The Bricks Theatre

It’s about time I wrote about the awesome Bricks Theatre! Last Friday I went to the show of «That’s What She Said» located at the Brink. I have gone to about 6 of their shows, and leave amazed at the performances every time! Each «That’s What She Said» show have a theme to them. This last one was «Lie». There were 9 women who wrote personal stories about what they thought of when they heard the word Lie. Each woman had their own story. I’m continually amazed of the courage these women have by talking about situations that make them very vulnerable. You can connect with a part of each of their stories. It’s a night full of laughter and tears. Amazing! The only downfall is that usually the Brink has a performance or something going on in the bar area, therefore it can be a little distracting with the background noise of that.

The Bricks never fail to leave their audience examining and reconsidering the events in their productions long after leaving the theater. So it was this weekend when we saw their production of «Blackbird» by David Harrower.
With one act, one set, and two players throughout most of the play, Blackbird begins as a young woman comes to a late middle-​aged man’s workplace to confront him about their past relationship. We immediately see his discomfort and resistance, and through halting and intense dialog eventually find the nature of the beginning of their relationship, she at a per-​pubescent 12 years and he a 40 year old neighbor. When she asks, «Did you abuse me?» the word «abuse» is nearly stifled as though it were someone else’s descriptive, not hers. This is how the play unfolds with accusations met with explanations trying to disentangle what their lives were then and have become now.
The set complements the messages, with the company’s rules and policy tacked to a bulletin board, lockers to hold personal belongings, and garbage and used empty containers all around. It makes for a great metaphor for society’s laws and taboos, the places where you hide away our personal «belongings,» and the garbage and used, empty containers we produce and become. The garbage is everywhere and is slung both literally and metaphorically during the production.
As Ray, Mark Snowden leaves us suspending our judgement, holding our breath, horrified at times, and wishing to be sympathetic at times. Ultimately, as new missing pieces are revealed, we are left not trusting whether there has been any real change in him.
Una, played by Jocelyn Fitz-​Gibbon, dusts every corner of the subject. What happens if a young person discovering their sexuality is not surrounded by responsible, emotionally mature adults? A child perceiving abuse as love and adventure, the revelation and perspective gained with age, and the questions and wonder about the nature of that relationship come out in painful, uncomfortable scenes. Una amazes and confounds us fluctuating between a spurned and jealous ex-​lover and an abused and cautious past victim. Harrower illustrates the psychological damage of abuse in developmental stages of life, and the challenges to the victim’s relationships with family, friends, and lovers.
I cannot reveal the role of the other player in the show, spoilers. But all three gave breathtaking and breath-​holding performances.
The scene can and has happened everywhere, quietly or publicly, making the «anywhere» location of the show appropriate as we examine why these codes and taboos are in place and what happens in our lives and futures when they are broken.
Thank you, Bricks, for another searching and thoughtful experience in theatre.

I’m writing as an actor who has worked with The Bricks Theatre on five productions (of their first… nine?). I consider all of the principals close friends and valuable colleagues. I am not, however, involved in any formal capacity other than hired actor. Except for the opening short I did for the 2010 Santaland show, I’ve been cast through open auditions. I’m writing from my own initiative, mostly as information for other actors interested in performing at one of the few Madison theater companies that pays actors. These are my own opinions.
The Bricks has gained a reputation for small-​cast, modern dramas produced in intimate spaces with strong naturalistic acting. This isn’t necessarily due to a core aesthetic choice — it’s more a function of the scale of production they can handle economically thus far. The Bricks, at some level, is an entertainment production company, not like a traditional non-​profit theater company or community group. I gather that there is an expectation that productions should at least break even, even if budgets aren’t very large. Nonetheless, the company is committed to paying stipends for actors. The major variable they work with to achieve this cost structure is the venue; they structure the show to work with whatever venue is most suitable, cost-​effectively. The show I’m in now («Blackbird») is produced in a converted space in an abandoned warehouse that seats about 50 or so; I’ve also done Bricks shows at The Frequency (a 70-​ish capacity rock-‘n-roll club) and The Barrymore (an 800-​seat vintage theater). It just depends — I think they find shows that they believe they can produce in an appropriate venue, have a good theatrical experience, and have enough cash left to keep producing the next one and hopefully grow in scale.
If there is a Bricks «style» of acting, I would say that they usually cast local university-​trained actors with some professional credits, and/​or success in major roles in community theater. You need professional-​level technical chops — diction, volume, physical control, performance discipline. Beyond that, though, I’ve found a lot of latitude in performance choices, the main requirement being that they play honestly. You need to be able to play natural, because you’re generally doing modern dramatic works in small spaces. There’s not a Directorial «Koncept™» imposed, except that the performances be honest and compelling and reproducible each night. They can be open to non-​traditional casting choices (I played Saul in a production of True West that featured a female Lee), but not stretch-​casting choices. In other words, if you’re 20-​something, don’t expect to be cast as a 45-​yr old.
I like working with The Bricks because I’ve had the opportunity to do really interesting works with talented and dedicated people.