Interplayers' future

The only bright light on the Interplayers horizon lately was the relative success of its readers theater version of *To Kill a Mockingbird,* which played to larger-than-usual and at least one nearly sold-out house.

Ann Whiteman, who directed *Mockingbird* and had a small role in it, has been asked by Interplayers management to perform one of the two roles in the upcoming reading stage version of A.R. Gurney's epistolary two-hander, *Love Letters.*

But everything else about *Love Letters* is up in the air: the director, the male actor, all the logistics, etc. Whiteman jokes about the show, saying, "I just wanted to get Jim West and Shannon Sullivan up there."

*Mozart and Salieri* has certainly been scrubbed as a project. *The Miss Firecracker Contest* may not be produced at all, or may be produced only as a readers stage show. That leaves the possibility of *Romeo and Juliet* -- and the fact that, as of February, Interplayers will have presented only three main stage shows -- *Someone To Watch Over Me,* *The Mystery of Irma Vep,* and "The Fantasticks* -- in season that at one time was supposed to be seven shows.

Whiteman says, for the record: "I suggested [to Interplayers management] that they not hire an artistic director, that they save that salary for a year. Don't fill it -- instead, let local directors make suggestions about shows that they would like to do. Make a pitch about a show you'd like to do. You'd pick a play that you'd have passion about."
"I know that theaters don't usually give that much freedom to directors," she continues. "But despite what some people might say, in some areas of the country, this [idea] would be considered kind of progressive. I think it would be a good way for local directors to come to the forefront and help this theater."

Whiteman also says, on the record, that she has urged Mary Ann and Jim McCurdy to go ahead with *Romeo and Juliet,* "but to move the time up so that it's on when people are still in school and can study it. I think they ought to do it with the fewest number of actors possible, and make it very high-concept. And I told them that I would like to help make that happen."

Full disclosure: Back when Robin Stanton was artistic director at Interplayers — and in response to a comment of hers that she would like to do a Shakespeare play, but that they were so expensive because of the cast size involved -- Bobo volunteered to her an outline of how to cut and rearrange *R&J* so that, in a pinch and with gender-bending, it could be done with six actors. (Could be _done_ -- not necessarily, done _well_. Seven or eight actors, still with doubling and tripling of roles, of course, makes it much more manageable. And there's precedent: the (admittedly, not very good) five-actor *Macbeth* done at Ashland circa 2001.) Bobo also forwarded that six-actor outline to Nike Imoru and Braden Abraham (who was slated to direct *R&J* but is apparently off the project). Bobo is not implying that a six-person *R&J* would be the magic bullet for Interplayers, not by a long shot. The theater has far more pressing problems. In an atmosphere of "What's happening over at Interplayers?" I'm just broaching some possible developments.

Whiteman emphasizes that, whatever some people may think or whatever negative rumors may fly, the McCurdys (Mary Ann is executive director; Jim is on the board) and the Interplayers board "are working very hard to make it happen" -- i.e, to safeguard Interplayers' future.

An example: a proposal has been made -- and perhaps already been enacted? Bobo's trying to make the necessary contacts with the Interplayers board -- that a member or members of the Interplayers board should purchase the theater ($390K was a _rumored_ price) for the purpose of leasing it back to the theater for a rate considerably below the $2,500 monthly rent they're apparently paying now. If true, that's conceivably a courageous move by Interplayers management to try to save the theater, or at least greatly improve its longterm financial outlook. Somebody, in effect, is stepping up to the plate and making a big contribution to try to keep Interplayers alive. Details still unfolding -- but not all rumors are necessarily destructive.

Additional posts keep being appended to the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof cast list post, the Proof review, and the rumors? post as well, so keep hunting around for what people have to say about these developments.