Men of Tortuga, presented by Furious Theatre Company, plays Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 7:30 pm; through March 28. Tickets: $32. Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 309 S. El Molino Dr., Pasadena; 626.792.7116 or furioustheatre.org.
As its first decade draws near a close, the Furious Theatre Company proves once again its savvy leadership and sharp ensemble can withstand the vicissitudes of the unsettled and unsettling world of live theatre. Several years under the patronage of the Pasadena Playhouse gave the company financial breathing room and artistic license to thrill in the Playhouse’s 99-seat annex the Carrie Hamilton Theatre.
Alan Brooks and William Salyers in Men of Tortuga
The company was in the midst of planning the west coast premiere of the Chicago theatrical phenomenon Men of Tortuga when the sudden shut-down of Playhouse operations spun the Furious folk into serious disarray. Still, no one from the company admitted despair, just nervous wonder and great hope. Artistic Director Dámaso Rodriguez continues to be upbeat: “It was swift – even though we were aware of struggles. The time from the announcement to its actual closing was very quick. Our first priority was what to do about Men of Tortuga.”
Company members swung into action and, though the future is still uncertain, the present is clear and Men of Tortuga went into production – just a bit later than originally planned. The play by Chicago-based actor-playwright Jason Wells, about assassination and the bungling of power-brokers, is a tightly written comedic thriller, first developed through the New Plays Initiative by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and was presented as part of that company’s First Look Repertory of New Work in 2005.
Directing is Alexis Chamow, a major example of the cross pollination between the Playhouse staff and Furious Theatre. Her last job at the Playhouse was Artistic Associate/Director of Education but she first came to the organization by invitation from Director of Artistic Development Kappy Kilburn to direct in the Hothouse Play Development Series.
Chamow recalls her introduction to the play development department. “We struck up a friendship and began speaking about education programs which I had a lot of experience doing. I ended up consulting with the Playhouse, then joining the staff. I continued to direct Hothouse and in one play I cast much of the Furious Company. They determined they enjoyed working with me and I was already working closely with Dámaso at the Playhouse. I am only the second director they have approached outside the company to direct for them. They really vetted me – but I appreciate that. You want to know that who you are working with is of like mind.”
She began work on Men of Tortuga with four of the five cast members already attached. Then the Playhouse fall began. “Suddenly,” she says, “the Playhouse got a new executive director and everything was up in the air. The show got postponed but was finally rescheduled for February. It was a quick turnaround but I thought it would work. The only issue was a couple of the actors were not available. We retained Dana Kelly and Bob Pescovitz, then went through regular auditions for the other three roles. I feel we got so friggin’ lucky it is not even funny. At the first read everyone was laughing their faces off or suddenly stunned into silence. My job was, apparently, just not to screw up!”
Chamow began her flirtation with theatre at age six. She continued throughout her youth and immediately joined Equity after college. But living solely as an actor did not quite fit her self-proclaimed Type-A personality. “I did bits of television and film. I remember shooting an Aaron Spelling pilot, sitting in makeup next to Lara Flynn Boyle – it was fantastic. But when it was over I went to my trailer overwhelmed by the thought, ‘Now what? Tomorrow I have to send out my resume again.’ I had achieved something for a week but what do I do the other 360 days of the year?” So Chamow decided to shift her focus away from acting and towards other aspects of the business. “I did arts consulting and started a company, which is where a lot of new play development came into the picture. I had done a good deal of literary development in grad school.” Chamow had her choice of Yale or the University of Texas for graduate school. “Yale is obviously very focused and saturated in acting but in Texas I was going to be able to also direct and teach and work in film. So I went to Texas, where I met a lot of great writers. My work has always been something of a patchwork but the balance shifted toward giving me more control.”
Alexis Chamow
The job at the Playhouse delighted her but its end does not destroy her momentum. “I suppose I have never seen myself on an upward arc toward a single goal as much as a kind of patchwork of a life. The Playhouse worked for me. During that time I had a baby and so having a place that was my home and a regular paycheck was perfect. It was so nice to have long range plans, a luxury you don’t get going from project to project. I was there at Playhouse for this chunk of time. It was a beautiful gift to have been given that and to meet these people. Who knows where those things will lead? It’s not like I throw my hands up and say, ‘now what!’ As much as, ‘Okay. That part is gone for now.’” She plans to keep the relationship with the Furious. And the Furious continues looking for its new home while still hoping the Playhouse will come back.
Rodriguez says confidently, “There is a real sense the Pasadena Playhouse won’t be dark very long – that we are going to fix this problem. The Playhouse was dark for 16 years last time it closed its doors but this time there is tremendous support from the city. Perhaps several months from now we’ll find ourselves still here. Sheldon Epps and others are talking about this as an ‘intermission.’ The city and community and the Pasadena Playhouse Organization, which is still restructuring, don’t want us to leave. We don’t either.”
Feature image of Robert Pescovitz, Alan Brooks and Dana J. Kelly, Jr. by Anthony Masters. Article by Tom Provenzano.
