Available Light Theater takes on a classic
By Lia Eastep |
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Photo by Chris Casella Available Light Theatre, the four-year old troupe acclaimed for its deconstructionist think-piece original work, is about to embark on a truly risky endeavor. They are presenting a straight-up, traditional production of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Artistic Director Matt Slaybaugh met marketing guru, teacher, and all-around force-of-nature Artie Isaac through a mutual friend. They instantly formed a mutual admiration society and decided to trade favors; Isaac would provide marketing services if Slaybaugh and company agreed to produce a community production of Our Town starring Isaac in the role of the Stage Manager.
Slaybaugh admits to his initial hesitation.
"Look, Our Town is not really my thing," he said. "But Artie wanted to do it for all the right reasons."
Turns out there were plenty of reasons not to stop there. Ultimately, 1400 people showed up to see the production.
Isaac was sold. He went on to persuade Slaybaugh to produce The Odd Couple and an original "big Jewish Christmas show" called Consolidated Amalgamated's Annual Christmas Spectacular.
"Artie fell in love with our mission," said Slaybaugh of Available Light. When they decided to apply for 5013(c) status and create a board of directors in August 2008 (a crucial step in legitimacy for an arts organization), Isaac was one of the first members, and went about recruiting others.
I met with Slaybaugh, Issac, and director Ian Short at Luck Brothers Coffee Shop to discuss the new production. Given that I'd done four separate book reports over the course of middle and high school on the book To Kill a Mockingbird (re-reading it each time for a new perspective), I felt confident about my abilities to be conversant in the text. Never would I have imagined the unusual path the exploration would take.
"When people think of Atticus Finch, they think of Gregory Peck and vice versa. He was perfectly cast in the movie in 1961. But what if the book had come out yesterday and the Coen brothers directed it? Peck would be over-cast, right? Today you would want someone who was vulnerable and could have lost everything."
When I asked Short about the challenge of working with children actors, of whom much is required, he replied quickly, "These kids are experienced. They know what they're doing."
Isaac agreed, saying he likes the idea of the kids immersing themselves in the text.
"When you read the book To Kill a Mockingbird as a kid, you see the thing through the character Scout's point of view. But if you re-read it as an adult, you begin to see it through Atticus' point of view. It becomes a very different book. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about relationships - Atticus Finch's relationship to his children and his community."
It is only fitting that the story behind this production should also be so strongly rooted in relationship.
Originally Published: June 1, 2010
