BY LUCIA MAURO
Court Theatre’s long-term plan may focus on becoming a national center for classic theatre, but its leadership team refuses to wedge itself into a narrow corner by offering a concrete definition of the classics.
"We need to develop a language about that," says artistic director Charles Newell when asked what he means by classic theatre. "What’s been exciting is asking that very question. Rather than Court providing an answer, it’s a place where that question can be asked."
What may initially seem like an artful avoidance of the question comes into sharper focus as Newell and executive director Diane Claussen offer a broad palette of what can be considered a classic: the ancient Greeks, Shakespeare, Moliere, Chekhov, Ibsen and any number of contemporary American dramas and musicals, as well as new plays. The aim, according to Claussen is "to engage the audience–to develop a conversation with the audience."
In choosing a season, they acknowledge that many factors–from opportunities for co-productions/partnerships and the availability of a director with a strong individual vision–come into play. But Claussen also notes with a hearty laugh, "It has to be something we can live with for a year, something that will sustain our appetite."
Newell chimes in, "Is [the season] going to challenge us for a year? And it’s got to be a play that, in some intuitive, non-literal way, we respond to it."
A further blurring occurs in their own roles. Newell and Claussen constantly cross over as artists and administrators rather than clearly define their duties–an approach both believe affords a strength through flexibility and daily interaction.
"Many theatres today are trying to define their niche," says Claussen. "We’re determined to fight that and stay true to the artistic impulse–not the marketplace. We’re not pigeonholed. Charlie and I share a passion for what’s going on the stage. Our marketing starts with the artists."
Court’s co-leaders also point out that their extensive work in regional theatre gives them a wider perspective. They cultivate Chicago artists at the same time they bring in nationally and internationally recognized artists, like director JoAnne Akalaitis (who returns annually and directed this season’s Phedre) and composer Philip Glass (Court presented his opera, In the Penal Colony, last year).
Newell was a resident director at the Guthrie Theatre (where he met Akalaitis) before joining Court Theatre as associate artistic director in 1993, when he directed the Jeff Award-winning Triumph of Love. He also worked at Arena Stage, Alabama Shakespeare and was the staff repertory director for John Houseman’s The Acting Company. Newell assumed the artistic director reins in 1994 and has directed several Court productions, including Piano, The Invention of Love, The Little Foxes, La Bete, The Cherry Orchard and Nora (for which he tore out the seats and reconfigured the theatre so that audiences viewed the action through a massive bird cage).
Newell is a staunch proponent of inviting directors with strong points of view, who can be inventive within limited resources, to match what he calls Court’s "challenging and provocative aesthetic." With innovative directors come innovative designers and, over the years, the 250-seat Court Theatre at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park has become a thrilling blank canvas for designers (particularly scenic, lighting and sound)–impressive considering that the theatre has no fly or trap space and limited wing space.
"We’re looking for artists interested in a metaphoric distillation of the text," says Newell. "We want to engage the imagination in a different way."
Claussen, who joined Court as executive director in 1998, has served as managing director of George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, N.J. She also worked at Yale Repertory Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre and was managing director, assistant professor and head of the theatre management program at New York’s Ithaca College.
"The single most important thing is for me to be in tune with Charlie," reiterates Claussen, "to a) understand our artistic vision, to b) develop it and to c) disseminate it."
She and Newell stress that their professional partnership and Court Theatre itself did not grow out of the traditional Chicago ensemble-based theatre company model of a group of theatre majors starting a troupe. Their regional experiences have pushed them to shoot for status as a national center for classic theatre.
"We’re transplants to Chicago," says Claussen. "So we think of the larger picture. We’re always looking for broader opportunities."
"Our goal is to have nationally recognized artists come to Court," Newell continues, "and it takes a long time to develop that kind of profile and networking. I also want to be clear in our relationship to local theatre artists. We have rich and diverse Chicago artists who work constantly at Court."
In fact, Court–while not employing this system for the 2002-03 season–had created a one-year artist-in-residence program that provided local actors with an opportunity to perform, when appropriate, throughout the season and get involved in teaching students through Court’s hands-on high school educational programs, as well as be mentored by veteran artists.
This season, Court launched a "Master Teachers" initiative to help its actors delve deeper into the theatre’s more stylized approach. Akalaitis led a workshop on letting the bodily impulses of the characters shape their emotional journeys. New York-based Christopher Bayes, who directed Court’s Scapin at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, conducted a commedia dell’ arte workshop. Newell, who directed James Joyce’s The Dead (running through Dec. 29) and will direct The Romance Cycle: Cymbeline and Pericles in April, taught text study and actor process.
To get a sense of the theatre’s malleability, it made quite a name for itself in the 1990s with its spring rotating repertory in which the same group of artists would perform in two distinctly different plays. Last year, Newell eliminated the rotating rep in favor of the highly successful two-piano version of My Fair Lady at its secondary space, the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA), farther north.
Its outreach program is on temporary hiatus until they hire a new full-time education director. They are currently conducting a national search.
What’s the status of the CCPA as an ongoing alternate venue?
Not surprisingly, Newell and Claussen neither deny the future rental arrangement nor carve an affirmative answer in stone. But the CCPA has provided greater seating capacity (345 seats) while remaining intimate. It will most likely continue its relationship with Court. And contrary to reports that Court has been interested in attracting north side audiences via the CCPA, Claussen clarifies that 80 percent of Court’s audiences already come from all over Chicago, its suburbs and even Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Only the remaining 20 percent come from Hyde Park.
"The CCPA was a practical solution for growing Court Theatre," says Claussen. "We tested any perceived barriers to a second venue with our subscribers, and they did not see any, since the bulk of them is not restricted to one area."
"We did a feasibility study," adds Newell, "and we found that expanding our existing space would not be worth it. It would be more cost-effective to start from scratch. That’s when we looked at an alternate venue."
Court Theatre–Chicago’s fourth largest not-for-profit professional theatre–has undergone various transformations. In 1955, it was founded as an amateur outdoor summer theatre, performing classics in the Courtyards of University of Chicago. In 1971, Nicholas Rudall–a classics professor at the university–was appointed artistic director. He conceived Court’s tradition of translating and adapting classic texts for contemporary audiences and spearheaded the efforts that established Court as a professional theatre company through its first labor agreement with Actors’ Equity in 1975.
In 1981, a successful campaign raised the funds to build a permanent theatre on campus at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Two years later, Court incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation, and the Court Theatre Fund was established as a fundraising mechanism for the theatre. Since then, Court has been in charge of maintaining its own fiscal responsibility, and the University of Chicago provides a fixed annual appropriation of three percent to Court’s total operating budget. It currently employs 20 full-time staff members, and Claussen has overseen the theatre’s budget growth from $1.6 million to $3.1 million in four years.
When Newell came on board as artistic director, he observed that many Chicago-area companies were presenting traditional stagings of the classics. "My primary goal was to make Court Theatre on par with national theatres," stresses Newell. "I felt Court needed to distinguish itself, mainly through less literal productions."
And in true transmutable style, when asked to share specific future plans, the co-leaders keep us guessing: "Nothing is a given," responds Newell. "But everything is possible," Claussen concedes.
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637. Tel. 773/702-7005; fax. 773/834-1897; or www.CourtTheatre.org.