If you’re one of the few Grand Rapidians who hasn’t had the privilege of crossing paths with the Kaecheles, allow me to introduce you. I sat down with the Director and Assistant Director of The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Tom and Linus Kaechele, who are also father and son!
What drew you to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)?
TOM: “Oh, well, I like to do the contemporary comedies. And this was, you know, a newer comedy. I mean, it hadn’t been done, what, since the 90s, I think”… “I would pick the comedy and go for it. [Circle] picked me to do Tropical Pickle, and then I think they were surprised that I did a good job.”
How about you Linus?
LINUS: “Besides you [Tom] enlisting me, I was drawn to it just because I also like comedies. I think theater is really amazing in all of its forms, but I prefer to laugh, and especially when you’re going to rehearsal every night, not only getting to be a part of a community, but then being able to laugh with them and be a part of a theatrical experience. That’s like a big three. So why not?”
TOM: “It’s hard when you do a real drama. You walk home or you go home with that still, you know, sitting in your heart. So, yeah, I’d rather go being uplifted.”
Is this the first time that you two have worked together as director and ad? Have you worked together in any other capacity before this?
LINUS: “I was rehearsal crew for See How They Run and Boeing Boeing, and I was the actual crew during the performance of Spamalot… Oh, I was in Rabbit Hole as a voice… I was four years old.
That’s the only time you’ve ever acted under him, though?
LINUS: “Yes”
TOM: “and you did, and I gave you notes, and you adjusted to the notes like a pro.”
Did you guys stick to the script? What kinds of things did you let the cast improvise on?
TOM: “the script at the very beginning says feel free to play around and keep the references very contemporary. I think most of those came from the actors, right?”
LINUS: “Practically everything Aaron says on the phone on act two, he came up with all that”
So they weren’t hard to direct?
TOM: “No, no, not at all”
What were the biggest challenges and rewards of working alongside your father/son?
TOM: “I didn’t find it challenging, I mean, I really didn’t. I’ve worked with a ton of different assistant directors, and Linus is right at the top. And the reason is, I think probably because it didn’t shut off for us after rehearsal ended, we’d drive home together and we’d chat about the show, and because of that, it was easier for us to get on the same wavelength. When my wife had surgery, I couldn’t be there [at rehearsal] one night, and I felt really comfortable handing it over to Linus. I knew that everything was going to be good. I gave him a list of things that I wanted him to do right out of the gate, and it was a while before I started a response on a couple of them. And I was like, got to be patient. Rehearsal hasn’t started yet.”
Do you give him any extra lenience because he’s your son?
TOM: “I wouldn’t call it lenience. I would call it ‘I got to live with the kid too.’ You know what I mean?”
LINUS: “I agree. I don’t think there were really any challenges at all. I felt like my voice was really welcomed. And also we just have a good dynamic where we don’t take anything personal. So if there’s something that I write down that I think is funny, that he doesn’t think is funny, I don’t take it hard, but I will say on the ride home, you know, I was right, and then we’ll argue about it, and then it will end up in the show, or it won’t end up in the show, but we can have that discourse.”
How does the rest of the family become a support system during a show?
TOM: [It] just kind of depended on the show.. I had two kids in the pit playing trumpet for Spamalot at the same time. I also had one of my kids running follow spot. And you [Linus] were running props during that show, right? You know, we used to work with a stage manager that recently passed away, Kathy Boylan. Kathy just loved Linus and Addie, and they would set up the rehearsal space for her before the show started. My kids and Kathy were…. They just connected.
LINUS: “I think theater is like something that runs through all of us in some way, because growing up with him, as my dad and then my mom, who is an actress, like, it’s hard not to catch a bit of a theater bug. But this show was really fun, because in a lot of ways, it was kind of just our thing. And we’ve never had a theater project that just belonged to us, so it felt really special.”
If you could abridge any other franchise or property, which one would you choose?
TOM: “Well, what I would do, what I really think would be fun to do. I directed Rock of Ages here, 5,6,7, years ago. I can’t remember…because at the very end of Rock of Ages, they give birth to a little baby rocker with a mullet. I thought it’s 18 years later, that kid with the mullet is now going venturing off on his own. Yet it’s still somehow the 80s, you know, which makes absolutely no sense, and which would be perfect for a Rock of Ages, you know.
LINUS: “If I could approach anything into a stage production, it would be. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. I think it is very similar to Shakespeare in a lot of ways, or this production, it’s unserious, it’s very chaotic, and it’s great characters.”
Thank you to Tom and Linus Kaechele for sharing their insights on this uniquely zany and heartfelt production. Their dynamic as father and son brings an extra layer of warmth to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a show that promises quick wit, big energy, and a whole lot of Shakespearean mischief. Don’t miss your chance to see it live at Circle Theatre, tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available at circletheatre.org or by calling the box office.
WRITTEN BY ANNIE EGAN, MARKETING & OUTREACH INTERN