Low Hanging Fruit- Q & A

Q & A- There are a lot of questions for directors. Some of these are questions you ask yourself as you read the script. Some are questions from actors. Some are questions for research, to broaden one's understanding of the play.

Sometimes, the questions are interviews that help to market the play :-)

Here is a Q & A session for Low Hanging Fruit by Robin Bradford.

 

What is Low Hanging Fruit about in your own words?

Low Hanging Fruit tells the story of four ex-military women, broken and damaged by their experiences, who find ways to survive and cope on the streets through their friendship. Their bond is challenged when they are joined by a young teen runaway. For me, the real story is not only the shameful abandonment of the women who have served our country, but also the power of friendship to support and sometimes heal us, even when we are badly broken.

 

What was the most surprising discovery you made about female veterans during your research and work on Low Hanging Fruit?

There have been so many surprises in the research on female veterans. I was surprised to learn that female veterans are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. I was shocked to learn of the statistics on Military Sexual Trauma (MST). MST is sexual assault or sexual harassment experienced during a person’s military service. The Veteran Administration’s own statistics, from screening questions asked of every veteran seeking health care, reports 1 in 4 women respond with “yes” when asked if they have experienced MST. Often, the sexual trauma is inflicted by another service officer, frequently a superior. As Alice says in the play, “You get sent to places like Iraq, Afghanistan, places that ain’t safe. At least we should’ve been safe in the green zone! But we got to fight there too, and that ain’t right.” Too true- it ain’t right.

Is there a part of the story you relate to or feel strongly about and why?

I identify strongly with the bond formed among the four women. There is power in friendship that grows out of shared experience. All four of these women have seen combat. They have a shared emotional vocabulary, and in creating their own bulwark in the urban combat zone, they have lived a new shared history of struggle. To a lesser degree, I have had that deep friendship and support with other women. You get to know one another, you know what will make your friend laugh, what will make her fall apart, how to help her pull it together. With just a glance, you can ask for an assist or a save from your own trials.

Another strong connection is the recognition that while we can support one another, each of us comes to healing in our own time, on our own terms.

Or not.

Before working on this play, what was your level of awareness of the hardships many women veterans face?

I have to confess that I didn’t know much about the additional challenges faced by women veterans. Of course, there has been plenty of news coverage of the many failures of our support systems for our veterans. Like most of us, I generalized these news reports and had the stereotypical male soldier in mind. However, I did not realize the extraordinary impact on our service women and their families of military service. Because military service has been overwhelmingly male, the system for serving veterans is built on a male model, with little allowance for women’s different needs. Add to this that women are more often single parents, women veterans have even more challenges when deployed, and when returning. It’s been eye-opening, to say the least.

 

What do you intend for the audience to take away with them after attending a performance Low Hanging Fruit?

I want the audience to have a greater awareness of the problems faced by female veterans. Through our performance, and also through the post-show panels, I hope that the audience will recognize that there is a need, that there is work to be done. The homeless are often nearly invisible to those of us in more advantaged lives; female homeless veterans, even more so. I also hope that the message comes across that healing is possible, and, through our performances and the engagement programs we’ve developed, that each individual in that audience can do something to help that healing.

 

What are your thoughts on working with a cast of both professional and student actors? Do you have a rehearsal anecdote to share on the subject?

I love working with both professional and student actors. I think it’s a great opportunity for both the professionals and the students! The professionals bring a great work ethic, tremendous focus and discipline. All these are great models for the students to see and emulate.

The students bring great vitality, and a fresh perspective. It’s wonderful to see those “ahah!” moments of discovery and get excited again about the magic that is the theater process!

Directing and mentoring/teaching seem a great pairing to me. As a director, I am a collaborator. I work to create an atmosphere of creative freedom, and forge an ensemble with strong connections and sharing among the actors. The root of “educate” is “to draw out, to bring out, to lead forth”- to draw out the student’s understanding, to encourage the student to make connections. In the best cases, to guide the student to find their own path, their own understanding.

Much the same can be said of directing.