Out to the Provinces!

At last, at long last, somebody is willing to acknowledge that NYC (and the myth of Broadway) cannot remain the be-all and end-all of the American theatre. In a large and diverse nation such as this, there are numerous communities that also desire and deserve top-notch theatre.

Pursuant to this, the NEA has given a nod to a program started by Scott Walters of UNC-Asheville known as the <100k Project . Though Savannah, with a census count of around 130K, may fall outside the parameters of the project, we at The Savannah Dramaturgy would like to enthusiastically endorse the project as a very good thing indeed.

Click here for a rundown of what the project is about.
Another excellent article regarding the project can be found here.

Psycho Beach Party: Little Theatre of Savannah

Sun! Surf! Tans! Trannies! These are the hallmark's of Charles Busch's ode to camp, Psycho Beach Party. And yet, most of these elements are, quite simply, missing from the Little Theatre of Savannah's production of the above. The unfortunate problem to a show is that it can matter very little how hard one tries, but that if there is not a basic understanding of fundamentals, indeed of what the show is even about, success can hardly be assured.

To begin with, this show lacks one of the most basic hallmarks of Charles Busch's work. Director Jeroy Hannah has managed to put together an entire production without one single whiff of transvestitism, something for which Mr. Busch was well known. Indeed, Busch played the lead role of Chicklet in the inaugural stage production. Yet, one can see very little of this aesthetic in this production.

At the end of the day, one cannot help but feel that the director has, essentially, missed the point of the script in a very fundamental way. Though he writes a lengthy piece on the presence of Malibu in the "national sub-conscious," this only demonstrates all the more that there is a failure in understanding. Psycho Beach Party is a renown homage to the camp style, nothing more and nothing less. And, as Susan Sontag wrote in her essay Notes on Camp that, "Indeed the essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration. And Camp is esoteric -- something of a private code, a badge of identity even, among small urban cliques." The key here is the badge of identity, and the semi-ironic enshrining of what might be bad taste. More's the pity, the playing seems to be done as straight as possible.

Unfortunately also, and perhaps due to a basic lack of real leadership, there is no real standout in terms of a cast that is generally wooden, and simply lined up along a single plane. The worst, however, is that there are member of this cast (such as Lariena Brown in The Boyfriend) that have turned in performances of high quality in the past.

Aside from a mildly amusing surfing montage and poor-taste sex joke that literally anyone could sell, there is unfortunately little recommend this production. Indeed, it comes down as proof of the idea that Camp, as an ode to bad taste, can be a great deal of fun when done well... and is punishment for shoplifting throughout the Eastern Bloc when it is done poorly.

... and the Envelope Please.

The results of the Connect Savannah's poll of the Best of Savannah for 2008 are officially in, and we would like to thank the community for the support.

To begin, The Savannah Dramaturgy, was chosen as the runner up for best blog in the city. We would like to thank our readers for the support on this, and hope to improve our services to the theatrical community in order to claim the top spot from Creative Coast next year!

Further, congratulations go to Mr. Benjamin Wolfe, of Armstrong Atlantic State University, for his selection in the "Best Director" category. The competition this year was most certainly stiff, and as such Mr. Wolfe's accomplishment is significant. Word is that he will be teaching theatre to youngsters out on Hilton Head Island, and they will most certainly be well served.

Also up for honours is Ms. Faith Boles with the choice of "Best Actor." Her performances in Midnight Cry, Grease, and Pippin have established her as a strong talent and we hope to see her further. Also, a strong contender was Ryan McCurdy, who came in as runner-up.

But the most significant point is the choice of Shakespeare on Love/Savannah Shakespeare Festival as the "Best Local Theatre Production/Play" and runner up for "Best Festival thats Not St. Patrick's." This is a significant accomplishment, nearly topping two categories and giving the venerable Film Festival a run for its money. This is a real testament to the power and effectiveness of JinHi Soucey Rand's vision and execution that the Shakespeare Festival was able not only to draw together the majority of the city's theatrical community, but that an often complaicent city was willing to sit up and notice it.

And yet, most disturbingly of all, The Savannah Dramaturgy notes that the city's department of Cultural Affairs has not made provision for the continuation of this project. Though we, along with the rest of the world, are willing to admit that economic times are tough, now is not the time to abandon the single most significant theatrical events that our community has undertaken. It is somewhat disturbing to walk about the Cultural Affairs space and note the fairly extravagant level of support visual artists receive (the modern and spacious gallery, effective studio, etc.), along with the fact that visual artists are allowed to sell their work for profit. If I recall correctly, directors working for Cultural Affairs are not allowed to pay their actors. I would ask Eileen Baker and Debra Zumstein, the effective heads of the department overall, why this disparity exists, and why they have turned their backs on something as significant as the 22-year-old Savannah Shakespeare Festival.

We ask you, our readers, to support us and the theatrical community in getting this institution reinstated. Giving up an inch may lead to a dangerously slippery slope.

The Arts/Culture Results can be found here.

Antoinette who? How Does One Really Measure the Value of a Tony?

Recently, while flipping through a copy of ArtsJournal, I recently stumbled across an offering from the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. Penned by their theatre critic Dominic Papatola, the article questioned the relative value of the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards outside of the North half of the Eastern Time Zone.

In essence, while there is something to be lauded in the idea of awarding the top-level of theatrical excellence, one should keep in mind that, generally speaking, we are only discussing the plays that appear in one section of the market in a single geographic location. The Antoinette Perry Awards, often thought of as setting the gold standard for theatrical excellence in the United States, is only applicable to Broadway productions. Broadway productions are only available in, you guessed it, New York City. While there is, admittedly, a Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre (in order to allow the American Theatre Wing to acknowledge quality theatres outside NYC) why is it that entire theatres outside of America's "Cultural Capital" are equated to single productions. Why is the Alliance Theatre considered upon the same level as Billy Elliot?

The continued dominance of the Tony Awards is symptomatic of the continued NYC-centric attitudes taken by the American Theatre today. Something that we here at The Savannah Dramaturgy would very much like to break. Along with Scott Walters at Theatre Ideas, we hearilty endorse the idea of moving theatre out of "Rome" and into "The Provinces."

Quite simply, there is absolutely no reason that Savannah cannot sustain quality theatre and the community that goes along with it. So perhaps it is time for a Savannah-based theatrical award, to recognize the best among our community. Quite simply, to echo Papatola, something might win a Tony, but people will go and see it when it travels, regardless. So lets start bringing some things home.

Pippin: Savannah Cultural Arts

It would be an accurate historian indeed who could pinpoint the precise date where Broadway began to turn from traditional, Golden Age-style musicals of Porter and Loesser to the shallow fair of rock operas and Andrew Lloyd Webber. However, it would seem that Pippin, the monumental battle between Stephen Schwartz and Bob Fosse that rivals even Stephen Sondheim in a level of convolution and managed to kill Irene Ryan, was concieved on that very day. Indeed, it seems that continual revisions to the piece have only continually weakened it. Though it is a perennial favourite in community theatre, this can only be because nobody would want it.

And, in many ways, Savannah Cultural Arts Theatre's production of the aforementioned piece is severely limited by a script that is so severely flawed. Regarding its recent revival at the Mark Taper Forum, The New York Times cites the need for a very real, very clear duality in the production of this show. Yet that duality, so essential to understanding a script that has placed all its cards on a single horse, seems to be severely missing from this production. As this is a play about putting on a show (theatre about theatre), the audience needs to see a clear depiction of when we are watching "Pippin: His Life and Times" (the show of the players) and that which is corollary to that. The chorus, or players, are utilized in such an inconsistent way that it is difficult to ascertain precisely what one is looking at in the grand scheme of things, despite some truly beautiful moments. As such, a lack of truly clear delineation and overarching vision combines with a deeply flawwed script. There is a level of surreality possible, but the need for solid craftsmanship becomes all the more pressing in this case.

Savannah Cultural Arts is also not helped in the least by the young man playing the title role of Pippin. Mr. Corey Green plays the role of the player's nightly sacrifice, and aspiringly great prince, with a voice mildly resembling a dialtone and seems to be unable to summon the energy to truly want to become great. There is either a real lack of certainty in this young man (out of which we here at The Savannah Dramaturgy pray he will grow) or he simply "phoned in" this performance to a level that should never be forgiven. In some ways, such an attitude is one of the most dangerous things facing a growing theatrical community, as our institutions largely must have the attitude of "Play or starve."

However, the show is a great deal of fun, particularly thanks to a number of bright points in the cast. Ina Williams, who last swept the community in the Savannah Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare on Love, is delightful as Catherine, a foot-fetishist widow who has an estate to run and fills Pippin's days with meaningful toil and pregnant moments. Ms. Williams manages to go from gawky and awkward player (who forgets her eyelashes before her big entrance) to a beautified lover who provides a rock to save the soul of Pippin himself. Also worth mention is Gail Byrd in her rendition of Berthe, grandmother of Pippin. Gail, who has turned in effective performances in The Full Monty, 'night Mother, and Catch-22, gives the audience a truly warm depiction of a grandmother giving truly sage advice in the song "No Time At All." Ms. Byrd also manages to balance to prospect of acting at acting while also owning the stage like a seasoned starlet when it is time for the audience participation to end for her big solo.

Particular praise is reserved, however, for Faith Boles as the Leading Player. Ms. Boles turns in a performance that combines the best aspects of a snake-oil salesman and strolling minstrel into a tempting, sexy, and masterful player who is clearly capable of luring cull after cull to their willing damnation. By turns domineering over her unruly charges and beckoning Pippin with the prospect of lasting glory, Ms. Boles stands a good chance of becoming a perenneal favourite of the Savannah stages.

In essence, there is an emasculated and crippled script that needs intensive care in order to try and walk. Though there are bright points, other moments simply limp along through obscurity due to either lack of vision or Mr. Green's lack of enthusiasm. A great deal of fun, but a piece that essentially lives up to its reputation as benign and somewhat emasculated.

Outrage

Theatre, moreso than most other forms of artistic endeavour, is reliant upon its community for support and creative interchange. We here at The Savannah Dramaturgy heartily endorse such interaction, as it truly is the lifeblood of our discipline, not to mention beneficial to the general community.

However, such interaction relies upon good faith from both parties. It has recently come to the attention of The Savannah Dramaturgy that one of our local businesses here cannot be bothered to do this, a truly sad state of affairs.

Theatres spend a goodly deal of money, often money fronted from ticket sales, or charitable contributions, and sometimes out of the artists own pockets, in order to promote and market their shows in order to draw the community. Perhaps one of the most common techniques is the distribution of posters throughout the city to inform the populace about upcoming productions. Posters are not free, are often carefully crafted, and come in finite amounts. Waste is a drain on resources.

As such, when a local business is approached with a request for a poster, the proper thing to do is either display the poster or simply refuse, allowing the artist to take their promotions elsewhere.

However, according to an anonymous source, the new Fuddruckers in downtown Savannah is engaging in wasteful disregard of the above protocols and an outrage on good taste. Evidently, manager Lori Kehoe will accept a poster, promptly to trash it upon the artist's exit. She cites this as retribution for "rude behavior" on the part of artists trying to market their shows. Simple consideration of an already strapped arts community could simply save both parties a bit of face.

As such, The Savannah Dramaturgy would like to call for a general theatrical boycott of the Fuddruckers at 15 W. Broughton Street in Savannah, GA. We encourage the the entirety of the arts community to refrain from giving hard-earned money to a company that refuses engage in a civil manner with us.

Please spread the word to your friends.

... and so, Good Night.

There is a theatrical tradition that a light bulb should be left upon the stage in a theatre, so that the ghosts and spirits may have light by which to perform and rehearse shows of their own. In some ways, individual theatres (as institutions) were linked to their lights in terms of their fortunes.

On the evening of April 29th, 2009, one of Savannah's lights was put out for the last time. With it's revival production of An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on His Final Evening, Cardinal Rep closed its doors and turned out its light, closing the book on four years of setting benchmarks for quality, artistic achievement, and community involvement. Those four years began, interestingly, with a production of the above.

As a dramaturg, it is often difficult, personally and professionally, when such a light is extinguished. But then the habits of a working lifetime take hold.

Begun in 2005, and performing in any venue they could find, Savannah Actor's Theatre/Cardinal Rep was founded to bridge the gap between a fairly progressive SCAD Department of Media and Performing Arts and a more conservative community theatre. If anything, SAT/CR has succeeded in pushing the envelope and opening new horizons for other theatres in town. Indeed, it seems interesting that SCAD is now resorting to musical revues such as Beehive and dinner-theatre fodder like Lend Me a Tenor while groups like Little Theatre of Savannah explore the wilder side of camp in Psycho Beach Party.

Further, SAT/CR has perhaps come closest to ideals of tribal theatre and communal involvement with production as set out by Scott Walters at Theatre Ideas and endorsed here in the pages of The Savannah Dramaturgy. In the halls of the Freight station during productions such as Catch-22 and The Rocky Horror Show, this author can attest to a real feeling of true collaboration and mutual ownership of the project between all participating artists. This is, in some ways, more a tribute to the collection of people involved in the work than to the institution in and of itself, but what a group.

Further, SAT/CR has set a high standard for quality on a shoestring. This author once had a sign over his desk the read:

We, the willing,
led by the incompetent,
have been doing the impossible
for the ungrateful.

We have done so much,
for so long,
with so little,
that we are now certified to do anything
with nothing.

This is precisely what they have done, sometimes with nothing more than a table, some cans of tuna, and the recycled set from a Little Theatre production. While the SCAD answer seems increasingly to be throwing a chequebook at any problem, SAT/CR made it abundantly clear, with works like Laughing Wild, Doubt, and Pillowman that excellence isn't about depth of pockets, but about depth of character (both on and offstage).

At The Savannah Dramaturgy, we must give credit to Cardinal Rep and Ryan McCurdy for their support of our operations, even when we were less than enthusiastic about some of their productions. Our reviewers were always welcome, and for that, and much else, we are thankful.

Mr. McCurdy, rumour has it, will be departing our environs in fairly short order. We wish him the best of luck, and look forward to his continued success. Because, though we have not always agreed in regards to aesthetics, his achievement has been substantial.