Make a Date With "Becky Shaw"

Drew Griffiths and Jeffrey Alan Davis want the plays they present to be more than something people just sit and watch. The founders of Chimera Productions aim to blur the lines between the actors and the audience.

Therefore, their production of “Becky Shaw” at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton will, according to Griffiths, bring audience members close to the drama in ways that might surprise them.

“They will be right on top of each other, really close up,” Griffiths says. “(The audience) will be able to see an amazing amount of work being done that they’re probably not accustomed to in theater.”

Gina Gionfriddo’s “Becky Shaw” was not written in any kind of meta-theater style, but the intimacy of the Paul Robeson Center’s Solley Theater, where the play will be performed July 14 through 16, lends itself to a performance that draws the curtain back (so to speak) on a theatrical performance.

“Becky Shaw” made its world premiere in 2008. It’s a dark comedy involving a first date between the title characters (played by Alexandra Fleming) and Max (Paul Zilberman). The two are set up by newlyweds Suzanna (Shilpa Guha) and Andrew (Stefan Iseldyke) and to say the date doesn’t go well is something of an understatement.

“Everyone has their own baggage to bring, and what evolves is quite interesting in terms of how the characters change,” Grittifh says. It’s also the kind of play that leads to debates about the characters, though in an introduction to the play, Gionfriddo wrote that she doesn’t think any character is right or wrong or “damaged beyond repair.”

Officially Griffiths is the play’s executive director and Davis is the director but the two collaborate on all aspects of their productions. In tackling “Becky Shaw,” they saw an opportunity to push the boundaries in how they stage a show.

Audiences will see almost every aspect of the production, including the sound and lighting crews. The actors are always on stage and watch the scenes their characters aren’t in.

“We’re always interested in breaking down those walls and those barriers between the audience and the production, because we believe that theater is not a passive experience,” Griffiths says. “It’s not like going to a movie, you don’t just sit there in the dark and be entertained, you are part of the experience. Theater does not work without the audience.”

This is all intended to enhance the story and not distract from it, and that’s a delicate task.

“You have to ride the line, you don’t want it to be a distraction, you want it to add to what you’re doing and we think we’ve accomplished that,” Griffiths says. “We’re sort of peeling the layers away but the play is so interesting itself and the characters are really strong, so I don’t think people will be distracted by what’s happening in the background.”

Chimera Productions got its start a few years when Griffiths and Davis met in A Little Taste of Cuba, the cigar shop on Princeton’s Witherspoon Street. Davis worked there part time (he also teaches drama at East Brunswick High School) and Griffiths was a customer. They became friends, found out they both love theater and decided to start their own company, one that stood out from others.

“We set down rules right at the beginning that we’ve never deviated from,” Griffiths says. “We don’t care if we make any money, we don’t care if anyone shows up. We do work that we think is challenging and we don’t do musicals. The musical part might be a little unwritten but that’s the whole premise. We do theater that we believe in.”

Chimera Productions will present “Becky Shaw” July 14 through July 16 at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center for the arts, located at 102 Witherspoon St. in Princeton. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $12. Tickets are available at www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or by calling 609-924-8777.