Articulations
Frontera names Subterranean Theatre Company the new producing company in residence at Hyde Park Theatre.
By Robert Faires, Fri., May 25, 2001
Whither Hyde Park Theatre?
When Vicky Boone announced in April that she was resigning as Frontera Productions' artistic director, theatre watchers wondered what this would mean for the company; for FronteraFest, its annual performance festival; and for Hyde Park Theatre, the venue that Frontera has called home for 10 years and managed for four. Some worried that without Boone to hold the company together, it might all fade away, and though the Frontera board of directors vowed that wouldn't happen, not everyone in the arts community was reassured. Well, the board's latest announcement may do more to ease those concerns, at least about the theatre on West 43rd. Board member Paul Alvarado-Dykstra has released the news that Frontera is naming Subterranean Theatre Company the new producing company in residence at Hyde Park Theatre. The independent company fronted by director and actor Ken Webster will use the theatre as its home base, mounting shows, maintaining office space there, and managing the space for use by other companies. Although Subterranean is very familiar with the venue, having staged more than 20 productions there (more if you count the shows Webster produced before founding Subterranean), this will be the first time in the company's 13-year history that it has had formal ties with the theatre or had a theatre of its own. The company will officially assume control of the space in the fall, but will ease into the space this summer with what Frontera is calling "a welcome event for Ken": a revival run of the Daniel MacIvor play House, co-produced by Frontera and Subterranean. Frontera produced the solo show with Webster starring to great acclaim a few seasons back, and the actor had already planned to revive the show this summer for the MoMFest exchange program with the New York International Fringe Festival, but now in addition to taking House to New York, he will run the show at Hyde Park the last two weeks of June as part of the Frontera-Subterranean transition period.
Webster has a longstanding association with Frontera as an actor, as does his theatrical and marital partner Katherine Catmull. Between their history with Frontera and 20-year history with the venue, it's easy to see why Frontera felt they were ideal caretakers for Hyde Park.
With the venue's future addressed, Alvarado-Dykstra says, the board's next step is to assure the future of FronteraFest. And he stresses that the popular event has a future. "FronteraFest is not going anywhere," he insists. "It is absolutely happening, from now until the end of time." Discussions about a possible partnership to produce the event are well along but were not complete enough to announce at press time.
Critical Clarifications
In our zeal to hand out 300-plus nominations for the 2000-01 Austin Critics Table Awards last week, we critics blew a few of our attempts to give credit where credit is due. In the category of Set Design, Christopher McCollum was credited with the scenery for Ballet Austin's Hamlet. Actually, he designed the costumes, but Jeffery Main and Stephen Mills designed the sets. Under Movement, Jay Jennings was credited with choreographing Zilker Theatre Productions' West Side Story. Jennings directed the show, but Melissa Moncus choreographed it. Dave Steakley received sole credit for choreographing Zachary Scott Theatre Center's Evita, but Andrea Ariel collaborated on the choreography. Finally, under Opera, La Follia was credited as co-producer of the opera King Arthur. Texas Early Music Project was the show's sole producer. We regret the errors.
