Two's Company

A new wave of theater bucks the economic trend.

by Mark Cofta

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Published: Sep 15, 2010

Joseph Michael Lopez Henry V

Philadelphia theater: stronger than ever? Despite the recession, major companies (the Arden, the Walnut, the Wilma) and smaller ones (11th Hour, Azuka, BRAT) are heading into the fall season with full force, and two new troupes — the Philadelphia Artists' Collective and Quintessence Theatre Group — are debuting ambitious productions. Both companies, whose sheer existence is encouraging in this age of economic downsizing, have lofty ambitions.

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Quintessence means "the fifth essence," explains associate artistic director Pamela Reichen, referencing the ancient Greeks' four elements (earth, air, fire, water). "The fifth [is] the stardust that makes us all who we are."

"We adapt for modern audiences," says Reichen. "With Shakespeare, that means cutting to make it accessible, or setting it in a way to make it more relevant." Their first season at Mount Airy's Sedgwick Theater (in a 1928 art-deco cinema) starts with Shakespeare's Henry V, then an adaptation of Plato's Apology, Molière's Don Juan and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. "We'll never tell a story that we don't think people can relate to today."

The Philadelphia Artists' Collective (PAC) has similar goals with its inaugural production of John Webster's 1613 drama The Duchess of Malfi at the Broad Street Ministry. "It's interesting that Quintessence is popping up at the same time as us," says director Dan Hodge, who founded PAC with fellow Philadelphia actors Damon Bonetti, Charlotte Northeast and Krista Apple. "Theater seems to be in trouble: Now more than ever, technology is changing our lives. We don't have to leave the house to get things done, don't have to encounter another human being." Nevertheless, Hodge sees potential: "There's something incredibly vital about having people in a room together."

Quintessence, like PAC, wants to engage a modern audience. Henry V will play in the round, so with only 100 seats, everyone will be very close. Moreover, the cast is all male. "A lot of Shakespeare's comedy comes off better with men," says Reichen, noting that men played all women's roles in Shakespeare's theater. "But it's not campy — we're honoring the characters."

Oh, and don't read The Duchess of Malfi before seeing PAC's production, Hodge cautions. "It's full of surprises, and remarkably clear and vital," he says, with political intrigue, sex, espionage and werewolves. The accomplished cast, led by Northeast and Bonetti (Apple is busy with The Wilma's Macbeth), will have a "clean, tailored, sleek" look designed by Katherine Fritz — not quite modern, but not tied to any one era. "A specific period is a danger in itself," Hodge says, "because people connect it too much to historical events."

PAC views every production "not just as a theater piece, but a dialogue between different art forms." Composer David Britton provides live accompaniment, and art by painter A. Martin Campos and his students complements the production. "We're sowing seeds, and we'll see what takes," says Hodge. "We're trying to find ways to inspire artists."

Both theaters have ambitious future plans. Quintessence envisions a repertory company "in the traditional British sense," meaning full-time actors performing a rotating roster of plays. "It's a way that an actor can live a real life," Reichen explains, "and actors are better playing comedy one night, drama the next — it's fresher and more interesting for everybody."

The actor-created PAC plans one major production, plus readings each year, and also aims to empower actors. "All four of us have healthy careers," says Hodge, "but it's great to get together and discuss what really jazzes us." In today's theater, actors are journeymen: "If you're a painter, you have skills, you create — but an actor has to wait to be handed the brushes." PAC wants to cast great actors in small roles, and roles that they wouldn't normally play. "We're a collective," Hodge says, "so casting decisions are shared by the group."

(m_cofta@citypaper.net)

Henry V, Sept. 22-Oct. 17, $10-$30, Quintessence Theatre Group at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Ave., 215-240-6055, quintessencetheatre.org; The Duchess of Malfi, Sept. 23-Oct. 9, $15, Philadelphia Artists' Collective, Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St., 800-838-3006, philartistscollective.weebly.com.

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