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Also this issue: Today Philadelphia, Tomorrow The World Philly's unique brand of movement theater is making international news. |
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July 25-31, 2002
cover story
Pig Iron's managing director and the Theatre Alliance team up to revive Philly's Small Theater Collective.
This has been a rough year for everyone in the arts, but especially so for smaller companies trying to make their way. Now, more than ever, these groups need to band together for support. Surprisingly, though, even after one of the worst economic years in recent memory, many artists involved in smaller companies are hopeful for their future and the future of Philadelphia as a theater town.
Pig Iron Theatre Co.'s managing director, Damian Sinclair (formerly communications director at the Wilma Theater), says that one thing the smaller companies in Philadelphia are lacking is a forum for communication and for supporting each other professionally. "I think a lot of the [company members] are friends with each other," Sinclair says. "But I don't think they talk to each other professionally and strategize about ways we can help each other." Sinclair recently became secretary of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, led by Melissa Shaner, and he thought it would be a great time to start up a separate arm of the alliance tailored toward the needs of smaller companies. Thus the Small Theater Collective was born, or at least reborn. (A similar collective was started a few years ago by Vagabond's Ty Furman but has not been active in some time.)
Shaner and Sinclair hope to organize workshops to help the companies with administrative organization and arrange mentorships for fledgling companies. Moreover, they hope the collective will allow a growing conversation between local artists that will result in collaboration or new explorations.
A few weeks ago, Sinclair, Shaner and representatives from nine companies crammed into the conference room at City Paper's offices to praise Philadelphia's community of artists and bitch about a lack of performance spaces. The artists in the room represented in miniature the sheer variety of theater being made outside of the major companies, from 1812 Productions' producing artistic director Pete Pryor to Jessica Graham, producing director of Theater Catalyst and creator of the Eternal Spiral Project dedicated to theater for women; from Aileen McCulloch, managing artistic director of Vagabond, to Benjamin Cromie, director of marketing and development for the new Enchantment Theatre Co. (formerly Landis & Co. Theatre of Magic); from Jewish-themed theater company Theatre Ariel's artistic director Deborah Baer Mozes to Fictitious Theatre Co.'s artistic director Rosemary L'Erario-Fox. Many people in the room had known each other for years; others were meeting for the first time.
Some of the artists have been working here for years, and they've noticed the change for the better. Vox Theatre Co.'s producing/artistic director, Lauren Pierson-Swanson, says, "It's a different city than it was 11 years ago; you have a chance to make a living here [now]. Everyone's created a community of artists."
Vagabond's McCulloch concurs, saying, "I think we're here. I think this is a theater town."
Like the community of hybrid dance/theater artists, many of the actors and directors at the meeting felt that one of Philadelphia's great strengths as a theater town is its willingness to accept its artists in different roles. "It's a great city to learn how to do stuff," Graham says. "There's so much opportunity to expand. I started out stage managing, and [now I have] a theater company for women." McCulloch feels that's a recent development. "That's developed over the last two years. In the past, people would say, ŒAre you an actor or a director?' And I would say yes. The quality of theater here is so good because we try all sides [of a production]."
Shaner also notes that Philly is getting a good rep from national conferences coming to town. "People are getting back on the plane and saying, ŒWow.'" Pryor cites InterAct's recent national new play festival as a positive step, and Shaner concurs. "People said, ŒWow, there are 35 good actors in Philadelphia.' And I said, ŒSo many more are working in other parts of the city.'"
Asked for the group's complaints about Philly, the entire room answers in unison, nearly hissing the word "space." A lack of viable, affordable venues is the No. 1 concern for smaller companies that don't have their own theaters. (Even this meeting was scheduled in CP's offices after the collective wasn't sure it could come up with another meeting space.) On the other hand, everyone has a different definition of their dream space. "We'd love to have our own 750-seat theater," says Cromie, to which Azuka Theatre Collective's Kevin Glaccum cries out in mock horror, "750 seats!" "Hey, you gotta dream," Cromie replies.
Vox's Pierson-Swanson brings up the concern of space sometimes being more trouble than it's worth with the cost of upkeep. "Space is the vampire -- you gotta feed it," she says.
As for that huge space that just opened up, the assembled folks didn't feel like the Kimmel has been much help, noting that even its smallest space, the Innovation Studio black box theater, is not cost-effective. (The studio rents to nonprofits for $1,000 for one four-hour evening.) McCulloch muses, "I think the positive ripple will come down the line. The negative ripple is we complain about space and people say, ŒWhy don't you use the Kimmel Center?'"
Graham notes with a laugh that "my grandmother told me to work at the Kimmel Center, because they probably have good health benefits, and she wants to say that I work at the Kimmel Center. And I said, ŒI'm doing important work here!'"
