Some you may have seen in _Parks & Recreation_ and _Curb Your Enthusiasm_. Others you may have seen in _Crazy Ex Girlfriend_ and _Comedy Bang Bang_. One you may have even seen in a nifty ditty entitled _Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist_. But wherever you’ve seen ‘em, you most definitely didn’t see ‘em quite like this. Why? Because on this night they went well against type, that’s why. And they did so in the most forthright way imaginable.
We’re talkin’ about _Dream Role_, the show that provides a set of crafty actors an opportunity to leave behind those pesky stereotypes and step into the role of their lives. Put together by Heather Fink and Alicia Hannah, and starring Alison Becker, Meagan Holder, Tom Lenk, Janie Haddad Tompkins, and Paul Yen, as well as Hannah, Dream Role took the Lyric Hyperion from bloody high tea to stunt-fueled action movie without missing a beat. Think Artaud’s Theatre of the Absurd as done by a woke Stella Adler and you’ll get some of the big idea. Think diversity pushed beyond the outer limits and you’ll get some more. Engaging. Enlightening. And delightful.
_Flaunt_ got with _Dream Role_ writer/director Heather Fink after the first sold-out show in order to get the full lowdown. Here’s what she had to share.
**What’s the big idea behind _Dream Role_?**
Actors perform original monologues for a role they’ve always dreamed of getting but never played before.
We wanted to build a show empowering actors by casting them into color/gender-blind roles in any time period/genre and collaborate with them to create characters they’ve always wanted to play. It is a passion project of unlimited creativity and saying goodbye to typecasting in all it’s restrictive forms.
**How’d the concept come about?**
It was born out of a conversation I had with Alicia Hannah. She expressed frustration at the myriad ways an Asian woman is bound to play the same roles onscreen. I asked her what she’s always wanted to play but never had access to and she laughed and exclaimed ‘a southern belle!’ When I heard what Alicia said, the idea for _Dream Role_ popped into my head fully formed!
**Was Alicia’s Bulldog character already a thing?**
No, Alicia’s Bulldog character was custom-crafted for her like all of the _Dream Role_ pieces. The very first ingredient was Alicia exclaiming “I want to do a southern accent!” and as we talked more, she recalled her admiration for Tennessee Williams characters and recommended that I watch _Suddenly Last Summer_. So we determined her character should be a southern woman from the ‘50s in the world of Tennessee Williams.
Bulldog also marries into a proper family, but has a rough past as a feisty ranch hand who never took shit from anyone. She describes “seeking justice” on a variety of people who’ve done her wrong, and assures the audience that as a proper lady she’d never do anything like that anymore -- but she could.
That came from a long conversation about feminism and a woman’s place in the world, and all of the things we are pissed off about! An angry woman is so often demonized and Bulldog hides her true nature under her very ladylike demeanor.
We got to talking about our badass moms. I told a story of how my mom used to work as a builder in the ‘80s, and when the housing market went bad she worked her way up from secretary to executive in the ‘90s despite having no college degree and being from a foreign country. And even though she seemed like a sweet Dutch lady, Fokkelien Fink was not to be messed with. Everyone at work called her “Bulldog.” Alicia exclaimed, “That’s me! I want to be Bulldog!” I loved that we had a chance to honor my mother in a small way like this.
**What did it take to get the characters ready for show?**
I meet with each actor one on one and listen to any ideas they come in with. Then, to get more specific, we discuss what they love about acting, who they are, what they care about. I wrote four of the six pieces. When writing the pieces, I inhabit the world of that character -- from watching Tennesse Williams movies for Alicia, to watching _The Crown_ and _The Favourite_ for Meagan Holder’s 1700s queen. Then I send the actors a draft and if they want changes, the answer is always “yes.” You rarely get to give actors such agency. But in _Dream Role_, you can.
Janie Haddad Tompkins and Alison Becker wrote their own monologues and that too was rewarding. For Janie, I assumed she was a comedy writer because I first watched her perform while working on a movie as a boom operator (my day job is as an IATSE sound person for movies and tv). She came up with so much brilliant improv that day, I knew she could write. Janie’s character was a grand ‘80s Dynasty diva and the writing was explosively hilarious from her first draft. Janie doubted that she any good, but I had the privilege of telling her the truth. Her writing was magnificent. It was so fun to see her thrive in this way and she served a fierce ‘80s diva on stage too.
With Alison, we had a totally different idea at first. Most actors on Dream Role are primarily film and tv actors. Alison also has years of stage experience doing improv and sketch. She also writes and directs. Anyway, Alison was telling me about visiting a woman who once lived on a glamorous 1940s divorce ranch in Reno. I stopped her right there. Divorce ranch? 1940s Reno? That’s the concept! Turns out Alison’s actually been pitching a show about Divorce Ranches, so I loved giving her a platform to share such a brilliant idea. Naturally, she NAILED it.
After the pieces are written, I meet with the actors as often as they like. I love directing. I’d do it all day every day, so I make as much time as I can for this. A great joy is also that every actor on _Dream Role_ is someone I haven’t worked with before, so I get to collaborate with someone new.
So this show is full of joy all around. It’s entirely about a bunch of people doing what they love without having to answer to anyone.
**How much (and in what way) did having a South Korean Southern Belle figure on _Dream Role_’s mission?**
Bulldog was the first piece we created so it served as a fantastic benchmark of what else we could achieve with the other actors. Alicia is an Australian Korean actor playing a white Southern belle in the ‘50s. That’s something you would never see onscreen. We’re able to bring that to life in our show.
**C/Would you say this hosting/producing/directing/co-writing has become a de facto dream role for you?**
Not exactly. My Dream Role is to direct and write works for film and television. Properly financed projects especially as I’ve been creating indies for a long time now. I am also incredibly passionate about the technical aspects of filmmaking. I’ve worked for a decade in my day job as a sound person, and have studied countless directors and film crews working at the height of their craft. I have a deep knowledge of the camera, lighting, sound, post production, and production design that’s just sitting on a back burner in my mind till I get to use it. I often produce my own works because indie filmmaking rarely affords the luxury of experienced producers. I don’t want to produce anymore. I want to collaborate with strong producers.
_Dream Role_ allowed me a chance to focus on the actors’ performances and to write exciting new works in genres I’d never tried before. That was dreamy. I’m so grateful for that.
But mama needs to get paid.
**Where do you see _Dream Role_ going from here?**
Small scale, we’d love to stage _Dream Role_ once every two months (it takes time to prepare these pieces) and invite exciting new talent to collaborate with us along the way. We could even take it to other cities. Thinking bigger? The show works in a wide variety of formats from podcasts to webisodes to a variety TV show where celebrities try a new character they’ve never done before -- and we film it properly.
There is something that happened with each of these pieces where every actor remarked how they wish they could play a role like this but never get to. I’d love to write a movie for all of these characters and just make it happen. I just might.
**To that end, is there a _Dream Role_ logline/elevator pitch you wanna leave us with?**
It’s vital to pursue your dreams and even more thrilling when you get to live your dreams. Come to _Dream Role_ and watch us do both.
* * *
_Round Two of Dream Role will be in March. The date will be announced at DreamRoleShow.com and on instagram @DreamRoleShow_
