Director's Notes - Episode 227: "A Word with Dr. Jones"

We were asked recently how we decide when to have Cecil speak for characters, and when to bring in guest actors to perform as the characters instead. And it's a good question. There's not a set process for this. It's a call that Jeffrey or I make every time we write an episode.

Our default is to let Cecil tell the story, for a few reasons. The first is that, well, it's easier. Cecil, the actor, narrates every episode, so there are no logistics to getting a recording from him. With a guest voice, it might be someone who we last worked with 3 years ago, and we have to reach out and be like "hey, remember us? Ok, so you're this character, here is a recording of what you sounded like when performing it so you remember what the vibe is". It's not difficult, exactly, but it's just a little bit more of a hassle. 

The second reason is artistic. Cecil is our window into the world of Night Vale, but he is not an objective narrator. He is constantly framing the story through his personality and beliefs. So when we have Cecil relay what a character has said, we actually get to tell two stories at once: a story about that character, and a story about what Cecil thinks of that character. It's efficient and subtle story-telling that is one of the many reasons we enjoy the monologue format of storytelling. 

However, sometimes you just want to hear the character. Because it's fun to have a guest actor on, because it breaks up the rhythm of a single voice, and also just because we have such a deep bench of incredible performers that it would be a waste not to feature them. 

For instance, in this case, when you have Janet Varney happy to record monologues whenever you email them to her, then you have a moral obligation to email her some monologues. In my time working on Night Vale, I have gotten to write monologues for James Urbaniak and Jasika Nicole, for Molly Quinn and Lusia Struss, for Dylan Marron and Jackson Publick. And of course, I've gotten to write countless hours of text for Cecil Baldwin. As a writer, writing for a talented performer is a gift.

Which is all to say that I thought it was time to hear from Dr. Lubelle herself, and for a while. I wanted to really give her a moment to tell her side of things. And her side of things...are evil. She's the villain. But what a great villain performance!

-Joseph Fink