The following is an interview with director and playwright John Wuchte regarding the production, Housewife ‘52, at the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Wuchte about the inspiration behind the production, the creative process of bringing the show to life, how you can purchase tickets, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congrats on the launch of Housewife ‘52 in this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival! For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you tell us about the premise of this show?
John Wuchte: Housewife ’52 is a new physical-musical telling the story of 4 housewives and their husbands in 1952. The story is told through gesture, movement, dance, song, and text, all accompanied by live percussion and a 4-piece band playing 7 original songs. A quirky, funny, sad tale that is both poetic and kinetic with its choreography.
BD: As both the creator and director, what can you share with us about the creative process of working with the cast and crew to bring this production to life?
JW: We had a 10-week rehearsal process with more than 100 hours of rehearsal. I was meeting with each scene every week and kept building up the movement and defining the specificity. The cast was a dedicated group of actors who took my direction and then brought their own creativity to help creation the final product.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story will connect with and impact audiences?
JW: I am finding that audiences have been moved by things I never realized. The relationship between men and women in the ’50s still seems as relevant today. Audiences are finding it incredibly moving, and in the next moment, ridiculously absurd.
BD: What makes the Hollywood Fringe Festival an ideal venue for your productions?
JW: This show is avant-garde, non-traditional, and something most people have not experienced. I go in to the process with the idea of mounting a fully formed production. The Fringe is wonderful because of a built-in audience base, and my history of doing work at the Fringe.
BD: The show will be appearing at Broadwater Stage in June. Are there any future plans to perform the show at other venues?
JW: Yes! I am looking into taking the show to some international Fringe festivals and ultimately making its way to New York.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects that you would care to share with our readers?
JW: I have several projects in the pipeline. My play, Vivian Vance Is Alive and Well and Running a Chinese Take-Out, written in 1990, is being fully realized as a musical. Another project that already has 7 songs is Olive Thrun and the Great Pubic Room Caper, an absurd tale of a librarian secretly running a pubic wig factory in the bowels of the local library.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about and purchase tickets for Housewife ‘52?
JW: All the information on the show is at the Fringe site.
They can learn more about my history at my website, www.kickboomtheater.com!
