Sometimes, smaller theater companies have to deal with a lack of talent, or a lack of funding. And although Theater Aspen operates on a small stage, which hides in a tent, it manages to bring the bright lights and glamor of Broadway to town.
Mark Martino is the director of Theater Aspen’s production of Cabaret. It is his sixth time directing a show with the company and says there’s something special about the challenge of working in a place that doesn’t have traditional theater amenities.
“It isn’t like you’re walking into a building that has everything ready," says Martino. "It’s built from the ground up. The lighting is re-hung every summer. The sound system needs to be rebuilt. We have to bring it in and it’s all wired. The tent is literally erected. Usually you walk into a theater and turn on a soundboard, and walk up to a light booth. And go over to the costume shop and maybe go to the set shop. We’re sitting in a trailer right now which are the actor dressing rooms. Completely comfortable and lovely, but we are in a double-wide. It’s a different experience.”
In addition to building the stage from scratch, the crew has to explore the show from three sides because the stage is thrust into the audience rather than having the more traditional proscenium stage layout.
“So I have to design a dance number that works all the way around the space," says Martino. "So a kickline turns, it doesn’t face you. It’ll go three hundred and sixty degrees before it goes back. But I enjoy those challenges. They’re great challenges to have.”
In Martino’s version of Cabaret, cast members enter the stage from behind the audience allowing them to create an extremely intimate environment.
The story of Cabaret revolves around the Kit Kat Club and its employees and attendees during the rise of the Nazis in 1930s Berlin. Theater Aspen’s production forces audience members to witness people being persecuted for their faith and identity – often times from just a few inches away.
At the end of the day, Martino says he likes working on Theater Aspen’s small stage because it allows him to focus on making the art work rather than working for the art.
“It’s a place where the emphasis is on work. How good can we make this?”
