Dovetailing with a year of protest in the U.S. and around the globe, The San Diego Repertory Theatre is offering a timely world premiere workshop production of A Hammer, A Bell, and A Song to Sing. Inspired by the work of legendary folksinger and activist Pete Seeger, it celebrates the history of change from the American Revolution to today’s Occupy Movement through song, story and multimedia.
The production began as a script on the life of Seeger, but after reading the final rehearsal draft, the singer, now 92, decided that he was not comfortable with a play chronicling his life at this time. The company respected his wishes, but responding to the challenge, quickly created an expanded new work, still inspired by Seeger’s values. It includes more than 25 songs from songwriters throughout U.S. history that call for peace, justice and change, along with the words of famous Americans from presidents, to poets, to civil rights leaders. A talented cast of accomplished artists – Vaughn Armstrong, Dave Crossland and Jim Mooney – under the direction of The Repertory’s associate artistic director, Todd Salovey, now brings this spirited work to the stage of the Lyceum downtown.
San Diego LGBT Weekly had an opportunity to talk with Salovey and discover his passion for music and progressive change. Of course, we also spoke about the production, which he calls a “piece of work that is really beautiful.”
San Diego LGBT Weekly: Just how would you describe A Hammer, A Bell, and A Song to Sing?
Todd Salovey: It was really inspired by ideas from Pete Seeger. It’s about the amazing power of people singing together even with different backgrounds and generations. We have this belief that if people can sing together, they can also talk together. Music has been the vehicle of a lot of change in our country, right from the Revolutionary War to the present.
What inspired you originally to do a play about Pete Seeger?
I was watching a lot of Pete Seeger music on the Web and felt deeply moved. It was the music of my childhood. I was touched by the idea of making communities better through music.
You had to shift gears from a play about Pete Seeger to a broader work about change throughout America’s history – all within a month. How did you do it?
We have a great, incredible company. We love this music! Within two hours of knowing we had to make a change, we were saying, “Let’s put something new together that speaks to what’s going on at this moment in our country.”
What motivated you to press on when you could not move forward with the original play?
The artistic leadership of The REP came up with some alternatives, but rather quickly we were saying, “Why don’t we take the people we have and create something new?” It was hard to take a completed play and then write a new one, but the adrenaline kicked in, and we soon had a piece that excited us. We were able to adapt to a big challenge and make new art, a new piece of theater.
You’ve said that the title is the original one you envisioned. I have some ideas, but from where does it come?
It’s from the rhyme in “If I Had a Hammer.” The hammer, that’s the art we’re creating; the bell is the bell of freedom; the song is the beauty of art.
You seem to have a very talented cast. How did you draw them together?
I auditioned a lot of people. I was looking for people who made me listen to the lyrics, who made me get involved, that made me want to sing with them. Their auditions shined.
You obviously had a wealth of historic material and song from which to draw. How did you narrow the selections down and focus on the ones you chose?
I looked at whether the songs move us, whether they tell a story, sought songs that speak out to us. How you use visuals makes them even more vivid. Singing in front of images takes it to a different level.
It has been said that in this time of protest such as the Occupy Movement, there has not been accompanying protest songs we saw in eras like Vietnam and the civil rights movement. Any thoughts on that?
There’s a story of Pete Seeger’s grandson, Tao, who became involved in the Occupy Movement in Las Vegas. People were yelling obscenities at the protesters, anti-gay slurs, shouting. Then came the idea of the protesters marching down Broadway to just start singing, and that’s what they did. A policeman came up to him with arm extended. Tao thought he was going to be arrested. Instead, the policeman shook his hand and thanked him. The music is timeless. When you do a play, it should make a difference. It gives an opportunity for people to use their talents and art to raise awareness. It’s really a dare to people to look closely at themselves and to change things. Even the smallest changes can be significant.
How do you feel your production is most relevant to the current times and atmosphere in our country?
The Time Magazine Person of the Year was the protester. I believe we are on the cusp of major changes and this speaks to the vibration of the earth.
Is there a song in the production that speaks most to you that particularly fits our current struggles for justice and equality?
“We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” is inspirational and beautiful. It’s about aiming high, about courage and community. It really captures the essence of the play.
What do you hope people will be feeling and thinking when they leave the theater?
I would like people to remember how much they loved the music, loved singing together and that we can make a difference using our voices.
A Hammer, A Bell, and A Song to Sing runs January 14-29 at the Lyceum Stage downtown at Horton Plaza. It is an opportunity through song and word to experience the music of change throughout our history, and the audience is invited to sing along. For ticket information and more about the San Diego Repertory Theatre, go to sdrep.org.
