Interview: Assistant Director Tommy Heller and ALMOST, MAINE at Theatre UCF

Tommy Heller has wanted to work in theatre ever since he can remember.

"When I was six I saw a production of THE CHRISTMAS CAROL where I grew up in Long Island and I was totally entranced by the whole thing. That's when I knew - I just knew that theatre was going to be my thing," Heller says.

Heller is chasing those dreams by working on his BA in Theatre Studies at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in his junior year. He'd one day like to be a theatre director or a screenwriter, and he recently assistant directed Theatre UCF's production of ALMOST, MAINE running through June 11 in UCF's Black Box theater.

Heller's love and passion for his craft is apparent in the production. This was his first time officially assistant-directing (he's worked on other shows in the past in various roles), but one would never know it by the way the actors work on the stage. He worked closely with director Mark Brotherton but was given free-reign to make the scenes what he wanted.

"Mark was amazing. He gave me a lot of liberties and let me do my own thing, essentially, " Heller says, "I blocked the scenes and worked with the actors, but I never felt like I was being watched over my shoulder by Mark. It was a very collaborative environment and I'm extremely lucky to have worked with an amazing cast and crew."

Heller was given the opportunity to direct two scenes in the show of his choosing. He chose "Her Heart" and "This Hurts" for their meaning and connection to the audience. "Her Heart" is one of the first scenes, and arguably one of the most emotionally charged. In "Her Heart" a woman, Glory, is hiking through Maine to see the northern lights and decides to stay in a man's, East's, yard based on what she read about people from Maine and their hospitable nature. The woman is trying to say goodbye to her late husband and believes his spirit will be in the northern lights on its way to heaven.

Throughout the scene, she holds her broken heart in a paper bag and the man starts to fall in love with her. In the end, she surrenders the paper bag over to him and they begin a relationship in which he "fixes" her broken heart. Heller says this scene was one he learned the most from.

"There are so many different ways in which to play that scene and so we were constantly playing with, "Well, what if this character has this story? Or what if this character makes this choice? And so, we were able to work with it and see what worked and what didn't and really transform it into something fresh that the audience hasn't seen before."

The bag transfer between the man and the woman is one of the most poignant parts of the scene, and Heller's take on what it means each time is exactly what makes him the perfect person to direct this scene. "When East says 'I love you' to Glory and they pass the bag back and forth and kiss repeatedly, it's not the kind of romantic 'I-love-you-let's-get-married-right-now' love," Heller says, "It's a type of love in which he wants to help repair her heart - he wants to show her how it feels to be treated right and help her love again, and I think that really speaks to people."

Of the two scenes Heller was asked to direct, he admits "This Hurts" was the less challenging and most straightforward. In the scene, Steve believes he suffers from a disease in which he cannot feel pain. He navigates through life on his brother's advice about what can and cannot hurt him. But when Steve meets Marvalyn, things change. Heller hopes that from "This Hurts" people take away the lesson of how important their personal freedom and liberty is. Heller explains, "Steve is so consumed with what his brother is telling him and what his brother wants him to be, and when we constantly let other people tell us how to feel and how to be, we develop only the emotions others want us to feel. That's just not healthy for anyone, especially when our real emotions come charging through. Never feel like you have to be a certain way because of someone else. Steve can feel pain - he's just so used to what his brother is feeding into his brain."

While the entirety of ALMOST, MAINE is an absolute joy, these two scenes are standouts because of Heller's incredible work. The actors are clearly directed and told how best to set the scene, but it doesn't feel forced at all and it's hard to tell where their direction begins and their creative freedom ends. If "Her Heart" and "This Hurts" are any indication of what's to come for Heller, his future looks bright as the northen lights.

Whether ALMOST, MAINE is new to you, or an old favorite, don't miss this romantic, funny, and overall heart-warming play. To get tickets, visit the Theatre UCF website, or call 407-823-2862.

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Banner Image: Austin Davis and Alexandra Pica. Photo Credit: Jenn Allen