Cricket (formerly Suzie) Hall, is a new director for the ACT 2 Theatre Company, but not new to directing and acting. She is a graduate of Fairmont State University’s Communication and Theatre Arts program where she appeared in The Good Woman of Szechwan, The Grouch, and Forced Out (Part of “Poof Plus!” an evening of one acts). She also directed The Vagina Monologues two years while she was a student and produced it the other two. (Proceeds from those performances always go to local women’s shelters and anti-violence programs).
We asked her to talk about the choice of one-acts she chose for this show, and here’s what she had to say…
“At first, I chose Overtones because I needed something to go with The Most Massive Woman Wins. I wanted to pick something for women and by a woman. And with its historical background, as it was the first play to have one character played by two women, I thought Overtones would be fantastic. The more I read the play, however, I realized how close to life Overtones actually is. The language may be a bit old-fashioned as well as the subject, but at its core the play is about hiding away our true selves in order to be socially acceptable. In watching subtext come to life, I hope that the audience will see the rigors that we put ourselves through every day in order to be normal members of society.
“I first read The Most Massive Woman Wins in 1999. I was in college, the first time, in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina and while I was not as large as I am now, I was by no means a skinny woman. The play resonated with me at the time, because I was trying to find my place in the world. I was still 17 and very young and had no idea what I was really doing with my life. The Most Massive Woman Wins has become, over the years, the play that haunts me. It crops up from time to time and I think oh wouldn’t it be great if. So when I got the chance to direct, I jumped on it. This play hits home for most women because body issues are just a prevalent thing. I have learned that even skinny women have issues and often think they are fat. Society’s standards keep changing and models keep becoming more airbrushed and so reality is pushed further from the surface of our consciousness. I believe that as theatre practitioners it is our job to both show society what’s going on and to help change it. Raising awareness and starting the discussion is the beginning.
“The last several shows I have directed have been activist theatre. To be honest, while this show would not necessarily be labeled social justice theatre it does have an activist bent. I guess a leopard can’t change her spots too often. I expected a connection to the plays from my actresses, but what I did not expect was that this show would be so emotionally trying. Sometimes, when you deal with tough subjects frequently you forget that others don’t live in the same wheelhouse that you do. I think for me the biggest lesson I have learned during this process is that sometimes the strongest people are easily broken by something that seems similar, but it is in relying on each other that we overcome these obstacles and as Tim Gunn says “make it work”.”
Cricket’s is also a playwright. Last December, ACT 2 sponsored an open public reading of her play One in Four at Waldomore. She also costume designed ACT 2’s last show, What the Bellhop Saw. Cricket lives in Clarksburg with her husband, John, and three active young children.