BY LUCIA MAURO
Ever since CollaborAction Theatre Company debuted with A.R. Gurney’s
The Problem at Voltaire in 1997, it’s been edging its way
toward fusion art. Its name alone assertively reinforces collaboration.
And when co-founder Kimberly Senior decided to start a theatre troupe,
she invited artists from a variety of disciplines to participate. She
originally wanted to open with a 100-person opus, then realized it might
be better to tackle a one-act.
Senior–who directs for many theatres around town and is an Arts Exchange associate at Steppenwolf–directed CollaborAction’s early offerings, like Chicks and The Most Massive Woman Wins. But soon other directors joined the fold, and the company began to grow, producing at Voltaire until the space closed. CollaborAction continues to be itinerant and has produced over 30 shows in a relatively short period of time.
"Our original idea was inundation," says Senior, now the theatre’s director of new plays. "Every time you wanted to see a show, there would be a CollaborAction production running."
But quantity can take its toll. The company, which plunged into its artistic vision before it established a solid business plan, eventually got serious about marketing and creating more collaborative partnerships.
Current artistic director Anthony Moseley admits, "We needed to stop the production wheel and focus."
Over the past three years, CollaborAction has been realizing its all-encompassing goals, which include breaking down barriers between artists and audiences; fostering new plays; and merging high-tech, the visual arts and original music with live performance. Since 1999, its annual budget shot up from $18,000 to $150,000.
In 2000, the company premiered its highly successful "Winter Sketchbook," a mixed-media festival of short one-acts submitted by aspiring and established playwrights. "Sketchbook"–which CollaborAction produces and oversees–is the more comprehensive version of Senior’s successful short-play festival, "No MSG Added" (mounted in 1998 at Voltaire). "Sketchbook," which first took place at Chopin Theatre and transferred to the Viaduct last year, encouraged audiences to move around during these professionally directed and acted vignettes. Bands performed, and visual artists–including board member Wesley Kimler–etched, painted and sculpted on stage.
Meanwhile, their acclaimed productions of important contemporary plays–like Jessica Goldberg’s Refuge and Greg Owens’ The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild: A Road Trip (being remounted at Theatre on the Lake, Jul. 31- Aug. 1)–put them on the map as an innovative troupe to watch.
So it may initially seem odd that CollaborAction is presenting a dramatic war-horse like Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill A Mockingbird (adapted by Christopher Sergel) through Mar. 24 at Chopin Theatre. But Senior and Moseley contend that this compelling classic story of race relations is in line with the company’s mission.
"To Kill a Mockingbird is a huge opportunity to take CollaborAction’s progressive approach to theatre and apply it to a very classic story," says Moseley.
Adds Senior, "And it represents what our plays have been about since the beginning: the endurance of humanity."
Chicago visual artist-performance poet Tony Fitzpatrick takes on the role of Boo Radley; Kimler is applying his stripped-down artistic sensibility to scenic design, assisted by David Wolf; and composer Nicholas Tremulis will create an original gospel sound composition.
"We’ve pulled in these artists/heavyweights from other disciplines," says Moseley, who’s directing. "So we’ve got a lot of people pairing up and working together in the theatre arena for the first time.
"Productions of To Kill a Mockingbird all kind of look like 'The Andy Griffith Show.’ But we’ve given the play a post-modern feel."
Senior likens Kimler’s and Wolf’s set to "an X-ray," stating that "there are porches but not like any porches you’ve ever seen."
Once the artists of CollaborAction decided to develop a business plan, they got pretty aggressive about networking. When Moseley was working as a waiter at Soul Kitchen, he met Kimler–who helped re-direct the company into the visual-arts realm. Moseley, a filmmaker who also holds a degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame, then began tapping into unconventional marketing resources (like the visual-art and alternative-music communities) and expanded CollaborAction’s technological capacity. Their board consists of artists and business professionals.
"We learned with each show," says Senior, "how to create a budget and work with a design team."
The company’s interactive Web site (www.collaboraction.org) serves as a "second stage," with live Web broadcasts accompanying productions. The artists are looking at scripts with future filmmaking projects in mind; a documentary is now being made of the behind-the-scenes process of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Most recently, CollaborAction acquired a new 6,000-square-foot office space in the West Loop for board meetings, rehearsals, set/costume design and storage. No performances are held here, but the troupe hosts monthly parties featuring a variety of artists–from break-dancers to cellists. It’s another way to build non-traditional theatre audiences. And they just raised enough money to put up a billboard for Mockingbird on the corner of Ashland and Division.
The group will inaugurate its first "Summer Sketchbook: Summer Drawings" Jun. 4-16, with an emphasis on new plays under six minutes. In October, CollaborAction opens Quincy Long’s The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite at the Storefront Theatre.
"CollaborAction," describes Senior, "is taking out the borders. We have one foot in the reality of theatre and the other foot dancing in other media."
So the artists, while interested in stretching the form, do not deny traditional theatrical structure altogether. And, despite all the hotshot visuals, they are committed to quality.
"Good writing, good acting and good directing–that’s what’s needed," says Moseley. "We want to be known for our craft."
"And," interjects Senior, "we don’t want to lose the human element in the scenery."
Both Moseley and Senior point out that CollaborAction must constantly be aware of balancing its open and collaborative structure with a specific vision and voice. At the same time, its vision continues to evolve and mature.
In the process of breaking down walls, CollaborAction also invites audiences to a theatrical banquet.
"Our idea is to recreate the dining room table in the theatre," says Moseley, "to mix things up–like family members of different generations coming together to share a meal."