearsal.
• 11:47
  You kind of mentioned this idea of your vision of what you had in your head beforehand.
• 11:53
  What is your process of translating that?
• 11:55
  I'm sure it's lot of trusting with the actors and working with the script.
• 11:59
  What's your stream for that?
• 12:01
  Well, I absolutely trust the actors.
• 12:05
  being, you I'm an actor first myself.
• 12:08
  So, hallways, what's going through my head first is everything as an actor.
• 12:15
  I'm delving into each one of them.
• 12:17
  Doesn't mean that's what's going to be on the stage, but that process is going through my head.
• 12:24
  So it's, you know, when you're an actor you've got your one point of view.
• 12:28
  It's yours as the character and when you're directing you're looking at all the points of views and then you have the whole picture to put together.
• 12:36
  I, you know, I love both but I am so glad, so glad that I always start from an actor's viewpoint.
• 12:46
  It's really the only way I can do it.
• 12:49
  And it probably feels more authentic for the audience if you know from an actor standpoint kind of what to do and how to bring it to life.
• 12:57
  Well, I hope so.
• 13:00
  For me, always the challenges with m directing is what I've gained from my acting experience I don't always have technically.
• 13:11
  So when we get into our tech rehearsal, I'm always like, this is what I want.
• 13:15
  I can tell you the feeling.
• 13:16
  I don't know how to make it happen.
• 13:19
  So that's the difference.
• 13:21
  um Some directors do.
• 13:23
  They understand that.
• 13:26
  more than I do but luckily I rely on a great team and they get me through it so I'm okay.
• 13:34
  Kristen, what is your process for kind of translating your character from the page to the stage?
• 13:39
  Oh, you know, I, a lot of the experiences that this character is having or contemplating having, I have lived.
• 13:50
  That's not always the case with characters that I have, but very, so many things this character has gone through, I have also gone through.
• 13:56
  So it's deeply personal.
• 13:59
  It's deeply personal.
• 14:03
  so it's kind of excavating my own life.
• 14:06
  Okay, I can pull from this.
• 14:07
  I can pull from that.
• 14:09
  and I have a lot to pull from.
• 14:12
  I mean, she's contemplating becoming a mother.
• 14:14
  I am a mother, you know, ah she's had some challenges along the way.
• 14:19
  I've had those challenges.
• 14:20
  uh Don't worry husband, partner's not the exact same.
• 14:26
  I always worry about that, that crossover, but uh it's real.
• 14:31
  She's real with real relatable challenges that I think if you don't...
• 14:37
  If you haven't yet experienced all of them, you have experienced something and you'll carry that through the play, that lens.
• 14:46
  really, it's like, like Julia said, it's universal.
• 14:50
  There is something that everyone can latch onto.
• 14:53
  They have had that experience.
• 14:54
  They've had that challenge, that conversation, that gross, I shouldn't have said that.
• 14:59
  We all have those sticky moments and this play doesn't shy away from that.
• 15:04
  It sounds like you, it's almost therapeutic in a way to be able to see yourself in this character and kind of process some of that.
• 15:11
  ah Yeah, it really is.
• 15:13
  And as I'm working on these lines, like weeping in my kitchen like a crazy person.
• 15:17
  you just, you do, you connect so deeply to these characters you play.
• 15:22
  And I think that's what brings them alive.
• 15:24
  yeah, therapy indeed.
• 15:27
  Just working your way through it.
• 15:30
  What's your process?
• 15:31
  I know you have to follow her and that was a fantastic answer.
• 15:33
  I'm sorry
• 15:34
  was a fantastic answer.
• 15:37
  I kind of piggybacking off that though, it is very much pulling from my life experiences because I do not have kids.
• 15:51
  I don't come from the same background that Kristen does or her life experiences.
• 15:56
  So I have to put myself in the given circumstances of that character.
• 16:03
  you know, this guy who has daddy issues and confidence issues and needs that validation.
• 16:11
  You know, you look to the different parts of your life, people I know, try to pull from those life experiences that I have and try to translate that the best I can into the
• 16:26
  character and for the audience.
• 16:27
  It's also a fantastic answer.
• 16:30
  one final question for all of you before we wrap up is just what are the themes from the show that resonate the most with you?
• 16:37
  And Julia, I'm going give you the floor first.
• 16:39
  Um.
• 16:39
  love.
• 16:40
  part one.
• 16:41
  Absolutely.
• 16:42
  Responsibility to each other, to the earth.
• 16:49
  um I'm going to share something with because this is something that came out of the collaboration with our designers, which they were so great.
• 16:59
  And this was a really a uh our production meetings were full of life.
• 17:06
  And I was just thrilled about the whole process.
• 17:09
  But one of the things um just from adjectives, what what we ended up with was a nursery.
• 17:17
  And nursery has many different meanings.
• 17:19
  It's fostering the development of something.
• 17:23
  And then we looked at, you know, a nursery.
• 17:25
  It's even mentioned in the script, a baby, right?
• 17:29
  Foster the development of a baby in a nursery.
• 17:32
  Or a nursery where you, you know, raise little trees from seedlings uh to be transplanted.
• 17:40
  And then I also think it has to do with tipping point.
• 17:43
  theater, what we're doing, know, we're fostering creatives, we are um fostering new work and art and all of that.
• 17:53
  So the whole idea behind it, thought, oh, that's exactly, so that's what I see the play is about.
• 18:00
  It's um fostering development.
• 18:04
  How about for you?
• 18:05
  Love.
• 18:05
  truth, responsibility.
• 18:10
  How about for you?
• 18:10
  Yeah, I mean, I'm going to sound like a broken record, also love and what love truly means.
• 18:16
  um You know, between two people, there are many definitions of love, many different styles and ways to love.
• 18:25
  um And um also, you have the story and um our responsibility to this earth that we live on.
• 18:38
  um
• 18:40
  And then the theme I also love is the theme of what is a conversation.
• 18:45
  It comes up a lot in this play.
• 18:50
  And you internalize a lot of conversations that you have.
• 18:54
  Sometimes you're not truly listening to understand, you're just listening to kind of respond.
• 19:00
  And I feel like this show has already taught me to slow down and really
• 19:10
  be present for the conversations I have with the people in my life, friends and family.
• 19:15
  And that's a great one.
• 19:17
  As a couples therapist, I'm always working with people.
• 19:19
  They're like, how do you converse and how do you understand somebody?
• 19:23
  a lot of the time you're right.
• 19:24
  We're just trying to respond to respond and not respond to comprehend and to understand.
• 19:30
  that's where a lot of conflict comes from.
• 19:31
  ah So thank you so much, all three of you, for your time.
• 19:36
  I really appreciate it.
• 19:37
  ah Lungs Runs at the Tipping Point Theater from May 7th through June 1st.
• 19:41
  So get your tickets now and we'll see you there.
• 19:44
  Thank you, Brian.
• 19:46
  Thank you so much.