Navigating the Minefield

In today's post, actress Laine Satterfield, who plays Belinda, describes her initial reaction and growing fascination with the script of Neil LaBute's This is How it Goes, which opens at the Firehouse Theatre on Oct. 29 and runs through Nov. 21. Tickets and more information available at www.firehousetheatre.org or by calling 804-355-2001.
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I was not familiar with all of Neil Labute's work when Carol Piersol first asked if I would read This is How it Goes last summer. I only knew the controversy surrounding Fat Pig and the age issues in In the Company of Men. On my first read of this script, what struck me was the theatrical convention of the narrator, the swerve the story takes, the bigotry and the misogyny. I can't say that I actuallly liked it. In fact, I felt more than a little offended. However, the story stuck with me, so I picked it up again two weeks later and gave it another go. This time, I was fascinated and intrigued. Labute's dialogue is brilliant - conversational, sharp-tongued, funny and right on the money. This time, I found myself identifying with the character of Belinda, and as soon as I finished my second read, I started immediately on the third. I found myself wanting to dive in further.

Auditions were soon upon us. I knew Bill Patton as an actor and director but had never worked with him or even met him officially. On my first read, he asked me, "Do you like the play?" To which I replied a resounding, "I love it, actually". He looked at me like I had two heads and asked, "Why? Why do you like it?” I said, "Because it has so many questions. I love plays where there is so much to mine.” Something to that effect anyway. When Fred Iacovo was asked to play the Man, he called me and told me he had a very similar response to mine when reading the play. We had a long conversation about the humanity in the piece, as well as its possible dangers. When Fred said yes to the role (a very demanding role at that), I knew we were on the road. When we lost our original Cody, we had another round of auditions. That's when we met the incredible and magnetic Thym Kennedy. From that point forward, I knew we were complete in our army and ready to dive into the trenches.

I have now read the play over a hundred times and have committed most of it to memory. I still am fascinated by Labute's style and his story, as we tiptoe, plunge, laugh, claw and cry our way through this minefield of a script. Bill is so generous, giving us actors leeway to figure it out, and I think we are all being surprised by the direction we seem to be heading, pathways that are not at all what we had in our heads, but what we are in the very moment experiencing. My love affair with This is How it Goes continues to grow exponentially. I am still full of questions - mining this rich soil, bumping into explosions here and there when I least expect it, being constantly surprised by the boys. I love that Carol chose it for the Firehouse season, that Bill is our commander and that as treacherous as it can be, the process is full of play, trust and an ultimate encouragement to take chances.

The last piece of the puzzle will be the audience's response. Come join us in the field.

Laine Satterfield
Belinda in Neil LaBute's This is How It Goes