Husband and Wife Teams Treading the Boards and Making Them!Two married duos are collaborating to bring Brilliant Traces to life.
We asked these two talented pairs to share their stories about creating with their partners and how art brought them together. Jami Bassman Ahart and Tom Ahart play opposite each other as Henry Harry and Rosannah DeLuce. Behind the scenes, Julia Franklin and Davin Jones create the world of Brilliant Traces designing an building the props and scenery. Brilliant Traces opens January 3! |
Jami Bassman-Ahart and Tom Ahart.
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A Conversation with Jami and Tom
Tom Ahart, Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, and Jami Bassman Ahart, accomplished actor and area realtor at Realty with Ahart, play strangers who find themselves trapped together in a small cabin during a blizzard.
QUESTION: Have you two acted together before?
JAMI: We met in a show. It was a beautiful play co produced by Stage West and The Des Moines Playhouse. Metamorphoses by playwright and director Mary Zimmerman, adapted from the classic Ovid poem Metamorphoses. It's a series of vignettes with each actor playing multiple roles. It takes place in a pool of water. We did it in January 2007. I used to straighten his Z's when we had a shared entrance. I also remember he went on stage without his pants one night. (These were very quick, wet, cold changes and I think he was behind a podium, so it was fine.)
TOM: About a year later, I was slated to direct Christopher Durang's Miss Witherspoon for Stage West. I knew we were both huge Durang fans and at auditions, Jami clearly captured the essence of the title character. (One of the reasons I had such confidence in Brilliant Traces came from having seen her stamina and focus in this demanding role.)
In 2013 we did Des Moines Social Club's PAGE TO STAGE reading of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
QUESTION: What is special about telling this story with a scene partner who is your life partner? Does it change or enhance the storytelling process?
JAMI: I was curious to see how this would work, myself and it's been really easy. I don't think it's mattered. If you're in the moment on the stage, working with another actor who's doing their work and has talent, it always works. (It has, however, been really great to ride to rehearsal together and run lines in our jammies.)
TOM: For me, this was a daunting process. I haven't been on stage in a long time. This is a weighty, demanding role and working with my wife, who I trust completely, allows me to take risks. I know she'll field what I throw and I know she won't let me fall if I stumble.
QUESTION: Is there a special memory you associate with theatre and your relationship?
JAMI: During Metamorphoses, we worked in such extreme circumstances that we had an unspoken, lifelong bond. The couple that has cold wet quick changes together stays together.
TOM: There was a moment in Metamorphoses that Jami and I shared an entrance and she used to help me straighten the big Z's on my hat. That was the moment each night that is my fondest and most salient memory.
QUESTION: What do you love about Brilliant Traces?
JAMI: I love the desperate, terrifying risk Rosannah takes every time she opens her mouth and the possibility to hope.
TOM: I love the rawness and honesty of their individual struggles.
Tom Ahart, Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, and Jami Bassman Ahart, accomplished actor and area realtor at Realty with Ahart, play strangers who find themselves trapped together in a small cabin during a blizzard.
QUESTION: Have you two acted together before?
JAMI: We met in a show. It was a beautiful play co produced by Stage West and The Des Moines Playhouse. Metamorphoses by playwright and director Mary Zimmerman, adapted from the classic Ovid poem Metamorphoses. It's a series of vignettes with each actor playing multiple roles. It takes place in a pool of water. We did it in January 2007. I used to straighten his Z's when we had a shared entrance. I also remember he went on stage without his pants one night. (These were very quick, wet, cold changes and I think he was behind a podium, so it was fine.)
TOM: About a year later, I was slated to direct Christopher Durang's Miss Witherspoon for Stage West. I knew we were both huge Durang fans and at auditions, Jami clearly captured the essence of the title character. (One of the reasons I had such confidence in Brilliant Traces came from having seen her stamina and focus in this demanding role.)
In 2013 we did Des Moines Social Club's PAGE TO STAGE reading of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
QUESTION: What is special about telling this story with a scene partner who is your life partner? Does it change or enhance the storytelling process?
JAMI: I was curious to see how this would work, myself and it's been really easy. I don't think it's mattered. If you're in the moment on the stage, working with another actor who's doing their work and has talent, it always works. (It has, however, been really great to ride to rehearsal together and run lines in our jammies.)
TOM: For me, this was a daunting process. I haven't been on stage in a long time. This is a weighty, demanding role and working with my wife, who I trust completely, allows me to take risks. I know she'll field what I throw and I know she won't let me fall if I stumble.
QUESTION: Is there a special memory you associate with theatre and your relationship?
JAMI: During Metamorphoses, we worked in such extreme circumstances that we had an unspoken, lifelong bond. The couple that has cold wet quick changes together stays together.
TOM: There was a moment in Metamorphoses that Jami and I shared an entrance and she used to help me straighten the big Z's on my hat. That was the moment each night that is my fondest and most salient memory.
QUESTION: What do you love about Brilliant Traces?
JAMI: I love the desperate, terrifying risk Rosannah takes every time she opens her mouth and the possibility to hope.
TOM: I love the rawness and honesty of their individual struggles.
Davin Jones and Julia Franklin have fun during a Brilliant Traces production meeting.
A Conversation with Julia Franklin
Julia Franklin, award winning installation artist and 2018 Iowa Arts Council Artist Fellowship recipient, and husband Davin Jones, IT Analyst at Principal Financial and experienced master carpenter, bring a unique artistic vision to the design and construction of the scenery and props.
QUESTION: What kind of arts projects have you worked on together?
JULIA: Since we met in 2013 and bonded over tools and the maker space, Davin and I have teamed up to build my art installations. We worked to create exhibitions at the Octagon Center for the Arts, Des Moines Social Club, Prairie Lights in Iowa City, and immersive installations at Simpson College, Graceland University, Olson Larsen’s Guild Space, and ISU’s Design on Main in Ames.
QUESTION: What are similarities or differences between working on a theatrical production and an art-installation or sculpture?
JULIA: Both require intense and resourceful planning so set up can happen over a weekend and stay within a limited budget. All works are site specific and present design challenges that have to be considered and solved - such as flooring, ceiling heights, viewpoints, and flexibility of spaces. Art installations are my own design and need only my approval where as theatrical productions are much more collaborative and similar to a design by committee so it meets the needs of all involved.
QUESTION: What is special about telling the Brilliant Traces story with a partner who is your life partner? Does the play change or enhance the storytelling process? Do you see something of yourselves in the play?
JULIE: Because the play is set in the same space, it presented opportunities to shift from the art world to the theatre world to intentionally integrate light and sound with a structure that has layers of meaning. Davin and I get to spend lots of time together making something tangible for others while learning new things and solving new problems. For me personally, it meant I had to move away from telling my own story to telling someone else’s and to create something that echoes a stark, cramped refuge that is off kilter and caught in the moment of disparate actions: crashing, exploding, floating. The play resonated with us because of these contradictions and the desire to to help others make sense of the past.
And we both dress like Henry Harry. :)
QUESTION: Is there a special memory you associate with art and your relationship?
JULIA: On our first date, which turned out to be a delightful eight hour adventure in downtown Des Moines, we discovered our shared interests in tools and woodworking. We took spontaneous tours of Area515’s Maker Space and Principal’s art collection. Art and making are part of the core of our relationship and history.
QUESTION: What do you love about Brilliant Traces?
JULIA: I’m in love with the idea of “letting my scars leave brilliant traces” and thinking about how everything, both good and bad, leaves a mark. It’s up to us to see and embrace those marks, and at times, survive and transcend them.
Julia Franklin, award winning installation artist and 2018 Iowa Arts Council Artist Fellowship recipient, and husband Davin Jones, IT Analyst at Principal Financial and experienced master carpenter, bring a unique artistic vision to the design and construction of the scenery and props.
QUESTION: What kind of arts projects have you worked on together?
JULIA: Since we met in 2013 and bonded over tools and the maker space, Davin and I have teamed up to build my art installations. We worked to create exhibitions at the Octagon Center for the Arts, Des Moines Social Club, Prairie Lights in Iowa City, and immersive installations at Simpson College, Graceland University, Olson Larsen’s Guild Space, and ISU’s Design on Main in Ames.
QUESTION: What are similarities or differences between working on a theatrical production and an art-installation or sculpture?
JULIA: Both require intense and resourceful planning so set up can happen over a weekend and stay within a limited budget. All works are site specific and present design challenges that have to be considered and solved - such as flooring, ceiling heights, viewpoints, and flexibility of spaces. Art installations are my own design and need only my approval where as theatrical productions are much more collaborative and similar to a design by committee so it meets the needs of all involved.
QUESTION: What is special about telling the Brilliant Traces story with a partner who is your life partner? Does the play change or enhance the storytelling process? Do you see something of yourselves in the play?
JULIE: Because the play is set in the same space, it presented opportunities to shift from the art world to the theatre world to intentionally integrate light and sound with a structure that has layers of meaning. Davin and I get to spend lots of time together making something tangible for others while learning new things and solving new problems. For me personally, it meant I had to move away from telling my own story to telling someone else’s and to create something that echoes a stark, cramped refuge that is off kilter and caught in the moment of disparate actions: crashing, exploding, floating. The play resonated with us because of these contradictions and the desire to to help others make sense of the past.
And we both dress like Henry Harry. :)
QUESTION: Is there a special memory you associate with art and your relationship?
JULIA: On our first date, which turned out to be a delightful eight hour adventure in downtown Des Moines, we discovered our shared interests in tools and woodworking. We took spontaneous tours of Area515’s Maker Space and Principal’s art collection. Art and making are part of the core of our relationship and history.
QUESTION: What do you love about Brilliant Traces?
JULIA: I’m in love with the idea of “letting my scars leave brilliant traces” and thinking about how everything, both good and bad, leaves a mark. It’s up to us to see and embrace those marks, and at times, survive and transcend them.