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Show The Salt Lake Tribune ARTS Sunday, Sep 10, 1995 E3 ‘Garden’ Grows, recting his “new” play, “The Three Musketeers,’' adapted the years but remains a distant And So Does from the Alexandre Dumas novel The Meadow Brook Theatre production, which opens Sept. 26, is the third professional staging of Morey’s swashbucklers. Pioneer Theatre premiered the work in 1989 and twoyearslater it was produced by California’s PCPA Theatrefest. In November, “Musketeers” arrives in New Englandforits University of Connecticut debut. The Utah Shake- dream. The immediatepriorities are to maintain a high performance and production level, continue to pay actors a living wage, improve compensationto staff and visiting artists and increase the size of the endowment. “The only regional theaters that are truly stable,” Lino said, “are those who have beenable to build an endowment that yields enough income to plug up the gaps during seasons with a financial losses.” PTC’s endowment is currently at $1.9 million. Thegoalis $3 mil lion. Until thatis reached, second spaces for new play development will remain on hold. “Of course, ” Lino said, “if a Healthy PTC Continued from E-1 there were lean years in the early "90s “when we were hangingon by ourfingernails,” the cloud of desperation has lifted. At least for spearean Festival was considering it as part of the 1996 summer now. “I would hesitate to predict lineup but decided last week to coramission USF musicaldirector and Pittsburgh composer Christine Frezza to write a new version that will premiere in June in Ce- where wewill be in 10 years,” said Morey, who has watched regional theaters fold and public monies for the arts evaporate. “The kind of theater we have been doing the last three seasons has provenvery successful for us, but the biggest mistake one can make in programmingis settling into a formula. You must continue to grow and change and get pushed one way and another.” Pioneer Theatre has never been handedsizable arnounts from the National Endowmentfor the Arts — $5,000 is the extent of any grant. Most of the revenue comes from earnedincome.Tickets sales constitute approximately 70 percent of the budget, with contributed incomeat 26 percent and public funding around percent. The company was awarded $75,000 in fiscal year 1996 from the Utah Arts Council, down slightly from the $83,890 in 1995. Though housed on the University of Utah campus, PTC receives no direct funding from the university. “In this day and age when the NEAis going under and public support significantly reduced from what it was 15 years ago, theaters must makeit at the box office,” Morey said. “Theaters who havebeenin serious trouble are those who haverelied heavily on unearned income.” Passed Over: Morey sits on the 18-member NEA grant-applieation panel for professional opera and musical theater and is well aware of the process. He knows that PTC gets passed over for larger NEA grants becauseit is not viewed as a theater that produces “innovative” works. For the $10,000 or possible one-time grant of $25,000 that PTC might receive if it were to stage a season of new plays, Morey says forget it. Ten years ago, he set out to remake the im- age of theater in the Salt Lake community, to reach a new audience while continuing to satisfy the existing one. dar City. Charles Morey says theaters must makeit at the boxoffice, not rely on grants. @ Opens Wednesday Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of “The Secret Garden” opens Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on the Lees Main Stage at Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 1340 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City. Performances continue Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. through Sept. 30. Tickets are $11 to $32 and available at the theater box office. Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune Kirk McDonald, Emily Jane Sewart in “The Secret Garden.” Before accepting the artistic-director position in '84, Morey asked to be clear what his employers wanted: a university theater or a professional theater? Pioneer Memorial Theatre had been dedicated in 1962. The first season offered 10 performances each of four plays and a musical. In 1964, Keith Engar was appointed director of University Theater and expanded the PMT season to 20 performances each of three plays and three musicals featuring Utah talent and out-oftown professicnals. Morey told the late Engar, then PMT’s executive producer and artistic director, thatif it was to bea professional theater within the university community, his primary responsibility would be to artistic excellence. Engar and the search committee agreed. In 1986, the direction of pro- gramming changedto five plays and two rausicals, works that re- flected national standardsof lan- guage and content. Some audiences rebelled when musicals such as “A Chorus Line” or “Sunday in the Park With George” were presented instead of “‘Oklahoma!” or “The Sound of Music.” Others complained that PTC produced Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”whenit oughtto beoffering David Mamet's “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Throughit all, the majority of Salt Lake theater patrons havestayedinterested. Growing Reputation: “It has taken a long time,butit is finally payingoff,” Moreysaid. ‘We are viewed very muchas a part of the national community. I continuaily hear about our growing reputation as a great place to work, but theater reputations rise and fall, and national reputations really don’t matter. What does matteris the work one does at home and howit serves the community. Not every theater must do everything aecording to the Golden Book cf NEAregionaltheater.” The large Lees Main Stage at PMTis not conducive to many of the small, new worksthat writers are penning today, the artistic director said. As for new-play series or staged readings, Morey is not interested unless it can be done properly. That means havinga literary department with two fulltime staffers reading, screening and working toward play development. Morey believes there are far too many play readings and not nearly enough productions. “You must build toward a production, not just throw a group of actors together for a week’s rehearsal and then read the play without even having the playwright present.” Moreyis having a grand time in Michigan andrelishes the opportunity to work in a new environment, take an inside look at how other companies do things. Artistie directors seldom see other theaters intimately or have the chance to get involvedwith different theater operations, he said. The guest assignment at Meadow Brook provides a chance to compare notes, ‘see what they do better and what we do better, recharge the batteries and give our play a chance to be seen elsewhere.” It also is a feather in Pioneer Theatre’s cap to have an original production picked up and staged elsewhere. “Musketeers” was the first of four original adaptations by Morey to premiere at PTC. The others: “Dracula,” from Bram Stoker's novel; “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo; and “A Tale of Two Cities” from Charles Dickens’classic Those plays are the closest PTC has come to presenting new work. Managing director Chris Lino understands the criticism pointed at his theater concerning the matter. He does not endorse it. Yes, new work is exciting, but there are considerable resources that must go into such a project. “The risks inherent in producing new works at a professional theater our size are enormous. Also, as the mainstream theaterin Salt Lake, we walk a fine line in our programming. We do not want to appeal exclusively to the people who would like us to do more controversial work, nor do we wishto satisfy only those who want us to present family musi- cals. We need to offer a season that will appeal to both groups.” Directing Play: Currently Lino said, ideally, the theater Moreyis in Rochester, Mich., di- would have a second space, some- Westminster Players Will Open 4-Play Season With ‘Beyond Therapy’ The Westminster Players, the theatrical group affiliated with the theater program at Westminster College of Sait Lake City, will present four plays duringits ’95-'96 season. The season is unique in that all productions are open to the public free of charge. Christopher Durang’s ‘‘Re- yond Therapy” opens the season Oct. 12-15 in Nunemaker Place on campus. Westminster student Jim Martin directs the comedy that is a mixture of sex and psychiatry: Mixed up clients are treated by equally mixed up therapists. Kevin O’Morrison’s “‘Ladyhouse Blues” is scheduled for Nov. 2-5 in the Jay W. Lees Courage Theatre of the Jewett Center. The memory play concerns womenin a family who are waiting for the return of their men from World WarI. Tamara Compton, assistant professor of theater and programdirector of the college’s theater program, will direct. The Utah Symphony Clue 1995-96 Season Mark Medoff, authorofthe acclaimed “Children of a Lesser God,” will be featured whenhis “The Hands of Its Enemy” is presented Jan. 25-28 in the Cour- artists. Tke central character is deaf. The performances will be signed for the hearing impaired. Compton will also direct. “Behold Zebuion!”, a Utah premiere by Angus MacLachlan age Theatre. The dramaexplores themes of domestic violence, incest andal- coholism and how they apply to the lives of a group of theater will be staged March 21-24 in Courage Theatre. The comedy is one woman’s memories of grow- ing up in a small town in Ohio thing that has been discussed over patron suddenly decided to hand us $3 million to develop new works, we would jump at the chance.” Lino, who came to PTC in 1991 from Albany’s Capital Repertory Company, believes PTC consistently offers the community diverse works. Hecites * tions cial casting in “Romeo and Juliet.” Significant Works: The company is dedicated to presenting classics, contemporary works of significance and musicals from the American canon. But PTC will continue to keep its audiences in mind —- Tony Kushner’s awardwinning ‘‘Angels.in America” will not be seen on this Utah stage. The Sait Lake Acting Company presents the two-part epic in No- vember and March. “It is an extraordinary piece of theater,” Morey said, “but in our community, as is the case in most communities in this country, the play will push buttons and touch off controversy that will have nothing to do with the production. There is no way it would not be looked on by the majority of our patrons as an affront.” In addition to “The Secret Garden,” PTC’s season includes “Sherlock Holmes and the Crucifer of Blood,” “Noises Off,” “The Piano Lesson,” “The Night of the Iguana,” “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Guys and Dolls.’ The Westminster Players was founded in 1946 by theater professor Jay W. Lees. Students, alums and community members have continued to perform inthe productions that wereoriginally presented in Converse Hall which also doubled as a chapel Today the shows are offered in the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts on a stage namedin honor of the Players’ late founder. Compton has headed the program since 1993. Join us for these opening events: Opening Gala Concert An Evening With Dudley Moore Robert Henderson, Conductor September 16 MOZARTPiano Concerto No, 21 GERSHWIN Rhapsodyin Blue Dancing and Dessert with Dudley following the concert (Tickets $10) FALL 1995 CO FOR MEN a wonderful break for your bridal budget because it’s interestfree for 24 months! Weinvite you to take advantage of the Foradditional informationor to order tickets, call 533-NOTE. UTAH SYMPHONY Joseph Silverstein, Music Director = ZCMI Club Plan and enjoy your $150 tableware purchase tight away. Pay aslittle as $15 a month with no finance charge i when your payments are made as scheduled. 1-800-453 GIFT(4438) | cg 4 ° tions With My Father” or interra- NowOnSale For Ali Performances! BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique Father,” theatrical excellence, a company that is willing to stand up and take PLAN Are you aware of the ZCMI ClubPianfor your dinnerware purchases? Overthe years, bridal couples have found the ZCM! Club Plan the convenient way to complete their dinnerware, flatware, glasswareandgiftwareservices. It's a My the heat when patrons complain about the swearing in ‘‘Conversa- Season & Single Tickets Classical Series Joseph Silverstein, Conductor September 22 & 23 BEETHOVENEgmont: Overture LAZAROFThree Pieces for Orchestra (World Premiere) With Grapes of Wrath,” “Fences” and this season's “The Piano Lesson.” He considers PTC a leader of |
