Theatre Director Gwendolyn Snow and her successful collaboration with actress Chrysi Sylaidi
Ms. Snow opens up about her work and secrets to success
She is young, she is beautiful, she is loved, she is talented, she is clever and she, as her closest friends say, is also an amazing cook. Gwendolyn Snow, a director from Brazil Indiana has taken New York City by storm. In a matter of a few years she has established herself as one of the most promising new Theatre Directors, she has won multiple awards and she has started a very successful Theatre Company. Her company, TeamTheatre, has been on the receiving end of critical praise and sold out productions. As she often says, all this is the result of hard work and good collaborations like the one she has had for multiple projects with award winning Actress Chrysi Sylaidi. I managed to watch again an old performance of the production “Golden Girl by the Sea” in an online streaming event 2 weeks ago and like the first time, I was thrilled. It was some of the best directing and acting I had seen in a really long time. With all that reputation surrounding Ms. Snow I knew I had to reach out for an interview and lucky enough when I eventually did, she accepted.
Thank you for saving sometime in your day for this interview. I am honestly one of your biggest admirers.
It is good to be with you too.
Lets start with the basics. What do you love the most about Directing?
I enjoy amplifying themes, dialogue, and movement in the context of a story. I also enjoy collaborating with artists, managers, and actors. Nothing beats the sense of accomplishment on opening night when you see a piece that so many minds spent so much time and effort to put together.
Are there any differences between the work you did in Indiana and the work you are doing in New York?
I coached actors, stage managed, and acted when I lived in Indiana. When I came to New York it was for Stella Adler’s Three Year Conservatory Program for Acting. I have since found that there is a constant need for someone who can help artists and new playwrights tell a story here in the city. I have found myself in the position of director, producer, and coach often while attending the program and after graduating.
The show Golden Girl By The Sea that you directed had a very successful run. Congratulations! Was there something that made you realize this project’s potential before you initially said yes as a director?
Thank you, I can tell you that a lot of people worked very hard to accomplish that amount of success. I know the writer Dorothea Gloria who is a very accomplished and prolific new playwright and actress from the Philippines. When she approached me about this project I knew there was ample potential for movement theatre and physical storytelling, a field in which I have desperately wanted a chance to direct. I also was given control of casting, and I managed to acquire some amazing talent, including the lead Chrysi Sylaidi. I knew this project would be successful and that’s why I did it.
What was the biggest lesson learned after directing such a demanding show?
Chorus work, specifically greek chorus, is one of the most challenging collaboration and direction projects I have ever done. It takes so much time and effort to not only choreograph the actors involved, but to make the choreography specific even though it’s being carried out by 6 actors. Dorothea really wrote some amazing moments for The chorus, and Chrysi who had to bear the brunt of most of the emotion and indecision expertly laced throughout. It’s so glorifying watching all of that work though, the stage pictures were amazing and they really highlighted the deep emotional work that Chrysi was going through for the audience.
You have collaborated in several of your works with Ms. Sylaidi and in Golden Girl you also trusted her with the center role in the play. Is there a reason behind your decision to return multiple times to certain collaborations?
When you have an actress that is as talented, smart, versatile, beautiful, and as easy to work with as Chrysi, you would be foolish not to use every chance you get to collaborate with her. I also find that being a producer makes me want to keep being a conduit for wonderful actors like Chrysi, and other artists like Dorothea so that they keep getting opportunities to do what they do best.
As a director is it your goal to make art that challenges it’s viewers?
It is true that I usually pick scripts that unravel a mystery, or reveal something about humans, but I think this is a loaded question. My goal as a director is to tell the playwrights story to the best of my ability. If that succeeds then I have done my job. I don’t like watching a preachy show where the director has really pushed a concept onto a script, I think directors often fall into that trap.
What about other future projects? Is there anything we should be expecting?
Right now I am working on projects that involve people who have been isolated due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, like the elderly and disabled. This is a time for small companies like mine to work with our communities and lift them up and glorify their stories, instead of creating art for art’s sake.
A big thank you to Gwendolyn Snow for this conversation. I can’t wait to see her’s and TeamTheatre’s amazing next steps. To learn more about Gwendolyn Snow and TeamTheatre LLC, follow them on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TeamTheatreLLC/
