Okay, let’s set the scene. We all know Salvador Dalí, the famous Spanish surrealist artist with a memorable mustache and a penchant for painting melting clocks. But what else is important to know about Dalí? Well, for one thing, he had a big fixation on Dr. Sigmund Freud and even met him once (yes, in real life). Lisa Monde’s play, “Dali’s Dream,” explores a world in which Dalí, in the form of a dream, finds himself at Dr. Freud’s sanitarium, where he first bears witness to some of the doctor’s famous sessions, and then suddenly finds himself in a session himself!
In my Q&A with Lisa Monde, writer and co-director of “Dali’s Dream,” I get the scoop on her play, her creative process, and what she wants audiences to take away from the show.
Photo credit: Shane Maritch
What inspired you to create “Dali’s Dream,” and what can audiences expect from the production?
My meeting with Dali at his theatre-museum in Figueres. It occurred in 2014. After my visit to Spain, I wrote the play “Dali’s Dream,” and in 2016, it premiered at the 4th Street Theatre in NYC as part of the 3rd Annual Radioactive Festival of Female Playwrights. Over the past almost eight years, “Dali’ Dream” has been significantly revised, edited, and rewritten. In this present version of the play “Dali’s Dream,” which tells a story of the meeting between Salvador Dali and Sigmund Freud, that happened in reality but did not bring the satisfaction that Dali had hoped for, some new characters have appeared, and the story itself became more “psychoanalytic” thanks to a number of consultations with the specialists in the field who suggested much useful information regarding the behavior of the characters, their diagnoses – the characters of the play are revealed in a new light. The spectators will witness an imaginary meeting between two of the greatest minds of the last century and will find answers to such important questions as: Was Dali a genius?
And did he suffer from paranoia? The answers are based on the real assessment provided by Sigmund Freud in his notes that have reached us.
Could you share some insights into the creative process behind the play, particularly in bringing Salvador Dali’s wish to meet Sigmund Freud to life on stage?
I proceeded from what exactly Dali expected from this meeting, as well as Freud’s attitude towards his patients, his understanding of Dali’s eccentric behavior, and Freud’s attitude towards Surrealism in general. It is expected that Freud did not consider it possible for himself to discuss Dali’s treatise on paranoia, which the latter passionately wanted to read to him, as well as Freud’s ironic attitude towards the paranoid-critical method invented by Dali. He claimed that in his dreams, his unconscious draws pictures, which he, upon waking up, transfers onto canvas. That is surrealism. In life, Dali and Freud were never able to establish common grounds on those issues. However, in a dream – each of them expresses their opinions, and mutual understanding is achieved. But in order to reach that understanding, Dali must find himself on the psychoanalyst’s couch!
How does “Dali’s Dream” explore the themes of genius, paranoia, and surrealism within the context of Dali’s imaginary encounter with Freud?
Dali was able to convince Freud of his genius, although based on his ability to attract attention to himself and maintain it, which Dali had done successfully during his lifetime and for 35 years after his death, becoming a huge part of popular culture. Freud did not consider Dali paranoid but saw his neurotic and psychotic deviations that “stemmed from his childhood”. Surrealism as a direction and style of fine art was of no interest to Freud, mainly because, as he put it, “Looking at the works of the old masters, one tries to see their unconscious, whereas, looking at the surrealistic creation, one desperately wants to discover anything conscious in it.”
What challenges did you face in developing and directing the production, especially considering its unique concept and narrative structure?
I wouldn’t call it a challenge, but rather an approach: from the very beginning, we knew we wanted to find a team of open-minded, creative, and talented people who are willing to explore, dive deep into the unusual world of Dali, embrace the “weirdness”, discover strong emotions through movement and imagery and vice versa. Physicality and music are very important in this show. So are the visual images. As I’ve been telling my crew ever since we started on this journey into Daliland – “open your mind to the infinite possibilities, no matter how crazy or unusual an idea may seem to you – don’t shy away from it, let’s say yes to it and see if it works together”. I will say, though, that it is a great challenge to portray Salvador Dali, and our amazing actor – Dyllan Vallier, did their fair share of research, reading, and learning about Dali and his world on their own and with my help. We took our time digging into the lines and discovering the hidden meanings. Discovering Salvador Dali and “the Dali living inside Dyllan”. And that was the goldmine!
Photo credit: Shane Maritch
The play features original music by you. How does music enhance the storytelling and contribute to the overall atmosphere of the play?
I wrote music specifically for this play, since it is a super important component of the production: it is not only about each patient having their own music theme and each character having their own sound, but also the atmosphere that arises during ensemble scenes. The music reflects the interaction between doctors, patients, and the famous guest – Dali. In some scenes, Dali is a patient, and in others – he is an observer or Freud’s guest of honor. This show is unthinkable without music – very special, moody, sometimes hypnotic music, as well as without the unique props and set. We got very lucky and ended up with a singing cast, so much so that I even wrote additional lyrics to some melodies in order to turn them into songs for certain characters. But what I am most proud of is the rap I needed for Dali in two scenes. I never had much experience with writing rap songs before, but it turned out to be very interesting, and, in the place where Dali reads it, the meaning of the scene is revealed in a completely different way. I confess it was not easy for me, and I am happy to see how positively the spectator reacts to it.
Can you tell us about the casting process and how you approached the portrayal of iconic historical figures like Salvador Dali and Sigmund Freud?
When it comes to casting, it was rather simple: we knew what our Dali and Freud should be like: similar to their real-life prototypes. It is interesting that a number of actors who submitted themselves for the role of Freud had a background in psychiatry and psychotherapy in the past. Apparently, they wanted to close their gestalt. There were many actors with suitable appearances, and there were many to choose from. Our Professor Freud, John Higgins, has a certain similarity, but we had to work on behavioral similarities as well, paying special attention to Freud’s habits. With Dali – the task was much more difficult. Where does one find not only a similar-looking performer but also a character who is bright, complex, contradictory, feminine, powerful, and defenseless at the same time? We decided to look into casting a performer with drag experience and found our shining diamond! I believe Dyllan Vallier is 100 percent perfect for Dali, and as a creator of this show, I couldn’t be more proud! I want to believe that the audience will appreciate Dyllan’s hard work and immense talent.
What message or insight do you hope audiences will take away from experiencing “Dali’s Dream”?
You cannot say it better than Dali said himself: “If you believe that you are a genius, sooner or later you will become one.” Believe in yourself, work tirelessly, and success will definitely come to you!
“Dali’s Dream” was previously produced in 2016. How has the play evolved since then, and what new elements can returning audiences expect to see?
As I have already mentioned, the play has changed significantly. Some new characters made an appearance, for example, Euterpe – the muse of poetry and music, which previously existed only in the monologues of Frank the patient. Also “the woman in black knickers” from the nightmare of another patient. Both characters are played by our amazing little person actress – Mac Stevenson, who is exceptionally talented not only as an actress but also as a singer. The character of Doctor Freud’s assistant changed: now it is a trans person, who appears in both male and female guise – Adolf/Adolfina. The patient – Yin – now has a partner who completes her –Yang. They are once again like two parts of a whole, two opposites. The idea of duality: conscious/ unconscious, masculine/ feminine, real/ surreal, and so on is present in full and permeates the entire play more clearly and vividly.
As both the playwright and director, how do you balance your artistic vision with the collaborative process of bringing the play to life on stage?
When you create your play as a playwright, you do your best to put not only a colorful story, its characters, and their unique personalities on paper, but also your vision. Being able to direct your own plays is a great joy and is very helpful, because only a playwright knows what that initial vision of the show is. During the rehearsal process we had many discussions with our cast as to the background of their characters, how they interact, why they are paired up the way that they are and many times I had to answer questions as a director and playwright who no one else would have been able to answer. Of course, certain things work on paper and don’t quite work when you start putting a play on its feet. That is why I love a certain freedom that the creative process of directing allows, where certain things in the script can be changed or adjusted, and where we all collaborate for the greater good. We are lucky to have such a strong cast of actors who were willing to dive into the surreal world we were trying to create from day one. Their input into the characters was priceless. When you imagine characters – that is half the job, when you have talented actors embody those characters and make them their own with the proper direction – those characters really come to life and become unforgettable! Any theatrical play is a collaboration, and we have a wonderful team of cast and crew working on this project. Who respectfully follow my original vision and bring their own talents and interpretations into the story that we are telling. And with everyone’s input, it becomes infinitely better.
Photo credit: Shane Maritch
Finally, what excites you most about the upcoming run of “Dali’s Dream” at The Gene Frankel Theatre, and what are your hopes for the impact of the production on audiences?
I am sure that everyone who watches the show, will, in one way or another, want to learn more about Dali, his life, and his creative work. And that people will look at his paintings with different eyes. Which in itself is valuable. I truly hope that the video version of the performance, which is scheduled for screening at the Dali Museum in St Petersburg, Florida, this fall on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Salvador Dali, will allow an even wider circle of viewers to see this work and if successful, we will promote the digital version of the play on streaming platforms. Perhaps there will be people willing to turn the play into a full-length film. In some ways, it will be in tune with the movie “When Nietzsche Wept” (2007), based on the novel by Irvin D. Yalom, Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University, an existentialist and psychotherapist. He also wrote the story of a meeting between Friedrich Nietzsche and one of the founders of psychoanalysis, Freud’s mentor – Josef Breuer, which in reality never occurred.
Get your tickets to see “Dali’s Dream” online HERE. The show is running at the Gene Frankel Theatre through April 27th!
