CADY MCCLAIN - DIRECTOR, "PAINT MADE FLESH"

How I came to direct this play

I met Howard Meyer in the early 90's at a directing workshop held at my acting studio, Michael Howard Studios, in NYC. This particular workshop was run by the artistic director of EST (Ensemble Studio Theater) Curt Dempster. In that workshop I discovered what it was I was meant to do. It was an actual realization of my calling. The circumstances of my life, however, had other things in mind for me. A sick mother demanded I keep a job that provided a steady income, and the loss of her insurance insured I toe the line. About seven years ago I returned to my calling, and one year ago Howard and I found ourselves across a dining table talking about plays. He offered me three to choose from and I chose this one. We worked hard on it together. Thirty rewrites and six workshops, including one at Steppenwolf, brought us to the point where we knew it was time to get it on its feet. Our four days at The Cell has proven to me that this is not only a worthy play but an important one. It is about reclaiming ones art, and the absolute essential role that artists have to play in society. This play is meant to be a shock to the system, a demand that, if called, artists must answer or face painful consequences.

The words of my most influential and beloved teacher Michael Howard resonated with me throughout the production: "Quality, integrity, and caring are all interchangeable in ones approach to the work. Where there are two, the third will always be present." We approached this work with all the caring and integrity we could muster. I am certain we have attained something of quality, something vital to our culture, and I look forward to bringing it to a wider audience in the days to come.