“BLKS,” a play from Aziza Barnes, will play at Out Front Theatre Company from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14.
“BLKS” follows a group of Black women in New York City over a period of 24 hours as they navigate intimacy, health, and more. The play explores what it takes to be a queer Black woman, navigating that experience with humor and humanity. The production stars Taylor Pasqualetti-Campbell, Kierra Danielle, and Tatyana Mack.
The production is directed by Robby Myles, a Chicago native who moved to Atlanta about seven years ago and has worked with local theater companies such as True Colors and 7 Stages. This is the first show that Myles has directed for Out Front, but previously worked with the company as an assistant director.
Georgia Voice recently spoke with Myles ahead of the show’s opening. We spoke before Winter Storm Fern hit during the weekend of Jan. 23, which affected the cast’s rehearsal schedule, but Myles wasn’t too worried about losing the day.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You worked as an assistant director at Out Front before. How did that experience working specifically as an assistant director with the theater company where you’re directing, prepare you to step into this role?
Robby Myles: I think that one, it helped with the storytelling at this particular location. What I love about theater and a lot of theater houses is, there’s a certain genre and vibe that each one has. To learn what each one is, and to learn how to deliver work in that same realm is always really exciting. So to know that was really helpful, and just educational on my journey.
Yeah, and I guess you’re around some of the people that you’ll be working with in the future as well.
Myles: Yeah, and honestly one of the main reasons [the opportunity came about] is because we’ve worked together before. We know each other, and this would be a great fit for all of us.
When was the first time that you heard of this particular show?
Myles: I heard of it around the time it first came out, right when I graduated college. I think it all really worked out, because it was a show that I told myself for years that I really wanted to work with, in some capacity. To be offered to direct, I was like, oh – this is kind of a dream, right here. This is literally one of my dream shows. I was going through my notes the other day, of shows that I’ve been wanting to either produce or direct. From 2022, this show was on the list. So, to be able to direct it is kind of great. It’s kind of cool.
What makes you want to put a show on your list of things you’d like to direct? And what in particular drew you to this show?
Myles: My mission statement as an artist is to create work that really pushes Black and LGBTQIA stories. This show in particular not only fits in that realm, but also we’re taking a closer look at Black women in general. I think there’s always a presentation, on stage and film, that [Black women] have, and I think this is a really nice show that kind of shows how human they are, along with how much they have to take on as well. For me to be able to help tell that story is an honor, and to make sure that the women in the show, they feel safe and they feel open to tell their stories as well.
When you’re taking on a show that’s been around for as long as this one has, obviously it’s been produced before, it’s been imagined by other directors. What is your approach to coming up with a construction and vision for a show that’s been done before?
Myles: I think it’s first to acknowledge that there have been other productions of it, but then to also remember that one of the coolest things about art is that there’s not only so many ways to perceive it, but also deliver it as well. This is also a show that hasn’t really been done here in Atlanta either, so it’s still new to so many eyes. There are still so many creative ways to tell the story itself.
I think, for just approaching the show in general, it’s to follow this kind of sitcom-y feel that the show has, but also still make sure the characters are relatable and able to connect to [the audience]. That’s been one of the most exciting parts of this process.
I like the idea of a sitcom being a descriptor. That puts an image in your head right away.
Myles: I think [what we have] for set and costumes and everything, you instantly go in that direction. I think that makes it very welcoming, makes it very familiar, to some degree. Again, there are so many demographics of groups or whatnot, where it’s easy for someone to think – this is how they look, this is how they act, this is how they move. And something in this presentation can remind you that at the core, we’re all still human. We all still go through heartbreak, and breakups, but also we still go out and we have fun with our friends, and everything like that. I wanted to be able to show that. I feel like that was really important to me.
Could you talk a little bit about the casting, and finding the different actors to bring these roles to life?
Myles: Each character has very unique qualities to them, about how they stand out as characters. It was finding who could really capture those. And from those who we cast to our understudies, I feel we were able to find pretty much perfect fits. Also, casting was to find those who can fit in the character, but be open to exploring all the avenues that this character provides.
I also want to give a big shout out to my assistant director, Lauren [Alexandria]. I think sometimes you have assistant directors, and some directors kind of use them as, you know – just take my notes. But she’s been really helpful in this process of [giving] thoughts and ways to navigate the story as well. I bring her up because she also helped a lot with casting [for] these stories that are being told. [She] was doing a really good job in these auditions and callbacks of, who’s doing a really good job presenting these characters in this way? While each one is an individual, there’s still the [idea of] who can help make this a true ensemble as well.
Yeah, you have to think about the chemistry between them, not just the individual.
Myles: I think the cast that we have now – throughout the process, but even at that callback and auditions – they did an excellent job of, whoever they were reading with, there was instant chemistry, and they knew how to make it work. That was exciting to see. It was like, okay, great – you can do that here, I can’t wait to see what else you can do in the rehearsal process. I can’t wait to see what you do with the final product, as well.
How long has the rehearsal process been?
Myles: We started January 4.
It always amazes me – I did theater in high school, and you take like, an entire semester to get a show ready. And then you think of professional actors, and they’re like, “We had three weeks!”
Myles: Yeah! I would say, for the past couple of shows I directed, we’ve had like, four to six weeks. It’s all about strategically planning – okay, we only have three weeks, and then a tech week, and then we open. Even now, as I’m speaking to you – even when we talk about this weather coming up, and we have to cancel this rehearsal – it doesn’t feel like we’re about to lose this day and we’re going to be so behind. We’re in such a good spot with everyone, especially the cast. I know they’re in the cast [laughs], but for me, I’m like – oh, we could really open tomorrow. But I know we’ve got to put some work into it. And I know they want to run it just a couple more times!
But for us to be where we are – I’ve worked on shows around where you get this close and they’re freaking out about how things will work. And I’m just like, I think you all are in a really good spot, and I think we’re in a really good spot. There’s still so much time for me to explore things with the characters, and there are new discoveries and everything. That makes the process even more exciting.
Was there anything that you found, through this directing process, particularly challenging, or anything that surprised you?
Myles: One of the things I’ve learned in directing in general is to prepare for it all. So even if there was something that came up, I was like, I knew this would happen. So I was ready for that.
I would say, for me, as I identify with he/him pronouns and everything, I want to be sure that I’m helping tell their story appropriately. I think that was a fear that I had going in, but I knew that involved me going in with open eyes, open ears, and care. Coming in that way really helped form a trust. In theater, that’s always a big thing to have. I think in this show, in particular, just everything that each character is going through and whatnot, I think there has to be a level of trust that’s given and received on all ends. Having that in the room has really just made this process really fulfilling.
Just making sure you’re listening?
Myles: It’s making sure that I’m listening to these experiences, and I’m also not mansplaining either [laughs]. To make sure I’m not going, “Oh, you mean this.” Even though I’ve never done that before, it’s just being really cautious of it.