Young, fresh out of grad school, new to Chicago – it makes sense that Jeffry Stanton and I should meet. This was the thinking of Jim Petosa, the man to whom I owe my affiliation with Interrobang Theatre Project. A former colleague of mine and a mentor to many in the collective, Jim suggested I check out the project. Specifically: I should get to know Jeffry. A few e-mails later, I stood in the lobby of The Argument and began the remarkably quick journey from business patron to business partner.
I took a deep breath as I entered the Viaduct Theater for The Argument on October 9, 2011. I was nervous: that night’s show was more than a performance. It was an audition. It tested the validity of Jim’s recommendation. Therefore, “Will this be good?” “Are these people to whom I would want to commit weeks of my time working on a production?” were questions that swirled around inside my head.
Also in the mix: “Will they like me?” “Will I be smart enough for them?” “Will I contribute, or weigh them down?”
That night at the Viaduct I was looking for allies: theater people with similar convictions and aspirations, with whom I could put on a show every now and then. Finding people like this – in any theater scene, large or small – daunts. Taste, exposure, age, intelligence are all subtle factors that determine who plays-well together. So it was important that we mutually impress each other, and what I saw in The Argument elated me.
Jeffry’s production used movement and design – in addition to Gregory Moss’s words – to tell the story of The Argument. Actors didn’t simply enter, speak while crossing the stage, and exit; the ensemble created a unique representation of Moss’s ideas. It was a theatrical production, not just a play. Its creativity impressed me, and the conversations that followed allowed me to impress Jeffry and our Managing Director, Greg Owen-Boger.
It was e-mail and face-to-face conversations with Jeffry and Greg that gave them the confidence to invite me to be more than a sometimes-collaborator and serve as Interrobang’s literary manager. Discussing the structure of our third season, what plays excite us and why, creating rubrics for how we evaluate scripts, and other logistical topics not only introduced us to each other’s thoughts and style, we got to learn about each other as individual artists. Beyond wanting to achieve artistic success, we share the desire to nurture the artistic growth of every member of the collective. Interrobang works to present and grow artists, not just produce productions.
The greeting currently on our winter 2011-2012 homepage notes that this is an exciting time for Interrobang. It is. We’re not only working to meet you, our audience, but we’re working to meet ourselves by discovering our potential. This discovery makes right now an amazing time to be involved with this collective of artists; I am proud to be a part of it.