The Willistonian Interview: The Ditkovski Direction

The Willistonian Interview is a column written by Campus News Editor, Nate Gordon, where he interviews different faculty, staff, and students on campus. In this edition, Emily Ditkovski, Williston’s Director of Theater talks about how Williston actors bring out the bets in theater and the new production, “A Servant to Two Masters.”

Nate Gordon: Could you tell me a little bit about your career in theater so far?

Emily Ditkovski: I was sort of born into a theater family. It’s funny, a lot of people sort of discover theater or come upon it because they took a class, but my dad was a director and a playwright and my mom was an actress, so it was just always around. It’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember and I have been in lots of plays. I came to directing, sort of, accidentally, really. I was finishing college at NYU and I started to hate acting, I hated it. I decided I didn’t want to do that, but I wanted to work with young people, with teenagers. There was a class called “Urban Ensemble,” and it was basically about using theater to sort of reach out to people who didn’t have access to theater. So I was working with underserved communities and kids who had never done theater before and that was kind of the moment I made the switch.

NG: Why did you stop liking acting?

ED: When I was younger it was just really wonderful to have a great community of people and was about telling a great story. When I got to college, it was sort of more about connections and who you talked to and who you know, kissing up. That side of it just didn’t feel truthful to me. It wasn’t the fit for me as a person.

NG: If you were able to go back to acting in the right setting, would you?

ED: I didn’t feel that way until I started working here and remembering what it was like to be in a good community—made me think it would be fun. I was actually in a local production of The Tempest, inspired by my students who take the most amazing risks. I was like, “I could totally do this!”

NG: What are the goals of the theater department at Williston?

ED: Charles Raffetto, Ilene Goldstein, and I have been talking a lot about this over the years. We obviously want to provide great training for our actors and designer and technicians. But, also, we create works for the public. So, what kind of shows do we want to do? We want to do shows that help our audiences think about the world in kind of a new way.

NG: How do you think the theater prepares students for life outside of the stage?

ED: Learning about the ideas of collaboration and working with other people, also taking risks, and trying to new things are really, really big.

NG: Could you tell me a little bit about the new play, “A Servant to Two Masters?”

ED: It’s a play I’ve wanted to direct for a long time and it’s based on an 18th century play written by this guy, Carlos Goldoni. This play is about this guy Truffaldino who sort of accidentally starts serving two masters and he is trying not to get caught and in the process just wreaks havoc on everyone’s lives. It’s pretty out there and wacky.

NG: Why did you choose to do this play?

ED: I’ve always wanted to do it and I knew I had some kids who just wanted to explore the farthest reaches of comedy that they possibly could. So like “Rumors” was really funny, but this goes beyond [that]. We’re not even in a world that’s even recognizable as reality at all. So I wanted to push those actors as far as they could go.

NG: What is the biggest difference between preparing for this play and others?

ED: This play comes from a huge tradition of Commedia dell’arte, which is an Italian style of physical comedy, so we had to work on that. I think a lot of people think comedy is really like goofy and funny and you just go up there and do your thing and it’s hilarious, but it’s actually incredibly disciplined and precise. Teaching the actors about that precision was really different. They had a lot of freedom and then I had to really reign them in and kind of shape it a little bit more. Actually, I don’t think I reigned them in as much, but for them to start learning what it felt like to do that precise comedy, instead of just like, being crazy.

NG: What would you say to those who are thinking about auditioning, but really just think they’re not good enough?

ED: Oh, they totally should do it.

NG: Why?

ED: Just the process of auditioning teaches you a lot about yourself and it’s always good to try new things. If you have known me for five minutes or less, you know that I never played sports and I don’t even know half the stuff you guys do. I don’t know what it’s called, and I missed out because I was too afraid. Just as you learn life skills from theater, you learn life skills from sports and trying something new is always good. And if you don’t make it the first time, come back. There’s a story of a kid who graduated [from Williston] and now has an agent and is a professional actor and is still in college. He didn’t make a play until the fall of his junior year [in high school], so you just keep coming back and trying, and learning.

NG: What are the near-future plans of the theater department?

ED: So, we’re doing Urinetown in the Spring, which I’m really excited about and then we have the children’s play, which is coming up in the winter. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing…I’m planning like five years down the line for plays.

NG: And going back to you, what do you like most about directing high school plays?

ED: I love that the actors are so excited and uninhibited and ready to try new things. They work harder than anybody. Like professional actors can be lazy and they are late and they think they are really cool and all. These guys work so hard and are so creative and remind me of everything that’s important about doing theater.