We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ruthie Buescher a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruthie, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

One of the things I’ve begun to realize, as a theater practitioner, is the importance of gathering. I felt so much pressure in my twenties to create Good Work, to do something important, to excel. The further I get into my thirties, the more I realize that my best work is still ahead of me–I don’t expect to create truly great work until my 40s, 50s, maybe even 60s. So much of what makes a good director and playwright is being a good observer, a student of life. The more life you have under your belt, the better the work will be. I wish someone had told me in my twenties not to rush it. I wish someone had told me that even if I had the opportunities, I wouldn’t be capable of creating my best work yet, so don’t sweat it. The twenties should be all about seeking out other artists to work with, studying those you respect, and being part of their projects. Trying and failing, seeing what sticks. Working, yes. All the time. But doing it collaboratively.

Of course, this is an idealized dream of how it should work. We don’t tend to have an apprenticeship approach in the U.S. Instead we dump students out of expensive education programs at 22 and expect them to begin earning a living with their art, which is almost always impossible. Instead of cultivating spaces where young people can work alongside more mature artists, training programs are expensive and any internships/apprenticeships that are available are usually unpaid. This creates a world in which 20-somethings have to generate their own work, or do nothing. (Or have parents who can subsidize their artistic pursuits.)

I’ve learned to accept two things as part of my theater practice: 1) that I will probably never achieve what looks like success to the establishment of American theater, and 2) that my career will be filled with gaps and seasons. For me, art never supersedes the needs of the humans involved (which is a whole other conversation) and I believe theater should be very inclusive of nonprofessionals. The way I choose the projects I’m involved in and the way I structure my life is invariably influenced by these beliefs. It often means I’m working with people who have never done theater before, or who would never consider themselves artists. It means constantly taking the initiative to find new projects. It means committing myself to always being a part time artist, because not having commercial success means I’ll always need a day job. And it means taking breaks or slowing down when life requires it.

But I think it’s worth it, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed by the journey. And like I said, I’m confident that my best work is yet to come.

Ruthie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a devised and physical theater director, playwright, teacher, and producer.

Devised theater is an umbrella term for theater that operates in a nontraditional way; instead of starting with an existing script and staging it, it is a collaborative process during which an ensemble creates an original piece of theater. This can be anything from an adaptation of a poem or book to using personal history to create a narrative. It is a style of theater that often incorporates very old types of theater, such as clowning or mask work, and pulls in whatever inspiration it needs, whether from dance, music, tech, spoken word, etc.

Physical theater often goes hand in hand with devised theater, but the term more generally refers to theater that uses movement, acrobatics, props, dance, etc to enhance the project with non-linear storytelling. Physical theater does not rely on realism or spoken dialogue, but seeks to engage the entire person, and not just their intellect.

I have been working in these two styles of theater for the past twelve years. My first introduction to an ensemble-based approach to theater was during my undergrad at Wheaton College in IL, where I was part of Arena Theater’s acting ensemble (Workout). We met twice weekly not to work on scripts or staging, but to practice presence, collaboration, and imagination through the use of physical theater techniques. The primary byproduct of this work was to build trust and openness among the actors. This experience was groundbreaking for me, and I went on to earn a masters from NYU in Directing and Devising for Colleges and Communities.

I have created many collaborative devised scripts over the years, but in 2018 I began to dabble in playwriting. I often have a specific vision that I would like to achieve as a director, and I also have certain themes that recur in my work, namely the experience of being a woman and the mystical or fantastical. Playwriting has given me the chance to explore these themes as thoroughly as I want to, and in 2023 I staged my first full original play, “We Sail On In Darkness,” in San Antonio, TX. It tells the stories of female mystics, and we performed it with an almost entirely female cast and crew.

Through the process of staging “We Sail On In Darkness,” I also realized how much I enjoy producing. As the primary producer for the show, I found the process of fundraising and problem solving not only much easier than I anticipated, but also much more fulfilling. This has not only given me the confidence to continue producing my own work, but it has made me step back and consider what it might look like to take on producing projects for other creatives whose work I believe in.

Through all my work, my primary conviction is that theater is an essential tool for the masses that has fallen into disuse. Americans tend to think of theater as something that only professionals can and should do, but I believe that it is something every person needs and craves. Theater offers the opportunity to be truly seen by other humans. It offers the chance to step into the shoes of another, creating empathy and expanding the imagination. It shapes the way we walk, talk, and exist in space. It helps us appreciate our own bodies, as well as the sacredness of others’ bodies. It gently shares truth and allows us to tell our own stories with distance and space. There is certainly a place for high art and for professional theater, but if it is at the cost of allowing everyone to engage in theater, I would sacrifice it immediately.

Above all, it is a huge privilege to be entrusted with the stories of others. Acting is nothing more than telling someone else’s story, and to do that not only requires courage, but a huge amount of care. I am blown away by the amount of care and tenderness the actors I work with have cultivated. As a devised theater director, I am constantly amazed by the people I am working with who allow me to be a part of sharing their stories. There is so much joy in this interconnectedness, and the way it will shape you and the way you see other people. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have the chance to pursue this craft.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I would love to see people reorient the way they think about theater. We commit ourselves to workout routines, diet changes, self-help books, counseling, and information gathering because we know these things will benefit us. If people took the chance to engage in a good theater class I think they would be amazed at how challenging and beneficial it is. It takes courage, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about learning how to be present within your own body, how to listen to other people, and how to empathize. There are technical benefits, such as vocal techniques that can transform the way you communicate, but there are so many other benefits to opening yourself up to creativity and quite honestly, to just not taking yourself so seriously.

I also hope that society can start to open themselves up to more diverse experiences of entertainment. The cost of a theater ticket is often comparable to the cost of a movie ticket, and yet what you’re receiving by witnessing live theater is so much more immediate than the experience of sitting on your couch watching a movie. Being physically present in a theater has actual effects on your being (did you know that the heartbeats of an audience sync up while they’re watching the show?) and you will witness a performance that has never and will never be again. And even if the show isn’t great, there is something truly compelling about just watching live humans who have the courage to stand up and perform. And ask for more diverse styles of theater! Don’t be satisfied with watching “The Importance of Being Earnest” again–ask your local theaters to employ devised and physical theater artists so audiences in the U.S. can have access to styles of theater happening worldwide.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

It took me a while to figure out that you could be part of the theater world without being a performer! I know it sounds silly, but I didn’t realize that I could be a director, playwright, producer, etc until my last year of college when I took a directing class and really loved it.

It’s possible that some of this is due to the fact that it’s taken this long (and will continue to take longer) for women to begin to gain traction in the fields of directing, writing, and producing. But I am now at a point in my career where I am unapologetically taking on these roles in a uniquely female way. For instance, when I directed and produced “We Sail On In Darkness,” I had a one year old. I took her to business meetings and rehearsals, and made it possible for the cast and crew to bring their own children along as needed. It’s important for people to see that directors (and anyone in a position of leadership) can have a different process and style of leading that allows space for creatives in many different life circumstances and utilizes collaboration without sacrificing artistic integrity or a polished final product.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ruthiebuescher.com, www.wesailonindarkness.com
• Instagram: @ruthiebproductions

Image Credits
Wendi Poole, Joey Chapman Films