Carrie Brewer has earned a wide range of stage credits over the years, working steadily as both an actor and as a fight choreographer. But with Studio Tenn’s current production of Deathtrap, Brewer has the rare opportunity to take on both roles in a single production.
“I’m really thrilled to be working with Studio Tenn,” says Brewer, who’s also a busy audiobook narrator and voice actor. “I actually did the fights for their concert version of Aida a few years ago, but this is my first time being onstage with Studio Tenn. So to be pulling double duty for one show is pretty exciting — especially a show like Deathtrap.”
Billed as a dark comedy thriller, Deathtrap centers on Sidney Bruhl — a once-celebrated playwright who’s desperate for a hit. But when a former student asks him to consult on a promising new script, Sidney seizes the opportunity to claim the play as his own. Written by Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby,The Stepford Wives), Deathtrap is known as the longest-running thriller in Broadway history, opening in 1978 and running for nearly four years. In 1982, the play was adapted into a popular film starring Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon.
“It’s such a cool script, with all these great twists and turns, and the fights are really fantastic,” Brewer tells the Scene. “I’m fortunate that my character, Myra, is not really physically involved with the big fights. So during rehearsal, I’m able to sort of step out of the scenes and just be in my choreographer head. It does take my brain a moment to switch gears, but it’s a lot of fun.
"For a fight director, it’s just a blast to be working with all these amazing props and weapons," she continues. "Our props master, Charlie Webb, has done an incredible job of sourcing all the weapons that adorn the walls of Sidney’s study — guns and swords, manacles, a mace, a real crossbow. And it’s sort of fun to know that a lot of them are from my own personal collection.”
Brewer says she’s also excited to be working with director Nat McIntyre again, having previously collaborated with him on Nashville Rep’s A Streetcar Named Desire and Lipscomb University/Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s co-production of Hamlet.
“I love collaborating with Nat," Brewer says. "I feel like he really trusts me and my process, but then I also really value his input. He has such a good eye. It’s great because he sort of steps back and lets it all unfold, and then he’ll jump in with a quick note that just takes everything up a notch.”
Local audiences will certainly recognize McIntyre — a respected actor, director and educator — who works regularly with Studio Tenn, Nashville Rep, Nashville Shakes and more, all while serving as an assistant professor of theater at Lipscomb University.
“One of the things that really intrigues me about this play is the theatricality of it all,” says McIntyre, who most recently appeared on the Turner Theater stage with The Play That Goes Wrong. “I think most audiences are probably more familiar with the film, so the danger with the stage play is that it can become too cinematic — the acting can become a little too intimate. I think Levin was so in love with thrillers and the staging of them, so it’s been fun to dig into that. Levin writes such incredibly detailed stage directions; he tells you exactly what he wants. A term I use a lot when teaching, and especially when directing, is enabling constraints. And that’s Levin — he’s given us this awesome map with really specific boundaries.”
McIntyre has gathered a terrific cast, including Geoffrey Davin as Sidney, along with Joseph Leitess, Carrie Brewer, Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva and James Crawford. And the creative team boasts a ton of familiar talent, including scenic designer Andrew Cohen and costume designer Devon Renee Spencer.
“As a director, I’m very aware of my own strengths and weaknesses,” McIntyre says. “One of the reasons I was so drawn to this play is that I do think this is an actor’s play. And I feel like I’m really good at guiding actors along that route. I have certain points I want to hit, but then I sort of let them take me there. And this is such a strong cast. Everyone came in totally prepared and ready to go, which really allowed us to jump in and just play. It’s been a blast.
“At the same time, when I started reading the script and seeing all of the technical requirements and challenges, I knew we had to have a great team that could just take my ideas and run with them," McIntyre continues. "Carrie is such a pro; she’s so good at choreographing safe fights that feel incredibly dangerous. And then we have this crackerjack team of designers. From day one of our production meetings, they’ve understood exactly what I was going for and what I wanted. They’re all about enhancing what’s on the page.
“I don’t want to give anything away,” he adds. “But I think the audience is in for quite a ride.”
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Williamson Scene.
