What's in a title? and Post Facto

What’s in a title?

Like today’s parent filling the family’s SUV – watching the dollars roll by – the sweat rolled onto the trusty Panasonic dual-cassette answering machine in that “mother-in-law” apartment as I recorded the box office message, take after take. An unrelenting Santa Ana stymied the city and burnished tempers. Recording the message was one of some 15 tasks to accomplish before tech rehearsal that evening in preparation to open Philip Real’s “Lunch and Dessert” comedy duet.

That 10’ by 12’ studio on North Ave. cost $335 (now $780) per month to rent and housed my foam mattress-on-the-floor-style living a refrigerator with half-dozen eggs, some beer and tofu with brown rice. Outside, flats for the show were drying and stage props gathered dust and neighbor complaints until they were loaded into West Coast Production Company, arguably the most popular gay disco in town, where its dance floor became our stage.

My other duties included finding rehearsal space, writing legally binding contracts, directing the two one acts, selling ads for the program, working as publicist, planning the next production and fighting for its next venue, placing media ads, setting up the box office and working with Greg Stevens, a dynamic emerging set designer I had recently met in a support group. The mandate: manifest the best work possible and pay off the contracts. Surplus monies, if any, after expenses -“office space” not included- would go toward the purchase of a Mac Plus, then the state-of-the-art computer for desktop publishing and word processing. I did not pay myself a salary or a stipend, I was “temping” at General Atomics. The project: premier production of Diversionary Theatre. The title for these plumber to host duties: Artistic Producing Director.

San Diego theatre holds some curious names and titles these days.

The first moniker that caught my eye was “debut” for actors’ first performance at the Old Globe, San Diego’s flagship theatre. In 1984 I found this title self-important. I have since changed my mind, having observed the Globe’s work over 15 seasons. I now understand value in an Old Globe “debut.” It means privilege. Production values at the Globe are consistently high in choice of playwrights, directors, lyricists and composers (dead and living) and designers. There is new work on the Globe’s stages every season. As one New York-based actor said, “…the Globe is Broadway West, without the mess.”

The Globe uses a Resident Artist title to recognize and reward artists of distinction. The Resident Artist’s body of work is prominently represented at that institution. The artists’ biographical profiles clearly reveal the title is earned by consistent excellence in work not only at the Globe, but nationally and internationally and in TV and Film. San Diego residency played a factor in some designations.

The La Jolla Playhouse uses no such designation with actors though I regularly note returning actors in their productions. Increasingly, San Diego-based actors appear in their productions. The bottom line is type, skill and talent in their casting policy at LPH. More long-term relationships with playwrights are found at the Playhouse.

The “haute pelican” recognizes its former Artistic Director Des McAnuff as Director Emeritus, and the Old Globe its Jack O’Brien as Artistic Director Emeritus. These are appropriate and dignified titles, but hardly designations that characterize their leonine producing and artistic accomplishments. These Dyonysian titans forged and established a successful show business model that put to rest the industry’s conflict of “Apple versus Orange” (it really meant “not invented here”). Des and Jack’s work contributed significantly to the change in the standard American Regional Theatre season to include a musical and/or new musical, a developmental play program and university actor training affiliation.

The number of “foot noted” titles for actors and designers in our city’s theatres is growing and begs the question: What is the theatre’s motivation in designating the title?
Small young companies that dub an actor with such titles are suspect of aggrandizing an actor -- after all we are discussing the Theatre and actors. Acting jobs exist in an ever-changing environment of hiring demands. An opportunity to mollify a potential employee is a smart move.
For example, artist titles per three popular theatres and their years of operation
are: Identifying actors with training and/or professional experience combined with similar artistic values provide ideal motivations to consider an actor for special designation, especially if the title includes guaranteed periods of employment opportunities with above standard salary. If these factors dominate decision-making the titles are well given.

Companies awarding artistic titles for general work rather than artistic work are, well, not artistically motivated. This is a “bait and switch” transaction potentially harmful to the recipient.

Ensemble

In successful ensembles there is a shared technique at a similar skill level. The European tradition in ensemble companies includes continued company classes and eating together at the company canteen. Canada’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival, though not titled an ensemble, holds company classes and characterizes itself with an ensemble sensibility.

One of the main features of the ensemble is the group’s artistic cohesion surpasses per- show casting, to seasonal casting. An “as cast for season” demonstrates thoughtful consideration of the artist and company’s desires and needs.

A San Diego company that approaches this model is New Village Arts. This company appears to possess an interdependent artistic standard. NVA artists are encouraged to stretch into other Theatre disciplines such as design, playwriting and directing. Little wonder NVA produced a successful production of “Golden Boy,” originally produced by the Group Theatre, a noted ensemble theatre company of the 1930s.

However, with NVA’s recent resignation of co-founder Francis Gerke, will the company maintain its artistic equilibrium? Another season will tell.

A Standard

This past year of theatre-going throughout the county revealed a disappointing level in acting quality in our smaller houses: mediocrity at epidemic levels. The fact that an actor is an Equity member doesn’t provide immunity. The San Diego theatre companies filling the void between community theatres and Class A Regional Theatres and Union touring companies vary wildly in terms of quality of casting and acting skills within a production. An audience’s willingness to disbelieve extends only as far as good acting suspends it. Then again, if one is hungry, a full tummy feels comforting whether it’s full of hamburger or tofu.

Whatever the title, local actors must be supervised to produce their best work on a persistent basis: not good enough work. Good enough work is self-satisfying for the company and serves the audience McTheatre.

NEXT TIME…

• Acting: the step from community theatre standards to professional quality work. Does an actor make the transition with a leap, baby steps or a hitch-kick?

• The “casting pool”

• And the benefits of a titled actor in San Diego.


Webies

• Musical Lovers check out “The 10 Worst Musicals Of All” at www.telegraph.co.uk

• Find an international theatre directory at www.curtainrising.com

• You’ve seen him in “Brazil,” “Time Bandits” and “Topsy-Turvy,” checkout his theatre_broadbent.org

Post Facto, yet worth noting.
(items that missed the hard copy)

Twained Out Loud

Sitting silently reading your book, you sip your custom coffee drink hand-crafted by an underpaid barista. You gently pool about in dialog with your author’s character or facts; now its time to give a voice to that consciousness.

“Write Out Loud” is San Diego’s copy-n-paste of “Selected Shorts,” the long running Public Radio International program presented at New York’s Symphony Space. The program plays, appropriately, at the Cygnet Theatre’s Rolando space. Kudos to Walter Ritter and Veronica Murphy, WOL’s Executive and Artistic Directors, respectively, for pushing San Diego’s literary consciousness up a notch.

The upcoming August 23rd matinee opens WOL’s second season with “Ever the Twain Shall Meet”, an afternoon of--guess who? Mr. Twain’s career rendered voluminous tomes and continues to be in discovery. Recently revealed is “Is He Dead?”, which ran a successful Broadway run to audience and critics’ delight. Twain’s work is hard to resist for the over-40 crowd. Those 30-ish might find the work a good prep for 40. Good conversation is always in need of wit and tart.

WOL also serves yummy cookies and kick-ass coffee at their interval. A matinee to take your date to? Consider “Ever the Twain Shall Meet” as worthwhile conversation.

Reservations 619-297-8953


New Village Art Challenge: Willy Step Away from that Espresso

Imagine William Shakespeare challenged to spin all his plays to an audience in one evening. Could he do it? We'll never know.

Three actors take on the challenge in “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” at New Village Arts in Carlsbad. Though NVA's “Sailor's Song” hit the occasional off-key notes, “The Complete Works” is a good bet. Why? 'Cause this is a troupe of actors San Diego North County esteems as their (our) own from their very first play reading. NVA's Shakes offerings have been sure shots for lazy summer nights.

Worth the drive? Nestled in Carlsbad’s quaint So Cal stucco and awning style with numerous cafes and bistros and just the right temperature breeze to waft you to the theatre. Okay, I'm sounding like a press release, but this was my experience when recently visiting NVA. Plus, Joshua Everett Johnson, the actor one keeps an eye on for the next best character creation, fools along with Adam Brick and Tim Parker. Maybe Johnson has 20 or 30 delights to offer up with this show?

www.NewVillageArts.org