Staged Reading this Saturday - One Night Only! NEW - Read an interview with the Director

Interview with the Director: The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Robin Walbeck-Forrest, director of the staged reading The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? to talk about her upcoming performance on November 9th and about her brainchild, the Staged Reading Series.

What is a staged reading?

In a staged reading the actors are acting out the play, with scripts in hand, but you don’t have the rest of the bells and whistles that you normally would have with a production. There are no costumes, no props, no set; we’re just acting out the story. I guess the closest approximation would be an audiobook with [a full cast of] actors.

Why do you want to do staged readings here, at Valley Center Stage?

There are a lot of great stories out there that don’t get on the stage. There are a lot of stories that don’t get heard, because, well, maybe it’s too cumbersome for us to do that. Maybe we’re worried that people won’t come and see that. Whatever the reason, for me, doing staged readings is a way to get more stories out to people.

How do you choose plays for the staged readings?

When I’m looking at scripts, I choose stories I would like to see or that I would like to be a part of. I choose scripts that I don’t think will make it to the stage. And that might be something that’s a little edgier. It might be something by an unknown author. It might be something that has content that is unusual or maybe it’s something that we can’t stage because we don’t have the space for it.

Didn’t The Goat and Proof both win awards?

I would say there was some thinking involved in that as well. If people haven’t heard of David Auburn, who wrote Proof, you can say it won the Tony and people know what a Tony is. Same with The Goat. It won the Drama Critics’ Circle Award. It won all of the awards in 2002. So, yes, it’s edgy, but it is also a well written play by a well known playwright.

But, for example, Toil and Trouble [March 2020 staged reading]--Lauren Gunderson is not a well known playwright but she writes these really fabulously funny and interesting plays. I want people to be exposed to this great work.

What made you want to bring The Goat to audiences?

It is a play that I was introduced to a number of years ago and I loved it. Great writing--nothing I had ever heard before, nothing I had ever seen before, and it’s thought provoking. I think if you can relate to the characters in the story, even if it’s an unrelatable situation, that’s good writing.

And if you are leaving the theater having a debate with your friends about what you just saw and what it means and what it doesn’t mean, and what would you do in that situation, it brings more of the community aspect to theatre; which is part of what I love about theatre.

What is your theatre background?

I have a theatre degree from Western [Washington University]. I’ve been doing theatre for over thirty years. It’s always been community theatre but I try to put on something professional, whatever I am doing. I have been involved in Valley Center Stage since the spring of 2010. Mostly acting. I have stage managed. I have assistant directed. I have helped with box office, lights, set building, all that kind of stuff, but my true passion is with acting. I like storytelling, and it’s where I feel the most comfortable--on a stage.

What is your favorite thing about Valley Center Stage?

The people. It’s my theatre home. The people are very generous; they’re very accepting. They are people who work with humor and grace and a lot of passion for theatre. I wouldn’t be there if I didn’t respect and care for the people that are there. I just wouldn’t. And I feel safe and comfortable. And I appreciate that they are trusting me with this project. I said I would like to and they said OK. I mean, that’s fabulous. Who wouldn’t want to work with people like that?

-Margaret Zatloukal