Director Colm Summers on Derek Murphy's 'The Bad Daters' at Paradise Factory

Director Colm Summers discusses his approach to Derek Murphy's play 'The Bad Daters,' running at Paradise Factory through May 17. The production stars Kate Arrington (Billions, Mare of Easttown) and Shane McNaughton (The Fall, The Equalizer). Summers, who became artistic director at Working Theater two years ago, sees theater as a tool to combat screen addiction and rebuild attention spans. The play follows Wendy and Liam, two self-hating individuals attempting to find intimacy across a series of dates. Summers emphasizes that the characters are not victims but people grappling with psychic damage. He was drawn to Murphy's script for its psychological complexity and refusal to telegraph a theme. Murphy, who was developing another play in Denver during rehearsals, urged Summers not to 'fix' the characters too much. Summers reflects on the influence of Irish drama, noting that the English language often fails Irish speakers, leading to a roundabout way of expressing emotions. He cites Constantin Stanislavski's 'An Actor Prepares' as instrumental, advocating for humility and a willingness to be wrong in the rehearsal room. The interview was published by CULTURED magazine.