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New York City-based director Ken Rus Schmoll has been at the University of Rochester preparing for the production of Octavia, which opens Thursday, November 30. Schmoll, who traditionally focuses on world premieres, is a two-time Obie (or, Off-Broadway) Award-winner who is simultaneously working with playwright Anne Washburn on her upcoming The OctaviaÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½”a wholly different work that poses, among others, the question, who wrote Octavia?

Octavia, a play ripped from the headlines in the year AD 62, was formerly attributed to the Roman philosopher Seneca, and Schmoll notes that scholars now widely agree that he did not write it. Chronicling the dissolution of the marriage between Nero, the emperor of Rome, and Octavia, his popular wife, the author of the play clearly had a working knowledge of SenecaÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s other tragedies, in SchmollÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s view.

What should audiences expect when they come to see the production?

When they hear itÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s a Roman tragedy, they might yawn and decide to go to a movie, but this production is far from that. The [set] design is not fusty or old. The characters are of the age of the student actors, so we tap into this youthful energy.

ThereÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s a chorus of citizens who are supporters of Octavia, and then thereÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s this other chorus thatÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s pro-Nero. ThereÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s a moment where the characters are called to action and called to protest in a way that they havenÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™t before. This resonates with the way that many people are being called to activism today. ThereÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s also a resonance in how weÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™re conducting ourselves on the planet. There is this long passage about the natural world and how over history men that once lived in harmony with the natural world now rape and pillage it; the concern that manÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s behavior affects the natural world feels, of course, very contemporary.

What makes Octavia unlike other plays?

ItÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s so seldom done, if ever. I had no agenda with this play other than to investigate it, and understand how it works. The structure of Octavia is different from SenecaÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s tragedies ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½“ itÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s not as violent and itÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s more self-aware ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½“ and aspects of it feel a little more Greek than Roman. It feels a little postmodern in its structure – the first three scenes could happen simultaneously, for example.

WhatÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s it like to work with Rochester students?

They are all super smart. I was struck by how easily these students could articulate an argument. In some way, thatÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s half the battle when grappling with a play like this one with long speeches, where people are arguing many points. It seems that whether or not these students have studied rhetoric, they know how to think critically, and they are primed for handling these kinds of arguments. ItÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™s been incredibly fun working with them.

How do you like Rochester?

I love it. IÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™m a total small-city person. I grew up outside of Hartford, Connecticut, and it feels similar. Most of my time has been spent working on the play, but I have gone running along the river and went up to Lake Ontario on my day off. It was beautiful. I love how you can drive out for five minutes and youÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½™re in farm land, which is unlike Hartford.