A Conversation with Director Bernadette Armstrong, "The Little Match Girl Isn't Going to Die," Open-Door Playhouse, by James Scarborough

In "The Little Match Girl Isn't Going to Die," playwright Kevin B. flips the script on Hans Christian Andersen's tragic tale with a metafictional twist that's both playful and poignant. The play poses an intriguing question: what happens when a character refuses their preordained fate? This podcast production, directed by Bernadette Armstrong for Open-Door Playhouse, transforms a nineteenth-century tearjerker into contemporary commentary on narrative agency and self-determination.

The casting reflects the play's boundary-crossing sensibility. Gloria Tsai as The Little Match Girl embodies the rebellion at the heart of the piece; Matthew Scott Montgomery's Duke and Matt Fowler's Narrator represent the established order she must confront. The tension between these forces —to follow the script or tear it to pieces, that is the question - drives the comedy.

This adaptation refuses to modernize or satirize. Rather it uses the structure of a classic tale to examine how we might rewrite our own narratives when the stories we've inherited no longer serve us. The play's format as an audio drama evokes the tradition of radio plays while updating the medium for podcast listeners.

Armstrong's Open-Door Playhouse continues its mission to provide a platform for emerging voices in contemporary theater, with this production joining an international roster of works that have garnered recognition including a Communicator Award and a Webby nomination.

Below follows an email conversation with Bernadette Armstrong.

JS: Your production "The Little Match Girl Isn't Going to Die" takes a well-known tragic tale and transforms it into a comedy about agency. What sparked your interest in Kevin B.'s script? How did it align with your vision for Open-Door Playhouse?

BA: I started laughing by the second page!  Like so many of the plays I select for Open-Door Playhouse it was well written and it had a unique twist.

JS: I'm curious about the dynamic you've created with your cast. What qualities did you notice in Gloria Tsai, Matthew Scott Montgomery, and Matt Fowler that made them right for these roles that essentially pit character against narrative structure?

BA: I am blessed to have worked with so many wonderful and diverse actors over the past 4 ½ years that most of the time I specific voices in my head as I am reading the plays. 

JS: You're working in an audio-only medium. How do you approach directing a play that's challenging its own narrative structure when you can't rely on visual elements? Does this format create unique opportunities?

BA: Sound effects are everything to the plays. We build the action with sound. The most difficult plays, and I only have a few, are ones with a lot of location changes. For these plays the other directors and I have to build dialogue to let listeners know if we move locations, and make sure that we make sure that ‘It” and “There” are known entities to bring the visual to listeners – you don’t want them to be confused.  

JS: I'd love to hear about your collaboration with David Peters as sound engineer. How did you two work together to create the sonic landscape that brings this metafictional world to life?

BA: David is awesome. I contacted David about the podcast in 2022 when my established sound engineer Hal, was lured away from the podcast by Netflix (I couldn’t compete).  I found The Oak House Studio on Google. I reached out to Peter; give him the breakdown of the podcast and we’ve been working together ever since.  Although this was a new venture for him, his skills are excellent and I had really learned a lot from Hal, so we weren’t figuring it out together. I trust him completely with the plays, and his patience is right up there with his sound skills.  Most of the other directors stay with him after recording and they work together in editing the sound.  I’ve personally gotten used to working with him that I leave him a sound script and go on my way.

JS: This play joins a rich tradition of works that give agency to traditionally powerless characters. Where do you see it fitting into the broader conversation with other retellings or revisionist adaptations we've seen in recent years?

BA: Open-Door Playhouse was named to give a voice to all.  I’ve produced several plays that provide twists on Shakespeare’s characters, mostly comedies, and plays written by men & women in prison, men and women from the military, LGBTQ population, elder populations and women on the verge. They might not be retellings or adaptations of other plays – but they provide a different point of view of life, especially about prejudices.

JS: You founded Open-Door Playhouse during the pandemic shutdown in 2020. How has your mission evolved since those early days? What does this production reveal about your current artistic vision?

BA: Open-Door Playhouse is more than I could ever dream about. I started it because my live play was canceled due to the shutdown and I wanted a place for it to be heard.  So many stories need to be heard – everyone has one and we are all so different, and the podcast has grown exponentially since my play opened the door to others who have stories to tell – and I think our listeners enjoy the diversity of the plays – at least 16,250 downloads as of now – seem to make that clear.  What I also like is that – we bring the theater to the listener….

JS: There's something timely about a character trying to change her own narrative. What contemporary resonances do you hope today's audiences will find in this reimagined tale?

BA: I hope they find the reality of the situation depicted in the play – homelessness, child abuse, and that the little match girl does not have a name. And realizes that the thoughtfulness of her to question the situation – they are not blind to injustice, and for me, the assumption that homelessness isn’t necessarily caused by ignorance. Things they might realize in hindsight while looking back at the humor.

JS: Your theater has received submissions from Canada, France, Greece, Australia, and beyond. How do you see Open-Door Playhouse contributing to a global theatrical conversation through productions like this one?

BA: I’m thrilled that writers all over the world know about the podcast and best of all the writers trust me with their work. They know that our production value will honor their work.

JS: You're wearing two hats here, founder of Open-Door Playhouse and director of this production. How do you navigate between your administrative responsibilities and your creative work? Do these roles ever inform each other?

BA: I’ve actually been writing, directing and producing plays since 2001. This gig is multitasking. I read the plays, cast the plays, hire the directors when needed and set up the release dates. My assistant Laree creates the posters, emails etc. and sends out the notifications when a play goes up on the podcast.  Philip handles the PR. The hardest part is to get the casts to agree on their Rehearsal schedules, because everyone has lives of their own.

JS: At its heart, this comedy about "rewriting your own narrative" raises profound questions. What philosophical ideas about storytelling, fate, and free will do you hope might resonate with listeners after they've experienced the play?

BA: There’s always the right to question…anything.

Performances are available starting Tuesday, April 2, 2025. Tickets are free with optional donations. The Open-Door Playhouse is located here.