Exile On Reed Street

In a hail of fake blood and bullets, Theatre Exile rises to the challenge with Studio X.


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Published: Feb 23, 2011

[ theater ]

Neal Santos

WEAPON X: "We've spent the last few weeks firing guns, blowing up things and mixing up vats of blood," says Theatre Exile artistic director Joe Canuso of new performance space Studio X.

The last 12 months have been challenging for Theatre Exile. There was the controversy surrounding its decision to stage That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play, and the tragedy of having lost Melissa Lynch, the Philadelphia actress set to star in the company's current production, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, in a car accident before New Year's Eve.

"Melissa's death hit the theater community hard," says Exile's artistic director, Joe Canuso. "Melissa's presence is still deeply felt by the cast. I think they use that as inspiration to do the most kick-ass show in her honor."

There have been happier challenges, too. Under director Matt Pfeiffer, Lieutenant is Exile's biggest production in terms of budget, design and technical needs; the show is laden with pulp fictional special effects. "We've spent the last few weeks firing guns, blowing up things and mixing up vats of blood," says Canuso.

But it's the location where effects wizards Waldo Warsaw and Aaron Cromie are stirring blood and making body parts that represents the company's largest off-stage undertaking: Studio X.

Before 2010's Live Arts fest, Exile signed a long-term lease on the glass-block corner of 13th and Reed, with 1232 square feet of rehearsal/theatrical/what-have-you space and nearly the same footage for offices. Exile had grown tremendously in the last five years, and outgrew its digs at Fourth and South. Canuso's wife, Trish, a real estate agent, found the space, and Exile made the move immediately.

Studio X has its limits; zoned for only 50 seats, it's a place for smaller shows and workshops. Its first full production, Iron by Rona Munro, came during the last Fringe Festival. "That was a huge success," Canuso says. "We plan to do that again next Fringe while running main-stage productions at bigger venues like Christ Church Neighborhood House."

And residing off the beaten path is apropos for Exile. "There's not as much congestion and Passyunk Square has become the hipster area," says Canuso. "There are probably more artists living in a 10-block radius of Studio X than anywhere in Philly."

As someone who lives nearby and walks his greyhound daily, I joke with Canuso about seeing thespians picking up candy wrappers. "You know actors subsist on healthy things like apples and cigarettes. Must be those kids from the charter school. Besides, the neighbors seem to like us. We had a sidewalk flea market to raise money when we moved in and met most people in the neighborhood. They've been very supportive."

The support goes both ways. The space is home to the Studio X-hibition New Play development program, a series and its readings of new works by local playwrights. They plan to expand it with Writer's Asylum, a support system event where Canuso and co. can provide space and resources for writers to share unfinished work. Studio X has also been rented out to smaller companies in the area as a rehearsal space.

"When we got the grant from Philadelphia Theatre Initiative to do The Lieutenant we asked for money to do workshops in the community," says Canuso. The most fun workshops so far? Either the one where Warsaw taught stage combat techniques and gun-play lessons with live ammo, or Cromie's demonstration on the proper crafting of body parts.

"We are not big on pretentiousness and elitism," Canuso says. "That's because the neighborhoods have always been the lifeblood of this city. I think if theater or any art form is going to survive, it has to reach out and make itself more relevant to the neighborhoods. If we put ourselves above them or condescend to them, they will dismiss us, and they will have every right to do so."

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

The Lieutenant of Inishmore runs through March 13, $25-$32, Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St., 215-218-4022, theatreexile.org.