HOPE VILLANUEVA

(Director)

 

What's your background?

I am a professional, AEA stage manager from California. I started out as a dancer and then shifted into stage management and directing when I moved to Los Angeles after college. I directed a number of shows in Los Angeles before I went professional as a stage manager, including "Dinner with Friends", "Assassins" and "Seussical". I've also spent a number of years stage managing around the country, including being the resident SM at Honolulu Theatre for Youth and touring with Ringling Bros, on "My Fair Lady", "Young Frankenstein" and most recently, "Rock of Ages". I've also worked here in DC at Woolly Mamoth, Studio Theatre, Imagination Stage and Olney Theatre Center.

 

Have you been a part of Capital Fringe or any other Fringe before?

I've done Fringe for several years. I stage managed "F#@king Up Everything" and "Bully", as well as having assistant directed last year's, "Districtland".

 

 

Did you know the story of the 442nd Regimental Unit?

I learned about the 442nd while I was working on a show in Honolulu. It was a true story about teenage Olympic swimmers and one of them grew up to join the 442nd. I even got to meet one of the others and hold his gold medals. The story had always stuck with me and I hadn't had a chance to to anything artistic with the knowledge until now.

 

Why do you think it's important to keep this piece of history alive, with both adults and youth?

The knowledge that our country entrapped an entire section of its own population because of their racial background is an atrocious thing, particularly at this moment in time when we are seeing race-related injustices at the forefront of the nightly news. If we can tell this story and people respond with "This was unacceptable and I'm so glad these characters grew into a place of acceptance", then maybe we can start applying those lessons to the now.

 

What do you think is the place of the theatre arts in telling our history?

I'm showing my hand here, but I HATED history class growing up. I was horrid at memorizing dates and names and places. But I feel like if I had been brought to history as a series of stories that happen to be true, I might have been more open and interested. Theatre gives us the chance to be that kind of storyteller.

What do you hope audiences will take away from this production?

I hope that adults will watch this with their families and friends, then go out to lunch or dinner and talk about what happened. I also hope that the movement and puppetry and style of storytelling we have chosen is unique and helps audiences lose themselves in the fable."

 

If you could be an animal, what would it be and why?

I always wanted to be a bird and be able to fly. I even love to travel by plane. Guess this show was no coincidence for me!