Director's Notes on The Star Without A Name

The Star Without a Name is the first play I ever saw. I was 7, living in Bucuresti, Romania, the only child of artist parents (a writer and a painter/doctor/philosopher), and I couldn't wait until I was finally old enough to go to the theatre. I had been to puppet shows, and children’s shows, of course, but I had a feeling this was going to be different. I had met a few actors, directors, and playwrights – friends of my parents – but seeing them on stage was what I really wanted to do, seeing them in action, and not just hearing their stories at parties at our house.

Ana-Catrina Buchser. She translated, adapted, directed,
and produced this version of The Star Without a Name.  

So when I finally sat in my chair and watched the melancholy story of The Star Without a Name, I immediately connected to the principal female character – The Unknown – and felt the entire play as if it was happening to me. Without knowing it yet, I had found my calling – the theatre.

It wasn’t until 12 years later, in college, that I made the conscious decision to study the art of theatre, and got a degree in Directing. And not surprisingly, when faced with the choice of any play on the face of the planet for my senior project, my heart and mind immediately went to Mihail Sebastian and The Star Without a Name. I obtained permission from the Sebastian family to translate and direct a workshop production of the play at Stanford University’s Prosser Studio. The performances were a great success, and left me wanting more…

I was quite surprised that Mihail Sebastian’s work had not yet been translated into English. I wanted to bring this play to a larger American audience. So little of the vast treasury of Romanian theatre is known in the United States, and I see it as my nationalistic duty to bring it forth and make it available. It became my mission.

As a professional theatre director, and with the help of Dragon Production’s 2nd Stages series, I am now in a position to accomplish that mission. I present to you a glimpse into 1942 Prahova (a mountainous region of Romania), complete with class struggles, unfulfilled dreams, and regional idiosyncrasies. The only thing missing is the war, and that’s on purpose. Although Romania joined WWII in 1941 – so theoretically, most of the men in our play shouldn’t be there – I wanted to tell the story of love found and never held, of passion and sacrifice, of making difficult choices, without having to consider the effects of an outside force, such as the war. I did this as homage to Mihail Sebastian, who wrote this beautiful play in 1942, despite living a life of persecution as a Jew in a very anti-Semitic time and place.

Probably the most exciting part of the project has been introducing this incredibly generous group of actors to everything Romania. They dove head first into learning all the proper names, some more difficult to pronounce than others (how would you pronounce Tekirghiol?), listened to my many stories of what it was like to grow up in Bucuresti, and absorbed all the pictures and music that I introduced to them through this nostalgically rewarding journey. Of course, I wasn’t around in the 40s, but I am lucky enough to have learned many songs of the era from my grandmother, Mioara, and many anecdotes from my mother, Corina, who is a storyteller. I dedicate this show to them.

--Ana-Catrina Buchser

You can read and contribute to her blog, Modicums of Inspiration. 

Who Is Mihail Sebastian?

Born as Iosef Meddel Hechter, Mihail Sebastian was a Romanian playwright, essayist, journalist, and novelist. Mr. Sebastian was born Jewish in 1907 in Brăila, Romania. Originally a law student, he quickly became involved with the Romanian literary set that included playwright Eugène Ionesco in its circle. As a Jew, Sebastian came to be regarded as an outsider within the group, even by his friends. In 1934 he published a novel, De două mii de ani... ("It's been two thousand years..."), about what it meant to be a Jew in Romania, and asked Nae Ionescu, a noted Romanian professor, mathematician, and philosopher, who at the time was Sebastian’s friend and mentor, to write the preface. Ionescu agreed, generating uproar by inserting paragraphs both anti-semitic and against the very nature of the book they introduced. Sebastian "decided to take the only intelligent revenge" and publish the preface, which only heightened the controversy. In response to the criticism, Sebastian wrote Cum am devenit huligan ("How I Became a Hooligan"), an anthology of essays and articles depicting the manner in which De două mii de ani... was received by the Romanian public and the country's cultural establishment. In the book, he answered his critics and addresses the rabid anti-semitism of the former in a clear and unaffected manner:

“I was born in Romania, and I am Jewish. That makes me a Jew, and a Romanian. For me to go around and join conferences demanding that my identity as a Jewish Romanian be taken seriously would be as crazy as the lime trees on the island where I was born to form a conference demanding their rights to be lime trees. As for anyone who tells me that I'm not a Romanian, the answer is the same: go talk to the trees, and tell them they're not trees.”

From 1935 - 1944 Sebastian kept a journal that was finally published in Bucharest in 1996 to “considerable debate” and in America under the title Journal, 1935-1944: The Fascist Years. It records the mounting persecution he endured and documents the disdain former friends began showing him in Romania's increasingly antisemitic sociopolitical landscape. In keeping with the cultural climate in what author Hannah Arendt called ''the most anti-Semitic country in prewar Europe,'' the majority of Mihail Sebastian's intellectual circle followed Nae Ionescu in supporting the Iron Guard, Romania's fascist party. A fundamental testimony of anti-Semitism in Europe prior to, and during, the years of World War II, the Journal has been compared to those of Victor Klemperer or Anne Frank. 

By August 1942, Romania had murdered between 300,000 and 400,000 Romanian Jews without German assistance. Most of the killing took place in provinces distant from Sebastian's Bucharest, one of the large reasons he was able to survive the war. Romania's Jews were not immediately deported to Nazi death camps, but the country's own anti-Semitic violence, its massacres and death marches, were so brutal, Arendt reported, that the SS ''often intervened to save Jews from sheer butchery, so that the killing could be done in what, according to them, was a civilized way.'' Just as the Germans were about to put a full-scale deportation plan into motion, the Romanian dictator, Gen. Ion Antonescu, sensed the winds shifting in favor of the Allies; he also discovered that international emigration groups would pay cash for the release of Jews abroad. In the end, opportunism was stronger than ideology. So by 1944, in a bizarre about-face, Romania was no longer the most dangerous spot in Europe for Jews; it was a pathway for Jewish emigration to Palestine. 

In the 2000s, Sebastian's Journal gained a new audience in Western countries due to its lyrical, evocative style and the brutal honesty of its accounts. In 2004, American playwright David Auburn wrote a one-man play based on Sebastian's diary titled The Journals of Mihail Sebastian. It debuted the same year in New York City and starred Stephen Kunken in the role of Mihail Sebastian.

Mihail Sebastian May 29, 1945 after being struck by a truck. 

The Science Behind The Other Place

When Dragon started work on The Other Place, I wanted to learn more about the science presented in the play. I wasn't clear on the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's, which seems to get the most press, and wondered what the latest statistics on memory related disease was in America. Like cancer, in my experience, it seems to be a disease that hits every family in some way.

According to the national Alzheimer's Association:

"Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia.   

Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.  

Dementia is often incorrectly referred to as "senility" or "senile dementia," which reflects the formerly widespread but incorrect belief that serious mental decline is a normal part of aging."

 The Mayo Clinic further says:

"Memory loss generally occurs in dementia. However, memory loss alone doesn't mean you have dementia. Dementia indicates problems with at least two brain functions, such as memory loss and impaired judgment or language, and the inability to perform some daily activities such as paying bills or becoming lost driving.  

Dementia can make you confused and unable to remember people and names. You also may experience changes in personality and social behavior. However, some causes of dementia are treatable and even reversible."

I know that I'd heard that you can't officially diagnose Alzheimer's, and in the play they reference the fact that they can't officially diagnose Juliana's illness while she was still alive, which made me wonder about the diagnosis process and the truth of that statement.

According to the Mayo Clinic, some common symptoms of dementia include:

• Memory loss

• Difficulty communicating

• Difficulty with complex tasks

• Difficulty with planning and organizing

• Difficulty with coordination and motor functions

• Problems with disorientation, such as getting lost

• Personality changes

• Inability to reason

• Inappropriate behavior

• Paranoia

• Agitation

• Hallucinations

Further, the National Institute of Health's Institute on Aging says this about Alzheimer's: 

"Alzheimer’s disease can be definitively diagnosed only after death, by linking clinical measures with an examination of brain tissue and pathology in an autopsy. But doctors now have several methods and tools to help them determine fairly accurately whether a person who is having memory problems has “possible Alzheimer’s dementia” (dementia may be due to another cause) or “probable Alzheimer’s dementia” (no other cause for dementia can be found). 

To diagnose Alzheimer’s, doctors may:

• Ask questions about overall health, past medical problems, ability to carry out daily activities, and changes in behavior and personality

• Conduct tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language

• Carry out standard medical tests, such as blood and urine tests, to identify other possible causes of the problem

• Perform brain scans, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to distinguish Alzheimer’s from other possible causes for symptoms, like stroke or tumor

These tests may be repeated to give doctors information about how the person’s memory is changing over time. 

Early, accurate diagnosis is beneficial for several reasons. It can tell people whether their symptoms are from Alzheimer’s or another cause, such as stroke, tumor, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disturbances, side effects of medications, or other conditions that may be treatable and possibly reversible."

Since Alzheimer's is by far the largest subset of dementia, I wondered how prevalent the disease is. The Alzheimer's Association reports that around 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease. Almost two-thirds of those Alzheimer's patients are women. In her 60s, a woman's estimated lifetime risk for developing Alzheimer's is 1 in 6. For breast cancer it is 1 in 11. Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death among Americans. In 2013, 15.5 million caregivers provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care valued at more than $220 billion. 

Not only does it take a severe emotional toll, it takes a massive financial toll on America as Alzheimer's disease is the most expensive condition in the nation. In 2014, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer's will total an estimated $214 billion, including $150 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. 

Nearly one in every five dollars spent by Medicare is on people with Alzheimer's or another dementia. The average per-person Medicare spending for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias is three times higher than for those without these conditions. The average per-person Medicaid spending for seniors with Alzheimer's and other dementias is 19 times higher than average per-person Medicaid spending for all other seniors.

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's but there a whole lot of research being directed in the area. Some traction has recently been made on helping to delay the inevitable progression and there are a number of clinical trials open to patients to help test new solutions. 

Who Is Sharr White?

Sharr White, age 44, has been writing plays since the 1990s. They've been presented around the country, including at South Coast Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Lincoln Center Theatre's Directors Lab and Key West Theatre Festival. The Other Place marked his first major New York appearance, and became his first Broadway show.

Sharr White in Playbill

Born in Frederick, Maryland, Mr. White moved to Southern California when he was young. The family moved to Boulder, Colorado for his junior high and high school years. And after high school he moved back to Southern California, took some time off, and worked in a warehouse for a few years. Mr. White eventually went back to school where he planned to major in biology since his father in in the sciences. He also took some acting classes and decided to switch to theatre. Mr. White then moved to San Francisco to go to the A.C.T. [American Conservatory Theatre] program. He didn't get accepted into the program and ended up at San Francisco State for a little bit and then jumped over to A.C.T. and finished the acting program there. He started writing at A.C.T., though they didn't have any writing classes.

Mr. White graduated with an M.F.A. in 1993 and was hooked on writing, so he moved to New York. He gave up on acting to solely focus on writing. Mr. White says "From there it was a long process for me, because I didn't go to grad school for writing, I didn't go to any writing programs, I wasn't formally trained at all. I felt like when I reached a point in beginning to develop I didn't have anyone to turn to, which was pretty isolating. My time in New York has been about writing, writing, writing. I did some self-producing in the '90s. The big break was with Humana Festival in 2006. I was able to start surfacing to people, and I got a couple of commissions. It's been a long process to get [to Broadway]."

The Other Place, was produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club, and opened at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre from December 2012 (in previews) through March 3, 2013. The play, directed by Joe Mantello, starred Laurie Metcalf and Daniel Stern. It was originally produced Off-Broadway by the MCC Theater in 2011. The Other Place received two Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and Outstanding Actress In A Play (Laurie Metcalf). Laurie Metcalf won an Obie Award, Performance. Metcalf was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.