Interview: Director Alyson Cohn, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG and Bergen County Players 90th Anniversary

From its roots as a small community theater, the Bergen County Players (BCP) has grown into a little theater with a big reputation for quality productions. As the Players mark its 90th anniversary this 2022/23 season, the troupe celebrates its rich history, which includes musicals, comedy, drama and suspense. Today, the Bergen County Players, a non-profit organization, counts more than 300 volunteer members as part of its family. They have welcomed hundreds of thousands of patrons through its doors to experience the joy of live theater, some for the very first time.

The Bergen County Players will present The Play That Goes Wrong directed by Alyson Cohn from February 18th to March 11th. In the show, the thespian troupe of Cornley University is putting on a production of 'The Murder at Haversham Manor', but in this 'play-within-a-play' you can just sit back and bust a gut at all of the misplaced props, forgotten lines, banged heads, missed cues, pratfalls, door slams, broken fingers and mispronounced words as the show literally falls apart at the seams. It was the winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.

Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing Alyson Cohn about her career, the Player's 90th Anniversary, and her experience directing The Play That Goes Wrong (TPTGW).

Alyson is a professional actor, director and singer. She received her B.F.A. in Theater, as well as a B.F.A. in Music from Syracuse University where she also minored in education. Alyson has taught in early childhood and various arts programs throughout the tri-state area for more than twenty-five years. A Life Member of the Bergen County Players, Alyson has been active with BCP for over 35 years. Her long list of directorial credits includes God of Carnage (Perry Award for Best Director of a Play), Art, The Laramie Project, Glengarry Glen Ross, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Heidi Chronicles, Six Degrees of Separation, Proposals, True West, and Proof (Perry Award for Best Production of a Play), among others. She has appeared on the BCP stage in many productions, including Lend Me A Tenor, A Year with Frog and Toad, Into the Woods, The Full Monty, and Little Shop of Horrors (Best Actress Perry Award). Alyson is the founder and Director of Music Together of Northern NJ, an acclaimed music and movement program for pre-schoolers.

When did you discover your penchant for theatre?

I was a very young child when I discovered my love for theatre and music. I began performing when I was in elementary school and was truly bitten by the acting/singing bug and haven't stopped since. My love of theatre lead to my attending the High School of Performing Arts in NYC, where I graduated before heading to Syracuse University, where I would earn two degrees (a BFA in theatre and a BM in vocal music).

You had a great education in the arts. What were some of the outstanding moments in your college career?

I started my college career as an acting major and music minor. As an A student you were permitted to take up to 3 credits above the normal 18 permitted by the school, which I took advantage of, often taking extra music courses. Imagine my surprise when at the beginning of my junior year my advisor informed me that due to the number of classes I was taking and the fact that many of the requirements for a degree in Theatre and a degree in Music overlapped, I was one course away from being able to earn two degrees, one in Music and one in Theatre. Needless to say, I took the course.

In addition to acting I would often be asked by fellow students to "help" them with their scenes. We had final scene presentations at the end of each semester, performed for the entire department. The director Arthur Storch was the head of the Drama Department at the time and asked my friends if their scenes had been directed by anyone and they told him that I had, which I thought was strange because I never considered what I had done directing. The next day I was called to his office. I was very nervous, thinking I had done something wrong. To my shock, Mr. Storch informed me that I clearly had a gift for acting and should continue my acting journey, but that he felt that I had a true gift for directing and should seriously consider honing that craft as well. He invited me to take part in his upper level directing courses. This was the end of my sophomore year. I took directing courses from that moment on and changed my major to acting/directing. I had found my passion.

As Bergen County Players celebrates 90 years, why do you think the company has had so much success?

Many people involved in community theatre will float from one theatre to another in search of opportunities, not necessarily finding a home at any one theatre in particular. The Bergen County Players is a membership driven organization, focusing on the needs of our membership and the theatre as a whole rather than solely on each individual show. Because of this, many of our members are very dedicated to the organization and its continued success. You'll often find someone painting sets who starred in the previous month's play. It also means that you will find a number of members who have never set foot onstage, nor have any desire to do so. Audiences don't realize all the pieces of the puzzle required to mount a play, but they sure would notice if one of those pieces were missing. A talented prop person or stage crew is equally important to the success of a production as a talented cast and director and that is recognized and celebrated at BCP. This has lead to lasting friendships, partnerships, and sometimes even marriages (as is the case for my husband and me). Many of us socialize outside the theatre as well as work together and many of us consider BCP our second home.

We are excited about the upcoming production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Why do you think it will appeal to area audiences?

The Play That Goes Wrong has broad audience appeal. Is there anyone who doesn't love to laugh? We are currently living in very trying times, where every day we hear of yet another disaster or catastrophe on the nightly news. The Play That Goes Wrong is a refreshing escape from that reality. Never have we been in such need of the belly laughs that this play provides. I can honestly say that I have never laughed as much or as hard as I have while directing TPTGW. Some of the actors have expressed that the most difficult thing about acting in this show has been keeping a straight face amidst the onstage (and backstage) antics. I have been blessed with an amazingly talented cast and an incredibly dedicated production team which has made directing the show both a pleasure and a laugh a minute. I believe that the BCP production of The Play That Goes Wrong is actually The Play That Goes Right and I'm confident that audiences will enjoy themselves watching the show as much as I have enjoyed directing it.

What have been some of the challenges of directing the show?

The Play That Goes Wrong...sounds pretty simple, right? Well, nothing could be further from the truth. People always joke with me that directing a show where everything goes wrong should be a piece of cake. After all, if there are any mishaps they can just be incorporated into the show. In reality, a show like TPTGW is actually far more complex than a show where everything goes right.

First and foremost is the safety of the cast and crew. Stunts and fight scenes and a set that literally falls apart at the actors feet require very precise blocking and far more rehearsal time for the crew than is typically required for a play. In fact, they are so integral to the story that the set and the stage crew are actually the ninth and tenth characters of the cast. Now add props that fall apart in actors' hands, paintings that fall from the walls, swordplay, gun training, and a host of other crazy goings on. This is all on top of the usual tasks that fall under the director's hat. I took part in a zoom tutorial led by the creative team of the NY production of TPTGW. The best piece of advice I was given was, "Be prepared for things to break." What I was actually told was, "Things WILL break. Be ready to make fixes and adjustments straight through to the end of the run of the show." Truer words were never spoken. During the rehearsal process alone we have had to repair props, furniture, and the set countless times and to change blocking for the safety of the cast and crew. We have an incredible team of set and prop builders on call to make any necessary repairs and modifications after each rehearsal and performance. As a matter of fact, I am meeting a couple of them this afternoon to address a few new mishaps. I am curious to see how many repairs will be completed by the time the show closes on March 11.

Can you tell us a little bit about the cast for the show?

The talented cast of TPTGW features Angelina Aragona of Township of Washington, Sean Buckley of Secaucus, Eric Holzer of Montclair, Wes Laga of Wood-Ridge, Nyasia Legra of Rockaway, Dan Loverro of Parsippany, Josh Switala of Allendale, and Craig Woodward of Little Falls.

We'd love to know what's ahead for you. Any future plans?

Although I cannot yet announce the title, I will be directing again next season. The play I've chosen is about as different from The Play That Goes Wrong as it could possibly be. Look for the Bergen County Players 2023/2024 season announcement sometime soon.

My immediate future plans include loving and spoiling my brand new granddaughter, Sefira Winter Landsman, who was just born this Sunday.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW NJ readers to know.

In addition to acting and directing, I am the Director of Music Together of Northern NJ, a music and movement program for young children and the adults who love them.

The Bergen County Players location is 298 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell, NJ 07649. For more information on the company and to purchase tickets for The Play That Goes Wrong, please visit http://bcplayers.org/ or call 201.261.4200. Their upcoming shows include Barbecue from 3/25 to 4/22; It Shoulda Been You from 5/6 to 6/3; and Second Stage from 6/9 to 6/11.

Headshot Photo Credit: Dan Loverro

Cast Photo Credit: Alan Zenreich

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