MIDSUMMER NIGHTS: A LOOK AT HRST

Lano Williams '00

Producer, Lend Me a Tenor

This summer sees the welcome breeze as usual of several fine productions put together by the gumption-juicy Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theater crew. The Crimson sat down for an informal incidental chat with a sample member of said theater crew, Lano Williams, producer of Lend Me a Tenor, the uproarious "farcical" that closed this past weekend after a highly successful and critically praised run.

The Harvard Crimson: Identify yourself.

Lano Williams: That's complicated. Raymond Williams, but people call me "Lano." I am the producer of Lend Me a Tenor, the first of three [Harvard-Radcliffe] Summer Theater productions.

THC: How did you get involved in summer theater? Do you do theater during the year?

Williams: Yes. Basically, a group of people get together and decide upon the summer season. They submit the season to the HRDC [Harvard-Radcliffe Drama Club] board and, hopefully, the board approves.

THC: And in your case they approved what?

Williams: They approved our idea for the three shows: Lend Me a Tenor, Othello and Slavs!.

THC: Can I interject for a moment? Does "Slavs" really require an exclamation point?

Williams: Actually, yes. But there's more. You can't just say "Slavs"; you have to say "Sluuuu-ahvs!" and make a weird hand gesture.

THC: And the [Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatics] board approved this?

Williams: I don't think they really approve of the content of the season. I think it's more of a staff compatibility thing. The season is pretty stock--we usually do a musical, a play and a Shakespeare.

THC: So do people forge pretty close working relationships during the summer? The program has a long history, no?

Williams: We're in our eighteenth season, and we've come to realize that in the summer you do form a camaraderie that's not found during the year. During term-time productions, you find yourself mainly concerned with your own production.

THC: Do you guys have dinner a lot together?

Williams: There are two groups of people doing summer theater: those that have housing and those that don't. The core group is those that have housing, in the Quad--actors, directors, designers.

Those people spend a lot of time together. The rest of us--how should I say--float in and out of their world.

THC: So basically some people order take-out alone and others eat in restaurants?

Williams: Yes. Darwin's and Lee's Sandwich Shop are very popular.

THC: I find Darwin's of high quality, but somewhat pricey.

Williams: You're paying for the atmosphere.

THC: Indeed. I know you said the range of plays is relatively stock, but is the summer still a good time for more experimental theater than during the year?

Williams: I think plays in the Ex [Loeb Experimental Theater] are always cutting-edge. But one of the concerns of Summer Theater is to cover our own expenses. Therefore, we have to offer a season that will attract more than the year's usual mix--artsy oldsters, for example. My goal as producer is to sell the show and not sacrifice artistic merit.

THC: How do you rate yourself on maintaining that balance?

Williams: I think myself and the other producers have done a lot to assure that balance exists. We strive to let the directors and designers play and still keep the show on track.

THC: Four years ago I saw an expert production of The Dumbwaiter in the Ex. As a high-school student, I was impressed by the near-professional quality of the performances. Do you feel summer theater has a special duty to the budding theater folks in the Harvard Secondary School Program?

Williams: I think it's important for those high school students to be exposed to a collegiate dramatic experience. High schools have a wide range of quality in their dramatic programs. HRST provides a venue for the secondary school student to see a college-level production and even to get involved in that production.

THC: You're talking about the intern program, right?

Williams: Yes. The intern program is very important to us. The intern coordinator (producer Erica Rabbitt) has been working hard to give the interns opportunities to be a part of the production.

THC: I'd like to give you a moment to acknowledge that there are plenty of summer theater people who deserve the attention of an interview and that this is completely arbitrary.

Williams: That's true. But I like all the glory. I mentioned Erica, right?

THC: As a producer, who were your role models?

Williams: Elena [Decoste '98-'99]. That's actually a good question. No one as a little kid has dreams of being a producer. They want to direct or star. Most people don't even know what a producer is or does.

THC: Were there difficulties putting up Lend Me a Tenor?

Williams: Being the first production meant that we didn't have interns to help us put together the play. But that's the great thing about doing a farce--if anything goes wrong, or you have a problem, you just throw up your hands and say, "Ah, it's a farce."

THC: Is it true an actor was injured on the set?

Williams: I emphatically deny allegations.

THC: Is he [William Burke `99] filing suit?

Williams: I think he's just bitter that his bellhop pants were too short.

THC: Do you have anything else you'd like to add?

Williams: Not really, except that I'm going to get you, Scully, and I love you, Jennie.

THC: Have you heard of the author Martin Amis?

Williams: Yes. He wrote The Information, among other books. He's British, right?

THC: Correct.

Next Week: The Crimson chats with comedy all-stars Jessica Jackson '99 and William Burke '99. Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theater has performance at the Loeb-Ex all summer. Tickets are available at the Sander's Theater Box Office.