Q: When The Theater Project was established in 1994, what was the vision you had in mind?
A: We wanted to present theater that reflects contemporary issues -- much like many of the plays presented Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. Our first play was Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare that addresses the human connection between people of widely different backgrounds and economic circumstances. We also wanted to develop a community of theatergoers that would enjoy the challenge and pleasure of reflecting on their beliefs and values, while being entertained in an intimate 100-seat theater. And finally, as a Union County College-funded program and its on-campus Professional Theater Company, we wanted to fulfill an educational function by exposing
audiences to plays that were new to them. And all these years later, here we are about to present the New Jersey premiere of a Christopher Durang comedy that reflects many current issues around family and country.
Q: How has that vision filled a need in the NJ arts scene for the past 16 years?
A: We have been presenting plays that are provocative and risky. We also regularly produce brand new and different pieces. These are simply not done by any other local theaters. And we have cultivated a very strong following that prefers our intimate brand of close up and personal theater � theater that is also close to home and at an affordable price. We are always thrilled to see the enjoyment on the faces of first-time audience members when they discover us. They know they have found something special. And that keeps all of us at The Theater Project striving to consistently do our best.
Q: Why is theater important and meaningful?
A: Books, movies, television and theater are all forms of storytelling, and storytelling is philosophy for the everyman. Storytelling is how we have transmitted ideas and values from one generation to another for centuries. I think theater, rather than TV or movies, is where the more meaningful stories are being told today. There is a �stick to your ribs' quality to theater, because it's live. You have to concentrate more, engage your imagination, and experience actually being in the room with the story and the actors, especially in an intimate setting like our 100 seat theater. We also regularly interact with our audiences after each performance to further the conversation and strengthen the bond built over the course of the evening, over the course of the season, and in many cases, over the course of many years. We know many of our patrons by name.
Q: What inspires you to select each season's repertoire?
A: I am always looking for plays to unite the best written material with the best actors while speaking to the concerns of the audience at that time. Our plays are almost always contemporary, or a classic that speaks to a current concern, like The Skin of Our Teeth, which was recognized by Peter Filichia of The Star Ledger as one of the top-10 productions in NJ a couple of years back. When I read a new play, I focus on the key thoughts I believe the audience will take away with them. Every great play has one exciting idea that is expressed by a line of dialogue, and I hope our audiences leave the theater thinking about that idea. In last season's Ruby Sunrise, as an example, the line addressed the medium of television: "Television will be the end of war because who could bear it? Who could bear to see war right in your own living room?" That single thought expresses all the hope and disappointment about television while speaking to the very topical subject of war.
Q: Your next production opens in early July and is quite special, too, in a couple of ways. How so?
A: We are currently in rehearsals for Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them and we are proud to be presenting the New Jersey premiere of this, the newest, Christopher Durang comedy. Mr. Durang is a Summit, NJ, native so that's a nice local angle, too. It's a wildly funny play by a man that regularly satirizes the dysfunctional American family. This dark comedy begins by attempting to answer the question: What do you do when you wake up married to a man that might or might not be a terrorist? When the play had its world premiere last year at New York's Public Theater, The New York Times hailed it as �Durang's funniest play.� Our very talented actors are having a lot of fun with the material, and based on the guffaws that are regularly heard during our rehearsals, our audiences are in for a treat. The production runs Thursday July 8 through Sunday August 1, with Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances at 8PM and Sundays matinees at 3PM. There will be discussions with the audience and cast after each Friday night performance.
Q: This fall, The Theater Project will be presenting its first ever musical. New Jersey has a number of theaters that present musicals, and yet you have chosen to do one. Why?
A: We have been fortunate to be the recipient of grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council for the Arts, and the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders (HART GRANT), among others, over the years for our productions. This year, we received our first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and that allows us to financially produce a musical, Crowns. It will speak to many of the families in our community, because it centers around a young girl in crisis, Yolanda, who is carried by her community through the crisis. It is very theatrical and unusual, bridging older values and beliefs with the contemporary challenges of today. It's through a story-telling format that the women in the community come together to support the central character, to pass on traditions and heritage of the south, and to empower her.
Q: How has The Theater Project evolved over the years?
A: Our first productions were basic: no sets, no lights, no scenery. Over the years, with more support through funding and in-kind donations, the productions have become more fully realized. They are still minimalist productions, true to our style, but more theatrical with furniture, props and video graphics. It takes the imagination of actors and audience to make a wingback chair a king's throne, for example, but that's part of the magic of live theater. The selection of productions, however, always remains true to our purpose and to our audiences' expectations. Some of the plays we have produced are: Ruby Sunrise (2009), Psycho Beach Party (2009), Omnium Gatherum(2007), The Skin of Our Teeth (2006), and earlier in our history: Having Our Say (2003) and Defying Gravity (2000 and 2008).
Q: How else have you extended the reach of your productions to the community?
A: Several years ago, The Theater Project developed a strong collaborative effort with the Springfield Lions Club, The Union County Association for the Blind and the New Jersey Theater Alliance, to offer one audio described performance of each production to better enable blind patrons to �see' our production. These patrons also receive a pre-show orientation to the physical setting and to the play. This effort has been very well received.
Q: You were once again named Best Director by Peter Filichia of The Star Ledger for your direction on this season's Manuscript. You and The Theater Project are regularly recognized locally for your quality work. What other recent examples are there?
A: We are always pleased to be recognized in this fashion. We have such a talented core group of actors and technical personnel, and to be acknowledged alongside the state's most well-known theaters is quite a feather in our cap. Noreen Farley, who appears in our next production of Why Torture is Wrong�, was just recognized as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in last season's Ruby Sunrise and the Best Actress nod was given to Jenelle Sosa for her performance in our 2009 production of Psycho Beach Party. The Star ledger also named three of our recent productions to its annual �10 best' list: Music from a Sparkling Planet, The Skin of Our Teeth, and Omnium Gatherum.
Q: Where do you go from here with The Theater Project?
A: I would love to see more opportunities for The Theater Project to interact with our audiences so that we continue to grow and entertain our theater-going community. A wish of mine would be to offer weekly events that serve as �Sunday family dinners.� If we had the means to present even more productions and performances, while offering our other programs such as the Young Playwrights Competition and script-in-hand performances of new plays from the Playwrights' Workshop and other educational outreach activities, I would be a happy man. Holding us back a little right now is the tough economy, which is impacting everyone in the arts -- and our audience. We are already spreading the funds as far as we can while still meeting the needs and expectations of our community.
