A New Look at ‘Off, Off Broadway’
Savvy theater enthusiasts familiar with New York’s drama scene are sure to tell their younger, less knowledgeable counterparts, that is, arts students and fresh fans of theater that a contemporary, challenging play does not have to come with a pricey Broadway ticket. Not-for-profit theater offers a fine alternative to glitzy, commercial productions with an experimental edge, socially relevant themes and a mission-oriented agenda that often extends far beyond the stage.
Blind Mouth Singing is one such play, produced by the National Asian American Theater Company (NAATCO) and directed by Ruben Polendo, artistic director of the MITU theater company. In a rare panel discussion featuring stage manager Hillary Austin and leading actor Jon Norman Schneider, Mr. Polendo commented on the critically acclaimed play and the operations of his company MITU, which is involved in research, community outreach, and education, teaching in institutions like New York University and the Julliard School.
Sharing a favorite motto, Mr. Polendo quoted an anonymous observer: Film is the art of statement; theater is the art of suggestion. It seems, however, that today’s big budget Broadway productions like Disney’s Little Mermaid can afford and are rather keen on statement, less so on imitation. Yet, special effects and spectacle performances, which leave little to the imagination, lack the subtlety and intimacy of smaller productions.
Under Polendo’s superior direction Blind Mouth Singing, produced with a budget of $60,000, manipulates space and direction to create a surreal, beautiful landscape in which this coming-of-age story unfolds. Shifting the setting on its axis, Polendo forces the audience to readjust their perceptions as they delve into a strange, but real new world. Pristine and uncluttered, the set does not overwhelm the audience with sounds and images. Nor does it interpret the play’s layered meaning. Instead, each word and movement is pivotal. The rhythm of the language, the moments of stillness all create a unique, emotional experience.
Productions like Blind Mouth Singing prove that a smaller budget does not mean a sacrifice in artistic merit. In fact, not-for-profit organizations, like Polendo’s NY based MITU company are monitored by a board of directors that often contribute to the company’s funding with a give-and-get policy. Additional funding from individual donors, grants from art foundations or project specific contributions as well as state and national funds like that from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) ensure the quality and relevance of such performances.
In fact, NAATCO, which supplied the play’s actors, was recognized by the Actors’ Equity Association with the 2006 Rosetta LeNoire Award for “increasing diversity and non-traditional casting in American theatre.” The company mission continues to promote the presence of Asian American actors in American theater. In a natural collaboration with MITU, a company that strives to blend eastern and western theater traditions, NAATCO’s production of Blind Mouth Singing is universal and poignant in its portrayal of family, fear and the relevant issues that unite different lives. It is not surprising that foundations that support the arts choose to fund this particular form of theater, one that invites intellectual and spiritual conversation.