This past week, JustArts sat down to chat with Jeremy Fiske about directing 'The Pillowman,' and working in both theater and film production.

JustArts: How did you first get involved in theater?

Jeremy Fiske: Actually, to be honest, this is the first directing job I've ever had in theater. I come from movies. I come from the film world. I went to Emerson [College] for film and I've been working in the industry for about six years now. I just actually happened to read this play because I'm a huge fan of Martin McDonagh who wrote it and he also has done some movies, specifically In Bruges ... I am a huge fan of his and I happen to read The Pillowman. I honestly was just blown away by it and then found out that the grad[uate] students were doing The Pillowman and it kind of just worked out that way.

JA: What have been some of your most interesting experiences in the film industry and now in the theater industry?

JF: In film, I kind of break it down two ways. I like to think of myself as a more creative type of writer and director. But to pay the bills I've been doing a lot of location managing, specifically stage-managing for the bigger movies that have come into Boston for the last six years like Shutter Island, Zookeeper, R.I.P.D., Grown Ups, those films I've been the stage manager for, so that keeps me pretty busy.

JA: The Pillowman is a very dark play. It's about totalitarianism and suppression of free speech. So what drew you to [direct] Pillowman?

JF: Martin McDonagh. I mean, he is very, very good at blending the extraordinary with the mundane. His jokes come out of the fact that we're starting in this totalitarian state talking about child murders. Once you go from there you have such a longitude of dramatic ability in that ... He's such a good writer and so funny. He's one of those writers [whose work] I totally respond to.

JA: How does working with college students differ from working with professionals?

JF: It's really interesting because these MFA actors are so professional...The biggest difference between working with film and theater is working with the actors...I wouldn't have had such a great experience had these actors not been as professional and as good as they were because in film it's like, "Alright, did we get enough takes, did we get all the different angles?" but [in] theater, [you are] trying to get the moment through the actors.. That's what was so great about it. This play has so much dialogue and they learned all their lines and they were so responsive to everything I had to say even though I knew what I was trying to say, [but] I wasn't articulating it well enough...They still were able to figure out what I was trying to say and were able to make the adjustments that were needed. Again, if it were lesser actors, this play wouldn't work because it is so driven by character.

JA: Do you think you enjoy theater more than you enjoy film?

JF: They're so different. I mean, really, they are. What I really enjoyed about theater was working with the actors but ironically, what in theater then becomes, not necessarily the worst part ... but the part that is a little hard for anybody creative because in theater, when the performance is on, you hand it over to the actors and it's all them and they deserve all the credit in the world. As a film director, that's your piece. People will give you the credit. In theater: not so much. It's all about the actors, which is, like I said, the thing I also liked the most about theater.

JA: Then what is your approach as a director? Is it more hands off?

JF: No. I think my approach in film is to surround myself with the best people I can for things like makeup and costumes and set dressing and all that sort of stuff and lighting and cinematography, because my biggest interest is making sure that every moment works as it's supposed to work. Then I can fully concentrate on working with the actors as long as I know everything else is taken care of...Theater has sort of shown me that I like working with actors.

-Eli Kaminsky