Taking on the role of director for the MHS fall drama You Can’t Take It with You is an easy task for Mr. Jordan Hue. Ever since his directing debut during his senior year of high school in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Mr. Hue has been addicted to theatre.
“That was really the show that made me realize I wanted to continue directing,” Mr. Hue fondly said of the show. “It was the first time I felt like I was really good at something.”
According to production assistants Ashley Markiewicz and Jessica Falvey, what Mr. Hue said rings true.
“He knows what he’s talking about, what he’s doing, and what kind of acting he wants from the actor,” Jessica said.
“We’re very serious and get things done, even though we always have laughs,” Ashley said, echoing Jessica’s statement. “That’s what the play’s about.”
When asked about what he enjoys most about directing, Mr. Hue referred to the story of Oedipus Rex, in which the title character is destined to — (“Spoiler alert!” Mr. Hue warned jokingly) — kill his father and marry his mother. “No matter what he does, that is going to happen, but we read the play knowing that, fascinated at the decisions that he tries to make to avoid coming to that conclusion.”
“When you are directing a play, and you are helping the actors make their choices, even though you know the outcome, it’s like you get to shape destiny for a little bit,” Mr. Hue added. “As a director, you’re helping people along their set path, but you’re creating the illusion that the path is not set.”
As for the path of Massapequa’s own Hue-directed play, it seems to be a spectacular in the making. The production assistants enthusiastically agreed that the play is coming along smoothly. “Mr. Hue gets the job done and is fun about it without slacking off,” Jessica said.
Markiewicz agreed. “In the end, we always get things done.”
As for his directing, Ashley added that “You can see his take on things and the cast’s take on things because we all collaborate. It’s not just his play; it’s everyone’s play.”
The esteemed director also likened the path of plays to sculpture. “Most people just see the block,” Mr. Hue said. “It’s the director’s job to see the shape that’s inside of it, to see the statue or whatever it’s supposed to be inside of the block of clay, and the actors are the tools you use to get to that thing in the middle.”
That “thing in the middle,” he explained, is what the audience feels. “It is the catharsis; it’s the reason why we all come to the play.”
While the path and shape of Massapequa’s You Can’t Take It with You is still in the making, Mr. Hue knows how to guide and sculpt this piece correctly.
“I can’t say I have other play experience, but I can tell the cast enjoys him by the way everyone has fun,” Ashley explained.
Jessica laughed. “Everyone loves him,” she said.
“Pick your projects wisely and don’t over commit yourself,” Mr. Hue said, giving advice to aspiring directors. Having acted in multiple shows, he says that the actor is “one piece in a puzzle.”
“When you’re the director, you’re the person putting the puzzle together… You can’t have multiple puzzles going and expect them all to come out looking the way they’re supposed to look.”
“You have to pick a show that you really love, that you really think is true for one reason or another,” Mr. Hue said. “Directing something completely takes you over.”