Despite pessimistic forecasts and a troubled economy, Deborah Taylor remains a source of optimism for new playwrights and their work. Deborah Taylor is the Producing Director for The Zephyr Theatre, where she started The Zephyr Staged Reading series, and the Associate Producer of the New Works Program with The Aurora Theatre Company. Currently, she leads the selection process for The Aurora’s GAP (Global Age Project), an annual festival celebrating new plays with forward-looking visions of global significance. LA Stage Online catches up with Deborah Taylor to talk about the project, the community and the production of new plays.
LA Stage: GAP’s stated objective is “to give playwrights and directors the opportunity to explore the current and future state of the global community and to create works that would inspire audiences to do the same.” As far as the theatre community goes, what comments do you have on its future state with new plays being produced?
Deborah Taylor: Producing theatre in any community - whether it is Los Angeles, New York, or Berkeley - is a challenge to the producers. Not for profit organizations such as The Aurora Theatre or commercial producers such as The Zephyr Theatre continually struggle to find the funds to bring provocative, exciting, thought-provoking and entertaining new plays to their audiences. As challenging as this can be, it is as equally valuable and vital. Playwrights are providing the theatre community with vibrant, profound and committed new voices, while encouraging a new and diverse audience into the theatre.
LAS: So how does the GAP theme of the future and global community align with the production of new plays?
Joel Drake Johnson
DT: The program encourages and seeks forward-thinking works focused on the important issues of an incredibly challenging global era. In the spirit of supporting this work, The Aurora will bring Joel Drake Johnson’s The First Grade, one of the GAP’s finalists in 2009, to their main stage in the 2009/2010 season. This fully staged world premiere will coincide with the Gap’s 2010 new works reading series in February.
LAS: How is it working with a friend, Matthew Graham Smith, on GAP?
DT: A friend, who has been in this business a very long time, once said to me: This business is too hard to not enjoy the work or the people you are working with. Graham and I met when we were both cast as actors in a production of Tartuffe with the Del’Arte Theatre Company. We hit it off and became fast friends. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Graham. He is a talented actor, a motivating teacher and a smart, exciting director. These skills make working with him an inspiring and productive experience as well as a lot of fun. We bring out the best in each other because we are friends and so we make a great team.
LAS: What difficulties do you face heading the selection process for GAP?
DT: The most difficult decision will be how to pick the four winning plays from the incredibly talented group of writers who are submitting to The GAP this year. Graham and I have been working very hard to get the word out to as many individuals and organizations that support playwrights as possible. We both love to read plays and love playwrights. It is really exciting for me every time I pick up a script. I have great admiration for writers, it is an honor to be in this role, and we all respect and appreciate the work we receive.
LAS: How does the process of selecting the plays go?
DT: We have eight paid readers ranging from stage directors to actors to dramaturges to one avid theatre lover /audience member. Sixteen plays are chosen out of what we expect to be somewhere between 350-450 submissions. Once the final 16 are chosen, the directors who have been selected to direct this year’s GAP staged readings along with Tom Ross, The Aurora’s artistic director, will begin a much more detailed and thoughtful process of selecting the final four.
LAS: You have a hand in both The Aurora and The Zephyr Theatres. What differences do you see in working for them?
DT: The Zephyr Theatre is a commercial venue and The Aurora is a not-for-profit theatre. This makes the choices and the possibilities for what can and can not be done at each facility vastly different. The Zephyr is closer to a Broadway producing experience because you move from project to project, hiring a new team each time, and you are hands-on in every aspect of the production. It can be very exciting in that you have the freedom to do work you might not be able to do in a NFP organization, which has a specific mission and committed season.
LAS: Any parting thoughts?
DT: I recently read the article in LA Stage regarding the state of local theatre, “Mike Daisey Questions the LA Theatre Community.” I was very intrigued by one question: Does the LA theatre community exist to serve the artist or to serve the audiences and the local community? I hope my work with NFP organizations such as The Aurora in Berkeley has given me the insight to contribute to finding a way to merge artist with community as well as continue to find ways to bring a creative and diverse mix to the small theatre.
For more information about submitting to the GAP, visit http://www.auroratheatre.org/gap.php?ref=prog
Feature Image of Deborah Taylor by Lori Dorn. Article Image courtesy of Joel Drake Johnson and the Aurora Theatre Company.
