True stories from a fraught chapter of American history have inspired Opera Idaho’s next production, "An American Dream", as treasured possessions become symbols of hope.
“The beauty I love of the story is that we have an American GI who returns home with a Jewish wife. And so essentially, they are able to escape the horrors of Europe during World War II," said Gordon Reinhart, stage director of the production. “But in this American GI’s attempt to carve out a home for his wife, he ends up displacing Japanese American family.”
Reinhart joined Eva Gaissert, one of the production’s co-stars, to visit with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about their professional and personal inspirations in approaching the project.
“I'm really hopeful that we've created something that will be a poetic container that will release the really profound emotions of the piece."
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. I'm Boise State Public Radio News. Good morning. I'm George Prentice. This morning, we take some time to consider An American Dream, the production, and the reality of our shared American dream. So, let's turn our attention to an American dream presented by opera Idaho coming up, March 3rd. And that's Friday. And then Sunday, March 5th at the Egyptian theater. And we are very lucky that the director of the production, Gordon Reinert, is here, as well as Blythe Gaissert, who plays Eva. Do I have that right, Blythe?
BLYTHE GAISSERT: That's correct.
PRENTICE: And good morning to you both.
GORDON REINHART: Good morning.
GAISSERT: Good morning, George
PRENTICE: Gordon, first of all, give us the thumbnail of the story.
REINHART: The story is about for me, the emotional core of it is to start. There is do right actions get suspended, say at times of war. And if you have to justify actions that you take at times of war. To my mind, what the story says is that often doesn't work out that right action is right action all the time. So, some of the characters, the beauty I love of the story is that we have an American GI who returns home with a Jewish wife. And so essentially, they are able to escape the horrors of Europe during World War Two. But in this American GI, his attempt to carve out a home for his wife after promising her father that he would do so and keep her safe, he ends up displacing Japanese American family because of what's happening at that time with the internment camps. In turn, the daughter of the Japanese family withholds a letter from Europe that comes to the home before the GI and his wife move in. And it holds news that's dire for Eva. The two actions lead to, in the end, I think, a kind of sense of grace, a sense of telling the truth. And that's what allows all the characters to move on in the end.
PRENTICE: Indeed, it's a piece of fiction, but it jumps out of our history books, right? I never would have guessed as an opera. And yet it makes absolute perfect sense.
REINHART: Well, I think so. Emotionally, the level I mean, the emotion of this story merits the music and the performance, that level of performance. So I think it's a lovely piece.
PRENTICE: Blythe Gaissert, Who is Eva Crowley?
GAISSERT: Oh, I think Eva is a representative of so many people who fled Germany and left family behind. She's a daughter, she's a wife, and she's just looking for some sense of peace and of a home to welcome her family to.
PRENTICE: Can I assume that maybe at a moment or two you have found yourself rather emotional…working through this particular project.
GAISSERT: I'm a Jewish woman and having that personal experience of hearing family members talk about their lives and having to leave. And I also lost my father last week. So I am, you know, very aware of this this sense of loss right now. So, it's been a real challenge. I mean, it is anyway. And then it's just tightened a lot. So, but I think it's so important because it's something that we can all identify with. You know, ultimately, whatever the differences are between all of these characters, it's universal. We're all in the same boat trying to to just survive and be happy and. This is a perfect example.
PRENTICE: Like, tell me if it's none of my business, but as an artist, how do you make your way through this process, or do you just open the door of your soul in your heart and in finding a way to share this story? And I am so sorry for your loss but thank you indeed. I mean, grief is very real and yet here you are. And in this particular moment, playing this particular character in a story where, my gosh, what an intersection.
AISSERT: Yeah. I mean, and even, you know, in the opera, Ava is waiting to hear from her parents. And this anticipation, you know, my father was ill for. For a good amount of time this year before. And it is I mean, there's that that anticipation of the grief and the fear of the grief that goes along with it. I my dad was so proud of what I do and, you know, told everybody about it until the very end. And I knew he would want me to be here. So I just never think about there being a barrier because, you know, as an artist, your personal experience always feeds what you do on stage. There's certainly, you know, a point where you have to sort of release it. In a rehearsal environment in order to be able to get over the fear of really losing it in front of the audience. I don't know. It's. It's not something I've ever been afraid of. I don't. I find it very cathartic, actually.
PRENTICE: Well, Gordon, can you talk a little bit about the overwhelming responsibility of shepherding such a project that could really resonate with everyone who is in attendance?
REINHART: Right. Well, I can only ruin it. So, I just think that, yeah, just trying desperately not to do that. And but the main thing is I just feel like about I do feel the responsibility to create the right package. Sounds small compared to what but you know, the right form for the performers then to inhabit musically and emotionally and, and to the composer Jack Perla and the creators of the piece to like to try to do honor to both sides, the creators and the performers. And I think with our design team, you know, we have I think I'm really hopeful that we've created something that will be a kind of poetic container that will release the really profound emotions of the piece.
PRENTICE: Gordon. I'm just looking at the cast list. And I see one of the characters is an FBI agent. So. So I'm assuming that there are a number of shadows, long wide shadows cast over these people's lives. And yet that sounds pretty darn familiar for our times … that sounds pretty relevant.
REINHART: Absolutely. Anything that's universal. Of course, as I pointed out, is relevant always. That's the thing. You know, you and I were talking about just this nature of truth in our current moment. Is it attainable? But I think when it shows up, everyone recognizes it, not maybe as a bit of information, but as an emotional reality. It's like, okay, that's a human truth. And this story, I think, does kind of deliver that.
PRENTICE: Blythe. I'm not sure if you believe in fate or serendipity, but it’s so interesting that this project came into your life this year.
GAISSERT: Yeah, well, we were actually scheduled to do it before and was moved because of the pandemic, so even more so. Yeah. And now, like with our current climate and I mean, today, I guess, is a year of the war in Ukraine. And, you know, all of these things happening. It just seems it's so relevant and it's all still there. Mm-hmm. And it's something we have to be really vigilant about and remembering that we're all just people. We have to live on this earth together and find a way to find some peace.
REINHART: One of the things that I've tried to be attentive to, because you mentioned the FBI agent with the FBI agent and agents, there are two of them. End with Jim is the name of the character that Ryan Beatty plays, who's the American GI? It would be easy to paint them with a brush of kind of being nefarious, but that's not really the spirit of the story. It's as Blythe said, we know everyone's in the same in the same boat trying to trying to carve out a safe place. And it's just the problem is when we bump into each other, when we're trying to do that. And so I love the fact that the creators of this piece dive right into that. No one gets judged, I believe, in the end. And but no one gets off the hook either about telling the truth in the end.
PRENTICE: We talk so much about our goal of finding what is essential. And my sense is that An American Dream quickly goes to the top of our list for this week. And that is on Friday, March the third, the evening, and then a matinee on Sunday, March the fifth at the Egyptian Theater and in downtown Boise. Thank you so very much. She is Blythe Gaissert and he is Gordon Reinhart. And the production is An American Dream, brought to us from Opera, Idaho. Great good luck with this. And thank you so very much for giving us some time this morning.
GAISSERT: Absolutely.
REINHART: Thank you. Thank you very much.
Find reporter George Prentice on Twitter @georgepren
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