Tilly : Act One - Road to Auditions

Welcome to the journey of putting on Tilly, a show in part of the Spring One Acts Festival 2021. 

I'll start off by introducing myself as the director. My name is Haille, I am a fourth year student at Oregon State University with an aim to graduate this spring with a double major in Theatre and Political Science with a minor in Film Studies. I began taking directing classes last year in the winter term to be met with the challenge of moving into the Covid-19 world we all know now at the end of that term. With the pandemic came the challenge of not only OSU, but the world of theatre at  large figuring out what's next. I had the opportunity to continue to make things and be a part of the world of theatre with the adventure of directing a radio play last spring as part of 2020's Spring One Acts Festival. Now, a year later, things are not back to normal but we begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Some of my classes are back in person and with strict Covid-19 protocol we are able to create a filmed production for this year's festival. The joy I feel is unmatched to be able to work with actors and see their faces to create a product. Now that you know a little about the journey that led us to this project let's dive into Tilly. 

I was drawn to Tilly right away. When reading through after being selected to direct it, the age old theme of a broken man finding a reason to live and the guidance of the spirit of a childhood dog; what more could you want? We as directors were tasked with sharing our concept presentation to the rest of the team the other day. This felt daunting as I prepared for it; I have a tendency to babble and with babbling comes convolution, something that is not helpful in concept presentations. I spent a majority of the time during our workshopping sessions writing any little note that came to my mind throughout the weeks, down on a page titled "thoughts and feelings" that allowed me to truly sit down and figure out what I wanted from this piece. When looking back on it, I was drawn to one of my notes; the details to a playlist that would eventually turn into my inspiration playlist, including songs by The Chicks, Bing Crosby, and Garth Brooks. Listening to this playlist on repeat finally led me to what I view as the perfect concept statement for Tilly; "Blowing the dust off your grandfather's radio with the comfort of your family dog beside you".  This show is a period piece, but I want the setting to remind the audience of the timelessness of the story. While the world the show is struggling with is a part of WWII, that doesn't mean that we cannot relate to Adam, the main character. In some ways, this concept is an homage to all the families and people that still cry every year to It's a Wonderful Life. As I finish writing this post, auditions are due at midnight tonight and I can't wait to start this journey! Let's go make some art. I've included down below the playlist for the inspiration for my concept for the production of Tilly.