Interview: Kyle Donnelly Explores a Consequential Presidency in Arena's ALL THE WAY

Why does someone want to become a politician?

It's a question Americans ponder every election season and what Director Kyle Donnelly posed to her cast on the first day of rehearsal for Arena Stage's production of the Tony Award Winning Best Play All the Way.

The play centers on Lyndon Johnson during the consequential first year of his administration. Having assumed the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, All the Way follows his fight to enact civil rights legislation. Its title was derived was from Johnson's 1964 reelection slogan "All the way with LBJ!"

"This is more than just a play to us right now," says Donnelly after rehearsals. "Politics is our theatre today and we see that with the sense of identification, expectations and what's going on with the primary season."

In many ways the play is tailor-made for Washington audiences, and for Donnelly, who grew up in a die-hard Democratic household and whose father was a civil rights lawyer. It also reunites Donnelly with Arena, a company whom she "loves" to work with.

"One of the reasons I wanted to direct All the Way at Arena, was because of where we are at," says Donnelly. "Washington audiences get how Congress works and a bill becomes law. They get the importance of it because Congress is a living organism to them and so much of this play centers on politics and procedure."

At the core of All the Way is LBJ, a legendary legislative mastermind and someone whom historian-biographer Robert Dallek once described as, "A tornado in pants." The role won Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston a Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play and at Arena is being portrayed by Jack Willis, last seen in their incredible production of Sweat earlier this year.

"Jack knows LBJ better than anybody. He's been unbelievable in helping us layout the timeline the play covers and really has this sense of driving the production, sort of like how LBJ drove the presidency," says Donnelly.

For Willis, the role is not unfamiliar territory having previously portrayed LBJ in Seattle Repertory Theatre's production of All the Way and its sequel The Great Society, both written by Robert Schenkkan. "That's not something I do, trying to cast someone who has done this role before," says Donnelly. "However, with Jack, he's the anchor of this production. And there's a willingness and eagerness on his part to go back and continually reexamine the character to gain new insights."

That's essential because performing All the Way in Washington brings with it a unique challenge that separates it from other productions. For some in the audience, they'll not only be familiar with the play's subject matter, but also have personal ties to some of the subjects themselves. The play's supporting characters include a who's who of the political world and civil rights movement including: Martin Luther King Jr., Lady Bird Johnson and J. Edgar Hoover.

"Every single character is a real person and there is no way we can explicate that aspect from the play," says Donnelly. "However, as a director, you have to do the play as written and the audience knows they're not seeing a reenactment. They are seeing a show created through the eyes of the playwright and the point of view of this production."

A unique aspect of Arena's production, and one that will differentiate it from the Broadway production, is the Fichandler Theatre. It's a space Donnelly says is one of her favorites to direct in and which she'll use to capture the rhythm of the show.

"With All the Way, you see the swirl of history, with real people and real events as we follow LBJ trying to get the Civil Rights Act enacted. There's a constantly moving quality about this show and not a lot of settling down. So we're using turntables to help capture that action," says Donnelly.

Additionally, to capture the pace of the play and its characters, Donnelly asked this question to her cast at their first rehearsal: why does someone want to be a politician?

"We need to figure out what activates them," says Donnelly. "The Fichandler provides us with a sense of perspective, a sense of intimacy that allows us to get to know them and answer that question. That's key then for understanding what happens in the play and why they take the actions they do."

Donnelly credits the cast for having a tremendous passion for this production. She said it was important to her that a major portion of the production be cast with Washington actors because of their familiarity with the political nature of the play.

"They have a vested interest in the facts of the play because living in DC, this is real to them," says Donnelly. "I'm expecting, and they know, that an Arena audience will appreciate this play on a deeper level and so we have to get it right!"

All the Way runs from April 1st thru May 18th at Arena Stage - 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and more information please click here.

Photo: Jack Willis as President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Credit: Jenny Graham.