An Interview with Playwright Brandon Roberts

Brandon Roberts

Did you know that Central Florida playwright and actor Brandon Roberts adapted Orlando Shakes’ production of Beauty and the Beast?

Brandon Roberts is an accomplished actor, director, playwright, and the co-founder and Artistic Director for the Gromalot Theatre Factory. He has received praise for his Theater for Young Audiences adaptations, including Orlando Shakes’ productions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and The Frog and The Princess. In a 2013 interview, Brandon said that he doesn’t write for kids, per se, but tries to tell a story that is accessible for everyone.

We had the opportunity to sit down with playwright Brandon Roberts for an interview about his adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Here’s what he had to say:

OST: How did you get started writing for Orlando Shakes?

BR: I have worked for Orlando Shakes for over ten years as a performer. I was in a summer production of Snow White back in 2011. The script was not… let’s just say it wasn’t Shakespeare… so I did some rewrites on the fly, as well as grasped how to work with the audience participation that has become a staple of the summer shows. With those two strengths, the company rolled the dice, and asked me to write for them. Thus began five summers of my silly scripts.

OST: What is your favorite aspect of updating classic fairy tales for the stage?

BR: When they are done!!! Haha… it is hard! The original stories are typically very short, so I have to bulk them up to have an interesting throughline, without simply regurgitating what Disney, or another version has done (but especially Disney). That being said, the original version of Beauty and the Beast read like a long romance novel, so this one had all new challenges!

OST: I caught some really clever “grown-up” jokes while reading through the script. Were those jokes part of your planning process or did they come naturally during your writing?

BR: I am from the school of not pandering to young audiences. I have done shows that talk down to kids, and kids hate you for it. I write with my own sense of humor, and tend to be lucky enough that young and old can relate. Yes, I do throw in some material for the parents and I hope they appreciate it!

OST: What do you hope audiences will take away from your adaptation of Beauty and the Beast?

BR: I hope they have a good time. I hope they see that selfishness does not pay off and does not earn you respect. And maybe, just maybe, appreciate the fact that the Disney version does not have to be the end all be all (and I say that as a fan of most Disney versions)!

Beauty and the Beast plays from June 16 – July 24, 2016 in the Goldman Theater. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit us at www.orlandoshakes.org or call (407) 447-1700 ext. 1.

Shakespearely yours,
Lyndsey Elizabeth, Orlando Shakes Marketing Volunteer

Lyndsey Elizabeth is a Marketing Volunteer at Orlando Shakespeare Theater and 2011 graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Anthropology with a Minor in Mass Communication. She is also a visual artist, and has sold and exhibited her paintings for almost a decade.