Off Broadway Comes to Hudson
by Carla Reuben-Carbone

Broadway is a geographical place as much as it is a brand name. Off Broadway sprawls from Times Square to the East Village, from Brooklyn to Lincoln Center. More recently, it has wended its way up through the Hudson River Valley to the city of Hudson, New York.

Across from the Hudson train station looms the Basilica Industria, built in 1884 as a foundry and forge for the manufacture of steel railway wheels. This 13,000-square-foot beautiful brick building borders the new Hudson River Waterfront Park already partially completed and looks across the river to a panorama of the Catskill mountains. In 1998, J. Patrick Doyle bought the building in the hopes of creating a "cultural Mecca, a cathedral of culture," to the Hudson Valley. A dancer and former clown/performer, Mr. Doyle is a bit like the Basilica himself; dramatic in gesture, larger than life, full of anecdote and passion.

There are three performance spaces at present: the Main Theater, which seats over 750 people, the North Hall, and the Small Theater. The Main Theater became known in 2003 when Patti Smith performed a benefit concert there for the Friends of Hudson. Cymbeline was also staged there in a galley setting by John McManus's Shakespeare Alive! Company. In the summer of 2006, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus arrived, performing their mix of vaudeville, burlesque as well as trapeze and clowning in the North Hall. In September of 2006, an ancient Celtic harvest festival, Riverfire, was staged, celebrating the autumnal equinox with fire dancers, re-enactors, sword battles, knights, jugglers, with day concerts for children and a night concert for adults. The highlight of the festival was the igniting of a 30-foot Wicker Man, the largest ever built in the United States. Unique to the Basilica is its blend of spectacle art and professional theater. Burn This, by Lanford Wilson, was performed by Walking the Dog Theater, Inc. which has become "theater in residence" at both the Basilica Industria and Stageworks.

Stageworks/Hudson, also located across from the railroad station in Hudson, is housed in another former industrial building. Originally constructed for candle and then flypaper production, it later became the headquarters for the manufacturing company, Kaz, Inc. When Kaz moved out, it donated the building to Stageworks. The Max and Lilian Katzman Theater was built within its walls and is a state-of-the art 100-seat theater. Its founder and executive artistic director, Laura Margolis, received her MFA in Arts Administration from Brooklyn College and was an actress before moving to the Hudson Valley. " I wanted to bring people together," Margolis said upon being asked why she decided to undertake such a difficult task as running a theater. "When we're all one, that is, when it works, it is unlike film or TV or anything else—it's live."

Stageworks has been distinguished in Metroland Magazine in 2004 as the "Best Equity Troupe, Risk-Loving" and most recently in 2005 as "Best Theater Company." It is known for producing distinctive and rewarding professional productions and programs for both adults and young people. In the summer of 2006, it staged the world professional premiere of Keith Huff's Dog Stories and the Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony Award Winner, I Am My Own Wife, by Doug Wright. In the fall of 2006, there was The Storm, by Peter Oswald, presented by Walking The Dog Theater and seen for the first time in America after its successful run at The Globe in London.

Complementing its list of established plays, Stageworks has produced more than 70 original one-acts in its annual Play-by-Play Festival. And more recently it has turned some of its focus to the development and production of new full-length work created by the diverse perspectives of dramatists in all stages of their careers.

Summerstage, Stagework's summer program for two age groups of youth, is a wonderful introduction to the world of floodlights and invention. Ages 7 to12 participate in workshops featuring acting, playwriting, stage movement and improvisation that culminate in a fully staged performance. Ages 13 to18 collaborate daily with professional theater artists, focusing on playwriting that culminates in a fully staged production, written by the group.

"People need to assemble more in this country. They need to gather and experience something together … live," Ms. Margolis said. "There is nothing better than weaving through the lobby at intermission and listening to the lively conversation the play has inspired." If one should feel less inclined to speak in those moments, there are always the works of art exhibited on the lobby walls by the Great South Bay Art Gallery. Every two months, a new show of paintings, sculpture and photography is displayed.

Don't miss A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Stephen Wargo and playing for two nights only, December 8 and 9. In this pre-New York world premiere engagement, Robert Ian Mackenzie returns to Stageworks with a tour de force performance. There will be music, suspense, and heartwarming cheer for the whole family.

Walking The Dog Theater (WTD) was founded in Australia in 1997 for the sole purpose of creating theater events that enlivened the community. They sought to create an environment where diverse populations could participate in building theatrical experiences. Vital aspects of this purpose included enthusing people in their own creative potential and stimulating artistic life in under served areas.

The company has now settled into the Hudson Valley, transitioning from a traveling company to a locally-based community theater with residencies at the Basilica and Stageworks. They have given over 450 performances and over 150 workshops in the past three years which has included 11 professional productions.

"Without risk, there is no life. I know I should do a show when I'm scared of it," David Anderson said, one of the members of WTD. The other members include Benedicta Bertau, Jennie Clifford, Richard Cross and Melania Levitsky. Mr. Anderson was the lead actor in Burn This, giving a riveting performance as Pale, a tortured soul attempting to make sense out of his brother's untimely death.

Blue Arches, written and performed by Melania Levitsky and directed by Benedicta Bertau, is coming to Stageworks on December 1 and 2—a one-person, seven-character play about a family of four generations who has lived through war, loss, career changes, marriage, divorce, divine revelations, and a fatal car crash. On March 1 through 11 of 2007, William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew will also be at Stageworks.

WTD sees creating drama with youth as an essential part of its mission. Youth, they say, can bring an openness and vibrancy to the theater that is uniquely their own. In 2006 they directed six productions in Columbia and Dutchess Counties and have an ongoing After School Drama Program for ages 11–14 and 15–18, in Columbia County. They also conduct a Summer Intensive Workshop for ages 14-–21. In the summer of 2006, the workshop presented The Imaginary Invalid and in the fall of 2006 they expanded the program to two fully-enrolled groups. King Lear will be performed December 14 to 17, 2006. The Comedy of Errors goes up on December 16, 2006, and Bury The Dead can be seen December 17, 2006. All will be at Stageworks.

‘How do you bring theater to the home, the family," Mr. Anderson asks, "something families consider part of their spiritual diet? Walking The Dog Theater is attempting to build a bridge that people can walk across to experience live theater."

In the late 1950s, people began doing coffeehouse theater, and the beginning of Off Broadway was born. Now, in the 21st century, space in New York city is nearly unaffordable, and Off Broadway has become almost as expensive as Broadway. Coffeehouses have been replaced by Starbucks. The big corporate chains have squeezed out many of the theater artists. The Hudson Valley has become a haven for a new breed of affordable theater, and hopefully, with our support, the legacy of Off Broadway will live on.

For programs and upcoming events, please visit or call: www.basilicaindustria.com, 518-965-8665 / www.stageworkshudson.org, 518-822-9667 / www.wtdtheater.org, 518-610-0909.

In future issues, Carla Reuben-Carbone will survey theater groups in the Rhinebeck and Poughkeepsie areas.