BWW Preview: DEPEND ON ME at Brelby

Brian Maticic received his B.S. in theatre performance from NAU. His acting roles include Robert in 12 Days of Christmas, Bob in Revenge of the Space Pandas, Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night and Bill in Poseidon's Regret. He has directed She Kills Monsters, Love's Labours Lost, Be a Good Little Widow, Princess and the Pirate, Beyond Musketeers: Utopia Lost, missing grace and The Oz Chronicles. His original plays include Playing Games, Non-fat Soy Peppermint Mocha Latte ... With Sprinkles, 12 Days of Christmas, Beyond Musketeers: Utopia Lost and Windfall.

The world premiere of Maticic's latest work, Depend on Me, opens October 6 at Brelby. Maticic also directs the production.

I asked Maticic how he feels about directing his own work, which a lot of industry-types think is a bad idea. No question, Maticic is a great director (see my review of his production of The Pledge last June). But I wondered how he felt - especially because he is insanely busy - about directing Depend on Me.

"Well, it wasn't my original intention to direct this piece," he said. "I have quite a bit of experience both directing my own works, and handing them off to other directors, and both have their benefits and challenges. The same director of my last piece, Windfall, was slated to direct Depend on Me for almost a year, however life happens, and he followed an opportunity to move to California to pursue a film career. While we were happy to support him in this move, the timing was very close to auditions and rehearsals starting for Depend on Me. Normally, Shelby would have stepped in so I could focus on the script and set, but with the due date of our first child right before tech week, it didn't seem like a good idea for her to stay on her feet for nightly rehearsals while nine months pregnant. After that we went down our list of top notch directors, and one after the other, they were all attached to projects in the same time frame. If there is anything Brelby excels at, its being scrappy and adaptable. So I became the director. I've stepped into this role for my own scripts in the past, and do actually quite enjoy it. It forces me to look at the script from a different perspective and can be healthy for the growth of the script as long as there is ample support and feedback. I am very lucky on this show to be surrounded by one of the most talented casts and teams I've worked with. I am a huge proponent of theatre being collaborative. To be frank, theatre can't exist in a bubble. To that end, I rely heavily on creating a dialogue with my cast and production team. We ask questions and explore ideas, and I work hard to recognize the best idea in the room as opposed to being married to my preconceived thoughts on characters or scenes. In the case of this show, the script had already gone through a rigorous development process. I have been working on the script for over a year, and it was selected by John Perovich and Now and Then Creative Company for a week long intensive. In the spring, John directed a staged reading of the show and facilitated numerous discussions with myself and the cast. In that week, the script went through three drafts culminating with a public presentation and talkback with the audience. It was an incredible experience that both gave me a stronger understanding of how the show resonated with an audience, and what would need to be focused on from a performance/directing perspective, as well as helped polish the script far more than it normally would have been prior to a true rehearsal process. So far, this experience has been incredible. The entire cast has been working so hard to find the truth in these characters and breathe life into the show. Melody and Sam are both hilarious and crushing as the leads as they navigate the absurd, and intense emotions in the play. The supporting cast is exceptional as well. Devon is always amazing, Brady is charming, and Wendy.... Well, you'll understand when you see it, but Wendy is larger than life, hilarious, and I could watch her antics for hours. It's a magical thing to watch artists pick up this thing you wrote and make it real, impactful, scary, and hilarious. While I didn't originally plan to direct this script, I'm so happy I had the opportunity to live this experience. I can't wait to share Depend on Me with audiences," Maticic said.

According to Brelby's press release, "This story explores a different, darker side of the classic Odd Couple scenario. "The majority of my adult life has been spent living with roommates in order to afford the cost of an apartment in the new economy" says Maticic. "Depend on Me asks questions about what it means to be an adult in 2017, what our relationships with our parents look like, and how we navigate pursuing our dreams or getting what we want." Depend on Me is the latest world premiere from Maticic, who has penned several pieces for Brelby in the past including Windfall, Playing Games and Nonfat Soy Peppermint Mocha Latte...with Sprinkles. In Depend on Me, Monica has just moved back to town after grad school, and has responded to an ad looking for a roommate. Celia is as much an introvert as Monica is a bubbly extrovert, but Monica's charm leads them to create a friendship that is tested, strengthened and manipulated when death begins to surround Monica. This dark comedy explores the struggles and strains of conflicting personalities in a roommate, and friendship, and the dark depths people can plunge to in order to feel needed. What would you be willing to kill for?"

Depend on Me features performances by a cast that is familiar to the Brelby stage, including Melody Chrispen as Celia (Be a Good Little Widow, Meet the Dryers), Samantha-Elise Tennant as Monica (After Hours at Rosie's Pub, Cold War Kids), Brady Anderson as Dad (The 4th Annual Miscast Concert), Wendy Warwick White as Gloria (Fools, The Tempest), and Devon Mahon as Courtland (Windfall, The Oz Chronicles). Depend on Me features a production team of Brelby veterans with Brian Maticic (Scenic Design), Colleen Carnahan (Lighting Design), John Perovich (Sound Design), Zachary Arnold (Hair, Makeup & Costume Design), Melody Chrispen (Prop Designer), and Kevin Fenderson (Stage Manager).

Visit Brelby.com for tickets and information.