Welcome to another Meet Our Team Monday, where we get to introduce you to the talented group of artists that are currently helping create an original production of The Brave Little Tailor just for you.
We hope to see you at our last spring public performance of Tailor: June 6 at Morris Arboretum.
This post features Artistic Directors Landis Smith and Leslie Reidel. All interviews are conducted by our Marketing Intern, Rachel Hulsart.
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Landis Smith: Artistic Director, Production
Rachel: Our audience primarily consists of children with a wide range of dreams of what they want to be. When you were a kid, what did you want to be?
Landis: Various things at various times: A puppeteer, a magician, a doctor, an actor.
Rachel: Where did you attend college and what drew you into pursuing a career as an Artistic Director, specifically in the Production aspect?
Landis: Carnegie-Mellon University. I always wanted to create original work and creating my own company to do so made the most sense. When we first created Enchantment Theatre there were just a few of us who had to do everything: create the pieces, design the pieces and build the pieces. It was natural for me to take charge of production management as the company grew. I enjoy figuring out how to realize our vision onstage and make things work.
Rachel: What were some memorable theatrical experiences that you remember having growing up or even recently?
Landis: My first experience of the Circus. That was back in the 1950’s when it was still in a tent. My first experience of the ballet at Lincoln Center – “The Nutcracker.” The experience was so beautiful and powerful – so many elements – the music, splendid performances, fantastic settings I was so overwhelmed and moved that I cried. A production of “King Lear” directed by my teacher and mentor Jewel Walker. The final moments so powerfully evoked a shared sense of the lowliness and nobility of the human condition that I and many of my fellow audience members were struck dumb and brought to tears.
Rachel: How is working with Enchantment Theatre Company different from any other company you have worked for before?
Landis: I have worked with Enchantment Theatre Company for almost all of my professional life. Working for the company affords the freedom to create original work that interests me and my colleagues. That freedom also brings with it a responsibility that is joyful when things go well and challenging when things don’t!
Rachel: What was the first theatrical production that you saw as a child?
Landis: I saw a local community theatre production called “Cinderella and the Sorcerer.” I don’t remember much about it except for the excitement and wonder I felt.
Rachel: If you could bring any of your favorite fairy tales/ childhood stories that Enchantment has not yet produced, what would they be and why?
Landis: I’d like to stage one of the King Arthur tales, perhaps about Merlin the magician. It would be an opportunity to use lots of magical and special effects.
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Leslie Reidel: Artistic Director, Resident Director
Rachel: Our audience primarily consists of children with a wide range of dreams of what they want to be. When you were a kid, what did you want to be?
Leslie: The usual stuff: Doctor, Electrical Engineer – things like that. I started in the theatre at a very early age. I was a child model in NYC and did a photo shoot on the original production of The King and I. I’ve been working at and in the the theatre most of my life.
Rachel: Where did you attend college and what drew you into pursuing a career as an Artistic Director, specifically in the Directing aspect?
Leslie: I went to Muhlenberg College, majored in history and political science, acted a lot and started directing. Actors asked me to direct them in plays – that’s how it really got going.
Rachel: What were some memorable theatrical experiences that you remember having growing up or even recently?
Leslie: I saw some of the greatest actors of the 20th century live on stage. People you have probably never heard of like John Guilgud, Ralph Richardson, Helen Mirren, (when she was 18 years old), the astonishing French actor/director Jean-Louis Barrault, the brilliant Japanese actress Keiko Shiraishi and many many more. I’ve directed over 100 plays – many by Shakespeare. Last year’s Macbeth was one of my favorites. Enchantment Theatre’s “Ravel’s Mother Goose” is one of my favorite theatre pieces – ever. I am, of course, very excited about the upcoming Brave Little Tailor and Peter Rabbit!
Rachel: How is working with Enchantment Theatre Company different from any other company you have worked for before?
Leslie: Jennifer, Landis and I created the company to do a kind of work that combined mask, pantomime, music, magic and storytelling in a manner that had never been done before. Our work is unique. No other company in the world does what we do. That’s very exciting!
Rachel: What was the first theatrical production that you saw as a child?
Leslie: The first one that I recall was that Broadway production of the King and I. I was about 6 or 7 years old.
Rachel: If you could bring any of your favorite fairy tales/ childhood stories that Enchantment has not yet produced, what would they be and why?
Leslie: When I was a child, I loved sci-fi stories which I would hear on the radio and see on early TV. I keep looking for the right sci-fi/ fantasy tale for Enchantment Theatre to work on. Got any ideas?
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Thanks, Landis and Leslie!
