Interview: Being That Sixth Person-Talking with Director Timothy Douglas about DISGRACED at Arena Stage

Lest you might think careers are well-planned, organized endeavors, take a lesson from director Timothy Douglas, who is gracing Washington in a return visit to Arena Stage (last season's King Hedley II was his Arena Stage debut) with his work with Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced, a play about being Muslim or, perhaps more importantly, being perceived as Muslim, in America in current times. "I tripped into directing," says Timothy, "I went to LA as an actor, but found I didn't have the skin for it, so I stepped back and thought I'd be a career teacher, but through some dumb luck, I directed a show, and some people liked what they saw, and I ended up with the Center Theatre Group in LA, as a director. When I finally stopped resisting the path, it started to work." "It seems every good thing," he laughingly reflects, "has happened as I was being dragged through the back door kicking and screaming." So, it seems, tripping doesn't always mean falling.

Since then, Douglas has worked at theaters all over the country, including most of the prominent DC institutions, such as Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Round House and the Folger. An important part of Douglas's directorial philosophy is the notion of "being in the moment," which I had the great pleasure of experiencing with Timothy in our conversation during the rehearsal period for Disgraced (now in previews; opening on April 28). It is clear that his return moment with Arena is a happy occasion on all sides.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013 for Disgraced, and the play was nominated for a 2015 Tony Award for Best Play for its Broadway production. Here's how Arena Stage's play notes tease the story for us, "The play focuses on an emotionally charged dinner party among five son of south Asian immigrants, Amir has worked hard to achieve the American Dream - complete with a successful career, a beautiful wife and $600 custom-tailored shirts. But has he removed himself too far from his roots? And when a friendly dinner party conversation rockets out of control, will the internal battle between his culture and his identity raze all that he's worked so hard to achieve."

I asked Timothy what appealed to him about taking on the role of director for Arena's production: "It was a direct result of my work on King Hedley II. Disgraced and Hedley, both reflect the experience of men of color in America, and can be slippery from a creative perspective because of the potency of headlines that are on everyone's mind. I had seen previous productions of Disgraced in Chicago and NYC, and had a gnawing man of color reaction, that there was something not being covered. I thought, I can't articulate it, but can feel it. I am very sensitive to the zeitgeist of the subject of play I'm directing, so I couldn't point to anything in the script or production, but I knew it was there. So I started talking to actors of middle eastern descent, and they had the same sentiment, and weren't sure that the play could contain their experience as Muslim American (or being perceived as Muslim) without tipping the play. But I knew it was already in the play."

Douglas held three casting calls (with high praise for the commitment of Arena Stage to the process).., and knew right away that he'd found Amir in Nehal Joshi, well known to DC audiences from his work at Arena (Mother Courage and Her Children, The Music Man, Oklahoma! ) as well as last season's Man of La Mancha at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. "Nehal is a director's actor, fully himself at all times, I never had to get into the specificity of what I'm fishing for, he's already got it, and if not, I know we're going to find it together. That's the puzzle of a play, and this has been very gratifying."

"As a director, I want to take a humanistic approach, not change the play or story, but be the audience member sitting there day after day, adjusting to the development of the production, but also taking into account the news headlines; and then doing the dance, balancing the starkness of the world of the play with the humanity of every individual on the stage."

Coming to directing by way of being an actor, according to Timothy, has thoroughly informed his approach. He started in technical theater, backstage, and so brings a multilayered perspective. "I know a little bit about everything; especially about how damaging this profession is to the artistic soul, which is why I had to walk away from acting...so my primary mission as director is to provide a space for the actors to self heal while doing the work of the play."

In particular, Timothy says, he nurtures the actors' instincts, when they may be doubting a choice or second guessing. "I'll say: what was that thing? Try it. It's always the thing. Being present, being in the moment. I have a great radar for this, from my own experiences as an actor. I can sense when people leave the moment; so I keep them present; making sure the story gets told at the level of integrity that the playwright intended."

But as to Disgraced, specifically, Douglas describes it, with enthusiasm, as a "runaway train," having a structure that requires that he not focus on working just sections of the play at a time. "I don't want to interrupt the actors as they're on this emotional journey that is so integral to the intellectual journey...and this cast is fantastic! They get along famously, and take notes; individually, they're all at the top of their game, and don't get frustrated at having to go back, and work on the whole piece as one."

As the director, he says, "my role is as a rolling audience, as the individual and ensemble take shape, I step away. Basically, I make pretty pictures as I work through putting the actor first, then story, but they are inextricably linked in a Kundalini, way." Having worked in so many different theaters, I was curious as to how Timothy adapted to the many different physical set ups in which he ends up working. "Well, my background is in musical theater, and I tend to stage everything as if it's in the round, because it keeps me out of trouble," he laughs. "organically, movement is essential. How the tracks work together: the words, intention, physical life on stage. The more talking there is in a show, the more I approach is like a musical, because movement is so attached to the dynamic of the conversation. I want it to be organic to the actor."

Speaking of acting, Timothy offers that he still does act when he gets that chance. "I love acting...when I'm acting, I'm only asked to do one thing. I'm the happiest actor after being a director, and I get to practice every single thing I ever said to an actor. Then I know what I'm asking as a director, and can ask with authority and integrity and not taking advantage of the actor."

Disgraced is topical, relevant and raises important questions for everyone involved, from creative team and cast, to each audience member. For his part, Douglas hopes that those seeing the play will find the opportunity and "space," as he puts it, "to fully take in the story that we're telling and have a conversation with it. This play triggers a myriad of biases, and we want to acknowledge that experience while honoring Ayad's story. My favorite part is opening night; I can let go. The moment has come, and I can sit among you. I always enjoy the wonderful amnesia of all the process that got us to opening night and can just sit back and enjoy... there are five characters/actors on the stage in Disgraced, so I say go, be the sixth person, have that conversation with yourself that the story will hopefully inspire."

DISGRACED runs at Arena Stage's Kreeger Theater from April 22-May 29 '16. For more information and tickets visit arenastage.org.