Judi Straghan
Preview
When Malcolm Black gives his impressions of Sudbury and the Sudbury Theatre Centre, he doesn’t mince words.  He is clear and straightforward, as though directing a play.
“I knew nothing about Sudbury.  I simply
couldn’t believe it when I got here.  I
expected the city to be rather dark and industrial but
it’s beautiful. And I simply cannot believe what a
terrific place the Sudbury Theatre Centre is.”
Sometimes, it takes an outsider to cause us to take stock.
Malcolm Black, director of more than 100 plays all over North
America, is a man who has been around the block more than
once.  You can trust his judgment. The reason
he’s here is to direct Canadian playwright Joanna
McClelland Glass’s play, Trying, which is the second
play of the STC season.
His credentials are impressive. Choose any area of theatre you
want and he’s done it.  His list of credits
include big musicals such as Damn Yankees, Camelot and Fiddler
on the  Roof, as well as the works of Maugham,
Shakespeare, Shaw, Chekhov and Williams.
When asked if the big musical is the most difficult,
Black’s quick reply is “Not at all. You
have a huge team to work with on a musical and if the musical
is well written, like for example, Finian’s Rainbow,
everything you need is there. 
 With a play like Trying, you actually start from scratch in developing the underscoring and transitions.”
Trying tells the story of a young spunky Canadian woman (in
actual fact the playwright, Joanna McClelland Glass) and the
job she took in Washington in 1967.  She began to work
as personal secretary for the widely celebrated Judge
Francis Biddle, chief judge of the Nuremberg trials.
“The play has been a huge success in Canada because
it tells the story of a young Canadian standing up for her
rights,” Black says. “But not only that,
it’s the story of an amazing relationship, about both
the beginning and the end of life.  You
don’t need to know anything about American politics
to love this show.”
Black has worked with some well-known actors over the
years. 
“Robert Goulet was such a nice, down-to-earth, warm
person.  I directed him in the musical Kiss Me Kate,
and he was great - so good at the Shakespeare.  Even
years later, he never let being a star change
him.”
When asked about George Segal he says, “Segal was
very funny, very intense.  Years after I directed him
in Philadelphia, he was in Toronto.  We went out to
lunch and he came over to the house.  He certainly
didn’t let fame affect him. Some can really get
snooty, but not him.  And he was so generous with his
praise.”
Black too is generous with his praise when it comes to the two
actors in Trying at STC. “Both Ian (Clark) and Jody
(Stevens) have done the roles before but not
together.  It’s fascinating to see them
together in rehearsal, both discovering the play and the
characters’ relationship all over
again.”
As Black is called back to rehearsal he turns to add,
“Don’t forget to tell them how much I love
being here.”
And once you see Trying, the feeling will be mutual.
 Trying plays at the Sudbury Theatre Centre from Nov.
2 to 12.
Judi Straughan is the education co-ordinator at the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
