Sweeney Todd in Concert – A Pop-Up Musical. Directed by Allison Olivia Choat. Music Direction by Gina Naggar. One night only on June 2nd at First Church in Cambridge (11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138) at 7:30 pm.
After 40 years in Boston area theater – with the first 31 spent in community theater – three-time IRNE winner Shana Dirik has assumed the position of Producing Artistic Director with her own company, Theater Uncorked. The company’s first project will be a one night event, “Sweeney Todd in Concert – A Pop-Up Musical”, and will be directed by 2018 Elliott Norton Award Winner Allison Olivia Choat. Dirik (Mrs. Lovett), Ben DiScipio (Sweeney Todd) and Paul Farwell (Judge Turpin) will reprise their roles from the 2009 Metro Stage Company production, which earned Dirik and DiScipio IRNE Awards. Theater Mirror spoke with Dirik about the new company as she prepared for the June 2nd performance.
TM: With so many theater companies already struggling to fill seats, what’s the thinking behind launching Theater Uncorked?
SD: I’ve been doing theater for about 40 years and it just seemed like the next step of my journey. I came into Boston theater about nine years ago and got my Equity card in 2011. I just wanted to have a little more creative license. For me, the context of the company is that it’s very much based on collaboration with the friendships and connections I’ve made over those 40 years.
TM: What’s your vision for the company?
SD: The first three years we’re going to start off fairly slowly, doing (things like) fundraising activities. For example, this production of Sweeney Todd is a pop-up musical – it’s a one night event. It’s a concert version, but it also has costumes and a small amount of props. So it’s going to be very different from a standard concert performance.
TM: Have you been in the producer’s role before?
SD: I haven’t officially. I did put together one show prior to this, but I kind of feel like I’ve been producing for most of my life. I ran the family business (a Motorola service shop) for ten years, and I throw a lot of functions. I’m just one of those really organized people, so producing is just in my nature. It’s difficult, particularly with me being in this show, but I think I have all the tools I need.
TM: What kind of interest level are you generating for the Sweeney Todd production?
SD: We’re just getting the buzz out there – we’ve already sold 350 seats – but I know a lot of people and they’ve just kind of gathered round to help make this production happen. It’s an amazing group of people.
TM: What people are you referring to?
SD: It’s a mix of people from both community theater and the (professional) theater community. People doing the background work as well as those on stage with us. It’s a cast of 34, with Allison Olivia Choat directing it, so we’re in really great hands when it comes to the core of the group. The concept for us is that we were very open with the casting (they had over 150 people audition) and we got a lot of people who haven’t had the opportunity to work in Boston – people that I had never even seen before. So it’s definitely an opportunity for people that haven’t been seen to find a place on the stage. And we’re talking about some very talented people.
TM: Does that reflect your personal experience – coming from community theater?
SD: I never have not had an opportunity once I got into Boston to get – maybe not a principal role, but certainly a secondary role – I’ve never had an issue with that. I didn’t start the company because I wasn’t getting opportunities. The company’s not going to be about Shana Dirik starring in something. That’s not what it’s about at all. It’s really just an opportunity to bring people in from where I’ve gone in theater in 40 years into the light, so it should be a good opportunity for a lot of people.
TM: Where do you go after Sweeney Todd?
SD: Well, we’re a little different from your standard four-shows-a-year company. Next up is a staged reading of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, with Bobbie Steinbach directing, and then we’ll do a full production in the spring of 2019.
TM: What is the meaning of the name of the company – Theater Uncorked?
SD: It’s a reflection of my life. It’s a celebration. I’m 56 and I’m just uncorking the possibilities of my next adventure and also trying to bring new people into this production that people haven’t seen before. And I think people are going to be very pleasantly surprised by some of the principals of this production who have never really done anything in Boston, and they’re outstanding. So it’s uncorking a new concept. Uncorking a new company. Uncorking a new journey.
Tickets for Sweeney Todd in Concert – A Pop-Up Musical can be purchased online at http://www.ticketstage.com/THEATERUNCORKED.
