Workhouse Theatre and The Warren transform the stage in A Company of Wayward Saints
Capitano (Christopher McGahan, L), Dottore (Debra Stone, Center), and Scapino (Steven Bucko, R) maneuver and antagonize in rehearsals for A Company of Wayward Saints. Photo by Duane Atter.
Loyal patrons of Workhouse Theatre’s (WTC) past season at The Warren might do a double take upon entering the performance space to catch a June performance of A Company of Wayward Saints. Numerous improvements, from the construction and configuration of a new stage and seating, to re-grading of the floor, to upgraded theatrical lighting will reward the growing Camden audience; residents who are thrilled to have a producing theatre company right in their own neighborhood.
“The Camden arts scene is growing and I like to think that Workhouse Theatre has been a part of that growth,” says WTC Artistic Director and founder, Jeff Redman. “We are finishing a very successful first full season. We had six Reader’s Theatre shows, Heritage Day and Holiday on 44th were both standing room only, and our classes have been steadily bringing in new students. The theatre, as well as many of the other art offerings, are quickly becoming a choice for many residents.”
In the play, an eccentric troupe of commedia dell’arte actors, far from home and without means for the return trip, are commissioned to improvise the History of Man in exchange for passage. From the Garden of Eden to the Voyage of Odysseus, the company members maneuver to upstage one another in a battle for the spotlight. When backbiting and jealous outbursts threaten to undermine their efforts, the company changes direction. Moving from the “History of Man” to the “History of Everyman,” the actors are surprised to find themselves breaking through the hardened crusts of their characters to enact the most comic and tragic moments in the human lifespan.
One mission of WTC is to highlight the talent that is inherent in the Camden neighborhoods. Debra Stone is an example of a neighborhood resident who has taken the step from being audience member to full-fledged co-operative in the Workhouse Theatre mission, portraying the scholarly Dottore in A Company of Wayward Saints. Stone, who happens to be vice-president of the Northside Arts Collective, has a resume that includes training with the legendary Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, but had been “out of the theatre scene for 10 years.” That is, until she attended the March WTC performance of No Exit. She has a personal, vested interest in encouraging and developing the arts scene in Camden, but it was the lure of an improvisational, physical style of comedy that brought her to auditions, and ultimately into the cast for A Company of Wayward Saints.
Why A Company of Wayward Saints? “Artistically it challenges us as a company,” says Redman. “There are aspects of this production that we haven’t encountered yet and we’ve had to work diligently to find the resources or talent we need. Ultimately I feel that creates a better show for our Camden audience. But this is theatre and as an audience member I can say, A Company of Wayward Saints is a fun show. The play starts with a laugh and pulls you in, taking you along for the ride. There is a purpose to this show and each audience member will find their own meaning, but as the only theatre in Camden, I think we can look at the play as a metaphor of what it means to be a Camdenite.”
A Company of Wayward Saints will be performed at The Warren (4400 Osseo Rd). The show opens June 8, running Thursdays through Saturdays through June 23. Tickets are $10 ($8 for seniors and students), and may be purchased at www.workhousetheatre.org or reserved by calling 612-237-2014. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.