Storefront theatre allows artists to explore small scale drama
Since The Making-Box opened its new downtown theatre in 2017, its production schedule has focused on improv comedy and stand-up. However, it was inevitable that at some point the presence of a local storefront theatre space would send ripples through Guelph’s theatre community.
Hence the creation of the Downtown Theatre Project (DTP), a new company dedicated to the sort of small scale productions that can flourish in such a venue. The creatives involved — Paul Barson, Jen Barson, Trevor Smith Diggins, and Tim Clarke — aren’t exactly new to the game. “We’ve been doing community theatre in town for ten, fifteen, twenty years,” said Paul, who directed the DTP’s debut production of All New People by Zach Braff.
But while they have only good things to say about community theatre institutions like Royal City Music Productions Inc. and Guelph Little Theatre, The Making-Box has given these local theatre lifers the chance to branch out into different types of drama. “This space offers us an opportunity to go really intimate,” said Paul. “You can’t really do that in the spaces [those groups] use — they’re big venues, and this is just three rows of seats. We’re looking to do the smaller plays that don’t make sense financially for those other groups, and that we can pull off with only forty seats and five actors.”
The DTP chose the script for their first production after an exhaustive selection process. “We’re going through scripts like mad, we’re reading tons of stuff, we’re looking for those really interesting characters that people can relate to,” said Paul. “We’re restricted to small casts and things like that, but [we want to] find those really great stories about really relatable characters and get them right in front of people.”
The team picked the 2011 script by Garden State director and Scrubs star Braff — his first and only play — to suit The Making-Box’s vibe: “The Making-Box has got this very youthful spirit — everybody’s open and laughing. We were looking for something that could kind of slide into that — we could’ve put on a big horror musical, but it would be a big leap.”
From its opening moments — as the morose Charlie (Josh Anderson-Coats) struggles to light a last cigarette to the sound of Riverdance music, all while dangling from a noose — All New People announces itself as a different stripe of contemporary theatre from that produced elsewhere in Guelph.
In the play, Charlie has retired to his wealthy friends’ summer home on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, to end his life, only to have his final evening repeatedly interrupted by a chatty British expat (Hayley Kellett) hoping to rent out the house, the local firechief/drug pusher (Mike Woodley), and an escort (Cara Humeniuk) hired by Charlie’s friend to cheer him up. Macabre, vulgar, and dense with cultural references, All New People certainly worked hard to argue that community theatre can be as energetic and youthful as anything else produced at The Making-Box.
The production also showcased a number of strong performances by local talents from different corners of Guelph’s theatre world. Kellett is The Making-Box’s co-owner and education director, while Anderson-Coats is a longtime Making-Box improvisor. Woodley is a local film and TV actor, while Humeniuk is best known for her leading roles in U of G’s annual musicals put on by Curtain Call Productions.
Woodley and Kellett stood out in particular — Woodley for a terrifically hammy rendition of Shylock’s iconic “Do we not bleed?” speech from The Merchant of Venice, and Kellett for a masterful performance lending her sometimes cartoony character depth and humanity.
Putting on a show like this is always a risk, said Paul. “You never know what’s going to happen, right? You put your money and your effort into it and just hope that it all works out.” In this case, it seems to have worked out better than expected: “Having four of our five shows sold out? No complaints, man,” said Barson. “It turned out amazing, and that’s a great surprise.”
Barson and the DTP are aiming to produce two more shows at The Making-Box this year — with a production of Bug by American playwright Tracy Letts scheduled for Halloween weekend. They’re hoping the momentum continues.
“People were saying of [this show], ‘It’s like we’re sitting in the living room with the characters,’” said Paul. “We’re going to keep doing that.”