By Cris Franco
James Ortiz is an extraordinary young talent who’s combined his abundant theatrical skills into his hit, off-Broadway play, The Woodsman. Mr. Ortiz took a short intermission from his busy performance schedule to answer a few questions regarding his personal and professional journey into creating this deep and dark prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
Cris Franco: Critics have described your play, The Woodsman, as “evocative,” “intoxicating,” “fanciful” and “visually stunning.” How do you describe it?
James Ortiz: What a great question. I would use the word ‘haunting’ because this material has certainly haunted me for some time now—-but in the best of ways.
CF: What about your childhood and/or background lead you to create The Woodsman?
JO: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the first chapter book that was read to me by my mother so there’s a lot of emotional resonance with the material.
Theatre and puppetry have been a consistent part of my life and I was fresh out of college with a silly little idea for a short play. I would talk it out with friends and everyone around me supported the idea, believed in me, and wanted to help in some way. I think that’s what really emboldened me to move forward and create this this show.
CF: You’re credited with writing, set and puppet design and co-directing The Woodsman – how did you come to being so creatively diverse? Where you one of those hyper-creative kids who’d put on shows in the living room using only a flashlight and a blanket as a curtain?
JO: Certainly not. I was painfully shy most of my childhood but I’ve always been interested in how things are made. I would use my own curiosity to then try to see if I could somehow make those things myself. Most of the DVDs I own are on my shelf because they have amazing special features about the creative or behind-the-scenes process. People come over and see the movies I have and comment “You actually like that movie?” and sometimes the answer is “not really…but the bonus features are great!”
The different mediums I like to play in are all rooted in the story. Whether I’m working with puppets or props, any design or directorial choice has to be supported by what that particular story is trying to convey.
CF: Puppeteering and “dumb shows” (wordless action) are early performance styles that are rarely combined together in modern theater. Following a short prologue delivered by your character, “Nick Chopper,” the rest of the story is played without a spoken narrative. Was this your original concept?
JO: It’s funny, because as we began putting together the first production of The Woodman several years ago, the omission of speech happened very organically. We started exploring who these characters are through physical exercises and interestingly enough, some of those shapes actually found their way into the play.
We always rehearsed scenes with the puppets in a similar manner, and during a few rehearsals, we tried adding dialogue to scenes with the tin man – none of it worked. Ultimately, it just killed the magic of the puppetry so we cut out the words, and then reverse engineered. I later realized that there’s a handful of things that any audience would need to know before the story began, so I wrote a prologue and peppered in as much L. Frank Baum text as possible. I discovered that by allowing the story to live in the moments of silence and to use gestures as a communicative tool, it in turn allowed the audience to immerse themselves into the scene.
CF: What do you think of productions like Warhorse and Avenue Q that also incorporate puppeteering into their story telling?
JO: I think they’re both extraordinary productions with wildly different uses of puppetry. I for one, was curious if a puppet could be as dynamic and as emotionally complex as an actor. I often use the metaphor that puppetry is the CGI of theatre; it is a limitless tool if you’re telling a story about larger than life characters on stage.
CF: After your initial New York run, The Woodsman was brought back by popular demand and extended repeatedly. What do you feel was the key to your production’s success?
JO: I attribute it entirely to our ensemble. Every single one of them truly loves and believes in this show – and they all fully commit to the physical and emotional feats that the show demands of them every night. I think that commitment is palpable when you see it.
CF: show will soon be ending its run on Sunday, May 29, 2016. How did it feel to have a hit show in New York and what projects are coming up next?
JO: It’s a gift and incredibly moving that audiences have responded in such a heartfelt way to the material, night after night.
I have a handful of projects lined up with my theater company, Strangemen & Co. Stay tuned!
CF: What the strangest, funniest or most unexpected thing that’s ever happened to you while working on a show or performance project?
JO: Every day is a hilarious surprise. One of my favorite moments happened during a matinee several years ago. At the end of the play, during an emotional peak of the entire show, a very vocal older woman in the front row loudly asked “Where’s Toto?” in the most amazing ‘New York’ accent! Needless to say, I was shaking with laughter!
CF: What advice do you have for those considering a life in the theater?
JO: The word ‘life’ is right. I think it’s a calling as opposed to a profession. Is it a difficult career path? Yes. But if theatre makes you as incandescently happy as it makes me, you really have no choice but to pursue it. It’s your life
For more information please visit: www.thewoodsman.com
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