By Danielle Mages Amato and Rebecca Myers

What was it about this play and this project that made you excited to work on it as a director?

First of all: The Globe is a bucket list theatre. I told my agent that the other day, “Listen, I am blessed because I'm working at one of the theaters that I've always admired.” And number two: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is pretty much a homeboy of mine because we're both from Arkansas. I'm from Little Rock, born and raised, so to investigate something from a home-state writer intrigued me. And the thematic issues that he dealt with in the play drew me to it as well.

Where do you think that Branden’s work as a playwright and your interests as a director overlap?

He's known for his use of satire and subverting expectations, you know; he mixes darkness with humor. I love that. And I think that's where we intersect. My desire is to really subvert expectations of what you think that this is about. We're going to dig deeper, and by the end, I like to say you're going to have a different “respect” for the play. “Re” meaning again; “spect” meaning look. So by the end, you’ll have a different thought or point of view or understanding of the thing you thought you knew when you went in.

Are there ways that being from the South, or from Arkansas specifically, influence your work?

I love being from the South. I always say I was country before country was cool. Beyoncé made it cool, but I was a country boy before it was cool. The history of the South is very complex, and to be able to go back to those stories and investigate my home state is intriguing to me.  It's important to “re-spect,” look again and reinvestigate it as an adult, beyond the things that I grew up with, in order to have a better understanding of that history.

What are the challenges of the play as a director? And what are the things about it that are the most fun?

I think the play represents America and the breakdown and deterioration that unresolved racism or under-resolved racial issues cause. So, it's important for this house on stage to dissolve, to deteriorate. Usually, I direct things that are more expressionistic, so this will be new—working with a home that is leaning towards naturalism or realism. I want the set to be as large as what our country represents. And, ironically, that’s also the fun part! To figure out “how are we going to make this set happen?”

What do you look for when it comes to casting?

I'm looking for truth. It sounds simple. I'm looking for truth, truth, truth. And a sense of joy in tackling the work. I believe in people before plays. Our world is crazy enough. When we get together to pretend, it should be joyful. So, I'm looking for people who have a sense of joy and collaboration and curiosity, but then also can dare to be their authentic selves and be truthful. Everybody on board has a passion about the material and is wanting to respect and really look again at issues dealing with the unresolved racism in our country.

Is this a style of play that you have enjoyed in the past: the big, explosive family drama?

I love family dramas. And family dramas that happen in the living room of the house, where all these secrets and family dynamics play out, show us that we all are dealing with and grappling with our families and their history. So, I think it makes us all feel human, these genres, watching how our family structures are built and how we interact with one another. I love it. I think it's very important.

What are you hoping or imagining an audience who comes in to see the play will experience?

I think plays are about many things, but I often try to identify a controlling idea—what I like to call a spine. For me, the controlling idea in Appropriate is: the unresolved racial issues in American society, compounded by generational trauma, lead to breakdown and deterioration. I think that's what the play's about: that “re-spect.” Looking, and looking again.

And I think this play is right on time for what's happening with us and our country. We need to look again and understand that there are some unresolved things. These recent events are just the cicadas being unearthed to show us these unresolved things that we're still grappling with, since the colonization of this country. We can so easily think it's a post-racial world and that everything's fine. No. We stand on the shoulders of our forefathers who fought, bled, died, and we've come a long way, but there's still a long way to go. There’s still work to do. We never can get complacent. We never can sit back and think the work is done. It's not. We must continue to do the work. For equality, for understanding, for love, for all. So that's what I want. I want people to leave the theater and say, “yeah, let me continue. The fight must continue.”