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Life & Arts

'Phoenix' kicks off annual workshop performances

by JENSY ORTEZ
The Daily Cougar

Creative writing senior Lou Amyx's Phoenix kicks off this year's Edward Albee Playwright Workshop series at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Jose Quintero Lab Theatre in the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre.

This is the first of a series of plays written by UH students, all of which are chosen in the fall semester by playwright Lanford Wilson to be developed in a workshop format.

"This play is about how love interrupts life as opposed to the other way around," Phoenix director Andrea Hyde said. "Normally, life interrupts love, but this process is a little bit different."

In the play, the main character Peter, played by J. Scott Guthrie, has to deal with the suicide of a close loved one. Hyde found displaying the grief and despair of this character as the most challenging aspect of the play.

"(Peter's) obviously in a state of great grief and great depression. And the most difficult thing is, ‘How do you show this person's being compassionate?'" Hyde said. "How do you make the audience care about this person and show that at the same time?"

Hyde said the play made her understand the directing process.

"I know a lot more than what I thought I did as far as the directing process," Hyde said. "It's given me a confidence in directing."

Hyde describes working with Wilson, who has taken over playwriting classes and workshops for Edward Albee this year, as enlightening.

"Having this opportunity to work closely with Lanford Wilson has been fun, enlightening and a great learning experience," Hyde said. 
 

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