All Of It on WNYC — A Father Finds Comfort in Community Theater in the New Film 'Ghostlight'

Date: June 13, 2024
Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guests: Kelly O’Sullivan (writer & co-director), Alex Thompson (co-director), Keith Kupferer (actor)
Film Discussed: Ghostlight (in theaters this weekend)

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights the indie film "Ghostlight," a heartfelt and moving family drama exploring grief, healing, and connection through the unlikely setting of community theater. Host Kusha Navadar speaks with the film’s creative team and star about channeling real-life emotions, drawing inspiration from isolation, and the transformative potential of theater—both on and off the screen. The conversation weaves family, art, loss, and recovery, echoing the film’s themes of building comfort and resilience through communal creativity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Inspirations Behind "Ghostlight"

• Writing Through Isolation
  Kelly O’Sullivan shares that she wrote the script during the COVID-19 social isolation period, channeling her longing for community and missing her life as a Chicago theater actor.
  • Quote:

    "I was feeling, I think, like a lot of people, incredibly lonely when I started writing it in March of 2021 ... longing for community and to have the connection that I think a lot of us were lacking during that time."
    — Kelly O’Sullivan (04:25)

2. Family at the Heart—On and Off Screen

• Real-life married actors, Keith Kupferer and Tara Mallen, star as on-screen couple Dan and Sharon, alongside their real daughter Catherine as Daisy.

• The family’s real intimacy brings authenticity and depth to the film’s family dynamic.

  • Quote:

    "Having our daughter join was really joyful. There was this built-in chemistry and relationships that we didn’t have to work at."
    — Keith Kupferer (09:09)

• The creators note how this authenticity influenced both the script and the way scenes were shot.

  • Quote:

    "We literally sort of shifted our focus at certain moments ... It became clear really, really early on in shooting that Catherine was going to be, like, taking up similar narrative space."
    — Alex Thompson (10:51)

3. Depicting Grief: The Emotional Core

• Kupferer’s character, Dan, is a construction worker struggling after a "tremendous loss." The story centers on his bottled emotions, struggles in parenting, and explosive moments as he copes with unresolved grief.

• The pivotal deposition scene marks Dan’s subtle step toward healing—Kupferer highlights this as the script’s "centerpiece."

  • Quote:

    "That centerpiece was really... as an actor, that's what drew me to it."
    — Keith Kupferer (05:40)

• O’Sullivan and Thompson discuss their approach to letting emotions unravel naturally, mirroring real-life suppression rather than dramatics.

  • Quote:

    "So many actors... want to cry, to let out so much emotion and to emote, and that's gonna be the most interesting thing. But it is so difficult... because they don't let out that emotion most of the time... He would try to push it back down..."
    — Kelly O’Sullivan (14:37)

4. Community Theater: Healing & Play

• Dan is drawn to a local community theater troupe, initially skeptical but gradually finding it an outlet for suppressed feelings.

• The podcast features a film clip where Rita, the stubborn and talented troupe lead, invites Dan into the world of rehearsal.

  • Quote (from the film clip):

    "Your salvation. I'm kidding. Rehearsing a play. Everyone, this is Dan... Everyone is replaceable."
    — Rita (Character, 15:23)

• The directors emphasize the therapeutic value and transformative joy in amateur theater.

  • Quote:

    "It's so joyful, because it's not about money or fame. It's like people are doing it because they love it."
    — Kelly O’Sullivan (16:19)

  • Quote:

    "Just like when we play as kids, it's also something we take seriously... these actors want to get it right..."
    — Alex Thompson (16:41)

5. The Process of Acting—From Bad to Good

• Kupferer discusses how he intentionally portrayed Dan’s amateur acting, relying on "cold reads" and resisting preparation to capture genuine awkwardness.

  • Quote:

    "Whatever the Shakespeare passage I had, I would just cold read it and not prepare for it... not prepare to do the scene and it'll work that way."
    — Keith Kupferer (18:31)

• He also praises his wife Tara Mallen’s less showy but emotionally demanding role.

  • Quote:

    "She also has to not be able to grieve and hold that emotion together, but also move forward for everyone in the family."
    — Keith Kupferer (19:09)

6. The Power of Art and Collaboration

• Both on the film set and within the story, communal creativity is presented as a catalyst for growth, understanding, and reconciliation.

  • Quote:

    "You create something together, and you enjoy it and you work with people ... it's just gonna happen naturally to bring you closer."
    — Keith Kupferer (20:58)

• Thompson explains how theater, by offering structured freedom and collective vulnerability, fosters change and healing.

  • Quote:

    "That combination of preparations, you sort of have to open yourself up and see what the other person is bringing. It inspires change. It inspires experimentation... I think theater's a place where that's possible."
    — Alex Thompson (21:43)

• O’Sullivan, who was eight months pregnant during filming, reflects on how the experience deepened her relationship with Thompson and the rest of the team.

  • Quote:

    "Working together in a collaborative way artistically... I find it to be incredibly expansive... The way that we have gotten to know each other is just so layered now."
    — Kelly O’Sullivan (22:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the impact of acting and community theater:

  "All he wants in the world, is to not be himself. And so it's an escape into a different life. And he doesn't know that the life that he's escaping into actually is very close to what he's going through."
  — Kelly O’Sullivan (17:55)

• On acting poorly, then well:

  "There actually is a school of thought... to purposely act badly in this exercise to find the text and then just really your idea of bad acting and then do it."
  — Keith Kupferer (18:31)

• On art in family and healing:

  "It's this beautiful explanation of what art does to our lives, I think."
  — Kusha Navadar (21:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:25] – O’Sullivan on writing during COVID isolation
• [05:40] – Kupferer on what drew him to Dan and the pivotal deposition scene
• [09:09] – Keith Kupferer on working with his real family on screen
• [10:51] – Thompson on how Katherine Kupferer’s performance changed the film’s focus
• [14:37] – O’Sullivan on acting choices and the realism of grief
• [15:23] – Clip: Dan’s awkward introduction to community theater
• [16:19] – O’Sullivan on the spirit of community theater
• [17:55] – On Dan’s motivation to return to the troupe
• [18:31] – Kupferer on how to act "badly"
• [20:58] – Kupferer on how the filming brought his actual family closer
• [21:43] – Thompson on why theater is transformative

Conclusion

The conversation dives deep into "Ghostlight’s" layered approach to grief, family, and creativity, illuminated by honest performances and collaborative spirit both in front of and behind the camera. The filmmakers and star reflect on their own bonds—professional and familial—as mirroring the healing journey of their characters, highlighting the enduring power of both community and theater.