First Impressions
An Interview with Selina Cartmell Early in the Mentorship
How was your first meeting with Julie Taymor?
Our first meeting was in the rehearsal room of Grendel at the Los Angeles Opera and I felt it was significant that I saw Julie in action the minute we met. Julie was juggling so many artistic roles that I felt completely immersed and inspired by such an epic project. I was greatly comforted by the first day of our meeting because I realised that the difficulties and pressures you feel as a director – pressures which you think are unique to you as an artist – are universal.
Do you and your mentor have a structure for the mentorship?
No. We both felt comfortable with a less structured and a more instinctive approach to our relationship.
Can you describe the meetings; what connects you to your mentor?
We are both inspired by the merging of form and content, and want to see how far we can push our craft in different forms.
Our meetings are always challenging, enjoyable and stimulating. Julie was over in Dublin to see Festen at the Gate Theatre which I directed for the Dublin International Theatre Festival. After the show we discussed how far you can push the form and how to keep taking risks. I felt Julie understood the way I worked, and she had some very interesting observations about the role of the ensemble in this production.
One of the most important things Julie has given me is the strength to not be categorised and to feel free to move through a diverse range of artistic mediums in order to express my vision.
In what way have you already been influenced?
My exposure to her work on Grendel was significant in terms of the scale of the project, and this first-hand experience has given me the confidence to pursue the development of my first opera in 2009.