Director's Notes
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH text by John Cameron Mitchell and music/lyrics by Stephen Trask is a success story for independent theatres across the world. That unique and heartfelt show that explodes and creates a cult following. I know some friends who were given free tickets to that show when it first opened at the Jane Street Theatre in New York City, 1998. A few weeks later it was difficult to even get a ticket to HEDWIG.
Shows like these are not created every year - personally, it is my opinion that they come around every five or ten years. I feel really fortunate to work on this production and to be working with all the creative and talented people who are in and surround this show.
I want to be frank with you here. This is a very expensive show for our theatre company to produce and it is perhaps the largest show that I have ever worked on in my career. We have taken our company to the very limit to present this production for you. We would not be opening or running HEDWIG if it was not for a very committed and generous board member who strongly believes in what we do here at Theatre Network. I want to take this moment to personally thank this board member who believes in us and loves to make our dreams come true - and honey you know who you are - thank you.
It is my job as the director to boil the play down to its essence or focal point to help us discover the world of the play. HEDWIG struck a chord with me very early in my process which has stuck with me. It is about finding love - true soulful love. After reading Plato's Symposium (where the Greek Philosophers of the day gathered and were compelled to drink lots of wine and discuss various themes on love) I developed a new level of appreciation for this "thing called love". In fact, the song "Origin of Love" is from the content of Aristophanes' speech but the title is from Socrates' speech.
HEDWIG is looking for her other half, the half that was separated from her a long time ago, and she has always looked for it in others. What the play gives us is the hope that we too can find our other halves. It is a search that we are all on and some of us are lucky to find it. More importantly, the play is telling us that that our other half already exists inside of each of us and that we need to look inside ourselves to be whole. To love the two sides of ourselves, only then can we freely and truly love someone else.
I love this play.
- Bradley Moss