As he prepares to direct ‘Songs for a New World,’ peripatetic theater pro Coy Covington reflects on 50 shows with Uptown Players
THE COY | Covington, above, as he appears out of costume; opposite, the Amanda Bynes-ish Ulla wig as it arrived for ‘The Producers’ and after, once Covington had worked his magic. (Photos courtesy Mark Oristano and Coy Covington)
ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Life+Style Editor
Coy Covington is a man of many wigs … er, hats. Virtually no one has a more varied theater career in Dallas.
By day, he’s on staff at Dallas Children’s Theater, making the stage safe for the young and the fabulous. By night — at least lately — he’s directing Songs for a New World, the chamber musical for Uptown Players that opens Friday. And that doesn’t account for a quarter of what he does in the name of show business.
We caught up with Covington in a rare moment way from the footlights to get the skinny on his peripatetic skills.
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Dallas Voice: How many shows have directed over the years? Covington: Who knows? I don’t direct very often anymore. With my diminishing mental bandwidth, it takes about a year to prepare and a year to recover. My most recent shows have all been with Uptown Players, including the Paul Rudnick comedy Regrets Only and a world premiere musical for our inaugural Pride Festival. (I’ll be damned. I can’t remember the name of it.) I’ve also directed locally for ICT MainStage, Pegasus Theatre and Contemporary Theatre of Dallas.
Musicals would seem to be a good fit for you. Any favorites? Yes, I’ve directed quite a few, my favorites being Pageant and Zanna, Don’t! — both for Uptown, and both decidedly gay.
You’ve mentioned Uptown quite a lot already, but it’s not just directing you do for them … I’ve worn a bunch of bonnets for Uptown: actor, director, wig and hair designer, make-up designer, co-costume designer and stylist and artistic associate (reading and consulting on plays and season selection). I’ve also been known to scour the occasional restroom. There’s something about a really clean toilet that makes you feel good about yourself.
Uh-huh. That’s a long tenure in any rate. I started with Uptown when I showed up on their doorstep determined to be in Ruthless! Like an especially viscous STD, I’m tough to shake. Songs for a New World is my 50th production with the company.
Wow! So what are the challenges of directing insofar as they relate to the other functions within theater you’ve become adept at? Directing has so many components. Did you know people ask questions? … And you’re supposed to form thoughtful, intelligent answers to them? One major difference is that as director, it’s your vision and you are the one telling people what to do, whereas as an actor, you’re being told what to do. With design, you rely on your own creativity but must work in collaboration with the director and other designers. But there are challenges in every spoke of the theatrical wheel. Like last summer, when I was doing wigs for The Producers: The rental package we bought supposedly came with wigs. They came, all right — in a congealed morass of hairspray, sweat and other suspect fluids. It took me six hours to transform the wig for Swedish bombshell Ulla into something that did not inspire horror and gagging. In all, there were over 60 wigs in the show. Never again!
Another pitfall of directing: There’s always the dreaded chance of being felled by illness. Just as we were going into Tech Week, I was hit by a violent bronchitis that devolved into laryngitis. Directing without speech, kinds tough. I ended up having to mime my notes. And everyone hates mime.
Even by day, you’re involved in theater. Yes, the multiple hat-trick continues with my day job. I work on the executive staff at Dallas Children’s and among my wildly eclectic duties is assisting [DCT artistic director] Robyn Flatt. And since she is involved in every aspect of running the theater, she wears all the hats. She’s the Mad-Hatter, I just try not to be Tweedle Dum.
Before, left, After, right
You act, of course, and are best know for your drag roles, like last years The Divine Sister. Any differences in male/female roles? Acting is acting. The only difference is the shoes.
Which do you prefer? I enjoy any role than renders me unrecognizable.
What drew you to want to direct Songs for a New World? I was attracted to the opportunity to take the expected and imbue some of the songs with a new perspective that I think will resonate with Uptown’s audience base. I think I’ve found creative ways of dusting off Jason Robert Brown’s material to make it more relevant and fresh … and, yes, more gay — but not gratuitously so. And I hit the jackpot with cast, the creative team (including BJ Cleveland as stage manager!), crew and the entire company. It is turning out to be a good, fun and interesting experience. We maintain the musical integrity of the show. Another plus? No wigs!
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 21, 2013.