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Theatre Without Compromise
Thomas A. Leveen
You’re already online anyway -- take a moment to visit “ShowUp.com” [http://www.showup.com] and see what’s playing in local theatres this weekend. No, not Harkins, AMC or UA; click the Theatre column and see what fifty-plus live theatres in town are producing. Skip the professional groups -- your Arizona Theatre Companies, your Phoenix Theatres -- and browse what the community theatres are offering. You may have to scroll down to the “More Events” section most alternative companies are frequently relegated to. Falling in this part of a calendar listing, particularly in mainstream media news outlets, is the norm for most community theatres.
As urban sprawl continues unabated, theatre aficionados who used to drive forty miles for a rehearsal have taken it upon themselves to open up indie venues in distant enclaves such as Surprise, Queen Creek, and Cave Creek. Alternative theatres continue to crop up all across Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. Fountain Hills, Scottsdale and other metro areas all have a theatre or two or ten to choose from. Distance is no longer the excuse it used to be.
“Community theatre” and “black sheep” are often synonymous terms in the Valley. Some are semi-professional, with larger budgets, bigger venues, and often professional actors (members of the Equity Actors union). Many offer what audiences would recognize as the usual fare: popular musicals and comedies, with the occasional Pulitzer- or Tony®-winning drama. But it’s at the smallest venues with the slimmest budgets that you’ll find the edgy, experimental, and frequently disturbing plays -- in other words, some of the best theatre you’ll ever see. This is art that makes you question assumptions and to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature.
“In the valley, we have four styles of companies,” said local theatre critic Mark Turvin, [http://www.goldfishpublishers.com], himself an independent critic who runs a website which reviews all manner of Phoenix theatre. “We have our professional companies, including Arizona Theatre Company, Actors Theatre, and Phoenix Theatre. We have our semi-pro theatres, those that use professional actors but also include non-contract performers and elements, such as Arizona Jewish Theatre Company and Black Theatre Troupe. Then we have our community theatres, including Tempe Little Theatre, Mesa Encore Theatre, and Stagebrush. Finally, there are the others that defy description. These are the ones that cater to the off-kilter (Stray Cat), or the racy (Nearly Naked), or the truly experimental (Theatre in my Basement). They defy pigeonholing. They’re not any the lesser for not being easy to define, they’re just hard to pin down.” Other such category-defying companies include Insurrection Theatre, Desert Rose Theatre, and Algonquin Theatre Company, among others. (Turvin’s site includes a list of links to most such companies with hotlinks to their websites and press releases, well worth a visit.)
Producing work that would never be touched by a pro company is one of the benefits of working under the indie umbrella. Ron May, Artistic Director of Stray Cat Theatre [http://www.straycattheatre.org] in Phoenix, pointed out that choice of material is a benefit to the black sheep herd. “If most theatres, using a film analogy, can typically only offer a PG or PG-13, we almost always offer up R-rated or NC-17 material,” May said. “We know it’s not for everybody. It’s definitely a niche thing. Being smaller is also a huge advantage. We can take much bigger risks each season and play with more experimental material than the bigger houses. We’ve been around long enough now that our audiences will come on the ride with us. It’s not really all that different from mainstream films versus indie films. Most [live] theatres veer mainstream. We’re definitely indie.”
Dana Cianciotto, Artistic Director of Insurrection Theater Company [www.insurrectiontheater.com], agreed. “We want to produce work no one has seen before. We focus more on the ‘meat’ of the product -- the acting, the direction -- as opposed to the ‘side dishes’ -- the set, the costumes, etceteras.”
Making the most out of little is at the core of alternative theatre. Smaller companies all face similar problems, with money, decent venues, and publicity topping the list. These drawbacks, however, also focus the energies of the artists calling the shots. “It’s tough because we don’t have a reserve of money to be working with from previous seasons,” Cianciotto said. “Our ticket sales, though they’ve always been surprisingly good, are really our only source of income. We aren’t well-known enough to receive large sponsorships from Valley organizations or businesses, though many individuals and businesses do buy ad space in our programs. At the same time, not having an excess of money does keep us concentrated on the product itself more than the presentation. We can’t build lavish sets or rent the finest costumes, so we focus on what we can give you: deep, creative performances that entertain and challenge both the actor and the audience.”
Phoenix has long been a haven for plucky little companies willing to make a go of it. The question is, does Phoenix care? “I think the thing that Phoenix denies these companies is a home,” Turvin said. “Stray Cat is a perfect example. It’s been through five different homes, four of which have fallen to consumerist ventures. Nearly Naked has found a home through Phoenix Theatre, and Desert Rose has its lonely outpost out in the wilds of Mesa, but the Valley values another strip mall or condo over the arts. Even when they do create a center like the Mesa Arts Center and the [upcoming] Tempe and Peoria Arts Centers, they price their spaces out of reach of all but the most established companies.”
The “community” in community theatre doesn’t just refer to the audience, it also typifies the sense of shared risk alternative theatres face. Like cliques at high school cafeteria tables, alternative theatres have a tendency to stick together and help each other out in ways pro companies (the popular kids) rarely have need for. Small companies who shut their doors due to financial trouble or lack of a venue are often mourned by those companies who’ve survived another season, with support, well-wishes, and condolences pouring in from artistic directors and actors across town for their fallen comrades. “I've been very well supported by other theaters in town and I've made friends through their generosity and eagerness to help,” Cianciotto said. This sort of camaraderie is visible in alt-theatre productions, where passion for the art eclipses the lack of beautiful set designs and costumes.
While alternative theatre companies rise and fall with shocking regularity, the ongoing state of such companies doesn’t change much. Turvin eloquently summed up the reality facing “black sheep” theatres in the Valley. “Black sheep companies are, by their nature, always one flop away from shuttering,” he said. “The more established ones, like Stray Cat, Algonquin, and Nearly Naked are more stable, but nothing’s guaranteed. It’s important to remember that Actors Theatre, a strong and visionary professional company, recently nearly collapsed under financial burdens, and ironically, it can trace its start back to being a ‘black sheep’ company. Will Desert Rose or Insurrection Theatre become as entrenched as Stray Cat and Nearly Naked? That’s all in the spirit of their leaders, the tenacity of their collective, and the luck of the cards. Others are in the works. For example, one company, Off Center Theatre headed by The Shakespeare Theatre’s former Artistic Director Wes Martin, plans to open at the Peoria Arts Center later this season. There’ll always be five new black sheep ready to take their chances. In any given season, one may survive.”
Despite the risks, being small and an alternative to the norm is an attraction, not detraction. It’s an artistic approach that has worked well for Stray Cat and its sister companies. “It’s our aesthetic and what draws most of us to the work in the first place,” May said. “It’s a lot more artistically satisfying, for us at least. It separates us from every other McSeason out there. The programming [in the Valley] tends to bleed a little homogenously. If you were to stick up the season from every company in the valley and didn’t attach the names of the theatres, you’d be hard pressed to correctly pick who was doing which seasons for 90% of the theatres out here. So many of them are so interchangeable. Ours would immediately stick out as categorically ours. Odds are you wouldn't see a title we’re doing and mistake it for some other theatre, and vice versa, which is kind of nice.”
“I think it’s a good thing” to be alternative, Cianciotto added. “It drives you closer to your mission statement; it makes you work more passionately to achieve the things you’re aiming for and succeed in everything you do. It’s challenging and exciting at the same time. When you’re a black sheep, you have something to work toward.”
What this means for regular theatergoers and potential audience in the Valley is this: Alternative theatre is alive and well, and creating outstanding art despite their labels. “Theatre is not just another musical or another Neil Simon [play],” Turvin said. “On any given night, you can see Chris Dankowski’s Theatre in my Basement theatricalizing immigration issues, Stray Cat making its audience face disquieting truths, Nearly Naked putting new spins on recognizable tales, and Desert Rose dusting off some forgotten classics to show how relevant they are today. Whatever your taste, somewhere out there a live theatre is catering to it. Put down the remote or the game controller and become a part of it.”
Seeking the best in local art, no matter the relative “size” or popularity of the artist, and its mission to bring lesser-known work to the foreground is what Phoenix Art Space is all about,. Like all the arts, what you get can be a mixed bag, but the gems found shine brighter. When it comes to alt-theatre, prepare for a profound experience. “If you think you’ve seen all there is to see of live theatre in the valley, wait till you see what we drag in,” May said. “It may offend you. It may test your limits. It may cause controversy. It may not. But you won’t see it anywhere else. It may be horrifyingly violent, it may be funny as hell, but it will have a seriousness of purpose, presented with skill . . . and without compromise.”
And that, the last time we checked, was what art was all about.
As urban sprawl continues unabated, theatre aficionados who used to drive forty miles for a rehearsal have taken it upon themselves to open up indie venues in distant enclaves such as Surprise, Queen Creek, and Cave Creek. Alternative theatres continue to crop up all across Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. Fountain Hills, Scottsdale and other metro areas all have a theatre or two or ten to choose from. Distance is no longer the excuse it used to be.
“Community theatre” and “black sheep” are often synonymous terms in the Valley. Some are semi-professional, with larger budgets, bigger venues, and often professional actors (members of the Equity Actors union). Many offer what audiences would recognize as the usual fare: popular musicals and comedies, with the occasional Pulitzer- or Tony®-winning drama. But it’s at the smallest venues with the slimmest budgets that you’ll find the edgy, experimental, and frequently disturbing plays -- in other words, some of the best theatre you’ll ever see. This is art that makes you question assumptions and to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature.
“In the valley, we have four styles of companies,” said local theatre critic Mark Turvin, [http://www.goldfishpublishers.com], himself an independent critic who runs a website which reviews all manner of Phoenix theatre. “We have our professional companies, including Arizona Theatre Company, Actors Theatre, and Phoenix Theatre. We have our semi-pro theatres, those that use professional actors but also include non-contract performers and elements, such as Arizona Jewish Theatre Company and Black Theatre Troupe. Then we have our community theatres, including Tempe Little Theatre, Mesa Encore Theatre, and Stagebrush. Finally, there are the others that defy description. These are the ones that cater to the off-kilter (Stray Cat), or the racy (Nearly Naked), or the truly experimental (Theatre in my Basement). They defy pigeonholing. They’re not any the lesser for not being easy to define, they’re just hard to pin down.” Other such category-defying companies include Insurrection Theatre, Desert Rose Theatre, and Algonquin Theatre Company, among others. (Turvin’s site includes a list of links to most such companies with hotlinks to their websites and press releases, well worth a visit.)
Producing work that would never be touched by a pro company is one of the benefits of working under the indie umbrella. Ron May, Artistic Director of Stray Cat Theatre [http://www.straycattheatre.org] in Phoenix, pointed out that choice of material is a benefit to the black sheep herd. “If most theatres, using a film analogy, can typically only offer a PG or PG-13, we almost always offer up R-rated or NC-17 material,” May said. “We know it’s not for everybody. It’s definitely a niche thing. Being smaller is also a huge advantage. We can take much bigger risks each season and play with more experimental material than the bigger houses. We’ve been around long enough now that our audiences will come on the ride with us. It’s not really all that different from mainstream films versus indie films. Most [live] theatres veer mainstream. We’re definitely indie.”
Dana Cianciotto, Artistic Director of Insurrection Theater Company [www.insurrectiontheater.com], agreed. “We want to produce work no one has seen before. We focus more on the ‘meat’ of the product -- the acting, the direction -- as opposed to the ‘side dishes’ -- the set, the costumes, etceteras.”
Making the most out of little is at the core of alternative theatre. Smaller companies all face similar problems, with money, decent venues, and publicity topping the list. These drawbacks, however, also focus the energies of the artists calling the shots. “It’s tough because we don’t have a reserve of money to be working with from previous seasons,” Cianciotto said. “Our ticket sales, though they’ve always been surprisingly good, are really our only source of income. We aren’t well-known enough to receive large sponsorships from Valley organizations or businesses, though many individuals and businesses do buy ad space in our programs. At the same time, not having an excess of money does keep us concentrated on the product itself more than the presentation. We can’t build lavish sets or rent the finest costumes, so we focus on what we can give you: deep, creative performances that entertain and challenge both the actor and the audience.”
Phoenix has long been a haven for plucky little companies willing to make a go of it. The question is, does Phoenix care? “I think the thing that Phoenix denies these companies is a home,” Turvin said. “Stray Cat is a perfect example. It’s been through five different homes, four of which have fallen to consumerist ventures. Nearly Naked has found a home through Phoenix Theatre, and Desert Rose has its lonely outpost out in the wilds of Mesa, but the Valley values another strip mall or condo over the arts. Even when they do create a center like the Mesa Arts Center and the [upcoming] Tempe and Peoria Arts Centers, they price their spaces out of reach of all but the most established companies.”
The “community” in community theatre doesn’t just refer to the audience, it also typifies the sense of shared risk alternative theatres face. Like cliques at high school cafeteria tables, alternative theatres have a tendency to stick together and help each other out in ways pro companies (the popular kids) rarely have need for. Small companies who shut their doors due to financial trouble or lack of a venue are often mourned by those companies who’ve survived another season, with support, well-wishes, and condolences pouring in from artistic directors and actors across town for their fallen comrades. “I've been very well supported by other theaters in town and I've made friends through their generosity and eagerness to help,” Cianciotto said. This sort of camaraderie is visible in alt-theatre productions, where passion for the art eclipses the lack of beautiful set designs and costumes.
While alternative theatre companies rise and fall with shocking regularity, the ongoing state of such companies doesn’t change much. Turvin eloquently summed up the reality facing “black sheep” theatres in the Valley. “Black sheep companies are, by their nature, always one flop away from shuttering,” he said. “The more established ones, like Stray Cat, Algonquin, and Nearly Naked are more stable, but nothing’s guaranteed. It’s important to remember that Actors Theatre, a strong and visionary professional company, recently nearly collapsed under financial burdens, and ironically, it can trace its start back to being a ‘black sheep’ company. Will Desert Rose or Insurrection Theatre become as entrenched as Stray Cat and Nearly Naked? That’s all in the spirit of their leaders, the tenacity of their collective, and the luck of the cards. Others are in the works. For example, one company, Off Center Theatre headed by The Shakespeare Theatre’s former Artistic Director Wes Martin, plans to open at the Peoria Arts Center later this season. There’ll always be five new black sheep ready to take their chances. In any given season, one may survive.”
Despite the risks, being small and an alternative to the norm is an attraction, not detraction. It’s an artistic approach that has worked well for Stray Cat and its sister companies. “It’s our aesthetic and what draws most of us to the work in the first place,” May said. “It’s a lot more artistically satisfying, for us at least. It separates us from every other McSeason out there. The programming [in the Valley] tends to bleed a little homogenously. If you were to stick up the season from every company in the valley and didn’t attach the names of the theatres, you’d be hard pressed to correctly pick who was doing which seasons for 90% of the theatres out here. So many of them are so interchangeable. Ours would immediately stick out as categorically ours. Odds are you wouldn't see a title we’re doing and mistake it for some other theatre, and vice versa, which is kind of nice.”
“I think it’s a good thing” to be alternative, Cianciotto added. “It drives you closer to your mission statement; it makes you work more passionately to achieve the things you’re aiming for and succeed in everything you do. It’s challenging and exciting at the same time. When you’re a black sheep, you have something to work toward.”
What this means for regular theatergoers and potential audience in the Valley is this: Alternative theatre is alive and well, and creating outstanding art despite their labels. “Theatre is not just another musical or another Neil Simon [play],” Turvin said. “On any given night, you can see Chris Dankowski’s Theatre in my Basement theatricalizing immigration issues, Stray Cat making its audience face disquieting truths, Nearly Naked putting new spins on recognizable tales, and Desert Rose dusting off some forgotten classics to show how relevant they are today. Whatever your taste, somewhere out there a live theatre is catering to it. Put down the remote or the game controller and become a part of it.”
Seeking the best in local art, no matter the relative “size” or popularity of the artist, and its mission to bring lesser-known work to the foreground is what Phoenix Art Space is all about,. Like all the arts, what you get can be a mixed bag, but the gems found shine brighter. When it comes to alt-theatre, prepare for a profound experience. “If you think you’ve seen all there is to see of live theatre in the valley, wait till you see what we drag in,” May said. “It may offend you. It may test your limits. It may cause controversy. It may not. But you won’t see it anywhere else. It may be horrifyingly violent, it may be funny as hell, but it will have a seriousness of purpose, presented with skill . . . and without compromise.”
And that, the last time we checked, was what art was all about.
© 2008 Phoenix Art Space, All rights reserved.