Interview with Stephanie Caughey, donor/audience member

By Mark McKenna

Mark McKenna: Can you summarize your relationship to Dell’Arte?

Stephanie Caughey: I feel fortunate that when I moved up here in 1992, a coworker said, "You ought to come out and see Dell’Arte." I had no idea what Dell’Arte was, but I’ve always loved live theater. I went in and was instantly hooked. For someone coming in from out of the area it was like, "Wow! What an asset." Since I’ve been blown away by how many people don’t know about Dell’Arte. So, the opportunity to herald it was exciting to me. I am slowly but surely getting more involved in supporting, getting kids involved. I take my children to everything I can, everything that is child-appropriate. This year I supported my daughter’s school in seeing the Christmas show "The Rag and the Bone Shop." It was quite a lot of fun.

MM: And that was the first time that school had Dell’Arte come?

SC: I know that Dell’Arte does interact with the schools around the county. Now, I am just starting out with a kindergartner, so I don’t know the depth or the scope of it, but I am pretty excited. The main reason that I choose Sunset School is its emphasis on the arts. I think that is very important.

MM: Tell me where you came to Blue Lake from.

SC: I grew up in Pasadena, had parents who were involved in music, and what-not. I moved to the Sierras when I was 17, then moved here 12 years later. I always liked the North Coast and wanted to raise my family here, so here we stay. My family in Pasadena thought, "Oh, you are moving further north. you are going to be totally culturally deprived." And I thought, " Huh-uh." I live five minutes from the university and 10 minutes from Blue Lake. I feel very culturally supported and it is delightful. The Mad River Festival is the highlight of the summer. I ain’t going nowhere in July. It has been a thrill and a pleasure to be a part of it.

MM: Describe Dell’Arte for me.

SC: I describe it to people who are thinking about moving up here because I sell real estate. I say, "If you like theater, you are in the right place." HSU [Humboldt State University] draws a lot of out-of-town acts, usually a little costly, though. Dell’Arte’s are a very affordable asset. You can see student shows throughout their time at Dell’Arte. It is just wonderful to interact with the students. I love the international part of it, because my parents are immigrants from Europe. I love the Euro-style of it. I love how they interact with the audience quite a bit. It is wonderful to have amphitheater in the summer. They combine not only clown theater, but drama and music. It is so broad and so rich. People I have met out there are inspiring. One of my goals in life is to be a student at Dell’Arte.

MM: I got to see Michael teach yesterday. Joan has directed us, co-directed us about three years ago. Donald taught at the local university that we are affiliated with. So they are all great, master teachers.

SC: And they are great people. It is wonderful to be able to connect with these incredibly talented actors and directors and producers and writers on an everyday basis. When my children see one of the actors in town, my five-year-old gets totally excited.

MM: You go to Humboldt State sometimes, and I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of theater in your time, so how do you describe the uniqueness of Dell’Arte?

SC: More than any other place, the audience feels like a part of it, the participation and interaction. That is a lot of fun. You don’t see that so much with other theater, or I haven’t. It is more like, sit down, be quiet, watch the show. Dell’Arte wants to get a reaction. They enjoy it as much as we do.

MM: How did the school respond to Dell’Arte coming in? What did you see in terms of the impact on the kids?

SC: The school actually took buses out to the theater for the full effect. Sunset Elementary took the buses out there and then two small school met us out there. It was quite tight. Oh they loved it. Some of the content was not necessarily child-appropriate, for the most part it was over their heads. But for the older kids, I think they understood and they can deal with that because it was done in a comedic form. They loved it. I’ve gotten nothing but great feedback. They had a good time.

MM: What would you like to see Dell’Arte’s relationship with this area to evolve to? What potentials do you see?

SC: Just because of where I am in my life, with young children, I would love to see things start earlier. I think live theater is so good for children. I mean, life is a stage and we are the players, right? Let’s play! Rock and roll! I think the playfulness and the fact that adults are doing it really helps kids tap into that. I’m seeing really early kids get hooked into What They Are Supposed To Be Doing and not being able to freely express themselves. That makes me sad. I love to see my daughter just to go hog wild and get into a character, take it all the way and get imaginative. I would love to see earlier show times, more interaction with the students, seeing them in the schools would be great.

MM: Is there anything else you would like to add or talk about?

SC: The reason I support it financially is that I am in a business where you are supposed to promote yourself. So, it is kind of my lazy-man’s way of spending money on advertising. I would encourage anybody that wants to do a little advertising but wants to make a big impact on their community ... what a gift. That felt to me like my Christmas gift to the children of my daughter’s school. Next year I would like to see all the kids in Arcata. Then, let’s take it another step further and I could network with some folks who have the funds and we could get all the kids in Humboldt County. We could do a couple shows and really accommodate them! That is the kind of stuff I want to support and be a part of for the rest of my life.

Mark McKenna is artistic director and an ensemble member of Touchstone Theatre, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the Lecoq International School of Theatre in Paris. He has taught theater classes at Lehigh University and the University of Pennsylvania, and the MFA Theatre Program at Towson State University. McKenna is active in the growth of the Network of Ensemble Theatres. He is a board member of Alliance for Building Communities, a regional community-development corporation.

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