BWW Interviews: Jennifer Decker and Jon Harvey Dive In With THE DROWNING GIRLS

In the upcoming Mildred's Umbrella production THE DROWNING GIRLS, playwrights Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson and Daniela Vlaskalic revive the "Brides in the Bath," the lurid moniker given to Margaret Lloyd, Alice Smith, and Bessie Williams, three women defrauded and murdered by con man George Joseph Smith in the early 20th century. Mildred's Umbrella artistic director Jennifer Decker and the play's director Jon Harvey talk about the unique challenges posed by the show and the continued relevance of the story.

THE DROWNING GIRLS is female-centric (in creators and characters). It's been described as innovative and challenging. It, quite frankly, seems like the perfect play for Mildred's Umbrella. What was the process for selecting this piece?

Jennifer Decker: Jon [Harvey, Mildred's Umbrella Company member] read about this play after it was produced by Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Because it was experimental and female-centric (fitting our mission exactly), he was excited to submit it to me as a possible show for him to direct for us. That was in late 2010, and the rights were not available yet in the United States. I got the script and loved the idea and tried for a few years to get the rights to produce it here in Houston. Last year, it was finally available, so I secured it for us to be the first professional company to produce it in Houston.

Jon Harvey: I feel strongly about finding the right piece for a company. I have a few other shows that I would love to do, but they just have never seemed right for Mildred's Umbrella. For most of my 10 years with the company, I've looked and just haven't been satisfied. THE DROWNING GIRLS really struck me as a Mildred's Umbrella worthy show. Strong women, strong content and told in a fascinating way.

How did you connect to the story?

Jennifer Decker: The story concerns three women who, because of the social and legal repression of women in their time period (1915), found themselves in a situation where their money, property and lives were in the hands of a man. There was a shortage of men in England at the time, after World War I, and because women could not own property and their money was in the hands of male relatives, marriage was a way to escape that repression, but it only put them at the mercy of yet another man. These days, the rights of women have come a long way, but there is still social pressure and discrimination that causes women to be in dangerous situations at the hands of men. I think it is easy for modern women to relate.

Jon Harvey: I totally agree that this story is relatable to modern audiences. When I was researching this show, my wife, who is an Assistant District Attorney in Harris County, informed me that the "Brides in the Bath" case that this show is based on is still taught in law schools today. It is the first case of it's kind to use the doctrine of chances in obtaining a conviction. (The fact that similar circumstances occurred in three different scenarios all involving the same person leads one to believe that the crime was planned and less of an accident.) THE DROWNING GIRLS address those circumstances as our brides present evidence. I'm also a huge history buff; this was the trial of the century at it's time. I've even found old Houston Post articles from 1915 discussing it. There is a printed version of the trial that was published in 1922; a lot of the content of this show comes directly from the trial.

How would you describe THE DROWNING GIRLS?

Jennifer Decker: The play is a memory play, therefore it is very stylized and not in real time or space. The three main characters are women who died at the hands of a sociopathic killer, and they tell the story from a sort of purgatory or stasis. I get the impression that they relive the story for eternity.

Jon Harvey: I would describe it as three badass women whose lives were wrongly taken from them returning from the grave to set the story straight.

The story jumps in time and place, and each actor is asked to play multiple roles. (Not to mention the water. We'll get to the water in a second!) How do these structural elements enhance the story?

Jon Harvey: These women know this story like the back of their own hands. They become players in each other's stories and through that the audience is shown how eerily similar all of their stories are. The presentation is quite stunning.

What kind of challenges do they pose to you as a director?

Jon Harvey: There is no getting around the fact that this show is a work out for the actresses, both physically and mentally. We have spent a lot of time focusing on breaking the story down into all of the bite-size events so that we can make the most out of who the characters are and how we can differentiate them from others. For the most part there are no props or costumes to assist in this so the actresses have to make it stick with character work and they have to change on a dime. Patricia [Duran], Courtney [Lomelo] and Miranda [Herbert] are three of the very best actresses I have been honored to work with in Houston. They have helped make these challenges much more manageable.

The use of water in this play is quite interesting. One writer noted that it is almost the fourth character on stage. How do you approach staging such a watery show and how, in particular, do you direct the actors to face the unique challenges that this show poses?

Jennifer Decker: The water is a challenge, to be sure. We have a small, black box theatre, and we have to work with limited plumbing and draining situations. The NEA [National Endowment for the Arts] grant we were awarded is helping us work out this challenge, and we have the best set designer in Houston, Jodi Bobrovsky, who is helping us work out the logistics of getting the water to flow when needed, and figuring out ways to drain it after the performances.

Jon Harvey: Safety, safety, safety. The stage will be slippery, the tubs may also be slippery, waterlogged costumes will add weight, water temp may be a concern and then all the things we haven't even considered yet. We are pacing ourselves, working slowly for the goal and adding layers as we go. Did I mention safety?

How do you prepare your actors overall for such an emotionally and physically demanding show?

Jon Harvey: Physically, we begin every rehearsal with stretching/yoga/relaxation. We are all rewarded with a focused rehearsal following that time. There will be a lot of repetition. We will be running two times every rehearsal soon to build stamina. Emotionally? These actresses are all professionals. They bring it at every rehearsal. It is a joy to go watch them work. We have made a point of digging into all of the stories we present so that we have what we need.

The "Brides in the Bath" murders occurred around the turn of the 20th century. What themes does the play explore that are still relevant today?

Jennifer Decker: As I said before, oppression of women and social requirements for women to be married or under the power of male relatives was instrumental in driving all of the victims into the arms of this charming, but murderous man. One hundred years later, we still deal with oppression in many ways. We also constantly hear of violence toward women, from campus rapes to domestic abuse. We've come a long way, but violence and oppression of women is still an issue today.

Jon Harvey: As long as there is an abused girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse in the world, this story is relevant. George Joseph Smith was a serial abuser; he abused many more women than the three we talk about in THE DROWNING GIRLS and he stole from even more.

The subject matter is fairly dark and heavy. Do you think audiences will be put off by it? What do you hope audiences will take away from this production?

Jennifer Decker: Mildred's Umbrella has never shied away from dark and heavy subject matter. As with all of our productions, we hope the audience will walk away with plenty to think about. Our loyal following loves us for this very reason. We hope some of our new patrons will realize that they will not see anything quite like our particular flavor of theatre anywhere else and continue to come back for future productions. At any rate, I know it will be clear to anyone who attends that if they see a show at Mildred's Umbrella, they will always see high quality, thought-provoking theatre.

Jon Harvey: I certainly hope this show is a little unsettling, it is meant to be. There are times of joy and childlike wonder in it as well. We move from moments of play to moments of sorrow and fear, much like these very brides must have felt one hundred years ago.

THE DROWNING GIRLS opens July 16 and runs for 11 performances through August 1 at Studio 101, 1824 Spring Street. For more information, visit www.mildredsumbrella.com.

Photo Credit: Gentle Bear Photography

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