Professional Theatre Returning to Tacoma

On February 27, 2007, after 29 years of existence, Tacoma Actors Guild officially shut its doors, citing lack of foundation grants leading them further and further into debt. It took with it professional theatre in Tacoma. Now, more than a year later, professional theatre is on its way back to Theatre on the Square, in the form of the Theatre Northwest Group.



Theatre Northwest began as the brainchild of Brett Carr, Rod Pilloud, Charlotte Tiencken and Chris Nardine. If these names sound familiar, it is because they have spent much of their careers building a reputation not just in professional but in community theatre in the Puget Sound, and in Tacoma in particular. All four have directed at Tacoma Little Theatre numerous times in the last decade. Before leaving for a job in Massachusetts in the late 90s, Tiencken (then Wooldridge) served as TLT's Artistic Director, picking up the reins left by now Broadway Center Director David Fischer.

With Carr taking the lead as Producing Artistic Director, and the other three in place as resident directors, they have assembled a top notch production staff, including UPS theatre professor Kurt Walls (Set Designer), former TLT technical director Ryan Coleman (Production Manager/Tech Director), and longtime Tacoma theatre mainstays Kim Izenman (Charge Artist), Alex Lewington (Costume Designer) and Chris Gildner (Stage Manager).

Theatre of Integrity

"First and foremost, the responsibility is to have theatre of integrity, and to be able to gain and earn the respect of your audience." This statement is at the core of Carr's vision. So what is theatre of integrity? Says Carr, "It's easy to to say 'we're bringing professional theatre back into Tacoma.' But I'm determined not to ignore, nor to alienate the community. And the way to avoid that is to make it inclusive, not exclusive."

With that in mind, Theatre Northwest is seeking to integrate with the local community theatres, rather than stepping on their toes. "We're all one community. Somehow we've got to cross-talk and cross-pollinate." This means avoiding shows that local theatres have done recently, or are hoping to do in the near future. It means talking to other theatres about what kind of shows they'd like to see done professionally. It also means giving amateur actors the chance to work in a professional setting, alongside professional actors, under a professional director.

"We want to try to bring as much of the community... as we can. It's not going to happen in the first production... But it's a program that we're going to put together and work towards... [The directors] will be the first to say that there are people in the community that are as professional as some of the most professional people that they've worked with." Carr hopes that, by building a creative staff out of professionals with a strong tie to community theatre, there will be a pre-existing trust: local actors know these people, and will be interested in the work they are doing; and perhaps more importantly, they know the local actors. Ask a director in New York, London or even as near as Seattle if an amateur actor from Tacoma belongs in a professional show alongside Equity actors, and I doubt you'll be surprised by the answer. But the fact is that some of the strongest actors that I've seen in the region have other incomes and do volunteer theatre for one reason: love. And Nardine, Tiencken and Pilloud know those faces and those names.

This outreach does not stop at actors. Carr also addresses plans for an assistant director program, allowing the best of Tacoma's community directors to work in a professional setting under the guidance of one of the more experienced resident directors. "The resident director will act as the liaison between the guest and the Producing Artistic Director. They will be responsible for reviewing the show with the director, they'll watch the show periodically, and make sure that it adheres to the standards we're trying to keep."

Those standards, and not fundamental quality difference, according to Carr, are what separates professional from community theatre. A community theatre may put on as good a production as you're likely to see at any level, but the fact is that if they falter on a show or two, the audience will be much more likely to forgive than with a professional group, where the expectation is for the best that the region has to offer, artistically and technically, at all times.

The Curse of TAG

Of course, we have already had a professional group in this space, and a friendly symbiosis with other local theatres is not going to put the gross through the roof. So why does Theatre Northwest think that it can survive, only two years removed from the failure of TAG?

"We bring it intact as a complete production. We don't have to use the facilities of Theatre on the Square other than for the venue itself." As business manager for a commercial interiors contractor by day, Carr has access to a fully functioning carpentry shop. Between the staff's range of contacts they have a variety of options for rehearsal space. This means only renting from the Broadway Center for a week of tech researsals and the run of the show itself, a mutually beneficial situation: "It maximizes the Center's ability to use the space for other programs, and minimizes costs incurred by both organizations."

This same plan extends to the staffing model. The entire paid team of Theatre Northwest is focused on production. TAG relied upon its own paid staff for marketing, ticket sales, and other business maintenance concerns. Theatre Northwest will instead leave these tasks to the well-equipped BCPA. "We're using our production strength, and we're using the marketing and venue strength of the Broadway Center."

The project benefits further from Carr's extensive business management experience. He has already laid out a hypothetical budget for a mid-sized show to determine financial viability, surprising even BCPA Director Fischer with his detail. But the greatest strength remains the creative team's dedication to the project. As stakeholders in the success of this theatre, the founders have agreed that, in the event of a financial loss on any given show, the first sacrifice will be from the director's paycheck. True, this is the most obvious choice, as actor fees are dictated by the Equity union and venue rent will be dictated by contract with the BCPA, but the dedication to draw from director payment rather than sucking it out of the next show's production budget or risking the debt that killed TAG is a strong step toward a sustainable business model.

From Vision to Reality

That's the concept, the vision. So what's the timetable? The current plan, pending contract finalization with the Broadway Center, is to start with two shows in the Winter/Spring of 2009: the first, as yet undecided, will run from February 1st to March 1st, and the second, Tuesdays With Morrie, will fun May 4th to June 7th. Both are four week, 12 performance runs.

From there, the principals are building an extensive list of shows they would like produce, based on both practical and creative factors. With such a short schedule, and no pre-existing season ticket holders, the initial focus is on, not necessarily Neil Simon-common shows, but at least those that are a known commodity. "Until we know our audience, and until we re-establish that credibility with the Tacoma audience, I think we're going to have to start by doing plays that will bring the most people in... because without the public coming through the door it doesn't matter what you do."

In the long term, can we expect to see more cutting-edge material? "You have to earn the respect of the audience. The audience then trusts you to put on the best productions possible regardless of the show. When this process begins to happen, you can take steps to show plays that are more outside the mainstream."

There will almost certainly be those who are bored with Tuesdays With Morrie, whether they'd rather see a comedy, or a musical, or a dark, avant garde art piece. But it is well suited to the creative team, and to a theatre starting fresh. "if we can't put 150 people in the seats per show in Theatre On The Square with Rod as Morrie, with Charlotte directing, with Kurt designing, you're going to be able to knock me over with a twig."

Lasting Impact

"So many people are involved in theatre. All the actors, all the crew, the six degrees of separation from all of them... when it stops there truly is a huge void in the community." As a truly collaborative effort, theatre is far more invested in the community than many art forms. Great theatre can't be achieved by one genius sitting in his studio, creating. Similarly, even the best theatrical production isn't made profitable by one patron making a purchase, the way a painting is. The cast have to sell their art to more than a hundred people a night for 12 nights over the course of a month.

What this means is that Theatre Northwest will only survive to fulfill its artistic potential if the audience chooses to support them in their first steps. It remains to be seen if that audience still exists in sufficient numbers, willing to forgo the gas and time required for a trip to the 5th Avenue or the Paramount for a road show to take a chance on the hard work and dedication of these talented individuals.