Save the drama

After a rocky year, Tulsa Project Theatre returns to punk roots

The stage lights were off in Rehearsal Room 1, where 30 psychedelic puppets are set to arrive from Atlanta. Soon, Tulsa Project Theatre will switch on the lights and begin preparing for their first show of 2017, “Avenue Q.”

The 2004 Tony Award “Triple Crown” winner for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, is an an irreverent coming-of-age romp about foul-mouthed Sesame Street-like puppets struggling with adult problems.

“It’s dirty puppets but it’s so much more than that,” said Seth Paden, an Oklahoma City-based actor and director set to direct “Avenue Q.” He’s acted with TPT since 2013, inhabiting roles in “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Rent,” among others.

A lot is riding on Paden’s handling of “Avenue Q.” The young theater troupe, known for its edgy productions of “The Rocky Horror Show,” experienced a turbulent 2016 marked by disappointing forays into kid-friendly fare, bad press, a social media firestorm and change in leadership.

“We have a lot to prove as a theater company,” said Paden.

“It’s true. We’re rebuilding,” agreed Matthew Alvin Brown, an Oklahoma City actor and director. He stepped into the newly created role of TPT’s artistic director last summer. “It’s exciting and terrifying.”

Paden needs “Avenue Q” to be a success. But the pressure to create a cohesive artistic vision for the six-year-old company sits squarely on Brown’s shoulders. The young men’s excitement–and terror–was palpable as we talked in the half-dark rehearsal space on loan from the Oklahoma Performing Arts Co., a row of mirrored practice spaces in a Broken Arrow strip mall.

Brown began working with TPT in 2015 as an actor in “Same Time Next Year.” In 2016, he directed successful TPT productions of “Rent” and “The Who’s Tommy.” As he got to know more about the company, he said, “It became clear … that there were a lot of talented and passionate artists in every discipline but there was no overarching vision of who we are as a company.”

The troupe was founded in 2010 by Todd Cunningham, the current executive director of Arts Alliance Tulsa and Tulsa Symphony’s marketing director. Their first stage home was The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The 21-and-up venue allowed the crew to “push the suggestiveness to the limits,” said James Watts, Tulsa World arts critic.

Cunningham said he “always intended” to step away from the company once it became established. “I came at [TPT] from a marketing and financial standpoint,” he said. 

On the business side, Cunningham was committed to affiliating the company with Actor’s Equity Association, a union for stage actors and managers. TPT is the only theater group in Tulsa where the cast and crew can earn equity status, which requires they be treated ethically and paid a living wage.

“It sets a precedent and shows the world that this is what we do as artists. This is our job,” Brown said. “We’re artists and we make pretend things happen under lights. That’s a hard thing for a grownup to do successfully in this world.”

However, he admitted equity is “a tricky thing,” which “to the average theater-goer doesn’t really make much of a difference.”

Paden was thrilled to earn his equity card after a year with TPT. However, “I had four or five auditions where they wouldn’t cast me because I had equity,” he said. “I was too expensive.”

He has since dropped his equity status.

“This is not a theater-going city,” Watts said. Equity is a noble ideal but it’s a hard sell in a third-tier, middle America market. “Tulsa hasn’t been able to develop enough of an audience where there’s enough work for people who need to make a living as an actor or stage manager.”

In the summer of 2015, Cunningham stepped down. His ties to the Tulsa Symphony led him to Ron Spigelman, a conductor. TPT’s board named Spigelman executive director until they decided how to fill the vacuum in artistic leadership.

Since those first “Rocky” shows, TPT softened its edge to appeal to a broader audience. They added G-Rated musicals to their season lineups alongside the grungy, thought-provoking dramas they were known for. The material didn’t suit the rock ‘n' roll troupe, and they found themselves far outside their comfort zone. Shows suffered.

In late April, TPT premiered “Billy Elliot: The Musical,” a family-friendly, dance-heavy production. After attending the show’s chaotic opening night in April, Watts wrote a scathing review. In it, he called the show “a mess,” and cited “technical errors galore,” poor casting, confusing direction and poor use of space.

“So much of it went awry,” Watts said. “The explanations as to what happened, and I heard five, were all contradictory.”

But, Watts said, “I see ‘Billy Elliot’ as an aberration. [TPT] has proven they’re capable of doing good work. I was nervous about publishing that. A negative review is written out of disappointment, especially a local theater review.”

When a production goes wrong, Watts said, “I don’t get angry. My wife, on the other hand, she came out of ‘Billy Elliot’ and was angrier than she’d ever been in her life.”

Rather than taking the notes and moving on, some “Billy Elliot” cast members, including then-executive director Spigelman, created a social media firestorm of finger-pointing and outrage.

“It was handled very poorly,” Brown said. “The thing about theater is if you believe the good reviews you have to believe the bad ones too. More importantly, if you get a bad review, you go, ‘All right, that happened, what can we learn from it.’ Not create a social media outcry.”

Paden nodded. “That whole debacle was a reason why [TPT’s board] decided to restructure. To make sure it doesn’t happen again. It woke them up, if you will.”

Shows like “Billy Elliot,” “Shrek: The Musical” and “West Side Story,” Paden said, “shouldn’t have been done in the first place. Not by us.”

“I think ‘Billy Elliot’ was a learning experience for them,” Watts said. “It’s not what defines them.”

Soon after “Billy Elliot,” TPT’s board eliminated the executive director role; on the heels of his directorial success with “Rent,” Brown was offered—and accepted—a new job title for the company: artistic director. 

“We’re in a completely different spot now,” Paden said. “Before Matt took over was not a good spot.”

Brown shrugged off the praise. “It feels like a brand-new theater company,” he said. “I think what we’re aiming toward, hopefully, is a niche. I come from a background of playing in punk bands, doing rock musicals. We’re going to do those because the team we have now does it very well. We don’t want to be limited but we want a reputation as a punk rock crew.

“Some risks were taken with ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘West Side Story,’” Brown said. “That’s not our heartbeat. We want to do edgy, more thought-provoking material. We’re excited about showing Tulsa what this new [TPT] can do.”

Brown is already proving himself. In September, he directed TPT’s production of “The Who’s Tommy,” a rock opera that plays to the company’s strengths. Under Brown’s direction, the show “racked up a new high score” for TPT, wrote Watts in a glowing review of the show.

“Matt Brown has directed some of their best shows,” Watts said. “And I feel confident he’s going to do a good job with the company. He’s committed to that.”

Cunningham echoed the sentiment and said he believes Brown will be a good leader for the young troupe of passionate players.

Despite a rollercoaster of onstage hits and misses, Paden points out how far the company has come in a short span of time. “This is only [TPT’s] sixth year,” he said. “I’ve been with them for three years and in just that short span of time I’ve seen so much happen. Where we’re at now is where we should be: creating good art and doing shows that speak to us.”

Cue the trippy, foul-mouthed puppets. 

Tulsa Project Theatre’s 2017 line-up includes “Avenue Q” (Feb. 10-18), “And Then They Came For Me: The World of Anne Frank” (April 28-May 7), and “Little Shop of Horrors” (June 2-11). 

More information on auditions, donations and upcoming shows are available on TPT’s website, tulsaprojecttheatre.com. Tickets are available online at tulsapac.com.

For more from Jennie, read her piece on Oklahoma’s annual Bigfoot festival.