Heidi Stillman discusses her very personal connection to "The Brothers Karamazov"

Director, adapter and Lookingglass Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman discusses with Lookingglass’ marketing intern Jessica Wright why she became interested in The Brothers Karamazov, the production’s unique design choices, and which Karamazov brother she is most like.

Jessica Wright- Why The Brothers Karamazov? Why now?

Heidi Stillman- Well, I just have always loved this book and I’ve always been interested in us doing it. And thematically I think it’s very timely. The book is very much about how we can affect each other’s lives for the good or the bad, in ways that we’ll never know. Every choice we make just ripples out into the world, in a way that we’ll never fully understand, but that the power of all our choices is out in the world, and we can either affect life for the good or for the bad for each other. Which is so superempowering and kinda terrifying at the same time.

J.W.- How old were you when you read the book for the first time?

H.S.- I think I first read it in high school—my senior year in high school. I had a great teacher.

J.W.- What are some of the differences between that experience then and then reading it again?

H.S.- It’s hard to even know—I like the book so much, and it’s so much a part of me that when I read it now, I can ‘t decide if I think this, because I read the book, or if I love the book because that’s already what I thought. I don’t know why, but I just really related to it in all of its vastness. I know my teacher used to say, “Every year you read it, you get something different out of it.” And I’m sure that that’s true. And I guess when I was younger, I was much—I was really more hooked into that Dmitri idea… that wild, vacillating, impulsive action—that you could fall into the pit, and be happy that you’re falling in just such a humiliating position AND, you know, kiss the hem of the garment of which your god is cloaked. That idea of that broadness and being kind of driven by your impulses was very resonant with me as a younger person. And now maybe some of the other stuff is more interesting.

Check back for more from the interview with Heidi Stillman.