Q.  The show was amazing.  What was the most important thing you did in directing the show?
A.  Casting.  The humor in the script comes from the fact that these are real women, not caricatures.  So I chose actors who can play these women honestly, and who make me laugh in real life.  I think the best actors are very intelligent, so I cast intelligent women.  The script is difficult, so I cast hard workers who are excited by and committed to the project.  I knew we’d have to spend a lot of time together to make the show look easy, so I picked people who are enjoyable to be around.  I knew I wanted to take this production on tour and to competitions, so I cast actors who love to perform and relish a challenge. 

Q.  We’re in the theatre audience, yet we really feel like voyeurs in someone’s living room.  How did you accomplish that?
A.  From the first reading until the just two weeks before opening night, we rehearsed in the actors’ actual living rooms.  The blocking was naturalistic and changed depending on whose home we were using.  We also took furniture, photos, and mementos from the actors’ homes and used them in the theater, so we were as comfortable on the set as we’d been in our living rooms. 

Q.  The dog is hilarious.  Isn’t it difficult to work with an animal running loose on stage? 
A.  WC Fields said, "Never work with animals or children," but I love both, and so do audiences.  We would all miss the dog if she were not there.  Animals are an important part of our homes and our lives.  I knew that all the actors were good enough to adapt to whatever she did, and talented enough that the dog couldn’t steal the show.  I think she keeps the show fresh.  Part of the excitement of live theatre is that it is unpredictable.  Having a live animal in front of a live audience just adds to the excitement.  Toto had been in my production of Oz, so I knew she could do it.  Toto is not a trained animal performer.  She’s just a well-loved pet.  Toto loves people.  If she had her way, she’d be running around the audience and going from lap to lap, so unfortunately the only places I can use her are when we are in theaters where the stage is extra high or there is an orchestra pit. 

Q.  What was the most difficult part of the rehearsal process? 
A.  Life itself.  We started rehearsing months ago, because we all have other acting projects, and we are active volunteers in various organizations, so we had to plan around those commitments.  We had to fit our rehearsals around our lives and the joys and disappointments that life throws at you.  We supported each other through births and funerals.  During the rehearsal process, two grandchildren were born, a brother died, a friend lost a child, and husband lost one job and found another.  There was a wedding dress to buy, and a child and brother to help move into his first “non-rental” home.  There were birthday parties, illnesses, and crazy relatives and friends.  There were children who were playing football, cheerleading, and in parades and performances which we couldn’t miss.  There were family vacations, and board meetings.  There were people who needed our help.  There were cars that needed fixing and children that needed mending.  There was always at least one small child at our rehearsals and various animals, and it wasn’t unusual to pick up a prop sack with a cat in it or to stop rehearsal to attend to a diaper or spilled milk.  Supporting each other, and laughing and crying together through all of this made us stronger friends and a stronger cast.  The show is about family, and life made us a family, and it shows in the production.

Q.  The script is very funny.  How did you choose it?
A.  I love to direct shows that the audience has never seen, so they don’t know what to expect.  People send me scripts all the time, but this one I was lucky enough to come across as a first-round reader in the Texas Nonprofit Theatre’s play competition.  When I read this script, it made me laugh.  There were words I wanted to say aloud and four strong and funny roles for women.  The author is coming from Oklahoma to our last performance in Austin, and I’m looking forward to meeting him.

Q.  Would you change anything?
A.   Yes, every performance should be sold out.  The audiences so far have been just great, and very appreciative.  They have cheered, clapped, and given standing ovations.  Audience members are returning with their friends, and one is coming back with her mother.  I have no complaints.  I just want more.  I believe that comedy is best experienced live and with others; the more people the better; and laughter is infectious and best shared with friends.

• EASY Theatre is doing theatre we love, with people we love, for people we love. 
• EASY Theatre is an ensemble built upon cooperation and sharing. 
• EASY Theatre is a home for artists to expand their talents.
• EASY Theatre seeks actors, directors, writers, producers, technicians, designers, and teachers who work for the love of the craft and the art, and provides them opportunities to learn  through production.