Director's Note

FEBRUARY 2020

When we reach our limit. When we come to the edge of the unknown. When we stand on the floor of the vast ocean…” —Bess Wohl, playwright, Small Mouth Sounds

Small Mouth Sounds is a funny, moving, and rather short play with an expansive challenge: how to convey the thoughts, histories, and desires of six characters scripted with scant dialogue and one character who is exclusively heard and not seen. Thank goodness that behavior speaks volumes. But how does one facilitate the actors’ discovery of their character’s behavior in the moment—organically—without preconceiving an end result? How do these characters transform from day one of a silent retreat to day five in only 29 pages, where so little is actually voiced? Cadence’s mantra is “Life on Stage.” What better place to begin? 

During our first week of rehearsal, we dove in to prior life work: living out key moments from the characters’ lives, creating a visceral history for the actors playing these roles. Rodney made a yoga video, Joan and Judy attended a Buddhist lecture and went on their first date, Alicia practiced karaoke and auditioned for a national commercial (she booked the gig the next day!), Jan practiced his daily exercise routine, and Ned explored his shame spirals and listened to Teacher’s dharma podcast (which we recorded). The character “Teacher” led workshops in breath, sound, movement, and silence to fill in what happens during the five days that we don’t see onstage. We threw a silent potluck and experienced several sound baths and yoga classes. We purged our inner beasts, sang together, laughed together, cried together, breathed together, and, of course, sat in silence together. My favorite quote to come out of these improvisations was the following query from Teacher: “Does your song run your mind, or does your mouth run your eye’s sight through your song’s heart?” 

The cast also worked on detailed character questions, timelines, and bios. Together, we named the retreat center The Institute at Walking Hills, developed its promise to students (“Silence Your Soul in the Heart of the Catskills”), and created a map of the retreat complex and a daily schedule of events, both of which will appear on stage in the students’ welcome packets. The collective effort created nuanced behaviors, specific intentions, and human connections, and fulfilled prop, set, and staging needs, which will layer the production with authenticity.

The sense of community I feel when working with a group engaged in this process is palpably powerful. I am reminded I am not alone, and that gives me a sense of human connection and comfort. It’s easy to lose ourselves in our phones, computers, and social media platforms. When our egos are out of balance, it can hinder our ability to express our true selves. The "oceanic experience" is a phenomenon that yogis say can be felt when one truly loses one’s ego. This is a core value at Cadence Theatre Company. We pursue using the self in service of something bigger than the self—the story.  

Playwright Bess Wohl beautifully reminds us: “This is the story of life. You are born. You are placed in a boat. And you sail out, into the middle of that vast and beautiful ocean.”

Let’s go exploring. 

— Laine Satterfield
Director, Small Mouth Sounds
Director of Education, Cadence Theatre Company


Small Mouth Sounds, a co-production of Cadence Theatre Company and Virginia Repertory Theatre, runs March 7 through March 29, with previews March 5 and 6. The production is part of the Acts of Faith Festival, a vibrant and inclusive community-wide collaboration involving RVA’s theatres and faith communities. The play contains nudity and adult content and is recommended for patrons ages 18+.