On May 17th you will have a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with a new play presented by our Readers Theatre program. We are talking with Paul Babb and Scott Quintard, Honorary Life members, wonderful actors, and producers of CPT’s Readers Theatre program.
Can you please tell us why you picked Underdog: The Other Other Brontë?
We chose Underdog: The Other Other Brontë by Sarah Gordon because it is exactly the kind of new writing, we are passionate about with Conejo Players Readers Theatre. It is fresh, fearless storytelling that takes a historical scenario and makes it feel urgent and utterly alive for a modern audience. The script is a revelation in how it peels back the mythology of the Brontë sisters to expose the raw, complex power dynamics between three extraordinarily gifted women, each fighting for space, recognition, and creative voice within the same walls. What moves us most is how Gordon uses this very specific sisterhood to illuminate something far broader and enduringly relevant: the way brilliant women throughout history have been forced to shrink, compete, and survive in the long shadow of male expectation and authority. It is a story told with wit, intelligence, and real emotional bite, and that combination is precisely what great theatre should do.
Please tell us about your rehearsal process.
Because this is a reading rather than a fully staged production, we are liberated from the hours that typically go into blocking, set and staging logistics, etc. The best part of that of that is, even though our entire rehearsal period runs only eight to ten sessions, we typically get to do far more character development work than most full productions ever allow. Every rehearsal is about story and character — who the characters are, what they want, and how that drives the story.
Also, we have to mention University Village and their Life Enrichment Director, Holly Butler. They have been extraordinarily generous providing us with rehearsal space. It is a wonderful partnership, and it culminates in something genuinely special: on our final rehearsal night, before we ever set foot in the theatre, we perform a “dress rehearsal” for the residents of the facility.
Do you have some funny moments that have happened during rehearsals?
Readers Theatre exists to push boundaries; to bring bold, challenging, sometimes uncomfortable writing to the stage and trust that audiences can handle it. And we have learned that Conejo Players audiences are more than up for it. One of the most amusing moments has been pushing those boundaries with our dress rehearsal audience at University Village (a much older crowd). We have exposed them to Grand Horizons (which features an extended discussion about sex toys) and Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight (which has, let’s say, very vividly verbalized sexual content). Each time, we braced ourselves a little. And each time, they surprised us by absolutely loving it.
What are the challenges of staging a Readers Theatre production?
The biggest challenge is resisting the urge to keep adding. There is always a temptation to bring in a costume piece here, a prop there, a little more staging, etc. And before you know it you are pushing a reading toward a full production. It comes from a good place; directors and actors want to serve the story, and the instinct is to reach for familiar tools. But Readers Theatre teaches you to put those tools down. The discipline is learning to trust the story, trust the script, and trust the actors’ ability to bring it fully to life with their voices and their presence. When you do that, something remarkable happens: the audience’s imagination fills in everything else, and often more powerfully than any set or costume ever
could.
What would you like to say to your audience?
If you love theatre that is fresh, modern, and unafraid to push boundaries, then Readers Theatre is for you. Come ready to think, laugh, to squirm a little, and to be moved. Underdog: The Other Other Brontë is exactly the kind of bold, vital new piece that reminds you why live theatre matters.
Learn more about the Conejo Players Readers Theatre.