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A FEW MINUTES WITH: Tony Caselli, director of It Came From Mars
By Donald V. Calamia
Team-ups are popular in comic books and the occasional TV series, but over the past few years they've also become increasingly common among budget-conscious theater companies looking for ways to share the expense of producing new or large-cast shows. The latest team-up finds Ann Arbor's Performance Network Theatre and the Williamston Theatre joining forces to stage local playwright Joseph Zettelmaier's latest work, It Came From Mars. EncoreMichigan.com talked recently with Tony Caselli, Williamston's co-founder and artistic director, about the joint venture and why he decided to direct the world premiere production.
You're directing the world premiere of a Joseph Zettelmaier play that's being co-produced by Performance Network and Williams Theatres. How did this team-up come together?
Well, David (Wolber, artistic director of Performance Network) and I had been talking about the possibility of doing a "co-pro" for a while. They'd done a bunch of development with Joe on the play, and I'd read it - and both David and I loved it, and decided that would be the co-production!
It makes good sense for us at Williamston; we're a small company, and six actors is the biggest cast we've had in our space, so splitting the pre-production costs is incredibly helpful!
What are the advantages of jointly producing a new work?
In a large sense they're the same benefits that you get from any co-production: financially you're saving some money, and you're enjoying a nice collaboration with another company - which is always a good thing. Too often we sit in our isolated worlds churning out productions and lose out on the sense of community that is important to what we do – and a collaboration like this takes the steps of "sometimes seeing each others' work" and "sometimes working for each other" to a different level. I like that.
In addition (and to get back to your original question!), when it's a new piece, it gives the opportunity to invest a little more time and money into it, so the writer can see more workshops, see more readings, gather more opinions to use or discard, and continue creating the piece.
Also, granting institutions like to see collaboration between companies: The Network got a wonderful Edgarton grant for this show, partly due to the fact that it was a collaborative effort.
So how did you and the Network decide which theater would host the show first? Flip a coin? (laughs)
(laughs) Well, we decided early on that we were going to call it the "Rolling World Premiere" at both theaters, regardless of who actually hosted it first. Then, as both companies juggled the many factors that go into scheduling a season, we came up with a couple of slots where it would fit into both spaces nicely in relation to the rest of the programming (and actor availability, director availability, etc.).
As we were nailing down the final versions of our seasons, that turned out to be Network first, then the Williamston Theatre.
You've directed at Performance Network several times over the years. Does that make it easier to work together on a joint venture?
Oh, probably! It helps me know which coffee places and bars are closest, if that's what you mean. (laughs)
Actually, it's nice to have a place where you're trusted to run a room and build a production. The Network has always been good to me as a director that way, and this time has been no different. And I think that trust runs both ways, so we were all comfortable going into the project.
What are some of the more unusual things you have to consider when a show you're directing is scheduled to run at two different theaters - especially when the facilities are somewhat different?
After looking first at "Can we afford it?," it became a series of questions that began with "How do we best tell the story in BOTH spaces?"
Once we tackled that, we started dealing with the specific issues like "PNT has a backstage...WT has virtually none. Let's figure out how to make that work" - and things like that.
One of the early, easy decisions was to have the show on a three-quarter thrust (stage) at the Network; it's an intimate setting, which works for the play, but also saves us from having to re-stage the entire thing when it moves to Williamston, since we are not set up for a proscenium production.
The next thing, as I mentioned earlier, is the scheduling: "How/when does the show fit in, and how do the shows around it fit around it on the calendar?" I've been directing this show while Kristine Thatcher is directing The Smell Of The Kill at the Williamston Theatre, so I'm juggling directing and artistic directing while going back and forth from Williamston to Ann Arbor.
It's a fantastic opportunity, and I'm loving it - and it took a little flexibility from both theaters to make it happen!
When did you first learn about It Came From Mars, and what was it about this particular script that attracted you to the project?
Hmmm... I learned about it during the first readings almost two years ago. And I love it because it's ridiculously fun. But there's also a layer of humanity and heart that I like.
I also like the connection to the 1938 Orson Welles broadcast, which is so much fun, and the whole opportunity to create a little "homage" to the many versions of The War Of The Worlds.
You've known Joe Z. for quite some time - which has given you an opportunity to watch him grow as a playwright. Was there something about this script that particularly surprised you - or impressed you?
I like Joe's work. I’ve never directed his stuff before, so I was glad to have the chance.
I found this to be one of the funniest pieces of his that I'd seen, but I also loved the levels in the piece – still do.
You've got quite a cast for the show - Wayne David Parker, Sandra Birch and Joseph Albright, for starters. When you co-produce a show, how much input does each theater have on the casting? And how easy was it to cast the show?
Well, we held auditions for some roles, and some were offered to actors who were in Joe's head when he wrote the play.
I can't tell you how much I've loved working with this cast. The three you mentioned, plus Alysia Koloscz, Morgan Chard and Jacob Hodgson, are just incredible to watch and incredible to work with! So much fun!
And this is one of the most "open" casts I've ever worked with – (they're) willing to try anything, explore any option.
If I'm not mistaken, you've worked before with almost everyone in your cast. Does that make it easier or more fun for you as a director?
The only two actors in the show that I've not directed before are Morgan and Alysia, but I'm thrilled that I'm getting the chance now, because they're fabulous.
It does help to have a history; there's always a little comfort in the familiarity of a shorthand that develops from working with someone often. It's nice, too, to change it up and mix in folks unfamiliar to you as well – there's always a nice freshness in discovering how someone else works, and what you can learn and take away from that!
Once It Came From Mars is up and running, what will you be doing next?
Napping. Then producing the last couple of shows at Williamston Theatre, planning for next season, and I'm also fortunate to be working with Otterbein College on a project, so I'll be going to New York with a bunch of their students for a while.
ABOUT TONY CASELLI:
Having directed over 30 Equity productions, Tony Caselli has worked at many of Michigan's professional theaters, as well as the Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, NY and Urban Stages in New York, NY. In 2005, with three other theater professionals, Tony founded the Williamston Theatre, where he serves as artistic director. For the 12 years prior to that, he worked full-time for Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre Company, serving for his last several years there as associate artistic director.
A member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and the Actors' Equity Association, he received his degree in theater from Eastern Michigan University, where he occasionally teaches in the Theatre Department. He was named Best Director of 2006 from the Detroit Free Press, and twice named Best Director by the Ann Arbor News. He is also the co-creator, co-producer and co-host of the podcast series Encore LIVE for EncoreMichigan.com. A native of New Boston, Michigan, Tony lives in Chelsea with his wife and two children.
SHOW DETAILS:
The world premiere of It Came From Mars opens in previews Feb. 18-21 & 25 ($10-$32), then runs Thursday through Sunday Feb. 26-March 21 at Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. Tickets: $25-$41. For information: 734-663-0681 or www.performancenetwork.org.
The production then moves to the Williamston Theatre, 122 S. Putnam St., Williamston, for performances Thursday through Sunday March 31-April 18, with a Wednesday evening performance on March 31; there will be no matinee performance on April 4. Tickets: $18-$24. For information: 517-655-SHOW or www.williamstontheatre.org.
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