By Byrne Harrison
 |
Luke Leonard (center) with
Bum and Debbie Phillips |
Luke Leonard is a director and artist living in New York. He is a founding member and the Producing Artistic Director of Monk Parrots, a nonprofit, vanguard theatre company. His stage productions have been described as "taking creditable gambles... outstanding" by The New York Times, "bold and experimental... a clear vision... pure theatrical experience" by nytheatre.com, and "visually arresting" by Austin American-Statesman. In 2011, nytheatre-wire.com compared Monk Parrots to "young artist revolutionaries."
After hearing that he is working on an opera based on the life of former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips, I spoke with Luke about the opera and its upcoming premiere.
Having grown up
in Houston in the '70s, I know how much of an influence former Oilers coach Bum
Phillips was in Texas, and even around the country. That said, he doesn't
seem to be the typical subject for an opera. What inspired you to create
an opera based on his life?
I was interested in doing a project about happiness,
or being in/capturing a moment. I was also reflecting on the effect
that playing football growing up has had on my aesthetic and leadership
skills. I was looking for books written by coaches to learn more about
coaching methods. The name, Bum Phillips, came to mind and I was
instantly filled with nostalgia. Coincidentally, Bum published an
autobiography in 2010, so I ordered it right away and after I read it, I knew
that I wanted to make a new work based on his life. It fit perfectly with
the ideas that I was interested in exploring.
Houston was a very special place in the late
1970s and it was due in large part to Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers.
The fans embraced the team and their coach in a citywide phenomenon
called "Luv Ya Blue". It was as if everyone could bleed the
same shade of light blue. The city was joined by the sense of family that
Bum Phillips instilled in his players. I was only a child, but the devotion
that my parents (and their friends) had for the Oilers, the Astros, the
Astrodome, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, etc., rubbed off on me,
inspired me... it was the culture, and it can only be described as a magical
time.
The story of Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers is
the perfect vehicle to explore the concept of happiness and living in the
moment, but it is also a chance to look at what happens when the party is over.
Undoubtedly, Bum left a mark on the NFL and Houston, but his
tenure with the Oilers was stripped away by owner Bud Adams, robbing the
city of its leader. In over 30 years, Houston has never experienced
another bond quite like "Luv Ya Blue" and the present condition of
the Astrodome, arguably, symbolizes a neglect of heritage. Despite its
current state, the Astrodome is a container for wonderful memories and dreams.
Bum Phillips is really a universal story about courage and healing.
Why an opera? Well, I have been pursuing a
career directing opera ever since returning to New York in 2010 after receiving
a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin. I also lead
Monk Parrots, a nonprofit, experimental theater company that devises new works
and embraces alternative approaches to making theatre. We're always
looking for bridges that bring people together. Football is epic and
opera is epic, so a Bum Phillips opera seemed to make perfect sense.
Opera is music-driven versus a musical, which is more
narrative/text-driven. A Bum Phillips musical seemed too obvious or gimmicky,
and it didn't seem to match the scale and emotion of American football.
We call it an opera because the piece is all sung, but composer Peter
Stopschinski's approach is modern and accessible, so it does teeter between
what people consider an opera and a musical. I would like to see it on
Broadway someday!
Reaction on the
internet runs from bemusement to snark. What would you say to your
doubters?
That's a great question that hasn't been asked.
Funny because I just started reading a book written by Andy Warhol called
"Popism" and he talks about how everyone laughed at his early coke
bottle paintings, and at Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg (also a native
Texan), Frank Stella, Jasper Johns...it's just natural to criticize something
new that isn't easily understood. I actually think the snarky comments
are funny, but they can sting if you let them because you're investing an
enormous amount of time and hard work, and you're trying to do something
personal and with good intentions. I don't know. I think for the
most part people are supportive.
I understand
you met with Mr. Phillips about this project. What did he think about it?
Was he an opera or theatre fan to begin with?
 |
| Peter, Bum and Luke |
We drove to Goliad on Sunday, March 10, 2012 to meet
Bum and Debbie at their ranch. Peter was with me as well as my parents.
We took the Phillips' a pecan pie from Goode Company. I think this
was before much of the score and book had been written, so it's funny that
"pie" made it's way into the first scene called, "Picnic".
Bum seemed to really like the idea, but he didn't know if it would work
in New York. I tried to reassure him that it would and expressed my
desire for a Texas presentation, too. I found him to be very accepting of
all things. He told us that Lawrence Harris used to play for the Oilers
and became a professional opera singer. I don't remember asking Bum if he
was a fan of opera or theatre, but he likes music and he's a big fan of John
Wayne movies. My mother sent me a John Wayne compilation DVD that includes The
Searchers, which is one of Bum's favorites.
In his... well,
I hesitate to say retirement, since he seems to be more active than ever... but
in recent years, Phillips has been more known for his charity work and
Christian ministry. Will that be included in the opera, or will it focus
more on his early life and coaching career?
Yes, for a man approaching 90 he is sharp as a whip
and has a ton of stamina. He is certainly active and it's very
impressive. His strength and endurance reminds me of Ellen Stewart, the
Founder/Artistic Director of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (where we will
present the world premiere). You couldn't keep Ellen down, even in her
80s. She was a firecracker, an amazing woman, and she left behind a inimitable
legacy, which is now under the artistic leadership of Mia Yoo.
The primary source material for the opera is the
autobiography, Bum Phillips: Cowboy, Coach, Christian. It
includes moments throughout his entire life and it is structured like a
football game. Act I focuses on the early parts of his life; such as, the
myth surrounding the source of his nickname, his relationship with his father,
his time as a Marine Raider in WWII, and concludes with a football game from
the 1979 season. Act 2 includes scenes about retirement, divorce, the
prison ministry, and of course, more football games. It's ambitious and
it will be challenging to stage, but that's what I'm all about, a challenge.
Who are your
collaborators on this project?
 |
| Kirk Lynn |
Kirk Lynn is the librettist and Peter Stopschinski is
the composer. I met Kirk at UT-Austin when I was a MFA student. He
is a professor at UT and I took a class with him called New Play Dramaturgy.
Kirk and Peter are both members of the nationally-renowned theatre
collective, Rude Mechs. Kirk is a founding member and Co-Producing
Artistic Director of the Rudes. Peter is Co-Artistic Director with
composer Graham Reynolds of the nonprofit, Golden Hornet Project. Kirk
has been a mentor to me in many ways and very generous about sharing
information and helping me with grant writing. Peter and I are both from
Houston and grew up during the "Luv Ya Blue" era. We both have
strong affections for that time. We're all native Texans, which is really
cool. There are a lot of Texans in New York and we have several in our
company, Monk Parrots. Joey LePage is the Co-Producing Artistic Director
of Monk Parrots, who I also met and worked with at UT-Austin. Joey and I
have been working together since 2008. He has assisted me on several productions
and is the assistant director of the Bum Phillips opera. The costume
designer is Alison Heryer. Alison and I started working together in 2007.
She designed the most extraordinary costumes for a contemporary opera
that I directed in 2010 called The Difficulty of Crossing a Field by
David Lang and Mac Wellman. I also invited Marie Yokoyama to join the
creative team as Co-Designer. Marie and I collaborated on Monk Parrots'
2013 production, After an Earlier Incident: A Dyschronic Romeo &
Juliet, which premiered at La MaMa. We'll be adding more amazing
artists to the roster, too.
When are you
planning to bring it to the stage?
The world premiere is booked for March 13-30,
2014 in the Ellen Stewart Theater at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in
New York. We will present a benefit performance at Dixon Place on Thursday,
Sept. 5, 2013. In July-August, we will work on the production designs
during our Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Artist
Residency, and we might begin the casting process during the residency, as
well. We're looking for a Texas-based presenter to partner with to take
it to the Lone Star State.
Tell me a
little bit about your theatre company, Monk Parrots.
Monk Parrots, formerly DUMBO Theater eXchange a/k/a
DTX, incorporated in New York in 2001 to present new plays by emerging
artists. DTX managed a space in Brooklyn where 30 productions were
produced, including plays at the 4th and 5th Annual DUMBO Arts Festival. In
2007, DTX changed its name to reflect a departure from DUMBO and a
commitment to collaboration and devised theatre.
In 2011-2013, Monk Parrots produced 4 premieres, 3
public readings, 3 workshop performances, and a European premiere. Awards
include 2013 and 2011 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Artist Residencies,
a 2012 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, and a 2012 USA
Projects grant to commission Bum Phillips, An Opera.
What sort of
works has the company produced?
Monk Parrots produce and tour concept-driven live
performances that cross artistic boundaries. In 2011, we created Gay
Rodeo By-Laws, an abstract play about assumptions associated with being
American that was loosely inspired by James Agee's Let Us Now Praise
Famous Men. Additionally, we remounted our performance work, The
Art of Depicting Nature As It Is Seen By Toads, a structured improvisation
based on Sanford Meisner's Word Repetition Game, and staged a site-specific
performance of Barry Gifford's Hotel Room Trilogy at the Roger
Smith Hotel. In 2012, we premiered Here I Go at 59E59
Theaters, a piece about a sixty-something widow and Dolly Parton fan who
whips up a banana pudding and contemplates suicide, which also premiered in
Italy at the 2012 La MaMa Spoleto Open. This year, we premiered a new
work at La MaMa called After an Earlier Incident: A Dyschronic Romeo
& Juliet, which was our second collaboration with playwright David Todd
(Here I Go). We aren't limited to one form (performance art,
site-specific, theatre, musical/opera), but all of our works share the same core
ambitions: to attempt the impossible and advance the art of theatre.
If you could
say anything to your prospective audience, what would it be?
Be prepared to be surprised. You don't have to like
opera or football. You're going to like this!
I understand
you're crowdfunding to raise capital for the show. If people want to
donate, how should they go about it?
The deadline to support the Bum Phillips opera is Sunday,
July 21, 2013. Tax-deductible donations can be made by visiting the USAProjects website.
Thank
you for taking time to talk about your show. I can't wait to see how it
turns out.
