PIPPIN's Director's Note

Dr. Larissa Kelloway talks about her vision for Saint Mary's version of PIPPIN.

Watch the interview HERE or read below:

Hi, I'm Larissa Kelloway. I'm the director of PIPPIN here at Saint Mary's College of California. I love this piece, especially what we've done with it. For me, PIPPIN is so much about corruption and power corrupts. I was offered he opportunity of working on this piece, and the thing that I loved about it when I stated to dig into it is how there's repeating themes thorugh history. In history, we see that power and people in power wind up fighting against one another until one of them tumbles in some way. And, we're seeing that right now in contemporary circle and places that we are all being affected by. And so we've taken this, and we've turned it into a version that is something that hopefully you will recognize, and maybe you'll go away from the production feeling like you've seen a way to a solution.

The full director's note:
Producing Pippin at this moment in history is poignant. It is the story of the son, Pippin, whose failed attempt to overthrow his father, Charlemagne, the aging patriarch who is exerting his dominance and control, takes him on a discovery to find meaning and purpose in life. Based on the history of Pepin The Short, the eldest son of Frankish middle-ages king Charlemagne, Stephen Schwartz used this story as the inspiration for his 1972 musical that presents a fictional story of a young prince forging his life’s journey to ascend to his birthright position.

When the opportunity presented itself to direct Pippin, I mused on how to present this show with relevance for a modern audience. A king, his queen and restless son from the middle ages, waging battles to increase their land and wealth, who are tucked safely away in their tower shielded from the atrocities unfolding around them hardly seemed like the story a modern audience would relate to.

Twenty first century battles look vastly different, but for those waging the war, not much has changed. The people making decisions that impact innocent people are shielded in their penthouses, compounds or estates far removed from the horrors. Modern conflict unfolds in real-time on TVs, computers and tablets in vivid, live-action moving images that assault our eyes as the screens flash up the footage. When, how and what we see is controlled by international media conglomerates with their own agenda. They govern content, frequency and delivery with the line separating reality and imaginary becoming increasingly blurry as media becomes its own battleground for viewership and loyalty.

The more I researched, the more obvious our presentation became. This was the version of Pippin waiting to be told. What you are going to view represents the product of a collaborative, rich investigative process where these actors and I have drawn from a real-life contemporary dynasty to reimagine our Pippin for this modern audience. These two storytelling elements neatly, and spookily, dovetail into one another to deliver the provocative message without any alteration of the original source material. Whether you are familiar with the contemporary references or not, we hope through our version of Pippin you will see our collective future optimistically through Pippin’s coming of age story.

For more information about PIPPIN and to purchase your tickets: stmarys-ca.edu/pippin26
We expect some performances to sell out. So, purchase your tickets early!

Performances in LeFevre Theatre:
Thurs., April 16 at 8pm
Fri., April 17 at 4pm (perfect for faculty/staff to come after work)
Sat., April 18 at 8pm (the pre-show reception has been canceled, but any purchased tickets to the performance are still valid.)
Sat., April 25 at 2pm & 8pm
Sun., April 26 at 2pm