 |
|
|
|||
|
Interviews
|
|||
|
|
Elysabeth Kleinhans - talking about her baby! Philip Fisher meets the artistic director of New York's 59E59 Theater. 59E59 Theater, which opened in February 2004, is one of the most luxurious and shiny in the whole of New York City. In London, this kind of real estate in an expensive location would usually belong to a bank or swanky restaurant. The same could undoubtedly have happened here. However, the charming, loquacious Elysabeth Kleinhans saw an opportunity to promote her artistic vision. "My family was in real estate and we actually owned this building. We donated this building to a theatrical foundation that was designed to build and operate this theatre". She wasn't a complete theatrical novice and had firm views about what she wanted from 59E59. "I had done a little directing and producing Off Broadway. The real aim was to offer space that was clean and attractive and a nice place to companies that really couldn't afford to do things elsewhere. We offer a very attractive package to little companies wanting to do new work. The building comprises three theatre spaces, with respectively 196, 98 and 45-65 seats. The largest is occupied by the well-respected Primary Stages for eight months of the year. 59E59 has become a home from home for British playwrights and companies thanks to its Brits Off Broadway programme. This came about following a trip by Miss Kleinhans and her Scottish-born colleague Peter Tear to the Edinburgh Fringe. Tear suggested that it would be a good idea to transfer the best on the Fringe to New York and, not realising the extent of the commitment involved, Miss Kleinhans bought the idea. In the period from April to June 2004, the two smaller theatres were opened with Brits Off Broadway. It has then run every year and is programmed in for for the spring of 2007. "We should have eight or nine plays in the season covering all three spaces." She confirmed that in each case, "These are the productions that were done in Britain". This will include a five week run of Sir Alan Ayckbourn's Intimate Exchanges following up on the success of Private Fears in Public Places and Memory by Jonathan Lichtenstein, an interesting, heartbreaking kind of play with a Holocaust theme. These are both going to play in the big theatre. In the smaller theatres "we have Silverland from the Arcola, Al Smith's Radio and Rabbit by Nina Raine, and Christian McKay, who is in Memory, will stay on to do Rosebud (about Orson Welles)". There are also more plays still in negotiation. The theatre helps Transatlantic exchange in the opposite direction too. "We also do a preview season called East to Edinburgh each year to allow companies to practice before the festival". Other Brits to succeed at 59E59 include Gregory Burke and Richard Bean with The Straits and The Godbotherers respectively. Elysabeth Kleinhans is really enthusiastic about this venture and so are the participants. "The companies don't make any money but they all have the greatest time. We have a very lively bar and in New York, people don't really do that because of the cost of paying staff in unions at time and a half after 11pm". The potential cultural divide seems to get bridged without too many problems. "Most of the plays are not so far out that Americans won't know what is going on but Faster and Jackson's Way have been major hits despite the cultural differences. We have a fairly sophisticated audience here too. Our membership travel all the time and young people are excited to see anything". Beyond the British connection, Primary Stages generally work on American plays and have produced Terrence MacNally and AR Gurney and have a Christopher Durang musical coming. Miss Kleinhans also enjoys producing American Companies herself. 59E59 has welcomed the TEAM who did three plays including Fringe First Winner Give Up! Start Over!. Her ethos can be summed up simply: "We look for interesting, unusual and new works. For example, we have a company called Godlight which is young and do adaptations of books which were made into movies and took them both to Edinburgh. They did them in the round and it was really amazing. Now they are doing (Portuguese Nobel Laureate) Jose Saramago's Blindness. "We are not avante garde, nor are we middle of the road". She emphasises that "we are more interested in plays rather than weird experimental things. I guess that's my taste". And many other people's too. Any trip to enjoy New York theatre should include a visit to 59E59. If you see a twinkling lady hovering around the edges and smiling, say hello, it will probably be the artistic director surveying her empire.
|
||
|
|