Theater Project Hunts For New Home

As the lights beam back on at intermission during last Friday’s showing of  at , artistic director Mark Spina emerged at the side of the stage to give an unusual plug for a summer play.

The Theater Project intends to stage a production of the Victorian literature spoof Penny Penniworth in the summer, he told the audience. Then he added that he’s not entirely where the production will happen. Or when. But it will happen, he emphasized.

"We won't let a little thing like not having a building stand in the way of putting on a show," he said jokingly. But he was serious.

 The Theater Project announced this month that its currently searching for a new permanent venue. A drama group that performs about three plays a year and employs professional actors, the Theater Project has been run by Spina and a well of about 40 volunteers out of the Roy Smith auditorium in the Union County College Cranford campus for 17 years. 

The reason for the move lies with the current UCC administration, which asked the Theatre Project to leave. Executive Assistant Stephen Nacco said the administration sees the program as an indirect use of student money and academic space for a cause not specfically devoted to student learning.

The college spends $20,000 a year on the company, he said, adding that student tuition helps fund the program. The typical student at UCC pays $100 per credit.

"We can't afford to support them, we can't give up the space," he said, adding,” we as a college wish them well, and I took no pleasure in this happening, but their mission and our mission is far apart."

The other problem, Nacco, said, is that the theatre group takes the auditorium for about 31 out of 52 weeks in the academic year. In that time, he said he thinks that students and faculty could instead be using it for presentations, lectures, talent shows and other Union County College programming.

 In addition the "blackbox format" that the Theater Project often uses creates difficulties for academic programs. The organizers extend the stage over the pit and place about 60 chairs for the audience on the stage. The result is a more intimate acting space where audiences are more involved with the play. However this creates a more restricted space for students and faculty that want to use the auditorium for other events, he said.

This year the administration asked organizers to not use the blackbox format so they could utilize the 300-seat auditorium for other programs, and the Theatre Project complied with their request. The blackbox was not built for the current spring production.

However, the concession was not enough for UCC to consider a lease renewal. Nacco added that in April he asked the drama group if they would include students and faculty in their shows to glean more educational value from the group – but the Theatre Project, maintaining that it is a professional theatre company that hires professional actors, said no.

Spina explained that the theatre company would be happy to do anything UCC wants them to do – but Nacco's April request would have pushed the group in an undesired direction. "We've worked very hard to develop this professional company, and we're not going to take away what's already working," he said.

The rift between college and group became apparent in the beginning of 2011, when the administration asked the Theater Project to hold off promoting its yearly catalog of shows. 

Despite the venue difficulties, Spina said the artistic philosophy of the Theatre Project would remain the same. The company looks for obscure works that are rarely performed for audiences. In Spina's view, it's a solution to the cookie-cutter entertainment mostly available to audiences today in the form of television and Hollywood films.

"When I look around at the world, I see hundreds of people lining outside of chain restaurants over the weekend when there are all these mom and pop restaurants that are just as good if not better," he explained. "Why are we not willing to try something new? I think we’re trying to convince people that the new can be equally satisfying even if it’s a little more challenging." 

Since starting up in 1994, the Theater Project has remained true to that core concept, and it earns them recognition at the state level. Although a small venue, they've culled a big reputation for quality work. The Star-Ledger named three productions to its annual ‘10 best’ list, and named Spina as "Best Director" twice, according to media relations director David Neal. 

Although struggling to attract patrons and donations like other art groups during the recession, Neal said the Theater Project made it a priority to not cut the volume of its programming. With their venue gone, they will apply the same dedication to getting the theater back on track.

"We'll carry on, we just don't know where yet," Neal said.

He added that they're searching for venues in the area. "We don’t want to go far, this is our base. We hope to stay pretty close." 

He added that a dream venue would be a storefront in downtown Cranford. They are in the process of discussing the matter with the Downtown Management Corporation and may seek the audience of Mayor Daniel Aschenbach.

Neal added that the Theater Project has been publicizing the move in the media in the hope that there is a business or nonprofit out there that would be interested in loaning unused space to the company for a venue.

"If someone’s got a storefront or area of their business that they’re not using we thought let’s get the word out just in case we stumble upon someone like that," he said. He added that they've also talked with schools, churches and other play companies. They are hunting for spaces not only in Cranford but also in Westfield, Kenilworth, Clark, Maplewood and the Oranges.

If the Theater Project moves too far from Cranford however, Spina said he and the rest of the volunteers worry that the plays will experience a drop in funding and patronage. That's because the company will be catering to a new local audience. It may also prove difficult to lure its current patron base out to another area. However, they remain positive.

"We’re seeing it as a opportunity, a challenge but we’re up for it," Spina said.