Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Plan-B Theatre Company
Posted By Gavin Sheehan on November 26, 2008, 1:08 PM
Who needs to bring Broadway
to
Plan-B Theatre Company has been giving new life and changing the local
standards for nearly eighteen years, making a mark in the performing arts on
both a regional and national scale. The company has brought us many compelling
and thought-provoking works that both entertain and challenge the status quo,
with no apologies and always looking ahead to the next project. I got a chance
to chat with Producing Director (and recent Mayor's Artist Award winner) Jerry
Rapier about Plan-B, his history with the company, thoughts on local theater,
and a number of other topics that came to mind. ---
Jerry Rapier
http://www.planbtheatrecompany.org/
Gavin: Hey Jerry. First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jerry: Not really much to tell. I've been in
Gavin: For those who are unaware, what is Plan-B and how did it get
started?
Jerry: We're the smallest of the five Equity theatres in
Gavin: How did you first get involved with it?
Jerry: I was hired to direct "Molly Sweeney" in 2000 and by the
time rehearsals began I was the Producing Director of the company.
Gavin: What became of Tobin? And what is Cheryl doing with Plan-B these
days?
Jerry: Tobin has been all around the world, literally, since leaving Plan-B
in 2000. He moved back to Salt Lake City earlier this year - in fact, he was in
our last show, "Radio Hour: Frankenstein". Cheryl has been the
constant with Plan-B since day one - she's currently the Managing Director of
the company and our resident sound designer. She also directs "Radio
Hour" for us each Halloween.
Gavin: How did you come about doing “The Laramie Project”?
Jerry: I had read about the Denver Center/off-Broadway production and
something in me clicked. I got my hands on a draft of the script (it wasn't
published yet) in late 2000. I called Dramatists, which had just agreed to
represent the show, at least once a day from the first week of December through
the middle of March. They finally agreed to license the show to Plan-B - I'm
not sure if it was faith in us as much as it was to shut me up. Our production
in the summer of 2001 was the first licensed production worldwide.
Gavin: I read that was a changing point for the company to go another
direction. How so?
Jerry: It solidified our work as a socially conscious theatre company. It
opened doors to donors. It put us on a firmer financial footing. And the
presence of Jedadiah Schultz in the cast as himself reminded us every
rehearsal, every performance, that it was more than a play.
Gavin: You've done a lot of inspiring and provocative plays over the years
since then. Do you have a personal favorite?
Jerry: That's very nice of you to say. Hmmm... favorites? I can honestly
say that I have been passionate about every Plan-B production since I've been
involved. I loved working on "The Laramie Project" because of its
power. I loved working on "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" because it's
just a helluva good time. I learned a lot about myself as a director with
"Animal Farm". And over the past few seasons, I've really thrown
myself into the development of new plays by
Gavin: A good majority of your audience is in a younger age group,
mainly people in high school and college. What's your reaction to having an
impact on them, who themselves are mostly involved in performing arts?
Jerry: "Facing East", "The Alienation Effekt" and
"Gutenberg! The Musical!" each drew a lot of younger people, but we
still struggle to draw young people consistently. When we do, it's equally
exciting to see them connect to the issues presented or as students of the
arts.
Gavin: What was the story behind putting on Pearson's “Facing East”, and
how did it feel to have it become such a success?
Jerry: Carol Lynn sent me a play that I didn't think quite fit Plan-B, so I
passed on it. She then told me she had an idea for what would become
"Facing East". I said to her, "That's the play I want." And
that was that. We spend a year developing the play and then things just
snowballed. Now it's being produced all over the country!
Gavin: Recently you did the “Frankenstein” Radio Hour show. What was it
like putting that together in the old style of radio play and performing it?
Jerry: "Radio Hour" is the lovechild of Cheryl Cluff - she's
directed all four of them! We met with Doug Fabrizio in early 2005, about doing
a radio drama in partnership with RadioWest. That Halloween we did our first
"Radio Hour" (Radio Poe) in the KUER studios, no audience, just live
on the radio. The next year it was "Zero Hour" & "The
Hitchhiker" and last year was "Lavender" & Exile".
After three years we decided we wanted to move it into the theatre and still
offer the live broadcast component but we also wanted the theatre audience,
which is what we did with "Radio Hour: Frankenstein".
Gavin: Down the road, would you ever like to own a specific theater for
just Plan-B shows, or are you more comfortable being an acting company just
residing?
Jerry: We love love love the Rose Wagner and have no desire to take on the
headaches of maintaining our own venue. Thank you
Gavin: A little state-wide, what are your thoughts on local theater, both
good and bad?
Jerry: Things get better each season. I am constantly amazed, however, at
how many people consider themselves theatre professionals that don't read
plays, don't see theatre, don't see the need for continued training.
Gavin: Is there anything you believe could be done to improve it?
Jerry: I wish more local artists would pursue work outside of
Gavin: How do you feel about the recent move from cities to “bring Broadway”
to
Jerry: I am completely, 100% opposed to building larger venues in
Gavin: Do you feel like local high schools and colleges do enough for
their performing arts departments as of late?
Jerry: Honestly, no. My observation is that the focus in
Gavin: What can we expect from you the rest of the season?
Jerry: I can't wait for people to see "Block 8" and "Di Esperienza",
two world premieres by our resident playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett!
Gavin: Aside from the obvious, is there anything you'd like to plug or
promote?
Jerry: We're doing a free event in partnership with Juniper Press/Oxide
Books at The Leonardo on December 10 - details are on our homepage - sharing excepts
from our book Plan-B Theatre Company: Plays From Behind The Zion Curtain.
Did I mention it's free?!
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