[NEohioPAL]The "Bang" is on everyone's lips

[bangandclatter at netzero.net]

Please see this wonderful article by the Beacon Journal theatre critic, Kerry Clawson:
Posted on Sun, Sep. 18, 2005
  
Local theater hopes sweat and ingenuity provide alchemy to turn Summit ArtSpace's second floor into edgy theater

Theater of possibilities
The Bang and the Clatter contemporary theater to be targeted at young adults

By Kerry Clawson

Beacon Journal staff writer

Looking at the cavernous, gutted office space, theater entrepreneurs Sean McConaha and Sean Derry saw nothing but possibilities.

Akron's newest professional theater will premiere next month on the second floor of downtown's Summit ArtSpace, with its exposed ceiling and concrete floor.

``Our sweat equity is what's going to create the space,'' McConaha said early last month.

The Bang and the Clatter will focus on contemporary American playwrights, beginning with Sam Shepard's 2001 The Late Henry Moss, opening Oct. 6. Derry will portray the younger brother, Ray, and McConaha will direct.

The pair's goal is to produce ``edgy, contemporary theater that interests people from 18 to 45,'' McConaha said. That's the age group that they believe is underserved -- an age group that the theater's future depends upon.

``Theater is a dying art and kids aren't trained to watch it,'' said McConaha, education director at Weathervane Community Playhouse.

``There's nobody (in the Akron area) doing Mamet or Shepard,'' McConaha said. ``I want to do something a little bit more risky.''
For most who produce live theater locally, play selection is about calculated risk. That leads to many ``safe'' choices that will have wide appeal.

But The Bang and the Clatter's artists are planning on making a lot of noise with their new company. Part of their mission is to encourage risk and embrace the possibility of failure in an effort to create truly great work.

For McConaha, opening a new theater company isn't about power; it's about artistic control. That includes producing character-driven, actor's theater that explores the boundaries of style and illuminates the human experience.
Derry pushed the project along after he reached a point where he felt tapped out doing community theater.

``Either we do our own thing and do it right, or I gotta go,'' said Derry, who was considering moving back to New York or Los Angeles.
Space plans

The Summit ArtSpace building housed the original Beacon Journal offices, with John S. Knight's office flanking the north wall.

``His office will be our dressing room,'' McConaha said.
The pair taped off the east side of the cavernous space in a pattern representing the demarcation between the stage and riser seating. A total of 120 theatergoers will sit in three sections just three or four rows from the 40-foot wide stage.
McConaha has directed Shepard previously, a production of Cowboy Mouth at Cleveland Public Theater.

Derry, 32, is an award-winning local actor who has performed numerous times at Weathervane and also at Coach House Theatre. The Zanesville native also teaches acting at Weathervane and is a stay-at-home father of three.

Derry -- who built the play's sets in the garage of his Fairlawn home -- has a rebel-cool look with his scruffy T-shirts and jeans, and long bangs flopping in his eyes.

In contrast, McConaha, 35, has a buttoned-up look. He grew up in Pittsburgh and received his master's degree in theater from the University of Akron. The Bolivar resident is the father of four.

``To our friends, I'm the preppy and he's the hillbilly,'' McConaha said.

Derry, who attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and worked in Los Angeles, also spent time doing video work for missionaries in Africa and teaching English to Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

The two became friends three years ago at Weathervane, where Derry took an acting class from McConaha and later starred in The Chosen. They also collaborated last year in an acclaimed production of Angels in America at Weathervane's black box theater, directed by McConaha and starring Derry.

Like brothers, the pair continually tease each other. But they also have a deep respect for each other's work.
For The Bang and the Clatter, Derry has assumed the role of technical guy and McConaha is the marketing and artistic guy.

``Frankly, he's the best director I've ever worked with, bar none -- either here or in New York,'' Derry said of McConaha.

``It's strange how similar we are and that we came from completely different backgrounds,'' McConaha said.

``We both needed each other to do what we're doing.''
They chose the name The Bang and the Clatter from a lyric in U2's Stay (Faraway, So Close!): ``Just the bang and the clatter / as an angel hits the ground.''

``We're both Irish boys and we love U2. We thought it was an interesting euphemism for our friendship and our relationship,'' McConaha said.

He and Derry have made a combined investment of about $5,000 to launch the company. Expenses include royalties, lights, lumber and other materials for the set, marketing and advertising, and small stipends for the actors and creative team. They plan to either rent or buy lighting equipment and have borrowed some props from Weathervane.

The actors will be local -- ``All the people that are in our shows are our friends,'' McConaha said.

`The Late Henry Moss'
The Late Henry Moss, set in the desert of Bernalillo, N.M., is a haunting story about two antagonistic brothers and their harassing, drunken father. The three-act play reveals their father's last days in flashbacks.

During a recent rehearsal, Derry and Mark Mayo took the stage as estranged brothers Ray and Earl.
Giving notes after their scene, director McConaha said: ``We need to create that physical tension (between brothers) at all times. You know when you get that flop sweat when you're lying?'' he said to Mayo regarding his character, older brother Earl.
McConaha also asked Derry to explore Ray's antagonistic side.

``Let's try to find it organically,'' Derry said of Ray's anger and distrust toward his brother.

By last week, Derry had constructed the whole set of pine and cedar around the space's original posts, which run from floor to ceiling. The set is based on the San Francisco production's.

Next, he'll create a textured look on the adobe home's interior and paint it. He also painted part of the floor black, so guests could follow a path to their seats.

McConaha and Derry hope to be housed at Summit ArtSpace as long as possible. Opening night will feature a party catered by J&J Catering, owned by theater pal John Cotter and his son, executive chef Jonn Cotter.

John's wife, Maryanne Cotter, a longtime Weathervane volunteer and former employee, will be stage manager.
Derry and McConaha are working to create an intimate experience they liken to Off-Broadway theater. They hope to produce new works just a year after they've debuted Off-Broadway.

``If the show goes well, we would like to announce in our program the next show,'' McConaha added.
The company aims to build a name for itself by offering thought-provoking, challenging work.

``We're not looking for an eclectic crowd or the fringe of society,'' Derry said. ``We want people to be moved, thinking as they leave, `How does this affect me?' ''

Theater writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail at kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com.