Interview with Chloe Shade, director for Terminus
TC: Pitch this show to a first-time theatre patron in one sentence
CS: As Eller's mind unravels, so does the truth: a Southern grandmother's buried, racist past resurfaces to threaten the love and future of the biracial grandson she raised.
TC: Welcome back! What shows have you been involved in at Theatre Charlotte recently?
CS: I worked on three MainStage productions at TC! I played Cheryl in Stick Fly, Assistant Directed 1984, and also Assistant Directed Detroit '67. This summer I got to step into the community with TC and work on The Wiz TYA!
TC: What made you say yes to directing this show?
CS: It's one of the first times in a while that a script caught me off guard. I had to sit with it, then pick it back up for another read. Terminus is contemporary and new to many audiences. It's bold, exciting, and tells a story that isn't often told.
TC: Without giving anything away, what's one moment you can't wait for audiences to experience?
CS: The moments of suspension and magic!
TC: What do you think will surprise audiences most?
CS: I’m struggling to answer this without spoiling!!
The storyline and the arc of the characters.
I hope to surprise the audiences by introducing a worldview that is often overlooked, shifting their perspective
TC: Why do you think this is the right story for audiences today?
CS: The themes present in the story require cross-generation dialogue, and force audiences to contemplate a past that our society has worked so hard to ignore and erase.
TC: Anything else you want to share with us?
CS: This will be my first main stage production as an independent director. Having worked for the past seven years as an assistant director, stage manager, and self-producing director, I am incredibly grateful for the trust placed in me and for the support of my community. Furthermore, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to debut my work with a story that is both bold and exciting.
TC: Other than this one, what show are you most looking forward to in Season 99?
CS: Frankenstein for sure!!