Eric Peterson and Daniel Brooks
Eric Peterson chats about director Daniel Brooks and his insight into American playwright Wallace Shawn's Orwellian wake up call The Designated Mourner
The Designated Mourner meant several huge monologues for Eric Peterson and his director was a Godsend.
Peterson recalls "It took a lot of work. I had a wonderful director in Daniel Brooks, It was a fantastic cast, Claire Coulter (who played Judy) and Paul Bettis (who played Howard ). I can’t stress too much Daniel Brooks’ direction. He is a very, very, gifted director. It was a huge part and it just about did me in. Those things, trying to track your way through it and learning that kind of piece just takes a lot of time and a lot of work, that’s all. It’s like building a house. It’s a lot of work basically – also with that it was spiritually a very daunting piece because it’s ...spiritually a very daunting piece. So, to be involved in that every day, to go into the world of Jack’s everyday – it was very difficult on that level too."
Though Peterson may not remember the lines anymore, (he had about 65 pages of monologues out of 103 pages of script ! ) Shawn's concepts and ideas remain with him.
"Jack had wonderful speeches, wonderful things to say. It’s a place you don’t really like to go back to in a way. I am glad I did it, but it was a hard gig, that one."
Eric Peterson reprises his acclaimed role in John Mighton's Half Life at Canstage in January, 2007 while Wally Shawn can be found performing his own work The Fever for The New Group
