Director Matthew Watkins says he hates theater.
“I just find it excruciatingly boring,” he said a few hours before Friday’s performance of “Ida” at Scottsdale Community College. “[But] I believe in the potential of theater, and I’ve always wanted to know, how can I make theater to live up to what theater could be?”
“Ida” is Watkins’ latest attempt to answer that question. A collaboration between Scottsdale Community College and Phoenix-based experimental group Orange Theatre, the show challenges traditional modes of storytelling. After three shows at SCC, “Ida” will move, set and all, to the Beth Hebrew Synagogue in downtown Phoenix.
The show is an original adaptation of Gertrude Stein’s 1941 novel following the life, celebrity and romantic dalliances of a fictional woman. The Orange Theatre/SCC version was developed over seven weeks from scratch. Watkins, Orange Theatre’s artistic director, said 30 people were involved in the creative process. The cast consists of eight people — five SCC students, one ASU student, one of Orange Theatre’s permanent company members, and another actor who has worked with the company on several other occasions.
The partnership between SCC and Orange Theatre was born when SCC’s theatre arts director, Randy Messersmith, approached Joya Scott, the associate artistic director for Orange Theatre, with a novel idea. Orange Theatre would lead students through the creative process of creating an original piece of theater. In essence, a government-funded academic program would combine forces with a boundary-pushing nonprofit.
The cast and production team worked five days a week, for seven weeks, to create a complex, multifaceted multimedia product that runs around an hour and a half.
Watkins said Orange Theatre would normally spend a year on a project this size, but the time constraints weren’t as much of a concern with the amount of talent and resources contributed by SCC.
“I think because we have more support we got to a comparable place that they would have in a year,” Watkins said. “Because there’s only four of us in our company and we do everything, and [at SCC] …there’s people who are paid full-time to help get this on, and that’s really cool and the first time we’ve had access to that.”
A bigger obstacle may be moving the set to a new location. They have a considerably sized set to move and only one night to rehearse. But Watkins believes the venue change will be well worth the effort.
“I don’t think our audience is used to coming and seeing our work in a traditional theater space. It’s a wonderful space, but it’s a…little clean here for us, from what we’re used to,” Watkins said. “I think people that come and see it downtown will get a bit of a more downtown vibe…I think it’ll be really fun to see what the show looks like in a rougher space.”
After seeing “Ida” in Scottsdale Friday, I expect no less. The show takes the viewer on an absurdist, thought-provoking journey that should be an even more psychologically immersive experience in the nontraditional space Beth Hebrew offers in a renovated historic building.
Watkins said the production process has resulted in a dynamic, unpredictable piece of theatre. (I agree.)
“We’ve been experimenting with forms and structures from other art forms,” Watkins said, “so we’ve done a lot of study about, ‘How do filmmakers think about film when they’re making it? How do photographers and painters organize their canvases? How do dancers think about composing choreography? How do musicians structure songs that they compose?’”
Expect to be shocked and intrigued by “Ida” in the best of ways, but don’t go in expecting a traditional play that adheres to dialogue for meaning. You’ll see the cast run, jump and roll around the stage to hypnotically beautiful live music. I won’t give away too many spoilers — just know you’ll have plenty of food for thought.
“Ida” will be at Beth Hebrew Synagogue Oct. 27-29. Pre-sale tickets, which guarantee admission, are available online for $20. Or pay what you can at the door — but be wary, the show may sell out.
Contact the columnist at Faith.Anne.Miller@asu.edu.
