The Price of Success

Sight Unseen is an Obie award-winning play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies. The play, which opens this week at The Very Little Theatre, takes as its subject a renowned artist and strips him naked of all the trappings of success, leaving almost nothing where a man once was.

Grappling with this delicious script are director Darlene Rhoden and her husband Paul Rhoden, as well as Kari Welch, Dan Pegoda and Ali Thorenson. The following interview with Darlene Rhoden illucidates her journey into this world of radical inquiry into the price of success.

EW: This play has some powerful themes, ideas about religion, family, art, fame, insecurity and success. Has working with this material brought up issues for you or your cast as artists?

Rhoden: The script is a meditation on these issues. Eugene, Oregon, is, frankly, a famously difficult environment for any religiously observant person. Oddly enough, our four-person cast is made up of a Jew, a Catholic, a Protestant and an atheist. I watch my husband Paul grapple with assimilation issues all the time; he yearns to be more religious, but laments that to do so would mean giving up his greatest joy, theatre, due to the restriction of performing on the Sabbath (Friday night). Like Jonathan, he had to make a choice; he can’t live in two worlds at the same time.

EW: You are directing your husband in this play. What’s that like? Is he giving you any trouble?

Rhoden: Paul and I are both extremely passionate about this particular piece, which results in some spirited debates around the house. We adore these characters and this material so much there is little else we’d rather talk about these days. Spending so much time together chewing on this stuff has allowed each of us to discover myriad nuances we might never have found on our own. Paul is easy to work with in rehearsal; he contributes a great deal, but like any decent actor he recognizes his function and so defers to his director. The most awkward aspect working with him has been for the other actors, who could never get used to one of their cast-mates calling their director “Baby.”

EW: What has been most rewarding about directing this play?

Rhoden: I aspire to be a good director. To that end, Sight Unseen has been the highlight of my creative life so far. The material here is so challenging and provocative and my actors are so damned good, it could only make me better. And it has; there are times during rehearsal when I’m literally taken aback at how beautiful, how powerful, this thing is shaping up to be.

Sight Unseen runs April 24 through May 3 at The Very Little Theatre’s Stage Left, 2350 Hilyard St.; $10, tickets at 344-7751 or TheVLT.com. — Anna Grace

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!