Interview with Director McKenzie Baird, Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson Apt 2B

After I saw Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson Apt 2B I reached out to Rogue Assembly to see if we could do an interview. Due to some traveling on both sides we were only able to do this recently. I am happy to share Director McKenzie Baird’s answers!

1. What scene did you have the most fun with? 

The bathtub scene was a blast (if you know, you know). We had a lot of fun designing the choreography and finding the right table & padding to allow us to flop our “dead body” around dramatically and safely. But to be honest, there were so many wonderful little moments in an insanely brisk wordplay of a show it’s a little hard to choose.

2. Was this your first time doing a Kate Hamill play? If not, what is your favorite Kate Hamill play?

 We produced Kate Hamill’s Pride & Prejudice several years ago and deeply enjoyed it. Hamill has a unique way with modernizing classic literature that brings depth, asks us to challenge our preconceived notions, and yet still remains within the beloved frameworks enough to heighten the entire play. We’ve read quite a few of her productions and she never fails to deliver bold and audacious plays, which we love.

3. Given Kate Hamill’s style of merging feminism and comedy, what was the most rewarding part of the script for you? 

Watson’s monologue. Hands down, the most rewarding moment to work on. So much of Holmes & Watson is bright, bold, absurdist, and riotously fast… all of the chaos is what we pay to earn the right to slow down and feel Watson’s monologue which is so very relatable, raw, and honest, sucker punch us with it’s heart and vulnerability.

4. What was your favorite line? 

One that’s made its way into our vocal warmups is, “a mad mass of Marxist murders may muscle in menacingly…” because it’s a blast to say. Lestrade really had some ridiculous one liners throughout the show, several of which had folks almost breaking character on stage because of how funny Andy is.

5. For the actors who had multiple roles, was it challenging to mentally switch between roles? 

For our two actors who played multiple roles I actually think quite a bit of the fun of the show was getting to switch things up and re-enter the world in a different way. Both Andy and Grace did it effortlessly and really relished the various accents, energies, and body languages of their varied characters.

6. With such a small cast, did you find that you all bonded quickly? Were there any quirks or individualities for the play that came about from that bond?

 This is definitely a show family that we will continue spend time with and hopefully work with in the future. When you cast a show, you’re committing to spending multiple weeks with these folks; and we were very lucky to be able to work with these four magical people who are amazing humans as well as talented actors. Good people make all the difference in a show.

7. If Holmes was your roommate in real life, what difficulties do you foresee happening? 

Tess’s Holmes was a bundle of energy, electricity, and eccentricity – but grounded by care for others, just expressed in her own way. I suspect it would be like holding onto the back of a freight train… and you’d never know what was coming next. As an introvert, I could probably use a friend like Holmes to drag me into the world a little more. I also think someone like Holmes quickly reminds you to find the people who get you. That being said, I’m a very tidy person, and having science experiments constantly exploding into my space would be rather unsettling to say the least.

8. Without spoilers, at the end of the play, what are you hoping the audience will take with them? 

That what we have in this life is the family we choose, and the things we pursue.

9. How many plays does Rogue Assembly do a year?  

This was our first production, and our goal is to produce two to three productions a year within the region.

10. Does Rogue Assembly always stay local? 

We’re local to the PNW.

11. If someone were interested in joining Rogue Assembly, what would they need to do? 

Just shoot us an email, we’re always interested in working with folks who love the arts and want to be involved!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this interview! If you didn’t read the original article you can find it here https://www.mediamagpies.com/the-games-afoot-a-look-at-gender-in-sherlock-holmes-and-ms-holmes-ms-watson-apt-2b/