Don Bluth Front Row Theatre audiences are very familiar with the company's Co-Artistic Director Cheryl Schaar, who, in addition to almost always greeting the audience upon their arrival, has also been acting and directing at the theatre for over seven years. Schaar has also appeared in many other productions at other theatres across the Valley, including Southwest Shakespeare, Hale Centre Theatre and Mesa Encore Theatre.
But what they may not know is that Cheryl's daughter Amanda Schaar is also a talented actress and arts educator, as well as a playwright.
Amanda's new play Kill Socrates, A Comedy makes its Arizona premiere at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre this week in a production directed by her mother and featuring a trio of actors well known to Valley patrons and Don Bluth audiences: Tom Koelbel, Van Rockwell and J. Kevin Tallent.
Amanda is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the New Fortune Theatre in San Diego, where Kill Socrates, A Comedy had a well received staged reading, and also served in various roles at Southwest Shakespeare Company; ChildsPlay, Shakespeare Sedona; and Phoenix Theatre, and also appeared in shows in Chicago as well as having written sketch comedy and performance art pieces.
As she anxiously awaits the play's local premiere, Amanda sat down to answer some questions about the Kill Socrates, A Comedy.
Since this is a Phoenix premiere of a new play that few people have seen, what can you tell us your play is about?
"Oh, you know. Is the soul immortal? Do we even have souls? Should we do what we think is right, even when we're horribly wronged? It's about simple everyday questions like that. "
How did you get the idea to write a play about Socrates?
"The only stuff we know about Socrates was written by Plato, Xenophon and Aristophanes; all are written in a dialogue (or spoof). Why? That's what I want to know... At any rate, Socrates is one of the coolest dudes I've ever read about, and he predates The Dude (and Jesus) by hundreds and hundreds of years."
What type of research did you do when writing it?
"Bwahaha.... there's only so much research you can do, but at the same time, you have to research life itself. I know only that I know nothing."
Socrates seems like a heavy subject for a play. What made you decide to base a comedy on his life instead of making it a drama?
"Heavy subjects are the BEST subjects for a comedy. Nothing but the heaviest merits a divine send-up of patter and sudden violence. "
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| Van Rockwell, Tom Koelbel, and J. Kevin Tallent in Kill Socrates, A Comedy photo by Stephanie Cartwright |
I understand the piece premiered at New Fortune Theatre in La Jolla, California. What was that experience like, and what was the most important thing you learned about the play from it?
"It was rather ad-hoc. We were invited to read it at a university out here (the name eludes me). The date was suddenly revoked, so we asked our friends the Monks if they could host us. (If you don't know Walter Monk, Google him and his genius). As it happened, they were hosting fellow scientists that night and thought the play might be a treat; so they did the place up right and let us play."
Have you made any changes to the piece since the La Jolla production?
"No. I'm still at a bit of a loss because the first act is more of a square, and the second a circle... but the way Socrates builds his arguments (historically) there's not much of a way around it without contradicting Plato's timeline. As it stands though, I think it's a fantastic progression in performance (as opposed to what's in the script alone). "
Your mother Cheryl Schaar, who has acted in and directed numerous shows in town, is directing this production. What has that experience been like?
"Delightful! I learned early on as a playwright not to interfere with production. I've had a few comments, pictures, and updates shared. But truly, the best thing about playwrighting is seeing what other people make of the play. I've been in no way involved with the show, and just like you, can't wait to see what they've made of this Abbott and Costello vs. Socratic philosophy piece! "
What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing Kill Socrates, a Comedy at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre?
"I hope everyone will take away something different because: we all think about those big questions and we always have. Maybe we’re stuck in traffic, alone in the car, gazing into the middle distance... wondering what happens to our souls? Do we have a soul? What happens to the people we love when they leave us? Or for the more rebellious, perhaps.... how do we enact positive change on a governmental level? Is peaceful protest ever effective? Why do lawyers often suck? Or on a personal level... is it better to be clever or kind?... Is it possible to know anything at all.
What I love after doing readings of this play is the depth and breadth of conversations that follow. We don’t talk about things like this much... but it seems we all want to and need to... at least from time to time. And as is written in the Upanishads, ‘May Peace and Peace and Peace be everywhere.’ "
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