Artist profile: Randy Reyes, director/performer

Randy Reyes

How long have you been working in the Twin Cities?

 I moved to the Twin Cities from NYC, about 5 years ago. But I did my first show here, The School For Scandal at the Guthrie, in 1999.

What shows of yours might we have recently seen?

I directed As You Like It with The Strange Capers and Thoroughly Modern Millie at Bloomington Civic Theater this summer. I acted in Two Gentlemen of Verona at the G, Flower Drum Song at the Ordway with Mu Performing Arts, and The Romance of Magno Rubio at Mixed Blood with Mu.

Tell us a bit about your current show:

 The NY Times describes King of Shadows best, "Intriguing thriller...blending elements of Shakespeare and Stephen King."

What drew you to this current production?

 It's a quiet play with enormous explosions. I love the complexity of the play. It demands the actors to go to dark places of the mind. The story is about a homeless East Indian boy, who believes he's the changeling boy from A Midsummmer Night's Dream. Your ideas of reality are challenged when he meets a grad student who tries to help. The play does a great job of exploring themes such as fantasy/reality, fear, priviledge, and family, just to name a few.

What is the most difficult aspect of this show for you?

 The biggest challenge of this show is the delicacy in which the story unfolds. A subtle adjustment here and there can effect the whole journey of the audience. Everything needs to be handled with care, including all the design elements. A heavy hand will cause the play to collapse.

How did you get involved with directing in the first place?

 I feel lucky that I've been able to be around the kind of theater I love enough to know I love it. I've learned from so many teachers, directors, and actors,as an actor, that I'm able to put that experience into practice as a director and also as a teacher. It's a long journey that continues to surprise me and lead me into areas that I never would have dreamed I would be. Like living in Minneapolis, for one. If you were to say that I would be living here, doing theater, 10 years ago, I would have thought you out of your mind. I can't complain. I'm learning more and more every day and enjoying the process!

Give us an idea of how you're preparing for M. Butterfly (Reyes is playing Song Liling in the Guthrie's spring staging).

 Honestly, I'm just getting over Magno Rubio.  That guy lived deep in me. It's what I anticipate Song is going to be. But right now I'm just reading about the real person that the play was based on and the history around the play. It's really luxurious to have this much time to prepare. I plan on learning some Chinese Opera movement, but I haven't done anything like that yet. I don't have another show until Jan. 2010, so I'll have plenty of time.

What is it that excites you about Twin Cities theater?

 I love the diversity of styles and the integruity of the people involved. I also believe that it's growing still and that it will become an activity for the community much like going to Twins and Vikings games. That's my dream, anyway.

What’s up next for you after this show?

 I'm going to be acting in the Chicago Ave Project in November at Pillsbury House! Then going to Isla Mujeres for a vacation!! Then Yellow Face with Mu at the Guthrie's Dowling Studio in Jan/Feb, then Music Lovers by Alan Berks with The Workhaus Collective in Feb/March, and then M. Butterfly at the G from March-June. Then I'm going to France!

King of Shadows, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Randy Reyes, opens October 2 and runs through November 1 at Pillsbury House Theater.  Buy tickets online or call 612-825-0459