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September 23, 2004
• Full Disclosure Full Disclosure Workshop Playhouse is a labor of love On a visit to the new Workshop Playhouse in Great Barrington, Artistic Director Linda Josephs dashes around, showing off the new tech booth, explaining the sound equipment that will be purchased for the theater, boasting about saving thousands of dollars by making the black drapes that surround the stage and talking a mile a minute. That Josephs is passionate about making her theater a success is obvious. That she has the drive, the energy and the talent to succeed is also obvious. Plus, she has the support of her husband, Tom Josephs, who is happy filling any role, from financial backer to go-fer to ticket taker. The Workshop Playhouse, which will have its official grand opening on Columbus Day weekend, is already offering acting classes, a workshop on Julia Cameron's "The Artist’s Way," and hosting High Holy Day services for Congregation Ahavath Shalom. The brand new black box theater with adjacent gallery space has a welcoming ambiance, created by Josephs with casual flower arrangements and an ever-present bowl of chocolate. The Workshop Playhouse is a dream realized for Josephs, who has been a full-time resident of the Berkshires for 12 years. A native New Yorker, Josephs had a successful career designing home furnishings. She worked in Manhattan and lived in Brooklyn, raising her two sons. "I was a designer of home furnishing products in New York for 20 years, for the mass market and for Gucci. I worked with the man who designed the Gucci loafer." Josephs said. Educated at New York University and the Parsons School of Design, at first Josephs started her own company -- a large East Coast firm that made decorative pillows. When a larger company bought her out, she went to work for them, designing comforters, sheets, pillows, fabrics, wallcoverings and furniture. "It was great," Josephs says. "I loved my job. You have to have a real passion for what you do. There was glamour and there was hard work." Josephs adds, “That's why this is the Workshop Playhouse. Without the work, you don’t have the play.” Josephs met her husband, Tom, a retired physician, 15 years ago. When they married, they moved to the Berkshires. Josephs tried an interior design business, but soon realized it wasn't a good fit. Reclaiming an early interest in theater, she volunteered with Mixed Company, producing, designing sets and acting in a number of productions. She also took lots of acting workshops, in Boston, New York and here. Nicki Wilson's Actors Center in Great Barrington was "really inspirational," Josephs said. "A lot of the seeds for the Workshop Playhouse come from Nicki’s acting workshops." Joseph's dream of her own theater space really took hold when her husband became seriously ill on a trip to Mexico. He had to be airlifted to Dallas, Tex., for treatment, and during that experience, Josephs decided, "If we get through this, I can do anything. It inspired me to say, don’t get discouraged, you still have the edge. You can do anything. Just jump." When they returned to Great Barrington, Josephs looked at a lot of spaces. When Studio 21, a fitness gym, decided to move to larger quarters, she knew her theater had found a home. She saw the space in March, signed a lease in April and when the gym vacated on July 1, she was ready to move in July 2. With the help of contractor Tene Fales, the theater was ready to use by the end of August, although she says, "We do have a few more things to fix." Josephs consulted Melissa Kushi, a local feng shui expert. "The other spaces didn't have the correct layout. This space has everything laid out properly," Josephs said. The building has ample parking, large sunny windows and a view of the river at the back. "Even the light grid lines up properly," Josephs said. “There’s water, there’s earth -- there’s a florist across the street.”
Joseph's colleague Dan Region created all the graphics, posters and the Web site for the project. Region is a professional actor and teacher, and Josephs says they are "acting partners. We did 'Night of the Iguana’ together, and performing Tennessee Williams creates lifelong bonds." Region has been talking about doing the "Artist’s Way" workshop for four years. “Now we have the place to do it,” Josephs said. The theater's grand opening on Columbus Day weekend will feature performances of three one-act plays by David Ives, with a question and answer period with the actors to follow and, of course, refreshments. The performers will mostly be drawn form the core of actors who have been taking the Tuesday night acting classes with instructor Nick Miscusi. "We're open to everyone," Josephs says. "We do have auditions for the shows. The rehearsals have a workshop atmosphere. The actors feel free -- it’s a safe place for the actors. I’m directing the first show, and I encourage it.” Josephs has a long list of things she wants to accomplish. "We're open to meeting other actors, directors and producers. We had a first networking party, and we’ll have more of those. I’d love to have younger audiences, and I want to have live music. We want to do things that are a little 'fringe-y,’ I want to push the envelope. I love comedy but want to welcome drama. I’m talking to small theater groups in New York about bringing their shows up. Eventually we plan to show films, and we’ll have a system of two projectors to provide scenery and special effects." Josephs is firm when she says, "There are no stars. We're using the space for creativity, collaborative efforts. We’re working at being familiar together." She participates in the Tuesday night class with the other actors. "And Nick, our acting teacher, will be in one of the David Ives plays. We all participate in each other’s creativity. "The Tuesday night class is the heart," she says. "The troupe is forming, coalescing out of that class. The class is strictly for the actors -- it develops a group so comfortable with one another, that they can improvise a whole piece. I think acting is good for everyone. I want to teach acting for retirees. We'll be teaching voice and movement. I love improv -- we’ll be doing that -- and music. But I want to go slowly.” When asked about the finances, Joseph said, "This is an LLC, not a non-profit. The key to this is that I don't get paid. The actors get paid, the instructors get paid -- it’s a business. If we use the space properly and keep it alive, and I can pay my actors and instructors and make expenses, I’m happy. "I have 60 seats, maybe we'll put 80 seats in. I have confidence in it. I figured it out on paper, and it balances. The big thing is keeping it alive, taking care of it." Josephs wants to appeal to younger audiences, and she plans on keeping ticket prices reasonable, "so people will keep coming back." Seats for the opening weekend performances are $20, with a discount for students. For the rest of the run, tickets are $15. "We'll be open all year round," Josephs said. "Classes will continue. We’re going to work on adding the camera class. We just want people to flourish. The people who come to the workshops become our audience, and a friendly audience is wonderful. We’re cross-pollinating like crazy.” Nick Miscusi's "Opposing Forces" ongoing acting classes take place on Tuesday evening from 7 to 10 for adults and on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 5:30 for teens. Each class is $25; please call ahead for space availability. The exhibit of photographs by Ormond Gigli, most taken during the 1950s and 1960s, will open at the Workshop Playhouse Gallery on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 9, 10 and 11. Performances of three David Ives plays will also begin Oct. 9. The Workshop Playhouse is located on Route 7 across from the Price Chopper-Kmart shopping plaza, in White House Square. For more information, call 644-8850 or visit www.workshopplayhouse.com. |
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