Powerhouse Theater prepares to take over summer campus

Summertime at Vassar means the arrival of a new variety of creature. No, it is not the groundhog, nor is it the squirrel, and no, it is not the deer that managed to escape culling. Rather, it is a species wholly devoted to the practice and pedagogy of drama: the Powerhouse Theater Training Program and summer season.

Indeed, Vassar's idyllic summer landscape has been the backdrop for theatrical brilliance since the program's start in 1985. The collaborative product of Vassar and New York Stage and Film, the program will enter its 26th season with a highly anticipated repertoire, including a full-staged production by Oscar-winner and Powerhouse habitué, John Patrick Shanley.

While the College's physical beauty doesn't hurt, both the theater's producing and artistic directors seemed to agree that its true beauty lies instead in its ability to provide a common haven for all different types of theater and people. The eight-week program is a theatrical spectrum: one day a full-staged Shanley production, the next a reading by the program's student apprentices.

Even beyond this enlightening proximity, the program seeks ways to encourage comingling between the eager students and seasoned professionals. One result is this season's concert reading of Walter Jones's "1940s Radio Hour." The musical, a fictional Poughkeepsie 1942 radio broadcast, will be a collaborative project between apprentices and professionals.

"It is wonderful that these artists can come together at all different times of their careers," explained the theater's artistic director Johanna Pfaelzer.

.The benefit of featuring all levels of production and professionals is that individuals and their works tend to resurface. Such is the case with one of two of this season's full-staged productions: John Patrick Shanley's "Pirate." First produced in the 2009 season in its raw form as a reading, the work is, as the company describes on their website, "a funny, provocative and wildly theatrical tale of a guy who keeps showing up."

"I like when this happens, then people can really see the evolution," explained Powerhouse's Producing Director and Training Program alumnus Ed Cheetham.

The people to whom Cheetham refers are those that have been avid supporters of the program since its inception, many of whom live locally. As Cheetham and Pfaelzer and see it, the Powerhouse provides a cultural service perhaps otherwise difficult to find in the area.

"The majority of audience is local, this is a great way for Vassar to open up its campus to have this consistent relationship with the community every summer," said Cheetham. "A lot of what happens that's free, accessible to the public. There's the amphitheatre lawn, perfect to see a play and bring the kids."

One of this season's works will pay homage to this steadfast audience, inviting their interactive participation. Such is the premise of Zach Helm's semi-staged workshop piece, "Interviewing the Audience."

"These individuals who have watched so many plays have a unique understanding of the process and to build a piece in front of them is truly fascinating," said Pfaelzer.

Another relationship that the Powerhouse has deservedly prided itself on is that with Vassar's drama students. While they come from across the nation, there are always a few of Vassar's ever talented drama students in the mix, whether before or after their matriculation at the College. This year, the apprentices will prepare two productions: Shakespere's "Romeo and Juliet" and early 20th-century American playwright Sophie Treadwell's expressionist classic, "Machinal."

"I think the training program gets stronger ever year," said Cheetham, once an apprentice himself. "My goal for when people leave is for them to see that there are many paths they can take, to set them on a path, to lead them, to make a choice. To think, ‘this is where I can see myself being, this is where I can find my voice.' This will give them a deeper understanding and appreciation for creating work, for creating art and how that can foster greater communication."

Alas, in its 26th year, the Powerhouse program continues to be, as Pfaelzer told The New York Times in a 2009 interview, "a Fresh Air Fund for city artistis."