Brian Mertes Discusse Staging Provocative 'Appropriate' at Trinity Rep

Trinity Repertory Company is presenting the explosive drama "Appropriate," by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, from October 6 through November 6.

"Appropriate" follows the estranged members of the Lafayette family who return home to their run-down Arkansas estate after the passing of the family patriarch. As they sort through a lifetime of mementos, they discover a gruesome relic that turns their reunion into an escalating series of shocks, showdowns and revelations. "Appropriate" was the winner of the 2014-2015 Obie Award for Best New American Play.

EDGE spoke with veteran director Brian Mertes about bringing Jacob-Jenkins play to the stage.

"It's incredibly contemporary," Mertes said. "It's brilliant writing and (Jacobs-Jenkins) manages to uncover and reveal aspects of who we are and how we have handled our history. It creates a space for how can we imagine a different way of living."

Mertes, a Kansas native, is head of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Directing Program, and an Associate Director at Trinity Rep, where he directed "Steel Magnolias," "Clybourne Park," "Crime and Punishment," "A Lie of the Mind," and "The Glass Menagerie."

Mertes had a lot of enjoyment on "The Glass Menagerie" which he calls "one of the best American plays ever written."

"I try to get at the truth of things, at their most essential," Mertes continues. "I try to reveal the essence of something. I like to create an experience of suspense. I'm not a big fan of sentimentality."

Mertes calls directing "endlessly challenging, never predictable, (and) always on the edge of disaster."

Being in charge of a theatrical production is not for the faint of heart, Mertes warns.

"(Directing) takes a huge amount of energy and stamina and patience," Mertes explained.

Mertes has a lot of admiration for resident acting company members Angela Brazil, Mauro Hantman, Phyllis Kay, and Fred Sullivan, Jr.

"They're brilliant. They're so dedicated to the work," Mertes noted. "We're having such a good time."

Mertes hopes audiences will walk out of "Appropriate" with "a desire to connect to someone they haven't talked to in awhile."

"I would love it if people were saying to each other 'I went to the theatre last night and heard some of the most astonishing things and I can't get it off my mind,'" Mertes added.

"Appropriate" runs through November 6 in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater. Tickets are available at www.trinityrep.com, by calling (401) 351-4242 or at the theater's box office at 201 Washington St., Providence.