Great art comes from true inspiration. Moments that reveal real passion and interest breed the most rewarding of artistic experiences, and to reveal what touches your soul in a way that is vital and shared is what makes people return time and again to theatres worldwide. Most actors can recount their first “real” role with dreamy eyes and lilting tone, artists show their first polished piece with a joy that seems palpable, and a director facing his first full length production shows promise of a tomorrow filled with pride. Jeff List found the right play at the right time for the right theatre, and this December it is his turn to join the ranks of directors who can look back with glee at their first directorial endeavor and say, “I was inspired.”
Distracted, by Lisa Loomer, tells the story of a family facing what has become an all too familiar decision: to medicate or not to medicate for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). With an eight year old child at the center of this battle, it shines a spotlight on a question so many seem afraid to ask in this overly medicated world: should I or shouldn’t I? The play is based in the idea that there is, in fact, a choice when it comes to medicating your child and the story takes you through one family’s journey. List, a PhD student at the University of Kansas, followed the play’s path from Los Angeles to Broadway with increasing interest and jumped at the opportunity to bring his own ideas to the clever and thought provoking script.
“Both of my parents are psychologists, and in fact, in my dad’s job, he worked for the school system and he did the testing of kids to see if they were learning disabled, and my mother runs her own outpatient mental health facility. Listening to them, it really strikes me that with regards to children, ADHD may be one of the most over-diagnosed challenges,” List shared. “ADHD is probably over-diagnosed to a significant degree and things where it’s just kids being kids, kids growing up, and not all kids can be great students. So the need to try and identify it and label it and treat it results in over-medicating. But it’s important that each parent find a solution that he or she is comfortable with.” While this personal experience and insight into the subject matter have brought List to this moment with this particular show, he is clear that it isn’t a soapbox to present his own thoughts on the difficult discussion. “I do have my opinions, but I think the great thing about the play is that it presents that idea but it doesn’t come down and say what’s right and what’s wrong, it really tries to engage the discussion, tries to create a dialogue in the community which is what I hope for as well.”
List is particularly excited to have the chance to use a somewhat unconventional delivery system for the concepts presented in the play. As the University theatre dramaturge, List is a self proclaimed “thinker” and so his approach is shaped by an extensive knowledge of the history of theatre and the evolution of storytelling throughout the years. So while some of his tactics aren’t new, List is bravely willing to take a risk in the hopes of communicating the subject matter in exciting and thought provoking ways. This idea of making theatre a fully embodied experience has only grown as modern advances allow artists to communicate in interesting and effective ways. In Distracted, List takes the play and transforms it into a stirring conversation by utilizing non-traditional delivery methods in the hope of not just presenting a story, but of creating dialogue in the community.
“Well, in reading the play, the other major component of it that it really talks about is this digital age. We’re at an age of short YouTube clips, we’re at an age of Twitter where everything is done in 120 characters, and so we’re trying to train our brain in short little increments. So we’re all in some respects getting distracted. I really took that as part of the play and I really just enforced my decision we’re going to use some projections, we’re going to project images on the screen and we’re also doing some video projections and so this idea that we are inundated with media, whether it be video games or movies or reality TV,” List explains. “We’re all walking in this world and it’s affecting us sometimes and we don’t even know how it’s affecting us or that it is affecting us at all. That’s really, I think, my most significant contribution to this, that’s my idea or concept.“
List is hoping that audiences will respond to his show, or at least walk away wanting to continue the conversation it started. He also knows that this experience has made him aware of just how much he enjoys directing in a university setting. Said List, “I really enjoyed this directing, I really enjoyed working with college students. Sharing what I find exciting about theatre with people who, at least beginning this education may know what they like, and hopefully share my love with those people and help to put together some pretty exciting and educational art opportunities.”
Ultimately, List sees this as a wonderful opportunity to take the reins on his first full length production and know that it is representing his style and creativity as a director. “We have a lot of plays that tell a story, that tell it in a straight linear format and a lot of those plays are wonderful but they aren’t as interesting to me as plays that allow the actor to interact directly with the audience,” said List. “So it’s really interesting to me ... and I look for plays that are relevant, plays that deal with issues that maybe we tend not to deal with or deal with in creative ways, ways that can help engage the community.”
KU University Theatre’s Distracted will be performed at the Inge Theatre from Dec 4-9. For information about performance times and ticket options, call 785-864-3982 or visit www.kutheatre.com.
Laura Payne has a degree in theatre and music from the University of Kansas and is a local actor, singer, and writer.
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