July 29, 2009 : Kate Warner, new artistic director of New Repertory Theater

THE NEXT ACT FOR NEW REPERTORY
THEATER.
NEW REPERTORY THEATER, THE THIRD
LARGEST THEATER COMPANY IN THE
BOSTON AREA, HAS A NEW ARTISTIC
DIRECTOR, ITS FIRST IN 13 YEARS.
SHE IS KATE WARNER, WHO COMES
FROM THE THEATER COMPANY IN
ATLANTA WHERE SHE PRODUCED AND
DIRECTED AND AS ARTISTIC DIRECT
INCREASED HER AUDIENCE BY MORE
THAN 30,000 PATRONS.
WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Jared: HOW ARE YOU GOG MAKE
YOUR SPLASH?
YOU'RE THE THIRD NEW PERSON.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

>> WELL, I'M GOING TO STAY TRUE
TO NEW REP'S MISSION, WHICH IS
PRODUCING REALLY PROVOCATIVE,
SMART, CHALLENGING, INHERENTLY
ENTERTAINING WORK.
AND I THINK THAT THAT AND
BUILDING THE TRUST WITH OUR
AUDIENCE IS REALLY GOING TO BE
MY INITIAL SPLASH, AND STARTING
WITH MR. ROBERTS--.

>> Jared: OKAY, I HAVE TO ASK
YOU.
YOU TALK ABOUT FRESHNESS AND
NEWNESS AND "MISTER ROBERTS"
ISN'T VERY FRESH.

>> I AGREE.
I THINK THE WAY WE'RE GOING TO
PRESENT IT AND RELEVANCY OF THE
STORY-- IT IS THE STORY OF A MAN
SEARCHING FOR PURPOSE AT THE END
OF A LONG WAR, AND THAT TO ME
FEELTZ PARTICULARLY RELEVANT,
EVEN NOW.
I THINK WE'RE REALLY GOING TO
INNERVATE THE PRODUCTION AND THE
WAY WE PRESENT IT IS GOING TO
MAKE IT FEEL VERY, VERY FRESH.

>> Jared: CAN YOU GIVE US SOME
INSIGHT?
ARE YOU DOING A MODERN TAKE ON
IT?
YOU ARE DIRECTING AS WELL.

>> I AM DIRECTING.
WE'RE STILL SETTING IT IN WORLD
WAR II BUT WE'RE GOING WITH A
SLIGHTLY YOUNGER CAST AND I
THINK THAT WILL BE A GREAT
BALANCE WITH A COUPLE OF NEW
PLAYS INTO THE SEASON AS WELL.
WE HAVE MUSICALS, LIKE "HOT
MIKADO," A NEW TAKE ON GILBERT
AND SULLIVAN, AND WE HAVE
"INDULGENCES" IN JANUARY,.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECALL THE
"FRACTURED FAIRY TALES."

>> OH, YES, I REMEMBER THEM AS A
KID.
THEY'RE HILARIOUS.
THEY'RE DEMTED BUT THEY'RE
HILARIOUS.

>> I THINK THAT WILL BE A GOOD
BALANCE FOR "MR. ROBERTS."

>> Jared: HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE
AUDIENCE AT NEW REP?
THEY TEND TO SKEW OLDER.
I KNOW AT DAD'S GARAGE YOU WERE
ATTRACTING YOUNGER?

>> 18-35.
SO THIS IS DIFFERENT.
I THINK PART OF WHAT I WANT TO
BE ABLE TO DO WITH NEW REP, IS
OF COURSE, MAINTAIN THE TRUST,
AS I WAS SAYING, WITH THIS OLDER
AUDIENCE BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN
WITH US FROM NEWTON HIGH LANDS
ALL THE WAY TO WATERTOWN AT THE
ARSENAL CENTER BUT I'M ALSO HERE
TO HELP ATTRACT YOUNGER
AUDIENCES.

>> Jared: HOW WILL YOU FIT IN
KNOWING THAT THERE ARE THESE BIG
PERSONALITIES NOW IN THIS TOWN,
AND THERE ARE VERY DEFINED
THEATER COMPANIES, AND ONE THING
THAT DIANE POLLAS AT THE A.R.T.
HAS TALKED A LOT ABOUT IS
COLLABORATION IN THE THEATER
COMMUNITY BECAUSE FREQUENTLY WE
SEE EVERY AS A SILO AND NOBODY
WANTS TO COLLABORATE FOR
WHATEVER REASON.
IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE WITH YOU
AS WELL?

>> ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S A LOT OF THE SPIRIT WHERE
I COME FROM AND NAME OF MY WORK.
I'VE KNOWN PETER FOR A NUMBER OF
YEARS.
I CALLED HIM WHEN I WAS
INTERVIEWING FOR THE POSITION.
I THINK THAT'S GOING CHANGE.
I HAVE BEEN WARMLY, GENEROUSLY
WELCOMED BY THE BOSTON THEATER
COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK THERE'S A REAL SPIRIT
NOT JUST FROM THE NEW ONES
COMING IN BUT ALSO PEOPLE WANT
THIS.
THEY WANT THIS TO CHANGE, AND
THEY WANT A REAL SPIRIT OF
COLLABORATION AND SEEING WHAT IT
IS WE CAN DO TOGETHER TO SUPPORT
EACH OTHER AS WELL.

>> Jared: YOU TALKED A LOT, TOO
AND YOUR RED CESSOR RICK LOMBARD
WAS GREAT ABOUT BEING YOUNGER
PLAYWRITES, PEOPLE WE HADN'T
BEEN EXPOSED TO BEFORE.
HOW ARE YOU OUT THERE
IDENTIFYING WHO IS GOOD AND
WORTH BRINGING TO A MAIN STAGE
LIKE YOURS?

>> THAT'S A LOT OF WORK I HAD
BEEN DOING AT DAD'S GARAGE SO
I'M RELYING A LOT ON SOME OF MY
PREVIOUS CONTACTS.
I STAY IN TOUCH WITH A LOT OF
PLAYWRIGHT WRITE AGENTS IN NEW
YORK AND I'M CONSTANTLY SEEING
WHO IS COME BEUL, WHO IS COMING
OUT OF TISH, NEW YORK, WHO IS
COMING OUT OF GRAD SCHOOL RIGHT
NOW.

>> Jared: IS IT A SMALL
COMMUNITY SO YOU CAN KEEP TABS
THAT WELL?

>> YOU FIND WHO IS THE POINT
PERSON.
I PAY ATTENTION TO THEATER
FESTIVALS, NEW PLAY FESTIVALS,
AND OF COURSE NEW REP IS PART OF
THE NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK
AND WE'RE AN ASSOCIATION OF
ABOUT 25 MEMBER COMPANIES AND
WE'RE ALSO SHARING WORK WITH
EACH OTHER AS WELL.

>> Jared: NOT ONLY NEW WORK BUT
YOU'RE INTERESTED, AS WELL, IN
TAKING PEOPLE OUT OF THE
CONVENTIONAL THEATER EXPERIENCE.

>> YES.

>> Jared: WHICH A LOT OF OTHER
PEOPLE ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH
NOW.
MAYBE THIS IS AN OLD MODEL WHERE
WE ALL GO IN, GET OUR TICKETS,
SIT DOWN, AND WE ALL SIT THERE
TOGETHER THAT THERE SHOULD BE
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

>> I AGREE.
THAT'S A VERY PASSIVE
EXPERIENCES AND THIS IS AN
INTERACTIVE ART FORM AND I THINK
THAT'S A WAY PEOPLE WHERE
LOOKING FOR TO GO TO THE THEATER
AS AN EVENT.
I WANT PEOPLE TO CRAVE GOING TO
THE THEATER LIKE GOING OUT TO A
RESTAURANT, HAVING A GREAT
CONVERSATION WITH THEIR SMARTEST
FRIENDS.
I WANT PEOPLE TO BE
INTELLECTUALLY HUNGRY TO GO AND
IT'S NOT A PASSIVE EXPERIENCE
WHERE YOU SIT BACK AND JUST
APPRECIATE WHAT WE'RE GIVING
YOU.
I WANT YOU TO FEEL IT
VISCERALLY.
I WANT YOU TO BE ENGAGED.

>> Jared: SO HOW DO YOU DO THAT
WHEN YOU HAVE A TRADITIONAL
THEATER SETTING WITH THE LAYERED
SEATS AND THE SEATS THAT SORT OF
ONLY ALLOW YOU TO SIT THERE?

>> WE'RE GOING TO WORK ON IT.
AND IT'S EVERYTHING FROM THE
MOMENT YOU PURCHASE YOUR TICKET
TO WHEN YOU ENTER THE LOBBY TO
HOW WE DO THE CURTAIN SPEECH AND
HOW WE ENGAGE YOU BEFORE WE EVEN
START THE SHOW.

>> Jared: HOW IS NEW REP DOING
WITH THE ECONOMY?
OF COURSE EVERYBODY IS CUTTING
BACK IN VARIOUS AREAS AND AS WE
ALL FREQUENTLY KNOW, PEOPLE CUT
BACK ON THE ARTS, FIRST BECAUSE
SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S THE MOST
DISPENSIBLE.
HOW ARE THINGS THERE?

>> WE'RE DOING ALL RIGHT.
I'M ON THE BOARD OF THEATER
COMMUNICATIONS GROUP IN NEW YORK
THE ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT
THEATERS, AND WE FOUND IN
POLLING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
THAT MOST THEATERS, THEIR INCOME
IS DOWN ANYWHERE FROM 18% TO
40%.

>> Jared: THAT'S HUGE.

>> IT'S HUGE.
AND THAT'S FOR THIS LAST SEASON.
I THINK NEW REP IS DOING MUCH
BETTER THAN THAT.
HAVE WE FELT THE EFFECTS OF THE
ECONOMY?
ABSOLUTELY.
ARE WE MAKING SMART DECISIONS
ABOUT HOW TO BE PROACTIVE
THROUGH THIS?
YES.

>> Jared: SO DO YOU TAKE THAT
INTO ACCOUNT WHEN YOU'RE DOING
PROGRAMMING? DO YOU HAVE TO DO
SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO LIFT
PEOPLE UP A LITTLE BIT MORE?

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S SOMEWHAT
BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMY BUT I
THINK IT'S MORE EMOTIONAL THAN
THAT.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH THINKING ABOUT
OUR TICKET SALES.
IT'S HONESTLY THINKING THIS IS A
REALLY TOUGH TIME.
I THINK PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR SOME
STHARZ ARE GOING TO ENGAGE GAGE
THEM THAT ARE SMART BUT MAYBE
LIFT THEM UP A LITTLE BIT.

>> Jared: KATE WARNER THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR COMING.
WE CAN'T WAIT TO COVER YOUR
FIRST SEASON.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> Jared: TOMORROW NIGHT EMILY
IS BACK AND HER GUEST IS CHARLIE
BAKER.
THAT AND MORE TOMORROW AT 7:00.
I'M JARED BOWEN, GCHBT.