DIRECTOR’S NOTES

683 Ways To Kill Castro satirizes a system of power so certain of its own position that it
becomes absurd. The fact that the play is based in reality is insane but true, and the
comedy never loses that edge of ironic disbelief. In the hands of an adroit playwright,
this utterly serious and totally absurd moment of American history becomes rich
theatrical fodder.
Directing any play is always a journey of discovery . With a new play, that journey is
intensified. From the beginning I was intrigued by the basic premise of the play; a
bungling team of CIA agents out to get Castro. As a director/dramaturge one hopes
that the promise of an early version will fulfill itself, but this play became more and more
startling effective with each new draft. It has been a joy and privilege to work on it with
playwright Sebastian Ley, wearing the mantle of both playwright and actor. I look
forward to many more plays to come.
The creation of this piece has been an absolute ensemble effort. This small company ,
David, Patrick, Sam and Sebastian and our amazing 2 person production team, Lauren
and Sarah, covering design,lights,costumes, props, set and sound have made it all
happen. As independent artists, we love the creativity and freedom of our practice, but
have to reconcile working in such a tight time frame with so little outside support. We
only triumph in this process by the level of extraordinary support we give to each other
and we thank Bradley Moss and all the staff at the Roxy for the lovely venue.
Sebastian said on the first day of rehearsal that he wanted us to have fun with the play
and our work together and it has been fun. We hope now as we welcome the audience
into the world we have created that you have fun as well.

Kathleen Weiss, Director