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Exit, Two Indie Theater Heroes (But Not Really)
Within a span of hours, two press releases have hit my inbox concerning the departures of two of my favorite indie theatre artistic directors, Alex Roe of Metropolitan Playhouse, and Kristin Marting of HERE Arts Center. These are both people I admire not just as artists but as administrators. I became drawn to their work in both cases because of my own interest in 19th century (pre-Stanislavski) theatre. Marting had made a long term investigation of the gestural language of melodrama (Delsarte, et al). And the Metropolitan of course specializes in producing the plays of that era. They also both happen to be around my age and began their careers around the same time. I feel like we came up together (not that I’m “up”).
These are ostensibly big shake-ups, yet I feel myself disinclined to do my customary cultural doom-ranting, mostly because in both cases these feel more like transitions than endings. I’ve known of Roe’s news for a few weeks, but have known Marting longer, so we’ll begin with that news.
As I wrote on the occasion of HERE’s 25th anniversary, I have been aware of the company (and its predecessor) since around 1990 and have produced there many times. One thing I didn’t mention in that piece was my attendance at some kind of NYFA sponsored event circa 1993 or 1994 where Marting presented some helpful tips on not-for-profit management. That’s when my high regard for her first took root, steadily amplified over the years as I watched her own sensible, rock solid practices and philosophy manifest itself in her company’s growth and success. The fact that HERE is about to mount its 30th season is only one measurement of that. Keeping such a volatile, gossamer thing as an arts organization together that long is no mean feat, nor is the fact that she’ll be passing on such a robust and stable organization to her successor. Today’s New York Times article informs us that she intends to keep directing. And with HERE going strong, it really doesn’t feel like a loss per se, merely a change. (It does feel significant somehow, whether it truly is or not, that Marting makes the changes at the same time Robert Lyons steps away from HERE’s sister organization the New Ohio. As organizations go, those two have historically been close sisters). In any case, both Marting and HERE will persist into the future, and that is good news. For more on the company’s history, I refer you once more to my 25th anniversary article, here.
As for Roe, the change is a bit more drastic, I’m afraid, as his company is technically being put to bed, at least for now, although I’m oddly okay about it, taken all in all (to massacre Hamlet). The Metropolitan Playhouse has been going for slightly longer than HERE, although it didn’t really get cooking until Roe took the reins. I first met him very early in the 2000s, when we discussed some kind of collaboration at the New-York Historical Society, where I was p.r. man (I can’t remember if that particular project came to fruition). But the MP produced many of my one act plays in their annual festivals (adaptations of Hawthorne,Twain et al, as well as completely original ones and even some variety shows), and I served on their board of advisers. You’ll find them all over this blog so here’s a little finding aid:
Some of my dozen or so productions at the Metropolitan:
Some of my reviews of their other productions:
Anyway, the reasons for not being sad are several: Roe has announced a project to archive all that the company has done and make it available as a resource; also: the announcement says the Metropolitan’s activities are merely “suspended”, leaving the door open for a return at some point; and Roe also intends to keep directing and acting outside the context of the company.
So…we wish them both them well, grateful for the lack of a necessity for goodbyes. Fly and be free, butterflies!
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