MARCH 1976

HIGH GEAR

SPOTLIGHT ON FRAN

By John Nosek

An innovative free-lance director, Fran Soeder at the age of only 25 has established himself a volatile force in Cleveland theatrical circles. Due to his ingenuity Clevelanders have been treated to local premeires of "Jacques Brel," "Company," "Colette," "Follies" (the most extravagant show ever produced here), "Little Night Music," "El Grande de Coca Cola," and "Pretzels," Soeder's current production at Pickle Bills in the Flats. If the pieces fall into place, just maybe, our city will yet bathe in "Candide" this summer at Cain Park and "P.S. Your Cat is Dead" in the fall. Soeder's dabbling in theatre

began at age ten when he first took in "Carnival" at the Hanna. From there he became involved with acting in high school; launched his education at CCC, had a short stay at the University of Akron, and graduated with a B.A. from Kent State.

Frustrated at the Cleveland community theatre scene because of a vacuum of local directors, Soeder organized his own theatre group, aptly titled the Limited Company Players, a tiny, threadbare organization which performed three summer sessions of shows primarily with college students. He soon became a leading dimension of the Fairmount Center for Performing Arts.

With his directoral experiences building, and boasting the additional talents of musical skill (he plays both piano and oboe) and choreography direction, Soeder rapidly became the darling of Cleveland critics. Indeed, he is still one of the few local directors to present productions outside the realm of established, traditional theatre.

At his apartment in the Heights which he shares with roommate actor Mark Passerall, Fran shared with us come thoughts on theatre production and homosexuality in the theatre.

High Gear: Generally, what is the rationale behind your selecting a particular production?

Soeder: There are many variables. First, it depends on the place it's being done. A Playhouse Square audience is

SOEDER.

Page 9 Photos by Al Morill

CLEVELAND'S THEATRE MAN

substantially different from that

of Pickle Bills. Dobama is perhaps the most experimental theatre in the city. Secondly, it varies with the time of year. I would never inflict a heavy drama on an audience in a spring or summer session. The response would just not be favorable. Other factors are can it be produced: can it be cast, and perhaps the biggest question: Is Cleveland ready for it? In terms of theatre Cleveland tends to produce the same kinds of things over and over. It's a sad case of the Rodgers and Hammerstein blues. That, and tired commercial Neil Simon comedies. Unfortunately, too much of the theatre here turns people off.

High Gear: If that's the case, who are the producers producing for?

Soeder: Oh, I think imaginary audiences. What many theatre leaders here fail to realize is that one can find just as much art in slapstick as in "word game shows." By the time an audience is through interpreting a word game product, they often find they didn't like what it had to say anyway. I personally feel that each production I choose must have inherent in it something people can relate to. There has to be flesh and guts in the characters, and above all, the audience must understand the intent.

High Gear: How do you select the cast for your shows?

Soeder: There are different ways. I can have open auditions to the public or pool the community theatre

resources.

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Then, of course, there's the professionals who generally support themselves through theatre, though they do always necessarily guarantee quality. Of late, I've done most of my casting from a particular circle of 50 different actors and actresses with whom I've worked with previously. To me the most frightening method of casting is when the people are handed to you, pre-cast by the producer. That can be a director's nightmare.

High Gear: How do you account for the continuous success of your shows? The response from critics and audiences alike always seems to be favorable.

Soeder: Well, I think it's a

combination of factors; luck. proper weather conditions, the appropriate timing of a critical review. The kind of shows I direct are different enough so that people will enjoy them like "El Grande de Coca Cola," for

example, which allowed everyone a fun release for their inhibitions. I also enjoy doing productions which were a hit in the previous N.Y. season. This way Cleveland audiences will get to see them.

High Gear: Looking at the history of shows you've directed, there appears to be a preponderance of musical theatre. Why the interest and where does musical comedy go from here?

Soeder: Musical theatre is important to me because it's one of

America's unique contributions to the arts. Nowhere in the world are musicals so artfully produced as on the N.Y. stage. As long as the musical art form is innovative and develops toward its own distinct style, I will be more than glad to pursue it. So far as the future of musical theatre goes, the sky is the limit. "Pacific Overtures" presently playing in N.Y., is an excellent example of progression. Written by Harold Prince and Steven Soundheim, the musical uses as its style the format of Japanese theatre. And look at "Candide" with its environmental staging: each of these is a definite step forward.

High Gear: Let's talk about homosexuality in the theatre. Could you estimate what proportion of people you've worked with in the theatre are gay both in Cleveland and N.Y.? Soeder: I've only known of three women all the years I've I worked in the theatre who are gay. In terms of men, 50-60% of the men in Cleveland theatre are gay. I'm certain it's higher in N.Y. I'd guess 85%.

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High Gear: What do you think

it is about theatre that is appealing to gay people?

Soeder: To be on the stage. Self-expression is an integral part of work in the theatre. An actor can't recreate life on the stage if his eyes are closed in his own life. Gay people are often more in touch with themselves than many of their straight counterparts. I'm not so sure there are more gay people in the arts than in other facets of life; but most definitely, in the arts the closed mind is the minority.

High Gear: Can you speak to the historical image of gays in the theatre and what gay musicals or plays are presently in production?

Soeder: It's only been very recently that gay awareness in theatre has become attune to its own honesty. In the past, every play that portrayed a gay character had him/her hanging themselves at the end, eg. the infamous "Boys in the Band." If a gay person was a minor character in any production s/he would always be seen as a cliche the token fairy, much like the pockmarked Jew, or token black. Currently in N.Y. the trend is toward dropping the pretentious, anti-gay picture in much of the new material. Homosexuality doesn't reek of leprosy and shock value anymore. Gay references in

lines are now as natural and inherent as the plot. Take "Boy Meets Boy," for example, an offoff Broadway musical comedy. which is simply played with the sincerity of a 30's boy meets girl musical; but with a boy meets boy plot. It's because of the shows subtlety and lack of cliche that gay audiences and more importantly straight audiences are applauding its

success.

High Gear: Any other gay productions?

Soeder: Well, there's "The Ritz" by Terence McNally which is about an italian guy from Cleveland who is fleeing from the mafia. He winds up hiding in a N.Y. bathhouse called The

Ritz. It's the most explosively funny show I've ever seen. The comedy in the play comes from the uptight straight characters who get caught up in a Marx

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