Fringe First: Factory 449 and 4.48 Psychosis

Jeff Code, Metro Weekly

I had the pleasure of working with John Moletress on  The Cherry Orchard with Washington Shakespeare Company  last winter.  Since then, John has kept busy directing and  acting around town, notably with Ganymeade Arts. John's next project is directing Factory 449's production of 4.48 Psychosis
 by Sarah Kane. The show runs July 9-15 as part of  the Cap Fringe Fest, and tickets are on sale now. Recently, John took the time out of his busy schedule to  answer a few questions for me about the show.

The estate of Sarah Kane is known for being fiercely protective of the work.  How did you find working with them, and how did you go about obtaining the rights?
I can't talk about other people's experiences, but I found them quite receptive about a production of 4.48.  I've noticed that a lot of college and university theatre departments have been tackling her plays lately, so I believe that they probably are more interested at this point in allowing various groups to explore her work as well asgetting her work out there.  When I approached them about directing 4.48, they asked that I send several reviews of productions I had directed, and a month later, they granted me permission.
 

You are both an actor and a director.  What was it about this piece that made you want to direct it rather than act in it (or both)?
My immediate response to the play was a visual one.  Rage, shame, and brutality are themes that sit at its very core.  I applaud the actors for throwing themselves with complete abandon into the world of the play, but I don't think at this point that is something that I was up for as an actor.
 

Tell us a little about the concept for the show.
My vision of the production had actually changed since we began rehearsals.  Luckily, I have 7 weeks of rehearsals and a very supportive design team, so I was afforded the opportunity to do this. I felt that complicated staging was detracting from the imagery and poetry of the text, and that the truth of the play was to be uncovered in the words.  We began with a tremendous amount of table work, researching the literary references in the play, reading from several books on clinical depression and suicide, as well as looking at Sarah Kane's life and her other plays, and also bringing in Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison to speak with the cast.  I wanted the environment of the play to be incredibly  visceral.  I have a wonderful video designer and composer which I'm working with to create this.  I want the audience to not only hear the text of the play, but experience the play from the mind of someone who is in the depths of madness.  We also have two moments in the play where lines have not been delegated and actors are invited to say lines when they are inspired to do so.

Why do you hope people will come see the show?
It's a very exciting introduction to the type of theatre projects that Factory 449 would like to present.  I don't see a lot of mixed media theatre projects happening in DC, so I'm very thrilled we have a forum for this work.  Also, I was blessed with a very talented group of actors that the DC theatre community should be on the lookout for.

What's next for you and for the company?
We are looking to move this production of 4.48 into another venue in DC for several more performances.  Factory 449 is tossing around ideas for the next project, but nothing has been decided upon yet.

Performances of 4:48 Psychosis are as follows (all performances take
place at The Trading Post,

July 9th 7:30pm
July 10th 7:30pm
July 11th 4:15pm
July 12th 7:30pm
July 15th 8pm

Advance tickets are strongly recommended, as the venues are
small and sell out quickly.