Allison Kline's Facebook profile lists her as "Married to: Meta Morphoses," and after chatting with her a bit, it's easy to see how the statement rings true. Producer of the show and an expert on creative damage control, Kline has practically taken up residence in the Loeb Theater over the past several weeks. An exemplar of Harvard's talent at its best, she anticipates that Metamorphoses will reflect its production team's dedicated efforts.

How did you break into the theatre scene at Harvard?

I knew before I got here that I was probably going to want to spend a lot of time doing theatre. It's what I enjoy the most; it's what I did in high school. So when I got here, I auditioned, and I just did everything I could to spend as much time in [the Loeb] as possible. I even ended up on assistant light design for a show, which taught me a lot. It's amazing how much you can learn when you're willing to do things you're unaccustomed to. In the spring of my freshman year, I was elected to the board of the Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and last December, I made the HRDC board. My commitment has been a lot heavier in the past year.

What attracted you to the Visiting Directors Program?

In the two years I've been here, the VDP has generated the best show of the season, and as someone who wants to do this eventually, the opportunity to work with a professional who knows what she's doing is the coolest opportunity I've got. In a mostly student-run community, that sort of thing is rare, and I wanted to take advantage of it. Hearing Carmel talk about the project got me even more interested.

And how has working with her been? Is it daunting to collaborate with a professional?

Oh, it's been great. Because Carmel has done so many shows, she knows exactly what she needs and exactly what to expect from us, which certainly makes my job easier. She understands the sequence of a production, and I never need to check up on her—she's usually checking up on me! Of course, it's hard to adjust to the Harvard student's schedule if you're not from around here, and meeting some of her expectations has been hard for that reason. But that's about all, in terms of conflict. It's been fun to pull this whole thing together.

Tell us about the pool.

(laughs) Oh God, the pool. It adds a whole new level to the production that I don't think I've ever seen. There are so many details: we have to mop up the stage after everything, for one. Then, there's figuring out where to put the mop, how things will be organized and dried, when to put down a sheet of plastic. It's all a huge safety issue. Then, there are the costumes and the entire portion of the set that sits around the pool—everyone has to be on top of everything all the time to make sure that it all doesn't get ruined by water.

How about actually building the pool?

Actually, one of the directors set up a time-lapse video of the first stage of its construction here. It was...fun, but let's just sat that there are certain things about that stage of build that I'd rather not remember (laughs). There were moments when I'd look at it and go, "Really?!" It took a long time. So much structural work went into it that you can't see from just looking. It's primarily underground. Have you seen it yet?

Nope.

Well, let me try to describe...the stage you see now has actually been built on a series of platforms, with the pool reaching below to the level of the actual floor. The ART stage moves up and down, so we sunk it until it was level with the rest of the floor in the theater, and built on top of that. So, now, it looks like there's a hole in the floor, but what you don't see is the huge space that we essentially had to rebuild.

In one of the first scenes, Midas says, "That pool cost me a pretty penny"—he's supposed to be a showy corporate type—and we've been joking that that's the funniest line in the show. Actually, the actor who plays Midas was saying that he should give the exact price one time during that line.

And that price was..?

(laughs) I don't think I want to say. Let's just say a lot. More than usual. But it made the show work.

What's an average day like here on the set?

Oh, God. We do so much. Well, this week, the main focus is finishing up last-minute additions to the set, placing in decorations, you know, taking care of the last-minute stages. We need to make sure the set is structurally in place. We take care of lighting, sound, bringing props and costumes onto the set with the water...these few days are the only time we have to see how the lights reflect on the pool. If you came in today, you'd see the stage manager cleaning the water, hanging out backstage and making sure everything is in place—you'd see the set designer...the lighting designer has been here way too many hours with the final touches, refocusing, adjusting to what the space actually looks like. Even if you have models, it's hard to know how it's going to work. This is a giant space. And the actors are dealing with the water for the first time—before, the "pool" was just a rectangle made out of tape. Now they're coming to rehearsal in bathing suits every day.

The cue-to-cue rehearsal is a really long day—we work everything out for the first time. At one point during the rehearsal, I looked down and saw a couple of guys wrestling in the pool in their bathing suits. They were supposedly practicing the fight scene...it's interesting to see how even the way the actors joke around is affected by the pool.

Any salient anecdotes from your experience with the show?

Hmmm...it's so hard to think of these things off the top of your head, because the show is pretty much our lives right now. It's all we talk about—occasionally, we'll get distracted and listen to lecture or something, but it's all we're thinking about. It's hard to step back and realize that not everyone is doing this every day.

What has been your favorite part of working on Metamorphoses?

It's been amazing to watch so many students work so hard on something that is really beyond what anyone expects from student theatre. This kind of set design, costumes—everything is a few levels more complicated and time-consuming than a lot of professional shows I've seen. It's cool to see the amazing work that people do and then to go to class with them and realize they're not doing this professionally.

The VDP gets the most talented students for every position it offers, and of course the best director, so I get to bask in their glory. It's really been wonderful.