Paraphrase Productions is a theater company started five years ago for young artists to learn through collaborative peer-to-peer mentoring. They’ve roamed the Peninsula, putting on shows like The Addams Family, Next to Normal and Our Town, at Paper Wing, Carl Cherry Center, Forest Theater.
“We’ve never had our own home base or permanent venue,” Executive Director Paul Davis says. Until now.
They began looking for a place last summer, and just signed a “very reasonable” one-year lease for a 2,000-square-foot space (actually, two adjacent spaces) at the north end of the American Tin Cannery. They’re calling their new home the American Tin Cannery Playhouse.
It’s at the quieter end of the building, near the loading zone. But that isolation works because in addition to a busy roster of plays, they also want to host open mics, bands, high school performances and improv troupes – without disturbing shoppers or neighbors.
But first, lighting. Davis says they’re installing theater lights and other amenities to make it more hospitable, and are eyeing some grants for sound equipment. They’ll be able to seat 70 to 100 audience members, they have a balcony, a very small backstage area, and they’re going with a black box style to retain flexibility.
“We can build a whole new environment every time,” Davis says. “We’re using every single square foot.”
Their first show will be a reprise of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] – three actors doing brief versions of all 37 of the bard’s plays – which they staged at Paper Wing to “overflowing houses” back in January.
“We’re going for a folky, library, solemn feel,” Davis says. “Mismatched chairs for the audience, vintage portraits on the wall, books on shelves – a sophistication that gets flipped on its head.”
After that weekend-long run of Shakespeare, they’re doing Blame it on Beckett in March,Elephant Man in April, Calvin Berger in May – they have shows lined up through the rest of the year.
There is a parking garage attached to the mall, and signs and ushers will help audience members navigate the place. The owners of the ATC have been looking to redevelop it, so Paraphrase may be soon looking again for a venue. But for now, they’re home.
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