Bunchland

Every summer, married directors Melissa Kievman (theatre) and Brian Mertes (theatre and tv), invite 40 actors, designers and musicians to take over their home on the shores of Lake Lucille, NY.  As written about in the NY Times,  Melissa and Brian and their guests spend one week putting together the production of a play, chosen from the works of Anton Chekhov. It’s a kind of Burning Man for theatre artists, where sets are cobbled together from the Kievman-Mertes’ possessions, company members camp out in tents on the lawns of the Kievman-Mertes’ neighbours,  the entire lake becomes the play’s setting and the couple’s  daughter, Tria Leal, accompanies her parents as they oversee rehearsals, sleeping arrangements and communal meals. On day seven, hundreds of Lake Lucille neighbours and New York friends, descend on the Kievman-Mertes home. The play is performed for an audience of about 400 people.

BUNCH: How old was Tria at the last Lake Lucille Chekhov?

MELISSA: Last year she was 1 year and 4 months and we did “Platonov” on the Lake , she was basically passed from person to person, wandered through scenes during rehearsal in her yard, was involved in all aspects of production– the band wrote a song for her too.

BUNCH: Did she have a part/get involved?

MELISSA: It was her house. When I put her to sleep each night after our big communal dinner I kept imagining what she might be dreaming with Chekhov and music going until the wee hours outside. Because we embedded our Chekhov project in our community, she has come to know dozens of our neighbors (who house our artists and feed them as well)– they have all watched her grow and she knows folks (and their pets) by name

Newborn Tria helping her dad direct a scene. Photo by Ferrol Mertes

BUNCH: How much time has Tria spent in rehearsal or on set?

MELISSA: Not as much as my breast pump-:) During Chekhov she is a constant presence, when I am working out of town, I have her in occasionally, it definitely shifts the tenor of the room, keeps things grounded and in perspective. Occasionally I have her in so the caregiver who has basically been her parent for weeks can see what I am up to or because I have lost my babysitter at the last minute…

BUNCH: What are the logistics of that?

MELISSA: In the professional realm, I have found it pretty tricky– people say they are open but I worry about being perceived as too high-maintenance a guest artist and not being asked back!

BUNCH: It seems as thought companies of adult artists have a tendency to “adopt” kids who are in their midst. Has this been your experience?

MELISSA: Absolutely. She has a huge extended family, more “aunts and uncles’ then one would think possible– Lots of great people invested in her.

BUNCH: What is this like for her?

MELISSA: During the Chekhov retreat we open our home to upward of 40 people and then 400 on the day of performance– Tria’s refrain is “More friends!!”… She feels strange when the house is NOT full of people

.Tria’s backyard during Chekhov rehearsals. Photo by Ferrol Mertes.

BUNCH: Do these relationships continue beyond the intense but brief time frame of rehearsing a play?

MELISSA: With our Chekhov family, they are deeply rooted. (Tony Award Winner and star of Rachel Getting Married) Bill Irwin  showed up at our house as Santa Claus last Xmas. She has a scrapbook of songs and poems that have been written for her.

BUNCH: Is it fun for her to be in rehearsal? Or does she get bored?

MELISSA: She seems happy to be there– The play doesn’t always hold her attention, but she seems stimulated by a room full of engaged people. And props! She loves the prop table!

BUNCH: How do the adult artists respond to her presence?

MELISSA: It varies, but mostly with delight and generosity. The ones that don’t love it, try hard to mask it I think.

BUNCH: Does she pick stuff up from the artists she meets? Does she quote Shakespeare or Chekhov, for example? Do you think it is enriching for her?

MELISSA: I think the music and musical instruments has really captured her imagination, that and the ethos of hospitality perhaps. Our friend’s two year old, Elliot, was watching “Uncle Vanya” and said “Daddy, are all these people sad?” “Yes, Elliot” he answered. “That’s so funny!” replied Elliot, nailing Chekhov. We knew we were doing something right.

Note: Congratulations to Melissa, Brian and Tria on the birth of Eamon.