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Jan. 26, 2007
A different kind of animal
New theatre company moves beyond the realm of standard shows.
BAILA LAZARUS
From New York to California to Vancouver: it might seem like a
roundabout way of getting to Canada's West Coast but, now that he's
here, Eric Rhys Miller is intent on bringing his brand of unique
theatre to local stages.
Miller and wife Kendra Fanconi are co-artistic directors of the
Only Animal, a new production company that brought Vancouver Other
Freds, winner of the 2006 Jessie Award for significant artistic
achievement. Chutzpah! Festival enthusiasts will also recognize
Fanconi's name as the writer behind The One That Got Away
from 2002, a play that garnered four Jessies for small theatre,
including best production. It caused a buzz around the festival
for its unique use of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver's
hallways and swimming pools.
Although Other Freds took place at numerous outdoor venues
and The One That Got Away took the audience on a trek through
the underbelly of the Vancouver JCC, Miller promises their new play,
dog eat dog, won't require people to stand outside, and no
swimming pools are involved.
But people should expect something different. The mission of the
Only Animal is, after all, "to revitalize the role of theatre
in society. To create new works that are original, poetical, visceral
and far-reaching."
"[Dog eat dog] is not a comedy or tragedy; it's a human
story," said Miller, who called it a "very ambitious and
'out there' concept." The play will revolve around five subjects
based on real news stories: a refugee from Hurricane Katrina, a
Sasquatch stalker, an escape artist, a feral grocery clerk and a
competitive eater who discovers Jesus in a fishstick. Sound effects
will be created live by two foley artists, just like old radio theatre.
Considering only five actors are involved, ambitious sounds like
an understatement, but Miller is bringing 15 years of experience
to the production.
Miller was born in Rochester, N.Y., and brought up in a Reform Jewish
setting. His boyhood was infused with a spirit of community. "I
grew up in a wonderful group of families who belonged to the same
temple," said Miller, who was able to talk with the Independent
between rehearsals. "There was a strong sense of connection
with families who celebrated together."
He was drawn to music and performing, and even started dancing by
the time he was 10, but saw the life of a working actor and wasn't
sure that was what he wanted to do. So he took a variety of courses
at Cornell University before returning to Rochester to follow his
passion. In the early '90s, he did community theatre, and then moved
to San Francisco, where he studied Dell'Arte theatre, as well as
the Suzuki and Viewpoint methods of training, the former being training
for voice and presence, the latter dealing with collaboration –
generating staging with other actors. Done together, "they're
very powerful tools," said Miller. And they help connect him
to other actors, the audience and the space.
In 1999, Miller responded to an ad for a paid position with A Travelling
Jewish Theatre, which used the experimental and "out there"
theatre that he liked and was based on the Jewish experience.
"They had a real connection to their own culture, along with
a connection to interesting theatre," he said.
They did plays based on the stories of the rabbis and Chassidic
stories. In one case, they turned the story The Golden Bird
by Rebbe Nachman into an environmental parable, using nothing but
a ladder for their set. Performances sometimes ended in emotionally
charged experiences, with the cast and audiences singing niggunim
(Chassidic melodies), Miller said.
Miller toured with the company for five years. At a Jewish theatre
conference in Washington a few years ago, he met Fanconi. They dated
long-distance, but a decision had to be made as to where to settle.
Since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had cut the California Arts Council
funding from $10 million to nothing, Miller didn't feel a new production
company could be as successful there as it could in Vancouver.
"The cultural and social landscape [in Vancouver] is much more
supportive of creating a theatre company," he said. The couple
founded the Only Animal in 2005, while they were still in separate
countries. Dog eat dog will be the first piece they're doing
completely as a team.
"The Only Animal is new, but it's part of a generation of similar
theatre, including the Electric Company (which staged The One
That Got Away), Radix and the Western Theatre Conspiracy,"
said Miller, adding that these groups, and other similar ones, belong
to the Progress Lab – a network and support group for creation-based
companies.
It's this type of support, Miller said, that allows for the creative
energy that makes unique productions like Other Freds and
dog eat dog possible. And although Miller warns that there
will be some swearing and stage combat – meaning the play may
not be suitable for younger viewers – he promises that no one
has to bring a bathing suit.
Dog eat dog takes place at Performance Works on Granville
Island, Jan. 26-Feb. 4. Adult tickets are $26.50; seniors and students,
$22.50; two-for one, Tuesday, Jan. 30, $14. Call 604-215-8248.
In April, the Only Animal presents Bangs & Buddha at
Presentation House in North Vancouver, with special guest artist
Wendy Bross Stuart.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and
illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at
www.orchiddesigns.net.
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