A Conversation with Director Yunyi Zhu, "Jump or Fall," Open-Door Playhouse, by James Scarborough

"Jump or Fall" shows a moment of human connection at the edge of despair. Playwright Rich Nagle balances darkness and possibility as two strangers meet at a bridge, each seeking an end to their troubles. It's not just a story about suicide, but about chance meetings and how people move between isolation and connection. Director Yunyi Zhu handles these difficult emotions with actors Gina Elaine and Larry Coleman, who show the tentative dance between vulnerability and self-protection. The podcast format strips away visual distractions, forcing listeners to confront the raw intimacy of voices in crisis. There's something refreshingly honest about this approach - we can't look away from difficult emotions when they're delivered directly to our ears. Like the characters themselves, we're suspended between past trauma and future uncertainty, wondering if human connection can truly save us. The play doesn't offer easy answers but invites us to consider how brief moments of understanding might change the paths of lives balanced at the edge.

Below follows an email conversation with Director Yunyi Zhu.

JS: Rich Nagle comes from a background in music and screenwriting. How did this influence your direction of "Jump or Fall," particularly in rhythm and pacing in the audio format?

YZ: Absolutely - Rich’s musical background is felt in every beat of the play. There’s a rhythm to the dialogue that feels almost lyrical, especially in how Harris and Alina volley emotionally-charged lines back and forth. I leaned into that by shaping the pacing with deliberate pauses - moments of silence that act like rests in a musical score. These pauses gave the audience time to absorb the gravity of what was said and allowed emotional shifts to land with more weight. We also played with crescendos - raising the tempo slightly when tension escalated, then pulling back during softer, more introspective moments.

JS: The premise hinges on a chance meeting at a bridge. What techniques did you use with actors Gina Elaine and Larry Coleman to capture the initial tension and gradual building of trust between these two desperate strangers?

YZ: We started with table reads focused purely on subtext. I asked Gina and Larry to start with their true feelings and what echoes to them in the characters. They read between the lines—what’s unsaid but emotionally potent in each exchange. Then we ran scenes where they deliberately didn’t match energy, creating a friction that felt real. Their characters begin with defenses up, and we built their chemistry around those layers slowly peeling away. By the final scenes, their performances were less about performing and more about reacting, listening—trust forming in real time.

JS: Open-Door Playhouse productions rely heavily on sound design. How did you work with Sound Engineer David Peters to create the environmental elements that establish both the physical setting and the emotional landscape?

YZ: The falls almost like a third character—always present, sometimes soothing, sometimes thunderous, mirroring Harris and Alina’s emotional states. We planned to use spatial sound to place listeners right on that bridge—the wooden creak of the bench, wind sweeping through trees, distant rustling before Alina enters. Even small details, like stones falling into the canyon or the subtle echo of voices in the stillness, were crafted to heighten immersion and emotion. David always give fantastic suggestions and makes the atmosphere so much better after his touch up on audio.

JS: The podcast medium removes visual cues for the audience. What challenges did this present, and how did you guide your actors to convey complex emotions through voice alone?

YZ: Without visuals, tone, breath, and timing carry everything. We worked extensively on intention—what each line wants. I had Gina and Larry physically move during recording to help those intentions come through vocally. For instance, leaning on the railing or turning away—those subtle changes affect how a line is delivered. And we recorded close-mic’d takes to capture vulnerability: a quiver, a sigh, a catch in the throat. All of it helped fill in the visual blanks.

JS: The play explores personal crisis and unexpected human connection. How did you ensure the portrayal of suicidal thoughts was both authentic and sensitive?

YZ: That was a central responsibility we took seriously. I focused on honesty—never romanticizing the idea, but showing its roots in grief, loss, and emotional overwhelm. In rehearsals, we spent time discussing each character’s internal world so the actors could approach the material with empathy rather than judgment. And importantly, we ended the story with ambiguity—rather than sensationalize the jump, we leaned into emotional truth and left space for reflection.

JS: Many of Open-Door Playhouse's productions have gained international recognition. How do you think "Jump or Fall" speaks to universal human experiences despite its specific setting?

YZ: Grief, guilt, heartbreak—these are deeply human emotions that transcend culture or geography. What makes Jump or Fall powerful is that it strips away distractions and leaves us with two broken people at their most raw. Their connection feels universal: strangers finding unexpected understanding. And that question—do we give up or keep going?—is one I think resonates with people everywhere.

JS: The title "Jump or Fall" suggests both choice and surrender. How does this duality shape the play's dramatic arc?

YZ: That duality is the heartbeat of the story. Harris and Alina both arrive ready to fall—whether by choice or circumstance. But as they connect, the act of jumping starts to feel more like a decision—one with shared agency, emotion, even hope. The play’s emotional arc mirrors that tension between helplessness and choice, despair and possibility. It's not just about dying—it’s about why and with whom we choose to keep living, or not.

JS: What does Nagle's play show about human connection during crisis that other plays might miss?

YZ: It dares to find humor and tenderness in the darkest of moments. Nagle understands that people in crisis aren’t just sad—they're complex, contradictory, often funny in spite of themselves. That blend of wit and depth makes the connection between Harris and Alina feel earned, not forced. It’s not a neat Hollywood redemption—it’s messy, imperfect, but real. That honesty is what sets it apart.

JS: The Open-Door Playhouse has been described as reminiscent of radio dramas from the 1940s and 1950s. How does "Jump or Fall" both honor this tradition and bring something new to the form?

YZ: We honored that tradition through structure—tight dialogue, minimal soundscape, all story-driven. But what we added was a contemporary rawness. This isn’t a sanitized love story or melodrama. It’s modern in its themes—mental health, trauma, emotional vulnerability—and in how it allows its characters to be flawed and real. In that way, Jump or Fall feels like an evolution of the radio drama, not just a nod to it.

JS: Beyond entertainment, what questions do you hope listeners will think about after experiencing "Jump or Fall"?

YZ: I hope they ask themselves: What does it really mean to see someone? And how often do we pass judgment before understanding context? The play’s central question—do we jump or fall—isn’t just about literal death. It’s about whether we give in to hopelessness, or let a connection, however brief, shift our trajectory. I hope listeners reflect on the power of presence, and how even a stranger’s compassion can change a life.

Performances are available starting Tuesday, April 30, 2025. Tickets are free with optional donations. The Open-Door Playhouse is located here.