Introduce Yourself, David Ruttura

Theatre or theater?

Without question: Theater. We're stateside dammit!

Strangest theater-related job?

Definitely this show I Associate Directed called BEN HUR LIVE, based on the novel, not the movie (there's no difference, but they couldn't get the rights to the movie). It was a touring arena show we staged in Europe. It had a cast of 350, plus 46 horses, 50 birds and a donkey. It was insane, under capitalized and promptly closed after a month on the road. It was a tremendous learning experience though, and I have a barrel of stories to share - too many and too long to include in a blog entry, but they involve several full company strikes, people getting trampled by horses, costumes being smuggled into Germany from Thailand, broken promises and broken dreams... 

What experience made you want to become a director?

I had a really intensive theater program in High School. We did 8 shows a year, 5 of which were completely student run, so I was able to try basically every aspect of putting on a show at one point or another. By senior year, I realized I wanted to have my hand in everything, so directing was a good fit. The program was run by a man named George Loizides. He's the real reason I became a director, and what I learned from him still influences me everyday.

Very first role on stage?

I was Skip Snip and Patrick Martin in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS in Junior High. They dressed me in a powder blue leisure suit with a bow tie, and actually removed every defining feature of my face with pounds of makeup. It really helped make me look like a drag queen, which must have been the intention of the mothers who decided that's how I should look. Maybe they were trying to cover up how bad my acting was... I bet it didn't work!

Tragic flaw? 

Don't you have to be dead to know if a flaw is tragic?

If you were a 1980s television show sidekick, who would you be?

Huey, Dewey and Lewie from Ducktales. All three combined... because that's how I roll.