Theatre and Society: Doin'it for Themselves

by Amy Barratt and Alexa Topolski

Sometimes invention is the mother of necessity. Every year, new companies spring up with productions that are as fresh and invigorating as a cold shower. The young artists behind them possess a unique combination of vision and ingenuity. Some produce one show and are never heard from again; others hang in there, carving out a place for themselves. What they all share is a determination to do things on their own terms.

Take the example of Anthony Leo and Lee Wilson, who, fresh out of Ryerson’s theatre program, founded Resurgence Theatre, a company devoted to outdoor Shakespeare productions. “There were specific plays we wanted to do, and specific directors we wanted to work with,” explains Leo, “and we decided, instead of waiting, to just go for it.”

Resurgence’s annual York Shakespeare Festival takes place 45 minutes north of Toronto, in Newmarket, Ontario. Last summer they produced two plays, Romeo and Juliet and a critically acclaimed Tempest, set on an island with the audience seated on floating docks. While about thirty-five percent of their audience is from Toronto, the local public, Leo says, has been incredibly supportive. Being based in a smaller community has proved to have practical benefits as well.

“Being off the beaten track has made it easier for us in terms of getting funding because there’s so much less competition here than there is in Toronto,” says Leo. “On the other hand, it has made it harder to attract the attention of the Toronto critics.”

In contrast, Exodus Theatre, one of several young companies currently stirring up the Halifax theatre scene, got critics out to their very first production, a four-person Julius Caesar done with masks. The response, from a press and public weary of the mainstream, was enthusiastic.

Just because you’re young and new, points out Sarah Blenkhorn, Exodus’s Artistic Director, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re radical. Although some might say their Julius Caesar broke the rules, says Blenkhorn, Exodus simply wants to take a fresh look at the classics and hopefully attract a new audience at the same time.

After four years of existence, Exodus’s most recent show, The Duchess of Malfi, was the first to receive outside funding. Blenkhorn credits this important development to the fact that the company has established a reputation in the community — and that members have learned to fill out grant proposals. Figuring out how to make money doing what you love is a crucial step for any artist who doesn’t want to find him- or herself part of the emerging generation of telemarketers.

NTS grad Matthew MacFadzean (Acting, 1998) knows all too well that critical acclaim doesn’t necessarily lead to producers beating down your door. He wrote and performed in richardthesecond, a production he describes as “fairly aggressive, content-wise.” It won the 2001 SummerWorks Festival’s prize for best production, and was staged again at Theatre Passe Muraille, where ticket lines snaked around the corner. Despite rave reviews, subsequent tries to shop it around were unsuccessful. “I couldn’t get anyone to take a chance on it,” shrugs MacFadzean philosophically.

Undaunted, MacFadzean continues to pursue his goal of finding “a new way to create stories.” His latest piece,
Moon Studies, brings together musicians, singers, and dancers. “My frustration is that I can’t pay myself or the people I work with yet. That’s a big problem,” says MacFadzean, who pays his bills — sort of — with acting gigs: “I act, and I starve,” he says cheerfully.

Montreal actor Tony Palermo, aka playwright Anthony Kokx, founded Gravy Bath Productions in 2000 with handful of friends from John Abbott College. In two short years, Gravy Bath has grown into the most talked-about English company in the city. Their production Henry. October. 1970, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V set during the October Crisis, swept the Montreal English Critics Circle Awards (MECCAs) for 2001-2002.

Though Gravy Bath has yet to receive any funding, it is starting to gain the attention and respect of the established theatre community. Indeed, the Saidye Bronfman Centre Theatre has offered them a performance space for their next production, free of charge.

Sherry Yoon, resident director for Vancouver’s up-and-coming Boca del Lupo theatre, has also found older, established companies to be quite supportive. “Boca del Lupo is currently mentoring with The Vancouver Playhouse, where we have access to some of their resources and personnel for our upcoming season,” says Yoon.

Montreal’s Centaur Theatre, under the directorship of Gordon McCall, is another company that aggressively supports young theatre artists. “I come from the alternative theatre scene myself,” explains McCall, “so I have strong roots in the entrepreneurial spirit.” Under McCall, the Centaur has introduced two outreach programs, including its Wildside Festival, which not only funds new groups’ productions but pays their members. The Festival has proved a huge success for all involved, exposing Centaur’s regular members to Montreal’s alternative scene while giving young companies a leg up. “They [Centaur audience members] might not go up the Main to a fourth-floor theatre space, but they will come to our theatre,” explains McCall.

To his surprise, McCall’s decision to present alternative theatre at Centaur has been warmly received. “What we’ve found is that alternative theatre is commercial”.

But, McCall acknowledges, not all theatres share his interest in fostering alternative theatre. “We are still in the minority. It really depends on the artistic director and the board.”

But “alternative” is more than a euphemism for “underfunded.” Alternative theatre artists are those who have a vision that doesn’t fit established norms. And a fresh, personal take on theatre is something money can’t buy. Artists outside the mainstream give the gift of a new perspective. Fortunately for us, many of them find that even though recognition may be slow in coming, the rush of making their own vision come alive is worth it.

“I love it. Exactly how I feel about the world is what I’m putting out there,” says MacFadzean. “Ultimately, win or lose, it’s the most satisfying thing I can do.”

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