The folks at the Zachary Scott Theatre Center were ready to spring forward last weekend, and it wasn’t due to the time change. On Friday, they were notified by the National Endowment for the Arts that Zach will receive $40,000 toward a production of Porgy and Bess to be staged in the fall of 2007. The grant is part of an NEA initiative to support 10 projects involving classic American musicals next year (a follow-up to a similar initiative regarding 10 productions of Shakespeare last year).
Artistic director Dave Steakley has had the Gershwin favorite on his “wish list” for years, with the idea of reinventing the show in minimalist fashion – think of the current Sweeney Todd on Broadway – with a smaller cast and a jazzy/R&B vibe along the lines of the famous recorded versions by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong or Cleo Laine and Ray Charles. Steakley has already been brainstorming about it with longtime collaborator Allen Robertson, who has figured out a way to reorchestrate the show for a ninepiece orchestra, supplemented by cast members playing instruments.
But Robertson isn’t the only person Steakley’s been talking to. He may have his Bess – in the person of original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday. They’ve been friendly for a few years now, and he asked her to do it when she was in Austin recently for a benefit. She wants to, he says, but there’s still a contract to negotiate. And of course, casting Holliday will mean finding a Porgy of equal stature and vocal power … but they have a few intriguing ideas in that regard.
Don’t look for this in one of Zach’s theatres; it’s a production that demands a bigger venue. You can probably guess the likely candidates, but, again, contracts have to be negotiated. For more information, visit www.zachscott.com.
This article appears in April 14 • 2006.