Jaclyn Bethany of local theater company The Fire Weeds (photo by Craig Mulcahy)
Everybody's in LA: Jaclyn Bethany, The Fire Weeds
Interview by Paul Oswell
Jaclyn Bethany is the co-founder (with Lin Gathright) of acclaimed female-driven theatre company The Fire Weeds, and director of their upcoming production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at The Big Couch. We poked our heads into rehearsals to find out more.
Out All Day: Hi Jaclyn, thank you so much for talking to us. You're in rehearsals and preparation for Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, opening on January 5th - how's everything going so far?
Jaclyn Bethany: Yes, that is right. The play has been extremely challenging, from all angles. This is our theater company’s second show, and it is a big one. Lin and I have been working on Virginia Woolf for about six months, but we started rehearsals at the beginning of this month. We feel very lucky to do this show, and we know that the challenge of mounting this show will ultimately provide a wonderful and moving night of theatre.
I imagine that keeping up the actors' energy levels during the more aggressive and chaotic scenes (of which there are many if memory serves) is one of the challenges, how are they coping?
The play contains incredibly written dialogue and it takes place in real time. The breaks that happen in the play are when the characters have breaks. You are watching the action unfold in real time. It takes stamina. It is challenging for all four actors, but particularly challenging for the actors playing George and Martha. We built a company of New Orleans based actors for this show who are all super collaborative. The emotional waves that both couples go through in the story is brutal but also cathartic. We have spent time with the text because it is important for everyone to be on the same page fundamentally both with the text and the vision of the show before getting up on our feet. Theatre is so dependent on the actors. You can create great theater on the street or in a living room, as long as you have a good play and talented actors. This play especially lives up to the idea of theatre anywhere.
It's a pretty intense play in general, especially when compared to the more seasonal, gentle, holiday fare that's playing around the city - how did you come to choose it?
That is a good question. Professionally, I have had missed opportunities to do the show in the role that I am playing, Honey. The timing was never right or the productions didn’t happen. The play has always been in the back of mind, existing somewhere. When Lin and I founded our company we were really interested in looking at well known American plays from the female gaze. The first two writers we have explored, Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee were gay men writing in a rapidly changing America. They also wrote some of the most complex female characters in American drama. The strength of their female characters can often be overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. I think we chose this play because we felt we had something to say about the women. The title itself questions the onset of feminism and women's rights. The two women int the play, Martha and Honey are quite contrasting, but they are united over their struggles to be a mother and a wife. They struggle in different ways with the roles that society dictates to them. Their strengths lie in the way they cope with adversity. It was highly unusual to not have children as a married woman past twenty five in 1962. In today’s time Martha would probably be running the university. I would say Honey’s choices and control over her own body might not be questioned or judged so harshly, but these aspects of the play feel extremely and sadly relevant going into 2025.
The play is now over 60 years old, but the themes seem timeless - are there any adjustments needed to the text or staging for a 2025 production?
No. That’s what makes the play so revolutionary. It is incredibly timeless. The play has been continually staged because it can be in dialogue with history and with contemporary politics across time. Interestingly, there was no Broadway revival between 1976 and 2012. It was staged mainly in the UK during that time. It is such an American play, and it takes place when Kennedy was in the White House. The play explores the crushing of the American dream and isn’t this what we are dealing with right now? We knew that we’d be staging this play post election and there could be two separate outcomes. We are on the other side and it feels like we are going back in time. It makes 1962 feel like an alternate reality, yet also reiterates the fear of going backwards, especially in regards to women’s rights and freedom in general. In 1962, there was so much fear surrounding the Cold War, our country was constantly at war and many things were uncertain. We are at a similar time now. I do think we are providing a window into the female psyche of the play, and with such an intimate audience (it's 28 people a night) and an incredible set design, it will be a very powerful staging of the show. The audience will feel they are in the living room with the characters. (interview continues below...)
The cast of The Fire Weed's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (photos by Craig Mulcahy)
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Most people's experience of WAOVW will be from the 1996 film with Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. Do you feel like the play differs from the movie very much?
I have a film background, so naturally like the rest of the world I was familiar with the film. It does differ. The film is shorter and there are things that happen in the play that do not happen on screen or are condensed. I do think the film is brilliant. It is arguably the best stage to screen adaption of all time. Edward Lehmann adapted the screenplay and Edward Albee was happy with the film, except he disliked the score. It also put Mike Nichols on the map cinematically. It is such an impactful piece of American cinema, especially in regards to how it broke the Hays code. American audiences were not used to seeing any kind of profanity or domestic fighting on screen, and this really broke that. In the film, I also think there is an extremity with the character of Martha. This is mainly because Elizabeth Taylor was playing so against type. She was pushing herself and stretching her craft in a thrilling way, but the role of Martha does not have to be played so shrewdly. Despite having a huge theatre background, I have never seen a production of the play, though I have read it many times. I think it serves this production well, because I don’t have any kind of preconceived notions about the show.
Tell us more about your company, The Fire Weeds - when and how did it come into being?
I am from Mississippi and have family from New Orleans, so it was always the closest big city to my hometown. During the pandemic I moved back to Mississippi and was looking for outlets to perform again because opportunities had become so limited. I was cast in a show in New Orleans and that is where I met Lin Gathright, who runs the company with me. We had many similarities. We both lived in New York City for a long time, shared a love for Tennessee Williams, but also felt we could contribute something special to the New Orleans theatre scene. I have always wanted to give back to the South. I think as an artist, no matter where your career takes you, you always feel a draw back home. We launched our company in November 2024 with the intent to produce work from the female gaze. We have not looked back since! We have many ideas - including a new play festival by all female identifying playwrights. For our first productions we are producing more well known work, but we hope to delve into new plays and projects with all female identifying casts.
I believe this is your second production, what was the first?
We produced two early Tennessee Williams one acts The Pretty Trap and Interior : Panic in March 2024 with the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival. We chose these plays because they are rarely produced. These texts are early versions of his most famous plays The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. What is unique about these plays is the focus on two of his most well known female characters - Laura (Menagerie) and Blanche (Streetcar). We really took this opportunity to dive into these women and stage plays centered around them. We created an immersive experience for our audience, first at Big Couch in March 2024, and then at the historic Torn Page in New York City. We did a limited four performance run at Torn Page, which is the historic Chelsea townhouse of Geraldine Page and Rip Torn. We actually got to perform in the room where Tennessee and Geraldine would meet and discuss his scripts. We used the entirety of the second floor of the townhouse to create Stanley and Stella's New Orleans home. The transfer was successful and we are lucky enough to bring the show back to New York in May 2025. We will be partnering with Houghton Hall, a female driven arts space that was born out of the Episocpal Church. There is a Williams connection even there - as Williams grandfather was an Episcopal priest. We felt so fortunate to launch these shows in New Orleans, where the performances were attended by many Williams scholars, writers, students and artists interested in this new perspective on Williams and his work. Audiences were struck by what we had to say, it is something different than the typical theatre you might see around here. We want to promote theatre as an experience, which I think is necessary in this day and age.
What's your own personal background in theatre? Are you New Orleans born and raised? If not, how do you find yourself in the city?
I started performing in Jackson, Mississippi when I was eight years old. I was pretty ambitious but my parents insisted I completed school and college before I pursued this professionally. I got close to a couple of major gigs as a teenager, but it never fully took off for me. I kept training and pursuing this as a craft because it is what I am meant to do. After college at Fordham in New York City, where I studied theatre, I began working in film. This was the first time I started thinking about directing, and I knew I wanted to pursue it. I am a visual person and I have always been drawn to cinema as a language and art form. I have worked in the film industry solidly in the US and UK for almost a decade now. My father was born in New Orleans and my grandfather is from Zachary, Louisiana - so I have roots on both sides. I visited New Orleans many times growing up, it was kind of a second home. My film career actually started out in New Orleans. After college I was able to work on set both as an actor and as a Production Assistant in many productions that were filming here and in Mississippi at the time. I also did background work so I could understand how a set worked. When I went back to New York, I found myself more confident because it was a smaller industry here, and less saturated. I learned so much. From there, I went to London for nearly two years and then finished graduate school at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles where I studied directing. I was in L.A. when I came back South and I have been based in New Orleans since, where I teach film at Loyola University.
Finally, how has it been working with the folks at Big Couch? Which other venues in the city do you particularly like for theatre or performing arts?
Carrie and Scott are fantastic. They have been big supporters of ours since day one. I love the location of Big Couch in the Bywater and the kind of untraditional feeling of the space - it used to be an old department store! I also think their programming is diverse and speaks to the landscape of the city. We were one of their first major shows, so we have grown together. It was very special performing an early version of Streetcar on Desire Street I will recommend to my friends who are coming to see the show from out of town to explore the area, to grab dinner at N7 before our show, which is just across the street and makes you feel like you are in the South of France. I think the Marigny Opera House is a beautiful venue, and the New Marigny Theatre. I love that New Orleans has so many historic venues that lend itself to contemporary performing spaces. It is really a beautiful city and we feel lucky to contribute to the artistic landscape.
The Fire Weeds website: www.thefireweeds.org
Buy Tickets for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf: Ticket Link
Tickets are $12 for Students, $35 General Admission and $45 VIP. Tickets are extremely limited.
I have a film background, so naturally like the rest of the world I was familiar with the film. It does differ. The film is shorter and there are things that happen in the play that do not happen on screen or are condensed. I do think the film is brilliant. It is arguably the best stage to screen adaption of all time. Edward Lehmann adapted the screenplay and Edward Albee was happy with the film, except he disliked the score. It also put Mike Nichols on the map cinematically. It is such an impactful piece of American cinema, especially in regards to how it broke the Hays code. American audiences were not used to seeing any kind of profanity or domestic fighting on screen, and this really broke that. In the film, I also think there is an extremity with the character of Martha. This is mainly because Elizabeth Taylor was playing so against type. She was pushing herself and stretching her craft in a thrilling way, but the role of Martha does not have to be played so shrewdly. Despite having a huge theatre background, I have never seen a production of the play, though I have read it many times. I think it serves this production well, because I don’t have any kind of preconceived notions about the show.
Tell us more about your company, The Fire Weeds - when and how did it come into being?
I am from Mississippi and have family from New Orleans, so it was always the closest big city to my hometown. During the pandemic I moved back to Mississippi and was looking for outlets to perform again because opportunities had become so limited. I was cast in a show in New Orleans and that is where I met Lin Gathright, who runs the company with me. We had many similarities. We both lived in New York City for a long time, shared a love for Tennessee Williams, but also felt we could contribute something special to the New Orleans theatre scene. I have always wanted to give back to the South. I think as an artist, no matter where your career takes you, you always feel a draw back home. We launched our company in November 2024 with the intent to produce work from the female gaze. We have not looked back since! We have many ideas - including a new play festival by all female identifying playwrights. For our first productions we are producing more well known work, but we hope to delve into new plays and projects with all female identifying casts.
I believe this is your second production, what was the first?
We produced two early Tennessee Williams one acts The Pretty Trap and Interior : Panic in March 2024 with the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival. We chose these plays because they are rarely produced. These texts are early versions of his most famous plays The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. What is unique about these plays is the focus on two of his most well known female characters - Laura (Menagerie) and Blanche (Streetcar). We really took this opportunity to dive into these women and stage plays centered around them. We created an immersive experience for our audience, first at Big Couch in March 2024, and then at the historic Torn Page in New York City. We did a limited four performance run at Torn Page, which is the historic Chelsea townhouse of Geraldine Page and Rip Torn. We actually got to perform in the room where Tennessee and Geraldine would meet and discuss his scripts. We used the entirety of the second floor of the townhouse to create Stanley and Stella's New Orleans home. The transfer was successful and we are lucky enough to bring the show back to New York in May 2025. We will be partnering with Houghton Hall, a female driven arts space that was born out of the Episocpal Church. There is a Williams connection even there - as Williams grandfather was an Episcopal priest. We felt so fortunate to launch these shows in New Orleans, where the performances were attended by many Williams scholars, writers, students and artists interested in this new perspective on Williams and his work. Audiences were struck by what we had to say, it is something different than the typical theatre you might see around here. We want to promote theatre as an experience, which I think is necessary in this day and age.
What's your own personal background in theatre? Are you New Orleans born and raised? If not, how do you find yourself in the city?
I started performing in Jackson, Mississippi when I was eight years old. I was pretty ambitious but my parents insisted I completed school and college before I pursued this professionally. I got close to a couple of major gigs as a teenager, but it never fully took off for me. I kept training and pursuing this as a craft because it is what I am meant to do. After college at Fordham in New York City, where I studied theatre, I began working in film. This was the first time I started thinking about directing, and I knew I wanted to pursue it. I am a visual person and I have always been drawn to cinema as a language and art form. I have worked in the film industry solidly in the US and UK for almost a decade now. My father was born in New Orleans and my grandfather is from Zachary, Louisiana - so I have roots on both sides. I visited New Orleans many times growing up, it was kind of a second home. My film career actually started out in New Orleans. After college I was able to work on set both as an actor and as a Production Assistant in many productions that were filming here and in Mississippi at the time. I also did background work so I could understand how a set worked. When I went back to New York, I found myself more confident because it was a smaller industry here, and less saturated. I learned so much. From there, I went to London for nearly two years and then finished graduate school at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles where I studied directing. I was in L.A. when I came back South and I have been based in New Orleans since, where I teach film at Loyola University.
Finally, how has it been working with the folks at Big Couch? Which other venues in the city do you particularly like for theatre or performing arts?
Carrie and Scott are fantastic. They have been big supporters of ours since day one. I love the location of Big Couch in the Bywater and the kind of untraditional feeling of the space - it used to be an old department store! I also think their programming is diverse and speaks to the landscape of the city. We were one of their first major shows, so we have grown together. It was very special performing an early version of Streetcar on Desire Street I will recommend to my friends who are coming to see the show from out of town to explore the area, to grab dinner at N7 before our show, which is just across the street and makes you feel like you are in the South of France. I think the Marigny Opera House is a beautiful venue, and the New Marigny Theatre. I love that New Orleans has so many historic venues that lend itself to contemporary performing spaces. It is really a beautiful city and we feel lucky to contribute to the artistic landscape.
The Fire Weeds website: www.thefireweeds.org
Buy Tickets for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf: Ticket Link
Tickets are $12 for Students, $35 General Admission and $45 VIP. Tickets are extremely limited.
