The 12th Annual Emerson Fights AIDS Week is coming up in November, and this year sophomore Musical Theatre major, Polly Hilton, is directing the EFA Gala’s performance. Her Campus Emerson sat down with Hilton to get an inside look of her amazing production, Coloring Anomaly.
HCE: First off, how did it feel to have your proposal picked for the EFA Gala? Were you excited, nervous, terrified, etc.?
Polly: When I found out that I would be designing and directing the EFA Gala, I was absolutely shocked. It was something I had been constantly thinking about and planning since having attended the event directed by Hannah Tehrani in 2011, and to suddenly have that dream become a reality was unbelievably gratifying. For almost an entire year I would talk to anyone who would listen about my ideas for the event, all under the pre-text “If I get to direct the gala someday…” Well, with one congratulatory email, my conversations shifted to “When I get to direct the gala…” It was, and continues to be truly surreal. Taking on this project as a sophomore is certainly daunting, but for me it has made the process an even greater honor.
HCE: What intrigued you about EFA that led you to get involved? Describe the brainstorming and proposal process.
Polly: I really fell in love with the project after attending the gala event last November. Being a musical theatre student here at school, I had several friends in the cast of the performance piece directed by senior Hannah Tehrani. All of them were constantly gushing about the show, the cause and about how Emerson College is the number one collegiate donor in the fight against AIDS. The fight against AIDS is something I have always been, and will continue to be passionate about until a cure has been found. So, in an effort to support my friends and support the cause, I put on a cocktail dress and went to the gala. The show was a game changer for me. Literally the moment it ended, I looked at all my friends and said, “I have to be involved with this.” And thus the rollercoaster ride began! The week after the event I was already setting up coffee dates with cast members, Musical Theatre Society board members, and even Hannah Tehrani. The event became my obsession. I went into a whirlwind of networking simply trying in some way to get involved with Emerson Fights AIDS week, but it wasn’t until I finally sat down with Hannah and she looked at me and asked point blank “So what’s your story?” that I realized I had an idea that I would give anything to share with the Emerson community. So it’s taken a year filled with constant rewrites, countless interviews, and one proposal submitted down to the wire, but now I have created an original musical utilizing both pop music as well as original work to tell my story, a story I suppose I’ve always had inside me.
HCE: What is your vision for the performance? Can you give us a little spoiler about what the performance will be like?
Polly: The story of Coloring Anomaly, the EFA Gala Preformance Piece, takes place in a dystopian society where everything is black and white. Everyone is happy in their set and shielded way. The show surrounds the life of one family in the stagnant society, specifically around the lives of two sisters named Alice and Anna Molly. Through these two girls, their politically ambitious parents, a revolutionary named William, and a life shattering mistake, the audience will be taken on a journey that leads to the conclusion that we as humans are not defined by society’s stigmas. A disease does not have to be a definition, and we have the power to color our future however we wish. Why live in black and white?
Logistically the show has strong dance numbers choreographed by the wonderful Andrew Barret Cox, and music arranged by the multi-talented Nicky Brownson. Also, the show relies heavily on autobiographical themes from my own life. This is tricky territory to navigate considering I aspire to make the piece universally relatable. So I decided to co-direct this project with Brian Dratch. He brings a unique voice and sense of balance to the project as a whole. I feel blessed to be working with such a fantastic team and at the end of the day I know it will be a show we can each be proud of.
HCE: Since rehearsals have started, what is most exciting about seeing the characters you’ve created come to life?
Polly: These characters have lived on the pages of my journals and in the hard drive of my computer for what seems like forever. So, even though the casting and audition process was a tough one, the moments of revelation I had when recognizing one of my creations walk into the room for the first time was priceless. I am blessed with a cast full of hard workers and triple threats. I suppose what is most exciting about this whole journey is being able to simply watch my cast, a group I am proud to call my friends and classmates, work to breathe life into the world I created. My idea would be nothing on it’s own. It takes the lovely group I am working with to make it all mean something.
HCE: As an actor, what is it like making the transition to being director? What projects have you worked on in the past? What is your dream project?
Polly: An occupational hazard of being a musical theatre major is that I can never really turn my “actor vision” off. In going into this process, I have made it a goal of mine to run an efficient rehearsal room in which my cast feels safe to work and inspired creatively. Having been on the other side of the spectrum so many times, I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in the effort to make a “good product” when crafting a show, and it has always been my aim to make sure the actors are constantly in dialogue with me so the process can be a happy and healthy one.
I have been involved in theatre since I was in first grade and have been fortunate enough to really explore many fields of interest when it comes to production. From choreographing, to costuming, to stage managing, and directing I’ve tried it all once! Last year when I received the news that I would be directing the event, my incredibly intuitive twin sister Claire, said to me, “Don’t you see Polly, all of your experiences have prepared you for this project.” and she was absolutely correct. Some of my favorite past credits include costuming Into the Woods, directing and choreographing an excerpt from the musical Hair, assistant choreographing Beauty and the Beast, Rags the musical, and High School Musical, and collaborating creatively on a reading of new work called By Grace the Musical (look it up!).
My head is completely full of “dream projects.” In fact, I have a notebook completely devoted to them. It’s called my “Next Big Thing” journal and I keep it close by me day or night. From various inventive design concepts, to sitcom pilots, to even some ideas for a screenplay or two, they are all my “favorite” projects and I can’t wait to see more of them become realities.
HCE: It’s the night of the EFA Gala: 1) what is running through your mind? 2) what is one thing you’ll do to celebrate after the performance?
Polly: The moment I am most terrified to think about in the midst of this whole process is the second after the show is over. I have been living in this project for so long that saying goodbye to it is going to be a challenge for me. So while I know the entire night of the gala I will feel blessed beyond measure, it will be a bittersweet event for me. Naturally I am sure I will feel nervous, proud, as well as complete in a way. This story is finally getting told, and there is a certain feeling of completion and “job well done” that comes with that triumph. I am excited to spend that night with my creative team, my family, and fellow Emersonians enjoying the work I have put into the project.
After the show is over I am looking forward to celebrating with my family and friends. My family will be attending the event and it will be the first time my parents and grandparents have been in Boston since sending me to college. I am excited to show them around this city and this school that I have grown to call home. Also, I will celebrate by going into a short but needed hibernation. Sleep will be the sweetest reward of all. And with no more rehearsals to run, I have a feeling the days directly after the gala will consist of me never leaving my covers!