Interview with Riant Artistic Director Van Dirk Fisher
By (a)(u) staff
In 1994, Susan Smith murdered her children, then conned the nation into believing a carjacker kidnapped them. Pleading on national television for the purported kidnappers to return her children unharmed, Smith convinced law efforcement officers and a nation to believe her story. This conviction led to the arrest of an innocent man whom authorities suspected of committing the crimes. He was found innocent only after Smith confessed to the killings. Eight years later, Van Dirk Fisher and the Riant Theatre examine the motivations behind Susan Smith's despicable act as well as the emotional journey of the man accussed of kidnapping her children in "Rock-a-My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham."
From Front Page to Stage
While the relevations outraged people across the country at the time, the shock wore off as other gruesome and/or bizarre acts of depravity painted over the pages of this nation's newpapers. Rarely, in the headline-driven media of today, do we reflect upon recent history to draw lessons from, or explore the nature of, these events. This myopia leaves the messy business of discussion and comprehension to the arts.
For instance, Matthew Sheppard's murder in Laramie, Wyoming, washes up onto the front pages of major newspapers, television programs and internet sites nationwide, but just as quickly as it splashes, it recedes from these pages leaving it up to Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project to provoke a more lasting conversation on the matter.
In the case of Susan Smith and the man accused of kidnapping her children, Fisher has taken on the task of promoting an ongoing discussion of not only the nature of the crime, but the emotional struggle of an innocent man facing the death penalty in his new gospel/rock musical. This exploration of the past can provide a guide to a more positive future. Smith, who is white, claimed that a black man kidnapped her children, and a nation believed her. In this sense, the case foreshadows the racial profiling incidents that have dotted more recent newspaper headlines. In addition, the recent confession of a mother in Texas to the killing of her five children makes the Susan Smith story more timely. Perhaps history repeats itself, because we allow history's lessons to recede like the tide or the waves of new newspapers lapping up near our front doors.
The Interview
Interested in learning more about the process of animating stories torn from the pages of yesterday's headlines, we interviewed Van Dirk Fisher about the process.
ActorsUpdate (a)(u): What inspired you to write about Susan Smith incident?
Van Dirk Fisher: The incident was so overwhelming for me. Susan Smith really captured and touched the hearts of so many people across the nation and across all racial backgrounds. Here was a woman on national television making a plea for the carjacker to return her two little boys. She didn't care if the man kept her car. All she wanted was her children returned to her safe and unharmed. Her story was tragic as it unfolded in court, but it had a universal theme that appealed to me. It had so many ramifications that I knew I had to bring them to life on the stage.
(a)(u): Would you mind elaborating on those ramifications?
Van Dirk Fisher: Susan Smith's accusations could have easily fed into eroding race relations and could have led to anger and caused someone to lash out against an innocent black woman with children as a means of retaliation. Remember the riots in Crown Heights in 1991 when a black child, 7-year-old Gavin Cato was accidentally killed by a Jewish driver in a motorcade that was returning Lubavitcher Grand Rebbe Menachem Schneerson to his Brooklyn home?
The fact that Susan was able to fool so many people so easily doesn't say much for us as a society. She thought her story would be viewed as plausible and that people would easily believe her, which we did, without question. But what she didn't expect, which I attribute to the kindness of strangers, regardless of race, is the enormous outpouring of support to help them find their children.
The larger question that we all should be concerned about is: Would the black man that was arrested for the crime have been found guilty and sentenced to death, had Susan not confessed to killing her kids?
Sometimes the media can have a great influence on public opinion before the courts make a decision to determine a person's guilt or innocence. The media, though informative, is a powerful tool that Susan Smith used to her advantage. How many more Susan Smiths have we seen on television or in our court rooms that slipped by, before their cloak of lies were revealed?
(a)(u): Is there some quality to writing from current events that attracts you, or was it purely this case that caught your dramatic eye?
Van Dirk Fisher: I often read the newspapers to get inspired for my writings. There's truth to the saying, that sometimes "truth is stranger than fiction." My main goal when writing from current events is to illuminate the motivation that drives a person to take certain actions in life. I try to help us, the spectator, to understand the reasoning behind these actions or simply to expound on the possible consequences. Other headline news that inspired me to write a play are the Atlanta child murders ("The Atlanta Affair"), and the Livoti/Baez case in which a cop used an illegal chokehold and killed a civilian because (the civilian's) football hit his patrol car ("Code of Silence").
(a)(u): What makes writing from today's headlines important, in your estimation?
Van Dirk Fisher: Usually, the headlines that compel me to write deal with important issues or have legal ramifications that effect us all. Dramatizing these issues hopefully will place the spotlight on them and open a dialogue that will be beneficial to us as a society.
(a)(u): How do you go about reconstructing the dramatic narrative? What do you choose to insert or leave out? What can you convey on stage? What can't you convey on stage?
Van Dirk Fisher: First of all, I change the names to protect the innocent and use dramatic license to serve the play. The events are chosen once I determine who is telling the story. In "Rock-A-My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham," the narrative is told by Abraham, an attorney for the black man accused by Susan Smith of carjacking and kidnapping her two little boys.
(a)(u): What do you think is the most important thing you must establish to add depth and life to something covered by the media. How do you keep a subject that receives media attention fresh and engaging?
Van Dirk Fisher: The most important thing I try to connect with is my feelings. I try to get in touch with how this news affected me emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Then I look for the most common denominator that everyone can relate to. In the Susan Smith story it was the dread that all of us would feel if someone kidnapped our loved ones. Then it was the pain we would feel when we received the news that they were dead. And last but not least, the horror we would feel when we learned that this death came at the hands of someone they trusted, their mother.
(a)(u): What are some of the lessons you've learned from seeing your work staged? Are there any pitfalls that a writer trying their hand at this type of play should be aware of?
Van Dirk Fisher: I try to keep in mind that the audience already knows the ending to some extent. My job is to keep them engaged and to stay ahead of them during the play. I've been fortunate thus far. My intermissions usually find the audience having intense discussions about what they've just seen, and often sharing their own experiences of how they felt when they first heard the news. It's very exciting. My mission is accomplished when I'm greeted after the show by the audience telling me that the play sent chills up their spines, touched their souls and made them cry. What more can I ask for? Well, a move to a Broadway house would be nice. Seriously, in writing I try to remember that the audience is here to be entertained. Therefore, I try to have elements in my play that will appeal to people on all levels. I admire Shakespeare. He often used current events in his plays. He knew his audiences were diverse and, in his plays, there was always something for everyone, from the intellects and upper class to the common folk and groundlings.
Rock-a-my-soul in the Bosom of Abraham
Riant Theatre
September 7 - 30.
Friday at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday at 3:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
Industry/Press Night:
Monday, September 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $25.00
Reservations: (212) 925-8353
More on the Smith case
CNN Year-in-Review Story
Conviction, Detriot News
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If you've produced, presented, performed in or written a show that deals with a major news event, we'd like to talk to you about the experience. Write to us at: editor@actorsupdate.com
