Lovesong

Lovesong Director’s Note

We all love a good romantic comedy: something that lets us escape from the realities of the world we live in, and just for a brief moment have faith in something other than ourselves. This is a beauty of books, movies, and most importantly, the theatre: where we leave the outside world at the door, lights out and phones powered off, and let the actors take us through a two hour romantic journey.

But what happens when that romance ends? When the lights are back up on life, and we must face our next steps? This is the task that Alfred, leader of Lovesong, is faced with after breaking up with his girlfriend, Jenny. With the help of his good friends, Tom, Pete, and Will, Alfred figures out the next question he feels he must answer: Will he pursue his ex, Jenny (who is now dating Ken), or will he declare his love for his best friend, Beatrice? 

Facing a whirlwind of a few days when these friends are all home from college, complete with thunderstorms, broken limbs, and Halloween costumes gone wrong, Alfred’s confusion from the fallout of his relationship is made all the more complicated: a feeling we are all too familiar with. Unsure of what to do, Alfred will make decisions we will laugh and cry at, and his friends will be there to both help and hinder him on the way, even sometimes with a full-on battle. 

Alfred, however, is still very much imperfect: he often misses the answers to questions we will ask, such as “Well what are Beatrice’s thoughts on this? Or Jen’s?” 

And this question is simply a version of one that we are finding increasingly relevant in the world today: Why aren’t we hearing everyone’s voices? Travis’s work wonderfully captures the heart of this question as we watch a myriad of personalities, from bro-dudes Tom and Will to theatre-kid-at-heart, Pete, each with their own unique voice, as we watch them all struggle with who they will hear and listen to, and who they will not. 

Lovesong has been a delight to work on for this very reason, as the cast, creatives, and I all got to explore the depths of each character to bring their individual voices to the stage. This experience has been one that you will see the product of today, and hopefully carry a version of outside the doors of this theatre.