BWW Interviews: Philip Hays Talks His Career, Directing, and Classical Theatre Company's UBU ROI

Before a recent rehearsal, I had the opportunity to sit down with Philip Hays at Studio 101. He is directing Classical Theatre Company's upcoming production of Alfred Jarry's UBU ROI. Walking into Studio 101, the first thing that struck me was the elaborate and large set. Even in its unfinished state, I could tell Philip Hays and Classical Theatre Company are in the process of creating something impressive and a theatrical experience that simply should not be missed. Sitting in sight of the expansive set, Philip Hays took the time to talk to me about his career, directing, and UBU ROI.

Me: How did you get started in theatre?

Philip Hays: I got into theatre when I was in middle school. No, well, I was in shows in elementary school. I wasn't really a class clown, but I was a teacher's pet. So, I got picked to be in a show when I was in first grade. I played the King Mole in this little song-and-dance routine. We were all moles, and I enjoyed it. I wasn't really involved through elementary school, but in middle school I had friends who were and wanted to get in theatre. I just kind of tagged along. By the time I got into high school, I was hooked. The rest is history. I just never stopped.

Me: At what point did you realize you wanted be involved in theatre professionally?

Philip Hays: I think it was in high school. I was one of the few people who decided I wanted to keep doing it in college, and I wanted to see if I could make a career out of it. I was pretty sure at that point that there was not much else I would have rather done.

Me: When did you become interested in directing?

Philip Hays: High school, again, was the first time I got to direct. I did a production of SALOME by Oscar Wilde because my teacher told me I couldn't. [Laughs] I was like, "Oscar Wilde's funny. Let's find something." And he said, "Oh, that's not a funny one. Let's find another one." And I said, "Well, why not?" So, I kind of got into it then, and I had that subversive instinct even then. I went to school in Saint Louis for a couple of years, and I ended up at University of Houston. I studied directing and got some opportunities to do it there. So, every couple years now in Houston I try my hand at it.

Me: Recently Houston audiences have seen you on stage as Dog in DOG ACT and as Leonard Lightfoot in LOVE GOES TO PRESS. What is the transition like from actor to director?

Philip Hays: There's a lot more to think about. I enjoying acting because I learn my lines, I figure out where I go, I do my work for me, and I follow the instructions. As a director, I have to create the instructions, and I have to decide many more things. And I think the biggest thing is communication. You have to [Pauses], you know, as an actor you communicate with the audience and you communicate with your director, but a director has to communicate with everybody. Everybody's different. Everybody has a different process. Everybody has a different kind of style and approach to things. And you have to be able to tap into that and figure out what it is people are bringing and how you can communicate with them to get the result that we're after.

Me: What attracted you to direct UBU ROI?

Philip Hays: I've been a fan of this play since I was in college. I discovered it sometime in 2001 or 2. It was part of the curriculum in a theatre history class I was taking because it's really a kind of groundbreaking play as far as vulgarity and breaking with concepts of stylistic continuity, realism, and classicism. It kind of throws all that out the window. It's sometimes called the first absurdist play, or the first surrealist play. So, I discovered it then, and I thought it was amazing. It's great, and [Alfred] Jarry, the author of it, is a really, really interesting guy who kind of lived his art. He wasn't just an artist who created things and went home and lived a normal life. He was an artist at every moment of his life. So, I enjoyed the play because it's funny, dark, kind of twisted, and it has this kind of nasty, gross view of reality that for some reason kind of got me excited. So, I did a school report on it in college. Then, I found other people who knew about when I came to Univeristy of Houston. We would always talk about some day we're going to do this. And then, one day, JJ [John Johnston], of Classical Theatre Company, said, "Hey, I'm thinking about putting this play in one of my seasons, and I want you involved." It was serendipity because it just so happened that it was something I always wanted to do, and I didn't even have to pitch it to him. He was already ready for it.

Me: What are you enjoying most about directing UBU ROI?

Philip Hays: I think the thing I enjoy most about directing anything is the problem solving. I think there is kind of a puzzle of invention. So, you can see right now, we've got this crazy set, and it's going to have many different ways of getting on and off stage. I like creating kind of like a playground and discovering what works and what doesn't within that framework. So, the play and the puzzle solving is what gets me most excited and what I'm enjoying the most about this process. And just, you know, play. I'm a big fan of the word play and being playful in rehearsal. I like that.

Me: UBU ROI first premiered in Paris, France on December 10, 1896. What aspects of the play are still relevant to modern audiences?

Philip Hays: Well, I think the vulgarity is something that we have kind of become desensitized to, where at the time it was something really sensational. But it's a play about how awful people can be, how ignorant people can be, and how mediocre people can be. Jarry was not a fan of the bourgeoisie, the kind of middle class. He was not a fan of people talking about things they didn't know about as if they did. The play is inspired by this kind of pompous, bumbling physics professor he had in high school. This guy thought he knew it all and had no concern for the possibility that he didn't know it all. So Jarry thought that this was insulting to him and to everyone who tries to further their knowledge and self-explore. So, the play is about Ubu, who is this guy who has no concern for other people. He has no idea that he should be concerned for other people, and he becomes evil because of that. Not because he's trying to be evil but because he literally is so ignorant of anything-of his own evil. He has no idea. He's angry. He's lustful. He's greedy. So, I think the relevance today is that, I don't want to get too political with it because everyone has their own opinion on it, but those are things that people see in people in power. Whether it's political power or it's corporate power, it doesn't matter. It's very easy to be in a place like that and to forget about other people, to forget about The Common people or the artists of the world. So, there is something relevant about that. Also, I just think the play is really funny. And it's kind of a double-edged play in that sense that it has this kind of satirical bite to it and it's also remarkably fresh in its humor, even today.

Me: Classic Theatre Company's production of MISS JULIE was updated to 1920 New Orleans to make its theme more relatable to modern audiences. Are you doing anything like that with UBU ROI?

Philip Hays: The thing about the play is Jarry wrote it as a reflection of what he saw in the world in his life, but the play is still set in this kind of medievAl Poland. So, we're kind of keeping it there, but things about certain costumes we're updating. I think we're playing with the trend of the family Ubu exists in all times. So, certain characters will pop up into the play and they'll look like they come from a different era. Some of them might look like classic Shakespearean characters, where others may look like contemporary characters or be in costumes from the last hundred years. Where as the Ubus are kind of these twisted folk-well, were playing with a lot of circus imagery as well with them. They kind of exist in this timeless circus, quasi-American world, but then everybody that pops into the play comes from different parts of time and different parts of history to kind of give the play a timeless quality. It's kind of set everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Me: That's exciting.

Philip Hays: Yeah.

Me: On a side note, I'm a huge fan of Julie Taymor's film Titus, and she kind of did that with her costuming, set choices, and props. It really allowed the audience to differentiate the characters from each other by having them dressed in different historical periods' clothing.

Philip Hays: Yeah. I think making a character not just a physical or an actor's choice, but doing something very bold with their costume gives the audience, especially in a play like this where there's over 30 characters and people are popping in and out-it's very crazy-it gives them something immediate to latch on to. They're like, "Oh, that's a king and a queen. Oh, those guys are Russian. Oh, these people are poor." You know, it's just kind of a visual cue of a time and a place even though none of it matches.

Me: You've already hit on this some, but what message or messages do you hope audiences get from UBU ROI?

Philip Hays: I hope they will see, and this is Jarry's hope too in writing it, he hoped that people would see how potentially awful human beings can be and develop some sort of sense of awareness and reflection beyond what they have already. I think, like I said, the play is about being ignorant and cruel, even if it is only casual, and that's wrong. So, I would hope that people see that and feel the danger of that if they let themselves not strive to be better; this is where they could end up.

Me: As an up and coming director, what advice do you offer to other people hoping to become directors?

Philip Hays: I think the best thing for me as a director that was working with good directors, watching them, following their process, and then finding opportunities or creating them for yourself. In college I was directing. I helped create a student organization while I was in school to give myself and friends new opportunities. I didn't help create it, really. I was on board with it from its early days. Yeah, and then a lot of what I've directed since I got of college has just been stuff I said, "Hey, I want to do something." So, just making it happen on my own, but also, like I said, watching other directors. And I think that observing, not just directors, but designers, and just getting a feel for-I wouldn't say I'm terribly proficient in the technical side of theatre, but I feel like watching it and trying to understand it helps. It's not just about actors.

Classical Theatre Company's production of UBU ROI runs from January 16 to February 3, 2013 at Studio 101 I the Spring Street Studios at 1824 Spring Street, Houston, Texas. For more information and tickets, please visit http://classicaltheatre.org/ or call (713) 963 - 9665.

Photo courtesy of Classical Theatre Company.