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Undermain Theatre Turns the Big 3-0

The Dallas Series explores the challenges and rewards of creating theater in Big D. Join us this week as we journey deeper into the heart of Texas.

I’ve been honored to carve out a career in Dallas over the last 30 years producing new and experimental work as the Founder and Artistic Director of Undermain Theatre. Over the past 3 decades I’ve seen Dallas evolve in some remarkable ways, developing into a vibrant home for the arts and culture in ways that I couldn’t have imagined when I was a young director just putting on some plays with my friends in a literal basement off of Main Street. While in the early days we did have to overcome the occasional protest and losses of funding from cautious corporate sponsorships, the Dallas of 2014 is one with vibrant civic and philanthropic support for the arts and theatre in particular.  To a show a snapshot of how Dallas has become intertwined with theatre, I’d like to tell you about our first show of 2014, produced in January.

In our 30th Season, Undermain has undertaken perhaps our biggest, most challenging production yet. In January, we took over the brand new Dallas City Performance Hall right next to DTC in the nation’s largest Arts District, for the world premiere production of Abraham Zobell’s Home Movie: Final Reel… by Len Jenkin. To help us lift this rock, we brought with us a cast of eleven actors and an extraordinary team of designers and technicians. This project was made possible primarily through a grant from the Donna Wilhelm TACA New Works fund, which administers $100,000 of funds each year to groups producing new work in Dallas.

The scale of the project was daunting, but it’s a great opportunity to see the breadth of talent in Dallas theatre. In population and resources, we’re a big city, but we still have a real community. Players at every level of Dallas theatre get the chance to know and work with one another, and it’s a pleasure to share the water with the artists and organizations our company came up with, as well as the exciting young people who bring new energy, new ideas, and hopefully new audiences into our city.

Fred Curchack played our protagonist, Abraham Zobell. Fred’s been a part of Undermain’s life for many years. He’s an international performing artist, with a restlessly inventive stage mind, which he shows off every few years in his new pieces. Fred also teaches at UTD and has instructed many other terrific theatre artists in the area.

The design team of Zobell featured two current faculty-members at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and one graduate and former faculty member. Steve Woods (Lighting) and Giva Taylor (Costumes), celebrated artists in their own right, continue to train generations of artists who work here and abroad. John Arnone has split his time between Dallas and New York. In his time in Dallas he’s done stunning work at both Undermain and Dallas Theatre Center. New York designer Austin Switser did the projections and video for the show. Austin’s work has been found in New York in Rock of Ages, Sondheim on Sondheim, and Sontag: Reborn, but his trip to Dallas found him designing right across the street from his Dallas high school, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

SMU is a fabulous institution for Dallas theatre. The directors, designers, and actors who have emerged from the graduate and undergraduate programs contribute memorable work to our stages. We were happy on this production to have three SMU grads in our cast, Marcus Stimac, Katherine Bourne, and Miranda Parham (Parham is also an Associate Producer at Second Thought).

Those aren’t the only schools that serve an invaluable role in the theatre environment here. Stage Manager Ryan Lescaleet studies at El Centro College and company member Shannon Kearns-Simmons teaches at Colin County College. Our Associate Producer, Dylan Key, and our Assistant Stage Manager, Samantha Eberle are graduates of the University of Dallas. Both were taught by Patrick Kelly, who has directed many shows for Undermain and who, along with his wife, Judy, has supported Dallas theatre in innumerable ways.

We also brought back Teddy Davey and Rhonda Boutte to our stage for this production. Teddy’s been at Undermain, DTC, Theatre Three, and Dallas Shakespeare.  He also runs the Balcony Club in Lakewood, where he performs his lounge act. Rhonda is a company member at Undermain, making her grand return, and she’s also an Artistic Associate at Kitchen Dog, where she’s done electrifying work over the past several years.

It seems like our cast represented just about every theatre company in Dallas. They’ve worked up and down the scale from large companies to small outfits, done musicals and experimental productions. They also present an encouraging number of skills.

We had talented actor-musicians, highly skilled dancers, performers trained in a variety of movement techniques. We had voice-over artists and actors experienced in film and television.

I don’t say all this to brag about our cast, but rather to brag about the theatre community they help to compose. It’s fair to say times are always difficult for theatre, but we have the fortune to work in a time that is fertile, as well. Looking around the table and the house at my cast and crew, I couldn’t be more excited to work in Dallas theatre.

 

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The Dallas Series explores the challenges and rewards of creating theatre in Big D.

Dallas, Texas

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I moved away from the Dallas area in 2001 and REALLY miss The Undermain. I was lucky enough to be involved in a couple of their productions. The passion and energy there was intoxicating and I've yet to experience anything quite like it.

2001's production of CAT'S PAW by Mac Wellman stands out as one of my favorite things from the Undermain. Totally enjoyable show. Suzanne Thomas was hilarious.

Many of my most vivid high school theater memories actually took place at Undermain. My playwriting teacher, Elly Lindsay, often took us to see plays there. I remember Kashica Franklin and Shameka Dukes jumping into each others arms (scared shitless) during the deus ex machina in Goose and TomTom. I remember seeing my very first Suzan-Lori Parks play, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom and being dazzled not only by the writing but by company member Rhonda Boutte. I remember Macbeth - which opened with the three witches hanging upside down like vampire bats - while topless. I remember always being just a little bit scared walking into the performance chamber. In high school it felt to me like a haunted house - in a good a way. So many great memories....

Seeing The Shipment at Undermain was one of the most memorable theater experiences of my life (seriously). That cast had my colleagues and I talking about the show long after we left the theatre. Katherine, you are the goddess of avant-garde theater. Congratulations on persevering and making it happen for 30 years..