Choosing the Piece
Kate Chisholm, Director:
"I first became acquainted with Ken Vega in New York in 1994. Ken was just starting to work on Heartfield, and described the project to me, showing me a large book of John Heartfield's photomontages. I was immediately taken in by the power and humor in Heartfield's work; I was also intrigued by the fact that Heartfield was friends with and collaborated artistically with Bertolt Brecht, one of my personal heros of 20th century theater. Sometime in 1995, Ken gathered several writer and director friends over to read through what he had written of the script, and he played and sang the songs. Just as I had been taken in by Heartfield's photomontages, I was immediately drawn to the aesthetic of Ken's work-- its intelligence, irreverence, humor, and emotion-- conveyed through Brechtian devices and through wonderful music reminiscent of Kurt Weill and German cabaret. I knew then that I wanted to direct Heartfield someday."
"In addition to the wonderful music, there were two main characteristics of the piece which particularly appealed to me, and continue to intrigue me and inform my realization of the piece:
The integration of the body of work of a visual artist into a musical and theatrical context. How could I reflect the aesthetic of Heartfield's work in the production? How could I make the staging a physical response to the images?
The theatricality of Ken's writing, and the use of Brechtian devices. Brecht is a character in Heartfield, and leads the audience through the show in a distinctly Brechtian way, announcing scene titles and commenting upon the action. How could I expose theatrical devices and make the commentary both thought-provoking AND entertaining?"
The Director's Process