Austin Downtown Arts Magazine
Theatre
Exploring FronteraFest
by Courtenay Nearburg
Exploring new frontiers in dramatic expression is old hat
for the crew at Hyde Park Theatre. Recently joined with Frontera
Theatre Company, Hyde Park embarks on a new adventure this
year with their tried and true formula for success, FronteraFest.
1997's festival promises to be envigorating, with guest artists
from Minneapolis, Boston, and Houston joining the winning
team of Frontera performers to offer workshops throughout
the month-long festival. FronteraFest '97 is in its fourth
year of presenting new and exciting works by playwrights,
directors, dancers and actors.
Eva Paloheimo is the brain behind the machine, as manager
and executive producer at Hyde Park Theatre. An Austin resident
since 1977, Eva took over management of the little theatre
at 43rd and Guadalupe in 1992. Paloheimo is a theatre lover,
but strangely enough, does not consider herself an artist.
With an education in religion and sociology, and strong business
experience as head of marketing and purchasing at Ginny's
Printing, Eva took the helm from local director Ken Johnson
and steered into new territory by combining efforts with Vicky
Boone, founder of Frontera, in 1993.
"We share an artistic vision, and Vicky's company is
new and experimental. We want to be multi-disciplinary, incorporating
music and dance. Anything new and different, really,"
Paloheimo says.
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Frontera leased the intimate theatre in 1992, and the company
found a home. In 1993, all of Frontera's shows were at Hyde
Park. The two entities joined in 1995 for economic and artistic
reasons. "We had a common vision for what we wanted.
A relationship made sense," says Boone.
Hyde Park is now a full-profit operation, with Paloheimo
handling the administrative tasks, while Boone looks after
the artistic aspects of business. "We all needed more
companionship. Now we are entering our most stable year, both
physically and artistically. Hopefully, financially,"
Boone explains.
As a theatre company, Frontera is committed to fostering
daring new voices, and the commissioning of new works is first
priority. The company commissioned its first piece last year,
Enfants Perdus, with Erik Ehn, a guest artist from San Francisco.
This year, FronteraFest '97 welcomes Featured Artists giving
both daytime workshops and special performances during the
five-week long festival. Laurie Carlos (Minneapolis), Mauricio
Cordero (Boston), Amparo Garcia, Daniel Alexander Jones, and
Jason Phelps are among the talented artists taking the stage
to introduce new works and give workshops. Frontera@Hyde Park
is introducing a new commissioning fund this year, specifically
for the development of new work. Three new pieces will be
commissioned by the group in 1997, created by Laurie Carlos,
David Hancock, and Daniel Alexander Jones.
"We're interested in creating a home for artists where
we have long-term relationships," says Boone, adding
that balancing new work with input from mentors is part of
the plan. Boone is particularly thrilled that experimental
theatre pioneer Laurie Carlos will be part of the festivities,
allowing company members and new artists to experience working
with and observing an influential player from the '70s. "Bringing
in new voices feeds everyone artistically," she says.
Boone has been a director since she was 22. She started in
theatre in high school, then studied drama as an undergraduate
at Texas A&M, and continued by pursuing her master's degree
at Boston University. "It was a place of tolerance for
irregular people in a very conformist environment," she
explains, as to why she began in theatre.
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"That's common in Frontera; everyone in the company
is fiercely unique and probably struggled with conformity.
It's never been an articulated value, but it goes back to
self-expression. FronteraFest is a vehicle for that."
After completing internships in Minneapolis, Boone briefly
lived in Dallas, before moving to Austin. In the summer of
'87, she joined some friends from school, "an early version
of the company", and did a play in Austin. Seventy Scenes
of Halloween ran at the Chicago House. She enjoyed the experience,
and decided to return to Austin in 1992. Taking the initiative,
Boone called friends from A&M and from Boston, found some
new friends like Margery Segal and Christopher McCollum in
Austin, and formed Frontera Theatre Company in 1992. In 1993,
she produced the first FronteraFest in the Hyde Park Theatre,
and in 1995, the company and the theatre incorporated.
Paloheimo and Boone talk animatedly of their future plans
for FronteraFest and Hyde Park Theatre. Ultimately, they would
like a larger space for multi-disciplinary works, and to incorporate
what they call "art therapy" for children and for
the elderly. This year's festival features the work of photographer
and long-time Frontera documentarian Bret Brookshire. They
also claim to be one step away from using the space for local
filmmakers to screen new and experimental films. "Its
a matter of finding a curator," says Boone.
Frontera@Hyde Park also plan to have an ongoing series of
music-oriented theatre, and of course, dance. They already
have working relationships with other theatre and dance companies,
including Subterranean Theatre Company, and Margery Segal's
Nerve Dance Company. Ken Webster, local award-winning director
and actor, and artistic director for Subterranean, can't say
enough about Hyde Park Theatre and FronteraFest.
"Of every theatre in town, there is not an easier producer
to work with (than Eva Paloheimo)," Webster gushes. His
favorite experience at Hyde Park was directing "Storyland"
in FronteraFest '93. It was his first experience directing
with Paloheimo managing the theatre. "I met my wife at
Hyde Park Theatre, " Webster adds.
Webster has worked with Paloheimo exclusively since 1991.
"I remember a line from Glengarry Glen Ross: 'Your job
is to help us, not to f*** us up,' " he says, explaining
why he prefers Hyde Park to other theatres. Webster has been
actively involved in FronteraFest since the beginning, directing
and acting in the first festival in 1993 and going on to serve
as a panelist in '95. He will direct and produce works in
this year's festival, and says that the best theatre in town
is going on at Hyde Park.
"The kind of plays I like to do tend to have about 100
people a night. I could probably draw more of an audience
at Zach Scott, but the intimacy at Hyde Park is more appealing,"
Webster says.
Paloheimo and Boone are most excited about the development
of FronteraFest into a city-wide multi-venue performance festival.
Already dubbed as the "fringe theatre event of the Southwest"
by the Austin American-Statesman, Frontera@Hyde Park is an
opportunity for people to create their first works, facilitating
participation and helping struggling newcomers to "find
the creator in themselves." The lines between performers
and audience are already blurred, and since none of the material
in the festival is censored, artists express themselves in
pure form, and in a safe environment.
Some highlights of past festivals include Lisa D'Amour's
four-part Oscar Snowden series, and a children's showcase
in which Okra stuck her head out mid-performance to ask to
go to the bathroom. Boone delights in new works that take
shape in FronteraFest, like Bloodshot Boogie, a 20-minute
piece dealing with creation mythology and blurred identity.
Boogie now has a full length version.
"I remember one day that had to be at least 14 hours
of theatre at its most accessible, with a daytime workshop,
then performances and a late night jam," Boone reminisces.
Even 9-year-old Cassie Fitzgerald found a home in FronteraFest,
telling jokes on stage at the late night jam.
"It's a fantastic way to meet other artists," Boone
says, reflecting on her first experience with Steve Moore
and the Physical Plant Theatre. Moore's piece, digi-glo, was
one that had a beginning in the festival and went on to develop
into a full-length project.
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Frontera@Hyde Park starts accepting applications in mid-August
on a first-come, first-serve basis. This is the cornerstone
of the festival, since both Boone and Paloheimo adamantly
oppose the concept of competition. The picks for Best of the
Week and Best of the Fest are made by community panelists,
who make gut-level selections with no criteria and no justification
necessary. A Wild Card Night is offered as a producer's pick
showcase, for those pieces the producers want to see again,
although they were not selected by the panelists. The format
for the festival is based on the Director's Festival of Seattle's
New City Theatre, an event Boone attended.
FronteraFest '97 opens Tuesday, January 21 and continues
through Saturday, February 22 at 8pm. Best of the Week shows
will be held on Saturdays, and Best of the Fest is the fifth
and final week, February 18-22. Tickets for the Open Festival
are $8, and passes for the entire festival or other variations
in fare are available. For more information, call the Box
Office at 478-TIXS.
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