Eno wrote the piece for Lovett and Lovett's wife, director Judy Hegarty Lovett. They're Irish-born theater artists who specialize in monologues by Samuel Beckett and other one-man shows with existential themes. Under the auspices of their company, Gare St. Lazare Players, they've presented productions in every continent, short of Antarctica.
How did Will Eno come to write "Title and Deed" for you?
Conor Lovett: He saw me in Beckett's "The End," which Judy directed and he's seen three or four of our other shows prior to that. He came to us in 1999 and said he wanted to write for us and over the last 12 years we've become good friends.
What are the acting challenges in this piece in general and the fact that a friend wrote it for you in particular?
Conor: The challenge is to make the words sound like my own. I address the material literally. Other ideas may come up, but for me as the actor I take it on face value. The fact that a friend wrote it for me is not a challenge.
Judy Hegarty Lovett: This is about a character who is away from home. He's "un-homed" and that's why he's come to the audience to talk about identity, background, and what it means to be away from home. Will wrote it for us to do it in the States. But we've also done it in Ireland and it works there too. In Ireland when he says he's "not from here" the audience accepts that he's separate in some way.
This play feels like Beckett.
Judy: Yes, and I've found that Irish audiences have incredible access to Beckett's humor and language. American audiences are close. In China if you're doing Beckett in English, audiences are reading translations on sur-titles and may not get all the cultural nuances.
Conor: I don't fully agree. In my experience story-telling and the desire to connect exist around the world.
Judy: My challenge is the same for every production, which is to make sure the actor is absorbing the text in the purist way and become a conduit for the writer's voice, so that the writer and director disappear.
Did you play a role in the writing of the piece?
Conor: No.
Judy: I believe we did have a role in the text. Will is open, involved, and generous. He doesn't just hand you a play and disappear. He is a huge participant in the show and constantly asking, "Does this work for you?" "Is this word landing or not?" He is a real listener.
What is the challenge in directing your husband?
Judy: There is no challenge. He's very talented and a great listener. We have huge mutual respect.
In directing your husband what do you bring to the table as his wife?
Judy: We've been collaborating for 20 years. We have a deep understanding of how we work. Possibly we have a short-hand. But I'm an absolutist when I work with anyone. It's such an intimate thing and on each project we work for a year and a half. The whole jobbing thing [that defines so much theater] is not for me. It's about my relationships. I work with other actors besides my husband and remain friends with them.
Conor, what's the challenge in being directed by your wife?
Conor: Boring her.
What can Judy elicit from you in a performance that another director might not?
Conor: If you've worked with someone for 20 years, the connection can only be deeper and more grounded. But that's more about our shared history in theater than her being my wife. Still, our process is light. We spend lots of time laughing and talking about many things. With a continued good relationship you can refine your technique. Generally when I work with other directors it's on large productions and I've found those relationships less intimate. I'm less inclined to get personal with those directors. Judy is probably closer to other actors she's worked with than I am with other directors.
Judy: Both our parents ran businesses together. So we have a model for working together.
Conor: No one thinks it's unusual when a couple runs a farm or a shop.
Isn't collaborating in theater different because of the emotional component?
Judy: Yes, you have the representation of the emotion in the acting, but not in the running of the business. You're engaging in a livelihood together and the same principals apply to any couple running any business. But we don't see this as a job. In that way it's different from opening a shop door in the morning.
"Title and Deed" runs through June 17 at the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 W. 42nd St., 212-244-7529 www.signaturetheatre.org.
Outtakes
-Conor Lovett appeared in such films as "Intermission," "Small Engine Repair," "Moll Flanders," and "Fallout" and Irish TV programs, "Father Ted" and "Fair City."
-Off-Broadway the couple has worked at the Irish Arts Center and The Public.
-Regionally, they've appeared in Boston, New Haven, Portland, Philadelphia, and Providence.
-Global credits include the national theaters of Great Britain, Romania, Bulgaria and Israel, State Theatre of South Africa, Edinburgh Traverse, and Melbourne Playhouse.
