Stop into Clyde’s with NAU Theatre
Clyde, a strong-willed and callous sandwich shop owner, is tough on her formerly incarcerated staff. Despite it all, the staff learn to reclaim their purpose and inspiration, allowing themselves to dream of the perfect sandwich…
Just two years after premiering on Broadway in 2021, Clyde’s became the most staged play in the United States according to American Theatre Magazine’s annual survey. This feel-good drama will make you laugh and touch your heart! Clyde’s is coming to NAU this week, so we talked with director Kathryn Ervin about the play and her experience with it.
How long did it take for it to come together, and did anything stand out to you about this process?
We started working on Clyde’s Tuesday, January 21, right after auditions. We have been in rehearsal every night Monday through Friday and now we are in Tech rehearsals. We held auditions for Clyde’s and Pride’s Crossing. There were so many wonderful students who auditioned and their presentations were very creative. It made the process very difficult!
In your own words, what is Clyde’s about?
Clyde’s is about how important it is to find community. In the play, we encounter a group of formerly incarcerated people working in a diner. We learn each of their stories and how they grow together through creative work and support. They are rather ordinary people who face a challenge and make a choice.
Why do you direct plays?
Directing is exciting because of the collaboration. I work with actors helping them reveal the character and a whole team of designers, technicians, and supporters who are all trying to bring a particular story to life for an audience. The best ideas and the best part of the work is “ours” — that is, it comes from the sharing of the story.
Why did you choose to direct this play, and why at NAU?
I am so very excited to be here at NAU and it has been a wonderful experience. I was invited by my friend Kathleen McGeever (Theatre Department Chair). We started talking about the possibility about a year ago? Professor McGeever and I worked together in California, so she was familiar with my work as a teacher and director. I have directed Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage and the opportunity to direct another play by this Pulitzer Prize-winning, African American writer was very exciting. I am an artist educator and the opportunity to collaborate with students is especially exciting for me.
What do you hope audiences will take away from watching Clyde’s, particularly students?
The playwright, Lynn Nottage, is very focused on revealing characters and stories that are unseen or invisible. In many of her plays, she reveals the everyday lives of largely working-class and marginalized people. We hope audiences will connect with the similarities in the challenges the characters face and will be uplifted by the laughter and sorrow in the journey they take.
Why should people go see Clyde’s?
I hope audiences will come and be delighted by this story and be reminded that we are more alike than we are different and that there is power in each of us.
The Clifford E. White Theater
Thursday, February 27, 2025
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday, February 28, 2025
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, March 1, 2025
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Saturday, March 1, 2025
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Sunday, March 2, 2025
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
