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Play About Ruth Bader Ginsburg To Be Performed At The Reg

Michelle Azar spent a lot of time watching videos about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

It was to help Azar prepare for the main role as the late United States Supreme Court Justice in the play "All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg."

"I really just watched as many things as I could," Azar said recently by phone.

The play, written by Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes, presents an intimate portrait of the late justice, will be performed Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at The Reg Lenna Center for The Arts, 116 E. Third St.. For more information visit reglenna.com or call the box office at (716) 484-7070.

"In creating this play about her richly-lived life and hard-fought struggles, I came to ever more deeply marvel at her strength, tenacity, sly wit, and compassion," said Holmes. "Our play also reveals the love song that ran through her remarkable life and shares the music that was her giddy delight. "All Things Equal" offers each theatregoer the chance to better know this woman, her yearning for equality, and her love for this nation's precious institutions."

Azar said she grew up being a mover. Aside from acting, she teaches yoga. The actress said a big part of prep work was to focus on Ginsburg's physical movements during her life. The play, Azar added, chronicles Ginsberg's youth from her 20s at Harvard to being a four-time cancer survivor in her 80s.

"I grew up as a dancer, so I really got very fixed on what's the physical life that she's going through," Azar said.

Besides researching the physical ailments that Ginsburg had, Azar also had to learn the lines for the play which said at times were difficult. Being right-handed, Azar had to learn to hold a pen in her left hand because Ginsburg was left handed. She said she really only had two and one half weeks to learn her lines and rehearse. Azar will be the first to admit that she is not political savvy, and does not tune into the media every day, so learning about the Supreme Court was a huge adjustment.

"So if anything that also was the adjustment I had to feel like I was making in my research and becoming comfortable becoming a feeling like I could save the things that I had to say and speak about the people I had to speak about with authority and not feel like a sham," Azar said.

So with that adjustment, Azar stopped watching TV, and only included podcasts, and news shows, and whatever she thought Ginsburg was listening to or reading. Azar learned that Ginsburg was a fan of the opera. Although Azar doesn't consider herself a Method actor, but she does use some of techniques of The Method. According to backstage.com, Method acting is a system in which actors attempt to inhabit the psyche of their character, sometimes for long periods, to facilitate realistic behavior under imaginary circumstances.

"But but there is something to that for me -- surround yourself with all you can about, especially if you're playing somebody who's so much in the Zeitgeist and so much still living on people's mind. You can't afford to trip it up at all," Azar said.

Joan Ruth Bader was born on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, N.Y. She graduated from Cornell University at the top of her class in 1954. After graduation, she married her husband Martin Ginsburg and changed her name to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After her husband finished his military service, she enrolled at Harvard law School. She transferred to Columbia Law and graduated in 1959.

The best part of the performance, Azar said, is the audience.

"The audience every time. Whether or not I'm tired, or whether or not it's been a rush rehearsal, it's the audience's response. And, every now and then afterwards, I'll go out and say 'hello' to somebody in the audience. And then I get to hear people say 'thank you,'" Azar said.

The Jamestown performance is made possible by a collaboration between The Reg Lenna and The Robert H. Jackson Center.

"As nationally touring theatrical productions rarely perform in our city, we jumped at the chance to share this with the community.", said Hillary Meyer, the Executive Director of The Reg. "Partnering with a fellow non-profit organization whose mission supports such a performance is a special opportunity."

The Robert H. Jackson Center will present a tie-in event before the performance of the play. "Nortorius RBG" author Irin Carmon and Jackson scholar John Q. Barrett will hold a discussion and book signing at 2:30 p.m. The discussion will focus on Ginsburg's and Jackson's connections to influential constitutional scholar Robert. E. Cushman.

"Robert H. Jackson's values and principles are increasingly relevant today and highlighting them through this link to Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one way for us to showcase that. It isn't an obvious connection and we know the audience will enjoy the conversation Irin and John have planned," said Kristan McMahon, president of the Jackson Center. "We enjoy partnering with other area nonprofits, and this is a wonderful opportunity for an amazing collaboration with the Reg to bring a stacked afternoon and evening of programming to the area."