Bria Walker is back in the wings making her directorial debut with a musical as Pitt Theatre continues its mainstage season with its recently ended production of “Avenue Q,” a coming-of-age parable, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood; better still, think of “Avenue Q” as an inebriated hipster version of Sesame Street. The musical is notable for its use of puppets, animated by unconcealed puppeteers, alongside human actors.
That’s quite the debut. This production was presented to her as a challenge. “I’m on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in the Theatre Arts Department. Annmarie Duggan, chair of the theatre department, was pretty persistent with me. She very much wanted me to direct on the main stage and brought this show to my attention. I’ve always been the kind of person who loves a challenge (especially if it helps me discover new facets of myself.) So, I took the challenge.”
The role of director is very challenging. “Everyone comes with their own understanding of what a director does. I believe a director’s job (my job) is to tell the story in the most efficient and effective way possible. I must be true to the playwright’s words. The text is the basis for everything,” says Walker.
“As far as grunt work is concerned…I could write a book but I will only give one example. A hard aspect of the job is having to be “on” all of the time. You are constantly communicating with actors, the creative team, and the producers. Everyone needs something from you and you must be willing to communicate with anyone at any given time. It’s tough but you always need to be ready,” she says.
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