In a city saturated with theatre that is usually ‘more of the same,’ it takes a boldly innovative company like dog & pony dc to stand apart from the crowd. Director Rachel Grossman and her ensemble of artists create the city of Beertownat Capital Hill Arts Workshop, peppered with the type of endearing personalities you meet in the best works of Christopher Guest: characters earnestly rooted in the sincere quirkiness of your next door neighbor. In an interactive feat of ‘audience integration,’ the company casts the audience as ‘Beertonians’ at the 20th Quinquennial Beertown Time Capsule Celebration. Each performance is a unique experience as the audience examines items unearthed from the Beertown capsule, and votes on which items will be sealed in the time capsule for the next five years.
Beertonians pose for a family photo, one of a series taken over the last five years since the town’s time capsule was opened. (L to R Jessica Lefkow, Jon Reynolds, Rachel Grossman, Matthew R. Wilson, Elaine Yuko Qualter, and J. Argyl Plath. Photo courtesy of dog & pony dc.
Grossman and designer Colin K. Bills have transformed the Capital Hill Arts Workshop into a credible Town Hall, complete with white walls and stark practical lighting. Apart from a few theatrical ‘antecedent’ scenes that employ stage lighting and ensemble acting, the company never breaks the realism of the Quinquennial cerem event. The audience enters the theatre to a tasty potluck desert spread. dog & pony has even created an online presence for Beertown (visitbeertown.com), providing an in-depth history of the small town, a la Blair Witch Project.
There are two great challenges in producing such a theatrical ‘event’ as Beertown. The first involves the ability of the actors to commit to the non-winking naturalism of the event as they mingle with the audience. It makes all the difference between replicating a credible civic event and devolving into the self-conscious camp of a Tony And Tina’s Wedding or dinner at Medieval Times. While a few ensemble members can’t quell the impulse to interact with the heightened reality of Actor Performing In aa Personal Spotlight, Dog and Pony DC ‘Co-Ringleader’ Wyckham Avery is so convincing in her portrayal of Karin Oppenheim that you are shocked to see her step out of the audience. Once he settles into his role as small town politician Mayor Michael Soch, Joshua Drew is downright brilliant in his off-the-cuff interactions with the audience. Grossman herself builds one of the most memorable personas of the night as Mayor Soch’s daughter – Michael Soch Jr..
The other great challenge of an event like Beertown – and this can make or break such an experiment – is the willingness of the audience to play along. Beertown succeeds in that it creates an atmosphere that includes all audience members in the action, but does not (unwillingly) put any audience member on the spot. The types of ‘Beertonians’ you can expect to meet in the audience: there are the obvious actor-friends of the company, who eagerly seize their opportunity to make a witty observation about an object that should be voted into the time capsule; or you might find yourself sitting near someone like Mr. Alan King (notorious ‘Fringe Fanatic) who makes such an impassioned plea to keep ‘The First Movie Projector of the Old Imperial’ in the capsule that you question if he attended rehearsals with the cast; and then there are the ordinary working folks who, after warming up to some potluck desert and wine, find themselves gamely chiming in on the debate for their community… and it’s the creation of community that is the real trick this dog & pony dc pulls off.
Beertown town archivist Joann Ryals (Elaine Yuko Qualter) and Mayor Michael Soch (Joshua Drew) revel in the town’s time capsule. Photo courtesy of dog & pony dc.
At some point, of course, you do begin to wonder why you are spending your time in this fictitious community when you could be attending a real PTSA or Town Hall meeting somewhere – and that is probably the point that Grossman and Company want you to walk away with. Still, there is the underlying excitement of knowing that anything can happen in Beertown. You can engage in a knock-down debate with a stranger about the ‘HEATfulness’ of ‘The Key To An Unknown Door.’ You can indulge your secret little fantasy of upsetting a Mayor by voting his family heirloom out of the capsule. You delight in those moments when you wonder if Alan King’s enthusiastic interjections will derail the entire proceedings.
Beertown is a true experimental work of art, and like any masterpiece, its rough edges add up to perfection. This is the type of show that should run for 20 years, but in the event that it doesn’t, don’t miss it while it lasts!
Running Time: 2 hours, including a 10 minute intermission.
Beertown plays through December 10, 2011, at dog & pony dc at Capital Hill Arts Workshop – 545 7th Street SE, in Washington, DC. For tickets call (800) 838-3006, or purchase them online.
Andrew Lloyd Baughman is the Producing Artistic Director of Landess Theatre Company (landlesstheatrecompany.org) and an Associate Artist with Maryland Ensemble Theatre (marylandensemble.org). He works regionally as an actor, director, playwright, composer and teacher. His original musical DIAMOND DEAD (with Emmy-winning composer Richard Hartley) won the 2008 Best Musical Pick of the Capital Fringe Festival, and two of his original shows have been selected participants of the New York International Fringe Festival. Baughman earned his B.A, in Humanities at University of Maryland, and studied Musical Theatre at Philadelphia's University of the Arts.
