Crafting a Dream with Dreamcatcher's Laura Ekstrand

With autumn here, the arts and culture scene in our area is back in full force. One longtime lynchpin of the local arts and theatre community, the Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, the professional Theatre in Residence at the Baird Center in South Orange, opens its sixteenth season on Saturday, September 25th. 

Patch caught up with Laura Ekstrand, Dreamcatcher's Artistic Director, to peek behind-the-scenes of a local repertory, sixteen seasons young and counting.

"Dreamcatcher was created in 1994 when my friend Janet Sales and I had one too many lunches where we complained about the lack of continuity in our freelance acting careers," explains Ekstrand, who is also an actor, director, teacher, and playwright.  "We were feeling that, although we were working steadily, it really wasn't amounting to much.  We wanted a community of actors that would continue through time, and a reliable place to do the kind of work that we felt strongly about."

"We spent our first four years as a summer theatre in Montclair … and then spent the next four at Bloomfield College before finally coming to South Orange almost eight years ago.  Five years into the life of the company, Janet stepped back as a producer,  (though she's still a company member), and now runs Essex Youth Theatre in Montclair.  We now have a resident acting company of eleven actors who make up the artistic core and soul of the company."

With a mission statement to "build community with the audience by sharing life-affirming stories in an intimate environment", Dreamcatcher has been a demanding endeavor. 

The New Jersey State Council for the Arts awarded Dreamcatcher $5150, only a portion of what the Repertory requires.  Raising the rest remains an ongoing responsibility.

"Funding is always difficult, but two years ago, when the country entered its current crisis, we had a very down year," according to Ekstrand.  "Individual donors, foundations and corporations all cut back or eliminated support, and we struggled through the year by sheer determination." 

"We cut our budget back dramatically in all areas and changed the way we do marketing and publicity.  We now are much more focused on using the internet, not only because it's cheaper, but because our audiences are increasingly using it to make plans and get information."

Ekstrand goes on to say that, "Since that dark year, things have been improving gradually, though we still need to grow beyond what we're currently receiving.  The best thing that we can do is grow our audience, because satisfied patrons spread the word and we want nothing more than more people at the party."

Luckily for the group, the local area and its towns are rife with would-be patrons and audience members, many of who are theater enthusiasts and, in some cases, part of the theater industry themselves.  But Ekstrand points out that even a theater and actor-friendly environment such as ours can be a double-edged sword, and present its own interesting challenges for a local repertory like Dreamcatcher.

"We have a very sophisticated public here," says Ekstrand.  "They are well-educated and are culturally aware of what's going on in New York and even regionally.  Some audience members will see a show while on vacation and send me the title to look at if they think it's appropriate for the company.  We're able to be more daring in our choices because there is a market for these more complicated, more intimate stories here."

"On the other hand, there is such an array of entertainment choices in our area, the competition for leisure time is fierce.  So in that way, we have to work very hard to get people's attention, and to keep it."

One way that Dreamcatcher contends with the crowded entertainment field in South Orange and the surrounding region, is by distinguishing itself through its great mixture of production and program offerings.  Though the Repertory's seasons focuses on the two Mainstage plays that they produce every year -- this year's selections are the New Jersey premieres of "This", a play by Melissa James Gibson that was a 2009 Off-Broadway critical favorite, and Lisa Loomer's hit comedy "Distracted", also a 2009 Off-Broadway transplant -- the group's other work clearly show off their wide range and variety. 

For instance, their 2010-2011 season kicks off later this month with their improvisational comedy troupe, Multiple Personality Disorder, supplying a family-friendly evening of off-the-cuff improv humor and unpredictable, though always funny, laughs.

"Multiple Personality Disorder originated during our Bloomfield College days when we were asked to create an evening for prospective students," Ekstrand says.  "One of our members, Dave Maulbeck, had been working in improv and suggested we try this out together, since we already have a very close working relationship among our members.  It was a huge hit, and we've been doing it ever since – for almost ten years now.  Dave continues to work in improv and sketch comedy in New York City, and he brings back a lot of new games and skills to share with us.  We're constantly incorporating new elements into the shows, so it's a real evolution.  We have at least one rehearsal before the shows to try out new games and get back in the groove together." 

Then later this year, on December 3rd and 4th, Dreamcatcher presents "A Very Special (Holiday) Special", their unique and affectionate send-up of traditional television holiday variety shows, including holiday songs, comic sketches and lots of good, old-fashioned fun.

In May, Dreamcatcher's "Meet the Artist" series takes place, and the ensemble sits down for new play readings on two separate occasions, affording the very close-at-hand audience rare opportunities to discuss the works with the playwright, director and actors after the performance, giving the audience members a glimpse of the process of play development firsthand.

Ekstrand goes on to elaborate further: "The "Meet the Artist" series includes two table readings of new plays in front of an audience, who then discusses what they've heard with the playwright, actors and director.  It's a very informal and interactive experience, where we're all there to support the development of the new work and help the playwright move it forward.  It's extremely fun for the actors and the audiences enjoy the ability to talk back to the artists as well." 

"Aside from the production elements, (there are no sets, costumes, lights or sound), the difference is that the audience is involved in a very real way in the evening.  The audience at a mainstage show is a very important half of the equation – without them, we don't exist!  But in a reading, they are instrumental in showing a writer how his or her play is working for an audience while it is still being born."

Finally, in the summer of 2011, Dreamcatcher's season wraps up with a month-long Summer Conservatory Theatre program and camp for young actors, ranging from 10 to 17 years of age, concluding with the Dreamcatcher Junior show, which the students stage and perform, to the delight of their families and friends.

"The Summer Theatre Conservatory arose from my experience as a drama director in various public schools and private theatre programs," describes Ekstrand.  "I felt that the school experience is very show-centric – that kids are asked to audition and perform without a lot of technical preparation.  Meanwhile, many private theatre programs are pre-professional, even those geared to very young students.  I wanted Dreamcatcher to provide a safe place for kids with a curiosity and a passion about performing to try it, learn some important building blocks, and learn about themselves.  I have a huge amount of respect for acting training, and I also believe that students develop at different rates – some are ready to go at a very young age, and others evolve more slowly.  …The Summer Theatre Conservatory is our chance to open a student's eyes to everything that lies ahead if they want it."

With obviously so much to accomplish in a diverse season like the current one, it is fascinating and revealing to hear how Dreamcatcher staff actually pull it off each and every year.

"Well, there are so many things that are mundane it's hard to know where to begin, "Ekstrand says.  "Once a director, (his first time with us), asked me when "they" were coming in to clean the theatre before opening.  I guess he had no idea that he was already talking to the cleaning crew – Steve McIntyre, the Managing Director, and I vacuum and sweep the theatre before opening, paint the stage when the show is closed, and there is an endless amount of costume laundering and hanging and folding that I do after every show.  We have a staff of only 2 full-timers and 1 part-timer, so we do it all!"

Fortunately, Ekstrand points out that the company members' family will often help out and support the group as well:

"Company members' families definitely join up at the same time the actor does.  They're incredibly supportive, and come repeatedly to our shows.  Some of them have leant a hand in carpentry, clean-up, electrics, just about anywhere we need them, so it's really nice." 

"My 10-year-old son loves to help me at the theatre – he cleans and paints and moves chairs – he loves all the secret nooks and crannies of the space, and he really understands what I need to do to keep the theatre going.  He even donated $1 from his piggy bank last year – he knows even at his age that the theatre always needs money!  He got a real charge out of seeing his name in the playbill."

For more details on Dreamcatcher's 2010-2011 season, including performance schedules and ticket prices, and to get more information on how you can help support Dreamcatcher and its programs, go to http://www.dreamcatcherrep.org.

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre company members include Scott McGowan, Nicole Callender, Clark Carmichael, Harry Patrick Christian, Laura Ekstrand, Noreen Farley, Jessica O'Hara-Baker, Dave Maulbeck, David Miceli, Janet Sales, and Harriett Trangucci.