Independent theater thrives in New Orleans

BY DEAN M. SHAPIRO

Special to The Advocate

September 11, 2013

0 COMMENTS

With its openness to new art, visually appealing locations and affordable living, New Orleans has become fertile ground for independent theater. This fall a dozen stage production groups are preparing to launch shows in locations that range from barrooms to black box theaters.

“It’s a great vibe and a great feeling,” said Fred Nuccio, who opened the 50-seat Mid-City Theater in 2011 in a renovated old warehouse on Toulouse Street a block from Bayou St. John. “Most of these companies starting up are young, and that’s what’s really nice about it. It keeps a young feeling about things, but it’s not alienating our older audiences either. ... It keeps an edginess to it that I like.”

Nuccio also noted that New Orleans is a receptive place for stretching the boundaries of traditional stage.

“Theater people in New Orleans are taking a lot more risks, putting new stuff out there and seeing how it works,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with the standards, but it’s nice to see new works.”

Mid-City Theatre keeps seats filled with cabaret, standup comedy and a “live soap opera” called “Debauchery.” An evening of six short plays by six playwrights, dubbed “6x6,” is planned Oct. 9. A.J. Allegra of The NOLA Project has staged shows at the Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden and the nearby New Orleans Museum of Art, incorporating the dramatic locations into the set. The NOLA Project is in its ninth season; the Sept. 4 opener, “A Truckload of Ink” by local playwright Jim Fitzmorris, will be staged at the University of New Orleans and is based on recent real-life drama in the New Orleans newspaper scene.

Allegra, a New York theater alumnus, said the high cost of living in the Big Apple has priced artists out.

“It’s not a great market anymore except for the super wealthy,” he said. “I think New Orleans is what New York might have been in the sixties when people were experimenting and there was traditional stuff alongside avant garde work.”

And, “New Orleans is a great incubator for writing and acting talent,” he said. “It’s an inspiring place with a rich history and a unique culture that lends itself very well to storytelling.”

Jonathan Mares has staged five local premieres since the founding of Jonathan Mares Productions in 2010, including the recent “Killer Joe” at the AllWays Theater on St. Claude Avenue.

“I feel that audiences here are very receptive to original works and shows they haven’t been familiar with,” Mares said. “We have some really adventurous theater-goers and they don’t care what they’re seeing as long as it’s interesting. It can be comedic, dramatic, thriller, whatever. As long as it’s a good product, people will come out and support it.”

Mares dreams of having a fixed venue his company can call its own. Other companies prefer not being tied to a specific theater, opting instead to stage shows in whatever venues suit their needs. Skin Horse Theater, founded in 2007 by five students from New York’s Bard College, has staged shows in locations ranging from a warehouse to a bar to a Bywater house.

“All of our productions are so different from one another that they don’t all need the same space,” said Anna Henschel, a Skin Horse principal. “Each piece deserves something different, and I’m really happy to have the opportunity to move around.”

Despite the growth of the local theater scene, finances can be a headache.

Owner/director Dennis Monn of the AllWays Lounge and Theater decries the lack, in many cases, of compensation for actors and supporting staff and the shortage of revenue that theaters like his need to keep operating.

“People like me who are in this business want to create sustainable income, make a living and create a living wage for actors, directors and other theater professionals,” Monn said. “There’s nowhere to go until that happens.”

Monn also sees the plethora of new theatrical venues and production companies as an example of “gentrification. There’s a saturation of theater companies without homes. There are a lot of people doing theater and that’s terrific, but that doesn’t mean a lot of people are willing to take capital and invest in a space to make a theater.

“The more taxes the performing arts raise for the city, the more the theater community can become an asset to the city. Then a lot of things can happen and things can grow. But, as long as there’s this mentality of everyone putting on shows everywhere, I don’t see how that’s going to be sustainable.”

One prospect that appears to have near-universal support would be the creation of a black box theater district: a concentration of small theaters in a section of town that could become a destination for both locals and tourists.

“I think a theater district is relevant and crucial to the success of the theatrical art form here,” Allegra said. “We have to acknowledge that we’re not doing theater for tourists necessarily, but we are an industry and New Orleans thrives on tourism. I think having a theater district would make the power of many stronger than the power of one.”

Broadway-bound Donald Jones Jr. helps New Orleans kids at youth theatre

Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 

Set to make his Broadway debut this coming season, New Orleans actor Donald Jones Jr., spent much of his summer at home in New Orleans, directing kids at Crescent City Lights Youth Theater. For Jones, it was a chance to give back to the nonprofit organization that put him on the path to the Great White Way.

“The children in this program are a lot like me 15 years ago,” Jones said. “They come from all over the city and rehearse six-days-a-week, because they love the work and thrive under discipline. It’s a hard process, but for them it’s nice to be in an environment where everyone wants to be part of the team.”

Theater fans can see the team in action starting Friday (Aug. 16), the opening night for “Children’s Letters to God,” at NORD Ty Tracy Theatre in Gallier Hall. The musical, based on the best-selling book, features a cast of 15 boys and girls that range in age from 8 to 13.

Launched two decades ago, Crescent City Lights accepts students regardless of their ability to pay, said program founder and director Julie Condy. She moved the program into the NORD Theater in 2006.

“We’re looking for passion, not previous experience,” she said. “The program is a place that prepares children for life.”

Youth Theater alums can be found working on-air in local TV news, training as singers in top conservatories, on their high school debate teams, and in other settings that require poise and confidence.

Jones began rehearsing the current crop of students in July. He was still hard at it when we caught up with him at the theater this week.

Dressed in a polo shirt and sweat pants, the lithe, 26-year-old actor led the group in calisthenics and stretching exercises at the start of a 3 1/2 hour session – and no one complained that the air conditioning didn’t seem to be working in Gallier Hall.

“I tell them that the show will keep growing and changing even after opening night,” Jones said. “It’s one of the greatest things about live theater.”

Jones speaks with authority. A regional theater veteran since his college days, Jones also was part of the national touring company for “The Color Purple.” Trained as an actor and a singer, Jones further extended his range with two year as a member of Donald Byrd’s much-celebrated Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle. (His forthcoming role on Broadway will be announced nationally on August 26).

“When opportunities presented themselves, I was ready, “ Jones said. “I got an amazing grounding in dramatic technique, singing and theater etiquette from the children’s program. For one thing, it taught me how to interact with adults, and how to think professionally. Through this program, I ended up onstage with the New Orleans Opera, participated in an annual show at Jazz Fest, and lots more. That’s something I couldn’t have gotten from a school theater program, where the emphasis is usually on including everyone, even if their interest is limited.”

For Jones and other participants, the non-profit theater program also provided a peek into the lives of their peers.

“I was a middle class kid from Gentilly and came up through Catholic schools,” Jones said. “In the theater program I met kids of different color, gender and economic background. It’s still like that today: a place to discover that we belong together. ”

© 2013 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.

'Nine Lives' told to music

Musical adaptation of 'Nine Lives' shows off New Orleans characters and sounds

 By Laura McKnight, The Times-Picayune 



Trumpets screamed, tambourines rattled and singers harmonized about pain, joy, grits and greens at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre last night as an all-star cast of local musicians presented a Broadway-style portrait of New Orleans.

Steven Forster / The Times-PicayuneGuitarist Paul Sanchez and trumpeter Shamarr Allen performed in the musical adaptation of the book "Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans" last night at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre. Both performances of the show sold out.

The musical adaptation of the book "Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans" by Dan Baum debuted with two performances Wednesday night, both sellouts.

The show, intended to grow into a full musical, depicts the city through two of its most distinct features: real-life characters and musical prowess. The musical adaption by Colman deKay and Paul Sanchez entertained audiences with a portrait of the city created by stories of its residents, the tales delivered via a range of music, dance and theatrics. References to Carnival royalty, Huey P. Long, drugs, the New Orleans Saints, Katrina, even grits and banana bread, surfaced in show-tune form. And like most musicals, the performances included dancing, but in keeping with the city's spirit, onstage moves were freestyle as opposed to choreographed, with entertainers breaking into second-line steps.

Readers have praised Baum's book for its powerful and compassionate portrayal of the city. Baum arrived in New Orleans after the storm as a journalist for The New Yorker and developed a deep connection with the city, which prompted he and his wife to move here in January 2007 and write "Nine Lives." The nonfiction book depicts 40 years of life in the city, from 1965, the year Hurricane Betsy hit, to post-Katrina times in 2007, through the oral histories of nine New Orleans residents.

The book inspired Sanchez and deKay to create a soundtrack album, a two-disc set including 24 original songs. The album, released on Mystery Street Records, features more than 100 musicians and vocalists, mostly from New Orleans. The show's music was culled from the album, the more complex orchestrations arranged for the stage by New Orleans tuba and sousaphone player Matt Perrine, who served as musical director for the show. New Orleans singer Debbie Davis served as vocal director.

During last night's show, renowned New Orleans musicians like guitarist Sanchez, trumpeter Shamarr Allen and singer Tricia Boutte, among others, flaunted their talents while performing the stories of fellow New Orleanians featured in Baum's book. Sanchez sang of heroin junkies and Katrina deaths as coroner Frank Minyard, Allen issued strong orders as band director Wilbert Rawlins Jr. and Boutte rushed the sewing of her Mardi Gras Indian chief husband as Joyce Montana.

Members of the stage band, also a roll call of topnotch New Orleans musicians, joined the acting with trombonist Craig Klein and trumpeter Mark Braud filling minor roles.

Veteran actors Harry Shearer, known for his roles in "Spinal Tap" and "The Simpsons," and Bryan Batt of "Mad Men" fame drew audience laughs with their antics as proud Carnival king Billy Grace and his son-in-law, heir to the throne. Broadway actor and Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris showed his range by playing both John Guidos, a transsexual bar owner who becomes JoAnn Guidos during the show, as well as police officer Tim Bruneau.

Music ranged from string-heavy ballads and saucy jazz numbers to fierce hip-hop and angry rock. Mournful harmonies backed by somber trombone expressed Minyard's angst in helping drug addicts. Regal horns lauded Shearer and Batt's Carnival king scenes. Soulful female vocals and shaking tambourines marked the tales of Mardi Gras Indians. A sultry song backed by a muted trumpet, and later a funky disco number helped illustrate John Guidos' transformation into JoAnn. A pretty violin-centered song described a tumultuous time for Belinda Rawlins.

The show included a simple set with no props; projected photos of New Orleans homes, cop cars, bar signs and other imagery provided the backdrop.

The musical adaptation portrays the beautiful and dirty sides of the city. A rowdy song called "Run Against You and Win" showcases the city's dealings with drugs and politics. Tionne Johnson, who plays a young Belinda, sings of dreams to exchange her Lower 9th Ward life for the lives depicted on television, with picket-fenced homes in places where "the cops are on your side."

"Be sure to kiss your Mama before she goes to work till dawn," Johnson sings.

Pride and determination take center stage in Mardi Gras Indian-inspired songs like "Tootie" and "Bring the Mountain to Him."

Allen's lyrics in "We Are the Band" also help define the city: "The music lives."

The final song,"Rebuild/Renew (Now)," brought audience members to their feet in a standing - dancing? - ovation. Nearly every audience member was clapping and grooving by the time the cast and band took their bows.

"The response from the audience was so gratifying," deKay said after the second performance, adding that the crowd reaction gives him confidence that a full musical is viable. "It was so powerful and so affirming."

Steve Hochman interviews Dan Baum, Paul Sanchez and Colman deKay about the musical adaptation of "Nine Lives" at 2 p.m. Saturday at New Orleans Jazz Fest's Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage.

© 2011 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.

Former city councilman/convict acts it out

In New Orleans, everybody acts, sings, plays an instrument, writes poetry or tap dances. Well, maybe not tap dance.

In an act of newfound humility, honesty and/or contrition, a former New Orleans city councilman, who served more than two years in federal prison, told his story onstage in the form of a two-act play before consecutive full houses and an extended run.

Oliver Thomas, a black politician, who was popular with both white and black voters, was once considered to be next in line to become mayor of New Orleans. Instead, he was found guilty of accepting a $20,000 bribe from a parking lot owner. His high school friend, Anthony Bean, who runs an Uptown theater company that focuses on African-American works and teaches drama to young people, convinced Oliver to help write and perform in his own play. Many of the scenes seemed written from Thomas's daily prison journals.

Aside from describing his personal humiliation and losses, the play had even more to say about the future of our urban youth. The inmates Thomas met in prison expressed their dire hopelessness, developed in fatherless homes, lousy schools and dilapidated public housing.

Our prisons are filled with these aimless young black men who lack any means of survival besides selling drugs.

One character said the only section of the newspaper his friends read is Metro, not Sports, because that part talks about the game they play. My heart bleeds reading the Metro section, seeing the young and sometimes innocent-looking young men who are either victims or perpetrators of crime. What could the future possibly hold for them when a college graduate can't find a job?

In the program, I noted in Oliver Thomas' bio he is now director of Advocacy Covenant House and a mentor at Circle of Courage.

New Orleans kids serious about musical theater

“Let’s go ahead and work on the cane pass without the mirror – that’s going to be a little tricky,” said Kelly Fouchi, coaching 11 aspiring, young dancers during a recent rehearsal of “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

“Open and cross, open and cross,” directed Fouchi, choreographer, producer and owner of Encore Dance Studio in Metairie. “This is a great exercise in focus,” she told kids practicing the routine while workmen built the set.

Dancers went through their paces in the opening act’s dance number, “Joseph’s Dream,” shimmying, shaking, jerking, swaying, clapping and finally snapping into final pose as they flashed the peace sign.

In preparation for four performances at St. Martin’s Solomon Theatre in Metairie, 39 children, ages 7-13, rehearsed intense, six-hour weekdays for three weeks during Encore Dance Studio’s Summer Musical Theatre Camp.

Though many of the kids are quite young, with varying levels of experience, several are already disciplined performers, dedicated to training for futures in musical theater, routinely taking voice and dance lessons while auditioning for shows across the New Orleans area.

All who enrolled in the camp were accepted, but a few were selected through auditions to play the leads. Three girls recently had the top role in local productions of “Annie.”

Juliet Archer, 11, who played the Biblical character Joseph, has already been in plenty of shows, including “Schoolhouse Rock” mounted by Lusher Charter School where she is a member of the Drama Troupe.

In order be to play a male role convincingly, she has been closely observing her friend Miles, who played the Egyptian Pharaoh.

During one performance, Jacob failed to bring out Joseph’s multi-colored coat because it been misplaced. So, Juliet ad-libbed, donning an imaginary coat, temporarily suspending the audience’s reality.

They’re learning discipline, focus and stage presence, in addition to the dance routines, according to Fouchi.

Riley Tafaro, one of the narrators, has been in several other shows, including “Annie,” and takes dance lessons in musical theater, ballet, jazz, tap and lyrical at Encore. Despite all that training, she still felt challenged having to sing and dance at the same time. “Everyone was moving all the way through,” said Arlene Tafaro, Riley’s mother. “The screenplay is all music – everything that is spoken is sung,” Tafaro said.

Madeleine Bourgeois, 10, one of the four narrators, has performed in seven shows, including three with Jefferson Performing Arts Center. “I want to be on Broadway when I grow up,” she confidently proclaimed.

“I always wanted to see the show on Broadway and now I’m in it, so it’s cool,” she beamed. Madeleine loves dancing and learned new movements with different styles, including disco, country and Elvis.

“These young performers had the opportunity to perform for 250-275 audience members at each performance,” Fouchi said.

There were plenty of tears closing night because the cast didn’t want the show to end. Madeleine and the other kids also made a lot of new friends during rehearsals and are now planning sleepovers together.

“I think this show was the funnest I’ve been in,” Madeleine said.