BWW Interviews: Nashville Repertory Theatre's Nate Eppler

Nashville Repertory Theatre began previews tonight for their last production of the 2014-15 season. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, by Christopher Durang, opens on Saturday night, and I was lucky enough to catch the production's director, Nate Eppler, and ask him some questions about the show.

BWW Nashville: Christopher Durang is known for his slightly (and sometimes not so slightly) crazy plays. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is Durang's newest play. How did you first learn about the show? Did you see a production of it? Or was it something that was brought to your attention through Nashville Rep?

Nate Eppler: I've been a fan of Christopher Durang for a long time. I heard about the production at McCarter and immediately set out to find a script anywhere I could. Durang plus Chekhov tossed in a blender seemed like such an intriguing idea.

BWW Nashville: You have a pretty extensive career when it comes to penning your own plays. Can you share about the most obvious differences between writing a play and directing something that was written by someone else?

Nate Eppler: It's a different job entirely, and while played on the same field, sort of a different sport. Somebody said Playwriting is inventing an ocean. If that's true, then directing is showing everybody the best spots for swimming.

BWW Nashville: If someone were to ask you to describe Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, how would you go about this?

Nate Eppler: You don't need to know anything at all about Chekhov or Christopher Durang to enjoy this show. It's a marvelous little comedy about a very dysfunctional little family. It's weird and wonderful and downright odd and surprisingly touching and before you know it, you find yourself at a happy little ending. It's the perfect play for Spring after a very, very long winter.

BWW Nashville: Can you share with our readers about your vision for the production? Was there a specific moment, when you discovered the show, that helped you to pin down your vision?

Nate Eppler: Right from the beginning I knew it was at its core a comedy about an entangled but somehow disconnected family (also, there was all this conceptual stuff about defamiliarization but the minute I get into it, it sounds like My Very Special MFA Book Report. Somehow it feels like this interview isn't the place for a comprehensive examination of the dramaturgical underpinnings of the process of rehearsing a comedy skit. ) But "A Comedy About a Family" is a pretty broad target and I knew there were open questions about the tone of the play going into rehearsal. In some ways the show is a little bit Christopher Durang painting on top of Chekhov, and at first the weird, shifting tone of that blend was difficult to navigate. There is a scene in the middle of the play built on very Chekhovian foundations (sisters, unspoken grievances, the burden of the past, unfulfilled promise, real estate transactions etc.) but instead of letting it play out the way Chekhov would, Durang pushes it until it explodes. A Christopher Durang play bursts through and for a moment the sisters become a sort of full-volume parody of the Chekhovian; hilariously crying and gasping and heaving together on the floor. But the scene doesn't stop there. Durang pushes through all of that and out into something else altogether. Something true and strange and very, very real. It's a lovely moment. As soon as we cracked that one in rehearsal, we saw pretty clearly what our version of this play would be.

BWW Nashville: What do you feel audiences will find most relatable about Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike?

Nate Eppler: As strange and weird and funny as it is, it's entirely recognizable. They're just like your family, only more so.

BWW Nashville: What has been your biggest hurdle when it comes to directing this production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike?

Nate Eppler: The artists at Nashville Rep that I've been lucky enough to work with have made this one of the easiest productions I have directed. The actors, the stage manager, the designers, the technical staff and everybody at The Rep have done tremendous work throughout this whole process. Honestly the hardest part was the fact that we put together the cast and team almost a year ago. It was awful having to wait that long to get to play with everybody.

BWW Nashville: If you were encouraging someone who doesn't see theatre regularly to come see the Nashville Repertory Theatre's production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, what would you say to peak their interests enough to get them in the seats?

Nate Eppler: Sometimes theatre at its stuffiest is like being told to eat your vegetables. This play is all dessert. It's a candy-colored comedy with a happy ending. It's outrageously funny and truly entertaining and showcases knockout performances from some of Nashville's very best actors. But if you don't like to laugh out loud in public, maybe just stay home though, okay?

Thanks again to Nate Eppler for taking some time from his directing, to answer some questions for our readers. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike begins previews April 9 and opens Saturday, April 11. You can purchase tickets by visiting their website HERE, or by calling the box office at (615) 782-4040.