6 AMERICAN BLUES THEATER INTERVIEW WITH MUSIC DIRECTOR MALCOLM RUHL Associate Producer Elyse Dolan discusses The Spitfire Grill with Music Director Malcolm Ruhl. What excites you about working on this project? I’m excited to be working with one of my favorite theater companies and one of my favorite directors. This will be the sixth project that Tammy Mader and I have worked on together. Having that kind of collaborative history is an invaluable asset. We know each other’s musical and theatrical sensibilities, and approaches to the production process. I am more at home working on smaller, intimate productions, where the performers are close to the audience. This is one of the things I love about working with American Blues Theater, and it’s something that enhances the story of The Spitfire Grill. Though I think the music fits squarely into contemporary chamber musical theater styles, the Spitfire melodies, harmonies, musical textures, and instrumentation (guitar, accordion, violin, cello and piano) are also clearly inspired by Midwestern and Appalachian rural folk music traditions. What are the duties of a music director? This sounds like an oversimplified answer, but above all, it is to make sure the music sounds good. That means ensuring that the audience can clearly hear and understand the lyrics, while balancing the compositional artistry of the musical story-telling and the orchestrations. Having a good working relationship with the sound designer is crucial. My job starts with the casting process, which I consider to be the most important part of the gig. If you get that right, the rest is about making art. Beyond that, my responsibilities include the oversight of all things musical, providing direction and support to the singers and instrumentalists, in rehearsals and, for this production, in performance. (I am conducting and playing the accordion.) What is your vision for the music/sound of this production? The music helps to set the story’s time and place. Many of The Spitfire Grill songs have elements that to my ear evoke folk/pop singer-songwriters of the 1970’s and early 1980’s. I want the acoustic ambience of the instrumentation to take the audience to the woods that surround Gilead, staying true to the musical notes that composer James Valcq set down on the page, while making sure that the voices of the small-town characters ring true for the audience. What will you be working on next? I am currently working on rewrites and recordings for an original musical, Cicada Dance. In the fall, I will return to Goodman Theatre for my 15th season of A Christmas Carol, as an actor/musician and musical director. Music Director Malcolm Ruhl INTERVIEW WITH MUSIC DIRECTOR MALCOLM RUHL