Behind the Scenes
Community Ensemble Voices from The Skin of Our Teeth
If you’re a fan of Seattle Rep’s Public Works productions, you may recognize some familiar faces in The Skin of Our Teeth, on stage through October 20. For the first time ever, Seattle Rep has taken one of our standard season shows and incorporated a 37-member Community Ensemble, cast entirely from Public Works participants. Split into three rotating groups who appear alongside 14 professional actors, the Community Ensemble portrays a robust cast of supporting characters in every act of this epic production. Below, meet a few of the folks who are bringing the show to life!
While The Skin of Our Teeth incorporates Seattle Rep’s beloved Public Works community, it is not specifically a Public Works production. For instance, it’s not a musical, and while it had a more compressed rehearsal schedule, the run of the show is much longer—nearly a month with 25 standard performances instead of a single weekend of free shows.
But Seattle Rep has been transformed by Public Works over the past eight years and we’re committed to remaining a leader in creating community-engaged participatory theater experiences. As we look for ways to evolve and share this work with a broader audience, our unique production of The Skin of Our Teeth has offered the opportunity to pilot a new, more sustainable model that we hope to apply to future productions. We’ve learned a lot along the way, thanks to the talent and generosity of all our entire Community Ensemble! Check out what some of these incredible performers had to say about The Skin of Our Teeth.
What was it like to participate in the Community Ensemble?
Glenda P. West, Public Works participant since 2016: “The Community Ensemble is my theater family. When I was diagnosed with cancer and had to leave the show early to have cancer surgery, I was heartbroken. I felt like I was abandoning some of the most important people in my life and you don’t abandon family. [The directing team’s] willingness to allow me to participate until the last minute by assigning me an understudy proved to me that the love is mutual.”
Dolores Maria Rossman, Public Works participant since 2017: “My experience has been absolutely wonderful! In July 2019, my loving husband died. I credit my fellow Public Works (now Community Ensemble) members and Rep staff for being there for me, as we rehearsed for As You Like It that summer. It meant a lot to me having such a supportive community and made a world of difference in my healing. As a result, I have made many friends here.”
Sarah Maker, Public Works participant since 2017: “My kids and I have been in The Odyssey, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, and now The Skin of Our Teeth. It has felt harder this year … I think we’re backstage waiting more than we have in the past. I would say it’s still an overall positive experience. I love these people and the community we make together. I love how we see new faces and old faces every year. And it remains the most inclusive theater company I’ve ever been a part of.”
Sarah L. Blum, Public Works participant since 2019: “I loved the community experience of being with others working together to create a living story onstage [in the Emerald City workshop and then The Tempest]. I was not going to audition for The Skin of Our Teeth because it was a dramatic show but … I did and I am glad. [Associate Director Hattie Claire Andres] is so good at organizing us and taking us through the script for the shows, and giving us the motivation and perspective of the story to make it come alive. We become a supportive community and literally connect and support each other being successful in every part of the process of learning, preparing, playing out our parts, and being in the right place at the right time.”
Elsa Espino, Public Works participant since 2023: “Being part of the Community Ensemble has done exactly that—built a true sense of community for me. I’ve been in Seattle for almost a year, and finding like-minded friends wasn’t easy at first. But after connecting with everyone [in Public Works classes] at Path With Art, I knew I wanted to keep growing my circle. … I’m incredibly grateful for my time in the Community Ensemble. The group has been a constant source of encouragement and support, whether we’re trying to master choreography or diving into the emotional depth of a scene. Even when life throws curveballs or big changes our way, this ensemble has been, and will always be, a solid foundation for one another.”
Did the rehearsal or production process present any particular opportunities or challenges?
Glenda: “The challenge of having three casts was that you spend a lot more time watching than you do actually rehearsing. You have to watch your counterparts very carefully and take copious notes so that you can replicate exactly what they did on the stage when it is your turn to rehearse. It was a beautiful process of three people coming together, trying to make sure that the three of them each have a flawless performance. It was a special opportunity to bond and cheer each other on.”
Dolores: “Each Public Works performance has been different. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills and engaging with new fellow Community Ensemble actors—learning new acting techniques, songs, choreography and much more! The Skin of Our Teeth has been a wonderful opportunity to work directly with first-class [Actors' Equity Association] actors. It has been a joy, and I have learned much from them.”
Sarah M.: “Tech [rehearsal] was a lot longer than we’re used to, and with the alternating casts, there was even more 'hurry up and wait' than we would’ve experienced otherwise. I do think the alternating cast is a good idea even so because asking all of us to be in every performance without compensation would be too much.”
Sarah B.: “In each show I have had to give up a lot of my summer but this time it was easier. I also knew so many of us in the Community Ensemble and that made it more fun for me. I had more ease all the way through with this production of The Skin of Our Teeth because I had grown in my abilities and my trust of everyone in the ensemble and the production team. I trusted myself more this time as well.”
Elsa: “The rehearsal process didn’t stress me out too much because I was all in on making this project happen! In my usual line of work—on film and photo sets in production—I’m used to long hours and tight deadlines, so committing to the time frame wasn’t new for me. But this experience? It was on a whole new level. I was beyond excited to be part of such a legitimate theater production—especially with it being at Seattle Rep. The whole time I was thinking, ‘This absolutely has to go on my resume!’”
Was there anything about your Community Ensemble experience that was especially positive, surprising, or something you hope would be different in the future?
Glenda: “I think that the most positive and surprising thing was how willing the Community Ensemble was to go on this new adventure. We learned a whole new way of rehearsing. This was not our usual process where everyone is on their feet at the same time having countless opportunities to put the show into their muscle memory. This was much more of a cognitive exercise in discipline. I was very impressed with our directors, providing the leadership we needed to learn this entirely new process.”
Dolores: “I certainly hope Seattle Rep does a similar type of project in the future. With Public Works plays, we rehearsed in August, but then our performances were only for about four days, at the end of August or early September. I am very much enjoying this current long run of 25 performances. Also, our Public Works core values of Equity, Imagination, and Joy have been smoothly streamlined into this new model of acting with Equity Actors. … I have rarely experienced the respect, kindness and professionalism that Seattle Rep’s Public Works program ensures.”
Sarah M.: “I’m not sure straight plays are right for Public Works, and the number of youth in the cast has dwindled significantly from the number we had in The Odyssey. I’d like to see more kids, and kids given more interesting things to do. … [I]t has been a great experience. I just want to be open about the challenges, too. I love that we get to put on these great big shows, totally supported by incredible professionals.”
Sarah B.: “I wrote a book about my experiences as a nurse in Vietnam, Warrior Nurse: PTSD and Healing (to be released March 6, 2025). In the book I talk about healing methods for veterans and people with PTSD, including theater. I realized last week that I had experienced what I described in the book: With PTSD we have well known responses to situations, but in theater we can explore and experiment with new options. Playing out those new options in different characters (not our own identity) gives us flexibility and empowers us in new ways. I believe I have seen that in others in the ensemble as well. Theater here at Seattle Rep is a healing experience for those open to it.”
Elsa: “I absolutely loved feeling valued and taken care of throughout the entire process—whether it was the fittings, daily emails, snacks, or wardrobe, every detail made me feel like a true professional! Working with new actors, equity actors, and building friendships with stage management was such a highlight. Honestly, the entire cast and crew were incredible!”
Don't miss our talented Community Ensemble on stage in The Skin of Our Teeth through October 20, 2024! Get your tickets here.
