Studi moral center of ‘August: Osage County’ – opening in Tulsa Jan 26-31

Studi moral center of ‘August: Osage County’

Beverly Weston (Jon DeVries) waxes a bit poetic as he talks about the caretaking job he’s offering to Johnna Monevata (DeLanna Studi) in this scene from "August: Osage County." Robert J. Saferstein

 
By JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
Published: 1/17/2010  2:18 AM
Last Modified: 1/17/2010  5:23 AM

DeLanna Studi found her way to the room at the top of the Weston home in "August: Osage County" through what she only half-jokingly describes as "an act of God."

"Well, the grace of God and the help of some really wonderful friends," she said, laughing.

Studi plays Johnna Monevata, a young Cheyenne woman who, in the opening scene of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tulsa native Tracy Letts, is hired by the patriarch of the Weston clan to serve as a caretaker.

Johnna is ostensibly there to cook and clean for Beverly Weston, who has discovered that the mundane activities of keeping house have "gotten in the way of my drinking," and his pill-popping wife, Violet.

But when Beverly goes missing and the Westons’ three daughters and their families and companions descend on the three-story house outside Pawhuska, the role Johnna plays takes on a new dimension as the family’s secrets and lies erupt like Mount Vesuvius.

"She becomes the moral center of the entire home," Studi said, speaking by phone from Tempe, Ariz., where the national touring production of "August: Osage County" stopped earlier this month. "She is there to do a job, she does it well, and she does it without expecting anything for herself.

"Johnna’s the only character like that, who watches this family self-destruct without any judgment. So she also serves as a kind of touchstone for the audience — they kind of check in on Johnna and see how she reacts to some of the things that happen to gauge how they should react."

Studi, a native of Muldrow and niece of actor Wes Studi, has worked in theater (she’s created and performs two one-woman shows: "What’s an Indian Woman to Do?" and "Kicks") and in films such as "Pow Wow Dreams" and "DreamKeepers," where she became friends with actress Kimberly Guerrero, who originated the role of Johnna Monevata.

"Kimberly’s also from Oklahoma, and she thought it was very important to find a native Oklahoma woman for this role," Studi said. "So she submitted my name for consideration. And out of courtesy to her, they called my agent and I did an audition."

Studi then went on to a job with a theater company in Indiana, working with people who had ties to the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago, where "August: Osage County" originated in 2007.

"They basically called the people in Chicago and said, ‘This is the girl you want,’ " Studi said. "The way it worked out, it came down to myself and another actress, so all this support from people the company knew really helped."

"Of course," she added, "recommendations only get you so far. You still have to be able to do justice to the role. And Johnna is someone who is very familiar to me. I know a lot of women who have had the job she has, starting with my mother. When I was younger, sometimes she would have to take us kids with her to work, and we would have to sit quietly while she cleaned a house or took care of an elderly person. So I know this life."

‘August’ everywhere

"August: Osage County" will be at the Tulsa PAC Jan. 26-31. The production stars Academy Award-winner Estelle Parsons as Violet Weston, who took over the role during the play’s Broadway run, and features many performers associated with Steppenwolf.

Letts’ play transferred to Broadway in December 2007 with the original Chicago cast. The play ended up winning every possible award for a straight play, including the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Entertainment Weekly named it the best play of the decade.

On the surface, "August: Osage County" is a story of a family disintegrating over the course of a few summer days. It mingles painful truths about the damage that can only be inflicted by those we’re bound to by blood with outrageous, if darkly hued, humor.

On a deeper level, Letts’ play is a parable about the state of the country — how the ideas and truths that should bring us together have been corrupted, maybe beyond redemption, by selfishness and neglect.

"Tracy is a great playwright, and even though this is a three-and-a-half-hour play, everything in it is there for a reason," Studi said. "That is especially true of the character of Johnna — why she’s been placed in this situation and the things she says are all there for a reason.

"Kimberly told me a Cheyenne saying that fits Johnna’s character and her role in the family. It goes: ‘We were here before them, we will take care of them while they are here, and we will be here when they are gone.’ But, while this role could become overly symbolic, Tracy has really captured that sense of Native American humor in Johnna. That’s a side of Native Americans most other Americans never see, and I love that this play shows that."

August: Osage County

When: Jan. 26-31

Where: Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 101 E. Third St.

tickets: $20-$55; 596-7111, tulsaworld.com/mytix

Note: Strongly recommended for mature audiences only.

James D. Watts Jr. 581-8478
james.watts@tulsaworld.com

Lori Cain is a residential Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors serving the greater Tulsa Oklahoma area, including midtown Tulsa, Owasso, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Sand Springs and Jenks. Please visit Lori’s web site, LoriCain.com or call 918-852-5036.