An assistant and a trying boss

Play about Nuremberg trials lawyer, his secretary has parallels to today.

By Kaitlin Ballard
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, June 11, 2009

Francis Biddle was stern. He was determined. He knew what he wanted. But underneath his tough exterior as a judge (he had a long career that included serving at the Nuremberg trials) was a compassionate and gentle side. And that's what playwright Joanna Glass explores in her autobiographical play, 'Trying,' about her relationship with him as his last secretary.

We sat down with Director Gary Payne of Paradox Players to talk about the Texas premiere of 'Trying' and how its 1968 setting is relevant today.

'Trying' opens Friday and will be performed at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through June 21, and 8 p.m. June 27, and 3 and 8 p.m. June 28. Howson Hall, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, 4700 Grover Ave. $15, $20 opening night. 744-1495, paradoxplayers.org.

American-Statesman: How is this play timely in today's political landscape?

Gary Payne: It has to do with the return of, if you will, liberalism in our government ? with the Obama administration and everything. Biddle was originally a Republican and he had a change of heart when he saw the plight of the Pennsylvania coal miners in the '30s. There's a line in the play when he says, 'I became a Democrat when I realized we just couldn't live with poverty,' and he switched parties. He was called a traitor to his class, to his party. ? Biddle says, 'I will never again be swayed by what people argue as military necessity' (about the Japanese internment camps during World War II). And of course, the Iraq war, you could argue, was pitched as a military necessity. So certainly there's a parallel there.

This play is so deeply rooted in history -Nuremberg trials, FDR's New Deal and the Japanese internment camps- did you find that overwhelming?

No. In that era, actually there's two eras that in this play you can get a lot out of ? there's the WWII era and, of course, the fact that he was the presiding American judge of the Nuremberg trials, attorney general. But also, it being set in 1967-68, you get a lot of references to that era. There's mention of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Eugene McCarthy announced his candidacy to run for president and they speculate between the two of them if Bobby Kennedy is going to announce and, of course, he did. There's mention of the women's movement and he's pretty old school on most of that. ? He talks about women going out there and burning their upper underwear.

How did the opportunity to direct this play come about?

It's a script that just came through the channels of Paradox Players from the artistic director. Paradox's goal, their mission statement, is to do shows that have social relevance, make a statement and this one certainly does. I read it and the first time, I just thought, 'Wow.' With the premise, there's this old guy and a young woman; how is this going to be sustained for two hours. I read it again and every time you read it, there's more richness in it. One of the beauties of the play is the way the relationship starts off. You know, she is just one in a long line of personal secretaries he has chased off. They have to get over this hump and 'try' - 'try' or 'trying' is used many times - but once they do, it just becomes a very sweet relationship.