BY LUCIA MAURO
Hunger for original theatrical voices and an ongoing pursuit of artistic
nourishment seem appropriate goals for a company named Breadline Theatre
Group. Established by current artistic director Paul Kampf, Robert Caisley
and Michael Oswalt in 1993 when they were graduate students at Illinois
State University in Bloomington-Normal, the troupe continues to steadily
grow as it unveils additions to its space at 1802 W. Berenice (between
Ravenswood and Lincoln) and pursues larger theatre collaborations.
Kampf gave me a tour of Breadline’s newly renovated administrative and rehearsal facilities, attached to the 40-seat theatre (which is slated to double in size), where he also lives–illustrating his belief that "you live your art." Renovation costs averaged between $15,000 and $20,000.
Fortunate to have found a landlord supportive of theatre, Kampf says he was allowed to create a combined modern-vintage space (including an open hardwood-floor area with a bar/kitchen for rehearsals, readings or benefits) large enough to accommodate about three other theatre troupes. It opens onto the actual theatre’s roof, which serves as a deck. His hope is to seek out businesses that can subsidize other smaller companies, which could then be based there for free or a minimal fee.
Cosmetically, Kampf’s biggest job was removing a corroded Jacuzzi. His landlord picked up the cost and labor of refinishing the floors, and even took care of the adjustments (like installing fire doors) for proper zoning. Getting up to code, as many theatres well understand, can bring a company down.
"I found the performance space through an associate. It was a photography studio with no natural light. But it worked for us, and the landlord gave us carte blanche to reconfigure it as a theatre. It also was smaller than our previous [itinerant] venues. That was in 1997, and we would change the configuration of the space for each show. Two years ago, we set the space and were able to get 40 seats from a movie theatre that was closing.
"I’m aware of the scarcity of space today for other companies to rehearse and perform. I would like to share what we’ve built here with other artists."
Kampf is of the belief that a steady attention to craft leads to more fulfilling long-term opportunities. Marketing for Breadline–which consists mainly of posters, e-mail and word of mouth–is not a focal point. However, Kampf does not exist in an ivory tower. He believes artists and businesses can work together in a productive way, with local businesses sponsoring what he’s calling "a scholarship" for theatres that would be applied toward the development of work and a production. The sponsor, in essence, would be part of the process.
Another goal includes obtaining subsidies that would allow Breadline and its fellow companies to offer free or reduced tickets. Kampf stresses the importance of theatres’ maintaining their own identities and sticking to their original missions within the necessary realm of seeking funding and sponsorship.
Breadline is perhaps most notorious for its jaw-dropping implementation last year of a "no-critics policy." This, Kampf says, was prompted by a certain lack of and unvaried attention paid to the company in general by the press. He also says he was reacting to a widespread tendency by theatres to expend a lot of energy on much-coveted press attention.
"I just find that theatre companies will go out of their way to get attention," says Kampf. "For the amount of time involved in marketing themselves to the media, they can be developing their art. I’m not anti-media. I believe, like with businesses, there are more constructive ways artists and critics can work together.
"It looks like we will probably lift the no-critics policy. But my point had to do with artists focusing too much on outside approval. I understand that as an actor. Actors try to get the attention of agents and casting directors, but forget that they need us. We have options; we can control our work. I know actors who spend more time on promoting themselves than doing vocal work or reading new plays. You can’t lose the craft in the midst of trying to get noticed."
Breadline Theatre Group would not exactly be called a company with commercial appeal. Over the past nine years, it has produced 33 productions (practically all of them world premieres and many penned by Kampf). With scripts rooted in European-tinged, experimental and psychologically rich structures and themes of sociopolitical oppression, Breadline has taken more than one artistic risk and has not always hit its mark. But its non-linear productions, rooted in poetic text and physical abstractions, prompt energized dialogue.
Productions include three separate stagings of Kampf’s adaptation of Peer Gynt; Love for Three Oranges; Faust Triptych; Heart of a Dog; and The Irish Drummer Girl.
According to Kampf, "Breadline began as three guys working on one play: The 22 Day Adagio by Robert Caisley." This one-man show, performed by Kampf and directed by Oswalt, was based on the following true story:
In Sarajevo, 22 people were killed in a Serbian artillery barrage as they waited in line for bread. Shortly following the incident, Vedran Smailovic, first violinist for the Sarajevo Opera Orchestra, returned to the site of the attack dressed in formal attire and played Tomaso Albinoni’s "Adagio" amid heavy shelling. He played for 22 days and, during that time, no Serbian soldier made an attempt on his life.
During the play’s development, the original text went through several changes guided by an intense playwright-director-actor collaboration. By the end, the play had evolved into a new piece of theatre. This process inspired the three artists to move their approach forward and form Breadline Theatre Group.
"I look at theatre in the same way I look at, say, a rock band," notes Kampf. "Either you’re a cover band and focus on existing work, or you perform original work. We do our own. Over the years, our ensemble has grown as high as 12 and [has been reduced to] three. Our passion is in the creation of new work."
This year, Breadline expanded on that goal by creating Game of Shards, an astute actor-generated play (set in an unemployment office and addressing life choices). For most of the actors, this was the first play they helped write. Some even dropped out–but Kampf considered that part of the learning process.
With Game of Shards, he took eight actors through five four-hour workshops, which included 45 minutes of improvisation. They would then write for 15 minutes after each exercise in response to what they just experienced. No one talked about the material until the five workshops were completed. At that time, they compiled all the text and assessed themes and characters.
From this stage, they became a "writing group" and embarked on setting the plot in motion. Scenes were written by various combinations of actors. Characters were added or removed along the way until the piece solidified.
"I would love to take the next step and create a similar show," adds Kampf, "with a combination of disciplines–music, movement, acting, sculpture."
At press time, the artistic director had narrowed down Breadline’s opening show (in October) to Dario Fo’s We Won’t Pay, We Won’t Pay. It’s part of their one-year-old "Out-of-Line" initiative, which includes two classic, politically charged plays (like Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest) per season. The two other season offerings will be an original play and an ensemble-generated work.
Kampf has struck this balance of new and established offerings after concluding that actors need to hone their skills on classic plays, which help provide a perspective for plunging into the creation of new ones. In the 2004 season, Breadline plans to introduce earlier plays from its repertoire.
Breadline Theatre, 1802 W. Bernice. Call 773-327-6096 or visit www.breadline.org.