Confronting Past Choices, Missed Opportunities, and Haunting Truths in the Wake of a World-Shattering Event
By: MaryAnn DiPietro
In Lucy Kirkwood’s haunting play, "The Children” two retired nuclear scientists are tucked away in their cottage by the sea, cut off from a world grappling with a nuclear disaster. The play premiered in London in 2016 and made its way to Broadway in 2017, where it received two Tony Award nominations. Inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear explosion, it brings a global catastrophe close to home in the quiet moments between three old friends. The Wayward Artist’s “The Children” invites audiences to experience a thought-provoking night of theatre, exploring the human condition.
Craig Tyrl, The Wayward Artist’s Founding Artistic Director and a theatre professor at Cal State Fullerton, directs the show, bringing this intimate story to life. Typically known for directing musicals and operas, he felt compelled to depart and explore Kirkwood’s realism with these three complex characters. “I’ve been wanting to direct a solid block of realism for a long time,” he explained. “This is a story about the choices and mistakes of a lifetime, and I felt it was a unique opportunity to create roles for older actors in our company, roles that bring the fullness of a lifetime’s worth of experience to the stage.”
In staging “The Children,” Tyrl has embraced Kirkwood’s specificity and precision in the play’s rhythms and movements. “Lucy Kirkwood is quite specific about the musicality of the play and the behavior of the characters, and that has inspired me to be more of a traditionalist in my approach than I usually am,” he shared. “Every glance, every pause, every action carries meaning in this story. We’re building a fully realized cottage on stage where the characters prepare and eat a meal together. It’s not only about the dialogue but also the quiet, everyday behaviors that reflect who these characters are.”
This attention to detail is evident in the cottage set, which Tyrl describes as one of Wayward’s “…most realistic to date.” Though the theatre’s smaller space limits the scale of the production, the team has created a set that feels lived-in and genuine, an environment that encourages audiences to feel as if they’re eavesdropping on a very private conversation. “We want the audience to feel like they’re right there in that cottage with our characters,” he said. “It’s the most detailed and realistic set we’ve done since our first season, and that’s exciting for all of us.”
“The Children” is more than a story about three individuals; it’s a thoughtful reflection. Tyrl says that the line in the text that resonates most with him is, “We are not going to be remembered for what we managed to cling onto. We are going to be remembered for what we gave away.”
Tyrl has long admired Kirkwood’s writing and storytelling, seeing the play as a vehicle for older actors to explore the complexity of characters their own age—something often missing from contemporary theatre. “So much of our work is geared toward younger, collegiate-age actors,” he noted. “I wanted to pick a show that spoke to the richness of experience older actors bring to the table, and “The Children” offers just that. It’s a reminder that even in our later years, our lives, relationships, and responsibilities continue to evolve.”
One of the elements Tyrl is most looking forward to is watching his three actors navigate the play’s emotional arc. “They’re on stage almost the entire time, unfolding this intense 90-minute journey that deals with old regrets, personal betrayals, and ethical dilemmas-- all while they're preparing dinner, drinking wine, and navigating the ghosts of their past,” he explained. “As a director, I’m a little envious of that experience. There’s something rare and special about being able to live a character’s journey out on stage.”
In “The Children” Kirkwood has crafted characters whose lives and regrets feel real. Hazel, Robin, and Rose are in their sixties, but they’re still grappling with choices they made decades earlier. For Tyrl, that complexity and continuity of human experience is what makes the play so relevant. “I think audiences will see pieces of themselves in these characters,” he said. “We all carry our past with us, and we all have moments of reckoning where we’re forced to confront who we were and who we are now. That’s a universal experience, regardless of age.”
For those who have seen “The Children” on Broadway or in larger theatres, Wayward’s production will offer a new perspective on the play’s intimacy. Tyrl first encountered “The Children” in a small, intimate space at LA’s Fountain Theatre about three or four years ago and was captivated. “It’s a play that works beautifully in a smaller venue,” he said.
The Wayward Artist’s production of “The Children” is a call for audiences to reflect on their own lives, relationships, and legacies. Tyrl hopes that the audience will leave the theatre thinking about the impact of their choices, not just on themselves but on future generations. “I want people to walk away saying, ‘Wow, human life is so complex,’” he said. “I want people to reflect and examine their own lives and how the choices and mistakes, and skeletons of their own lives still play a part in us well into our twilight years.”
After eight transformational years, The Wayward Artist recently announced they will be ending full-time operations. Don’t miss this chance to experience their final production—come out and support a remarkable company in their closing chapter.
MaryAnn DiPietro is an actor, singer, pianist, music director, and writer.
“The Children”
The Wayward Artist
125 N Broadway Santa Ana, CA
November 8 - 17, 2024
(657) 205-6273, thewaywardartist.org
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