In The House That Jack Built, the setting of Thanksgiving dinner prompts audiences to reflect on family and loved ones, gathering together, and what they’re grateful for in their lives. In a year that also prompted many of these reflections as we stayed apart, we’ve asked some of the cast of the show to share what they’re thankful for and how they stay connected with loved ones during these times. 
 
David Shih, who plays Ridge in The House That Jack Built, shares his responses--including the uniting power of food!
 
What are you most looking forward to when gathering with your loved ones again?
Eating meals together. With lots of food. Lots and lots of food. Especially turkey.
 
What have you been most thankful for this year, either personally or professionally or both?
Getting to work on this production of The House That Jack Built. It feels really special to be part of the first wave of productions to come out of the COVID shutdown.
 
How did you stay connected with your loved ones this past year? Zoom birthday parties, weddings, etc? Weekly meet-ups socially-distant or virtually? Letters?
It was kind of an isolating year for me. But we did have a few Zoom gatherings, including my nephew’s high school graduation and my mother’s 80th birthday.
 
What family/friend traditions are you looking forward to this year?
Eating meals together. With lots of food. Lots and lots of food. Especially turkey.
 
 
See David in James Still's The House That Jack Built now through June 20! Virtual Tickets available at irtlive.com.

It's been well over a year since our March 2020 shut down. We've pivoted from in-person productions to a 6-play virtual season. We just launched the final production in our season, The House That Jack Built. To say that it’s been a very full year at the IRT is an understatement.
 
Collectively, we've learned and grown in more ways than we could have ever imagined. As we share gratitude with our audiences for being with us on this wild virtual ride, we also give thanks to all of our staff who have been on the inside of that ride: from the Theatre or their homes, in-person or by Zoom. We have asked our staff to share how their work has changed over this last year, and what’s kept them going. Here are just a few notes from various members of our talented team.
 

James Still, IRT Playwright-in-Residence
 
How has the very nature of your work changed? What's been the most challenging part about this season? What's been the most rewarding experience in this season? 
As a writer, I’m no stranger to disappearing for weeks or months at a time as I fully immerse myself in whatever world I’m inventing, in the stories that characters are revealing to me. That mysterious adventure always requires a kind of solitude for my process to unfold. But because I’m in deep conversation with the stories that characters are revealing to me—I feel alone but not isolated during that process. So the nature of my work hasn’t changed. What’s been challenging is that for all of the solitude and alone time (pre-pandemic), eventually I would open the door and walk out into the world and once again embrace the intensely collaborative work that marks the theater as a unique artform. Since March 2020 the “world” available to me has all been in “rooms” on Zoom with humans in boxes reflecting back at me from my laptop screen. And while I have been grateful every single day for whatever technology has allowed any sense of community, these many months have been marked by a sense of isolation—which is very different from that sense of aloneness that I know as a writer.  
 
Most rewarding experience of the IRT season? 
For me, it would have to be our production of my play THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. Even though I couldn’t be there in person, I was at many rehearsals as well as the tech process via Zoom and YouTube. And while it wasn’t my favorite way to interact with my work and with collaborators, it was something and I was grateful. Another thing that was rewarding about it (and surprising) was that I realized I have spent most of these months during the pandemic working with lots and lots of people I’ve never met in person. The majority of the digital projects I’ve been doing (and I’ve done dozens) have been with collaborators who were new to me. I wonder if I will ever meet any of those artists in person? With THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT I knew almost everyone involved and had history with them—and that brought a kind of calm I haven’t felt for many months. Plus for me it’s always joyful to have a play at the IRT and to share my work with the IRT audience. The difference this time, of course, is that I won’t ever be in the room with the audience when they watch JACK via streaming on demand. I will miss that in-person interaction with audiences.
 
Outside of work, how have you personally maintained your creativity and/or found inspiration in this last year?
Again, from my perspective, being creative and/or inspired isn’t an option. As a writer I usually can’t wait for inspiration to strike—I am cultivating that inspiration 24/7, always at the ready when it happens but spending more time simply doing the moment-to-moment work required by an artist committed to my craft. In some ways it has felt like I’ve been writing to save my life—and while that sounds like hyperbole, there’s truth to it! I’ve written until my fingertips nearly bled! Much of what I’ve written has been a total surprise to me, stories and characters demanded my attention that might not have otherwise. In addition to writing, I’ve done a lot of mentoring projects where I’ve worked with younger writers and directors around the country. I celebrated receiving the Indiana Authors Award for my trilogy THE JACK PLAYS. I welcomed the other prizes and workshops and festivals that my plays have been part of over these months. I’ve listened to lots of podcasts on my daily walks in my beautiful neighborhood in Los Angeles. I’ve watched hundreds of streamed digital theater content. I’ve cooked delicious dinners. And I’ve turned to my meditation and yoga practice to keep me from total despair. One of my yoga teachers used to offer a mantra that has come in handy during these many months. Whenever we were holding a long, challenging pose she would encourage us to “stay interested”. I’ve taken that to heart and through the ups and downs of the pandemic I’ve told myself again and again: stay interested. And so I have. And so I am.