BWW Interviews: Hunter Foster Talks NATIONAL PASTIME at Bucks County Playhouse

The 2015 season at Bucks County Playhouse is opening with the musical comedy NATIONAL PASTIME. This show is about the American dream, baseball and a show with a lot of heart. I had a chance to speak with Hunter Foster who is directing this musical and who will also direct BCP's next production, COMPANY. I spoke with Foster about NATIONAL PASTIME and what audiences can expect, as well as his returning to Bucks County Playhouse for a third year in row.

Kelli Curtin: Could you tell me about the musical you are directing at Bucks County Playhouse, NATIONAL PASTIME?

Hunter Foster: It is a musical comedy about a baseball team in Iowa in the 1930s. It is a throwback to the screwball comedies of the 30s. The show is about a radio station in a town in Iowa that is struggling to survive. I do not want to give too much away, but I can say that the radio station begins to broadcast the games of a baseball team to save the radio station.

Kelli Curtin: Do you like directing the musicals that are "throwback" pieces? You previously directed AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' and SUMMER OF '42, which both celebrate an earlier time.

Hunter Foster: It is fun to explore period pieces because it is a world we don't know. I try to put myself in the period when the show takes place. The period of NATIONAL PASTIME, the 30s, is a world where the events I know of from my life, such as 9/11, have not happened yet. When I get to direct a show that takes place in an earlier time period, that I did not live during, it is how I get to time travel. I love the 20s and 30s, it was such a fascinating time especially learning what the country experienced during those decades.

Kelli Curtin: What can audiences expect when coming to see this show?

Hunter Foster: It is a true comedy that harkens to the screwball comedy of the 30s. It is a great piece of theatre that will make audiences laugh. In rehearsal, we laugh a lot, so I am hoping that translates to the audience. In the theatre, we get to create a world where anything is possible, and it is a wonderful and magical world we get to reside in during this play. This particular play has magical and wonderful elements, and I am really looking forward to having people see this show.

Kelli Curtin: What about this show appeals to you?

Hunter Foster: The magic of this story appeals to me. I get to create this world and define what this world is theatrically. I get to help create this magical story and surprise the audience in the theatre with this piece. It is a stimulating show for me as a director.

Kelli Curtin: This is your third year returning to direct at Bucks County Playhouse. Why is this playhouse important? Why do you like returning there?

Hunter Foster: It is a great area that is close enough to three states, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania that it has a wide scope of audiences. That in itself is a great focal point for the Playhouse. Also it is in close proximity to New York so Bucks County Playhouse serves as a training ground and launching pad for new works, it also is a theatre that people want to come to see new things.

One of the great things about Bucks County Playhouse is that there is a lot of history that surrounds it. This was a playground for Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Additionally, Grace Kelly was an apprentice at the Playhouse, and [made her stage debut in her uncle, George Kelly's play, The Apprentice.]

I like returning to the Playhouse because the producers are kind and trusting of me. Bucks County is a wonderful place and I love being able to walk around the town with all the shops and restaurants on the water. I am a big fan of the area and support what the Playhouse is trying to build.

Kelli Curtin: You have a successful career in the Arts in both acting and directing. How did you become interested in directing?

Hunter Foster: When I was in the third grade, I wrote and directed a play. I told my teacher that I wanted to have rehearsals and put on a play for the class, and she let me. I think the drive to organize and put on shows has just always been in me, and there is a satisfaction that comes from directing a show. Directing can be sort of scary, but if I surround myself with really great people and people that I trust then the collaboration with these shows can be almost magical.

Kelli Curtin: As a director, what gives you the most fulfillment when directing a production?

Hunter Foster: The thing that gives me the most fulfillment is when I can solve a problem or obstacle in my way. I literally try to dissect that moment and I work with the actors and choreographer to solve the problem. It is exciting that every day I get to create and form a piece of theatre and especially a show like NATIONAL PASTIME that I am excited for people to see.

NATIONAL PASTIME is at Bucks County Playhouse from April 2 - April 19, 2015. For more information and tickets visit their website at www.bcptheater.org or call the box office at (215) 862-2121.

Photos courtesy of Bucks County Playhouse