Why Diane Paulus Was Willing to Do Anything to Direct 'Jagged Little Pill'

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: In an industry in which theatre directors are often approached by producers with finalized scripts in hand, Diane Paulus appreciates more of a blank slate. The Tony Award winner (for Pippin) and Broadway vet (Hair, Finding Neverland, Porgy and Bess) enjoys joining projects early on in their development—sometimes before any words have even been written. When she signed on to Waitress, based on the eponymous indie film, Sara Bareilles hadn't yet composed a single song. It was the opposite with Jagged Little Pill: While most of the numbers come from Alanis Morissette's seminal 1995 album of the same name, producer Vivek J. Tiwary had no idea what the story would be when he courted Paulus over breakfast four years ago. She didn't need much convincing to come on board.