Kristina as Joanie

The moment I met Kristina, I knew that I wanted her to play Joanie. She was almost eerily similar to Joanie in so many positive ways—and for the ways in which she differed, I knew that her experience in musical theatre would lend itself well to the hyperbolic character.

At the first rehearsal between Kristina and AJ, I interview Kristina ad nauseam about the character… and after the establishment of some foundational character elements, I knew that the Joanie character had been realized.

The one nuanced choice that I made in directing Kristina as her character was my limited rehearsal of her final, emotional dialogue with Jimmy. The first time this was rehearsed was at a rehearsal during production week with full lights and sound. Perhaps the most emotional (and productive) rehearsal during the whole process, everyone involved that day required some guided emotional work in order to exit their characters. It was in those moments that I knew the emotional pitch I had striven for in my writing could be conceivably attained.