3-Ring Circus of Attractions
[ PRODUCTIONS ]The major point of focus in 1999 was the work the company produced. 1999 was a year where the company went back to the basics, re-examining the mission statement and re-evaluating how the work is created. The goal for the year was to make Salvage Vanguard Theater one of the first companies in Austin people thought of when they thought of great Austin theater. The results of this effort speak for themselves: the 1999 Austin Critics' Table Award for Outstanding New Play for Dirigible; "Top Ten" mentions of all three productions in 1999, and record season attendance for the mainstage productions (up 12% from 1998). One of our audience members put it this way: "I come to your shows because they are original and experimental. Full of energy and enthusiasm. Full of things I never expected to see in theatre. I walk in with little idea of what to expect and am always amazed at where I land. Even more amazed days later as the play continues to sift through new pathways in my mind."
In the First Ring!
Dirigible by Dan Dietz (April 1999)
Called "the best Salvage Vanguard production I have seen" by the Austin American-Statesman, Dirigible set a new standard for the company's productions. It was the first show where not a single artistic element was compromised, from the venue to the set to the lights to the script development. 540 people came to the show over 10 performances, making the production the highest per-night attendance of any show in the company's history! The show also marked a new stage in Jason Neulander's and Dan Dietz' working relationship. Dietz had acted in, directed, and dramaturged a number of Salvage Vanguard shows with Neulander, but this was the first professional production of one of his scripts. Not only did it garner high critical praise and draw a large audience, but the show also won the 1999 Austin Critics' Table Award for Outstanding New Play. Dirigible was a great start to an exciting year.
Click here to see photos of the premiere!
In the Second Ring!
Venus by Suzan-Lori Parks (September 1999)
Arguably the most ambitious project the company has even taken on, Venus ran for four weeks under a circus tent at 5th and Lamar right in downtown Austin! The company had to create the venue from scratch, and while a rental company erected the tent itself, the production team installed electricity, the dressing rooms, rented port-o-potties, built risers, loaded in a two-story set, and even laid out hay on the ground to create an authentic circus feel. The production drew the second-highest attendance in the company's history and was critically acclaimed by the press. The Austin American-Statesman called it "the most artful show of the year" and the Chronicle said: "Neulander's production goes like gangbusters… full of variety and frolic, as a tight ensemble portrays dozens of characters, racing through demanding costume changes and style shifts, and generally entertaining the hell out of the audience, all under that big top."
Click here to see photos of the show!
In the Third Ring!
The Cry Pitch Carrolls by Ruth E. Margraff (December 1999)
The final mainstage show of the year was The Cry Pitch Carrolls. Originally produced in New York, this production featured new staging, a new set, and original music by Austin's own Golden Arm Trio. Billed as a "nostalgic nuclear winter Christmas opera", the production was quite simply the most critically acclaimed production in Salvage Vanguard's history. Not only did the all the reviews indicate a high level of artistic achievement ("Riveting… magical… only once in a very long while have we seen anything this mesmerizingly original." –Austin American-Statesman), but the show received "Top Ten" mention by three Austin critics at the end of 1999. The Austin Chronicle's summation may have said it best: "Nothing less than a small miracle. Ruth Margraff's lyrical tale of loss and renewal—remarkable by itself—might not have connected as it did had it not been for the jewel of a production lovingly crafted around it by director Jason Neulander and company. Graham Reynolds' emotionally rich score, the enchanting picture-window setting, and the deeply felt performances spirited me to a new home of snow, widows, and wonder."
Click here to see photos of the show!
Click HERE to listen to an MP3 of "Primary Red Awash" from The Cry Pitch Carrolls
[ ON THE SECOND STAGE ]
In addition to the three full productions, Salvage Vanguard produced two smaller-scale projects in alternative venues. First, in partnership with The Deborah Hay Dance Company, Salvage Vanguard Theater produced "The Choreography Dialogues", an ongoing forum to enable artists and audience to expand their vision of the performing arts. The format was simple: two artists talked about and performed excerpts of work revolving around a thought-provoking topic. They presented their discussion to the audience for about half-an-hour and then the discussion was opened up to the audience. The project was a resounding success, with each dialogue everyone came away with something new. The participating artists included Deborah Hay, Jason Neulander, Ruth Margraff, Joni Jones, Margaret Cameron, Margery Segal, Jason Phelps, Heloise Gold, Shawn Sides, Andrew Long, Boyd Vance, and Sharon Bridgforth. Salvage Vanguard also brought back what has become an Austin tradition. For the third year in a row, Salvage Vanguard introduced audiences to 10 brand new short plays revolving around a holiday-oriented theme under the title The Next Best Salvage Vanguard Holiday Ever. This year's theme was "Angels" and the project marked the producing debut of Dan Dietz. Once again, the show sold out both its performances and made for a fun wrap-up to a very exciting year for the company.
[ AWARDS AND HONORS ]
Top TenEach year, the Austin Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman run "top ten" lists of what they think are the highlights of the previous twelve months. In 1999, every one of Salvage Vanguard's productions was featured on a critic's top ten list! Most notably, The Cry Pitch Carrolls made three different critics' lists. Robert Faires, arts editor at the Austin Chronicle had this to say: "Nothing less than a small miracle. Ruth Margraff's lyrical tale of loss and renewal—remarkable by itself—might not have connected as it did had it not been for the jewel of a production lovingly crafted around it by director Jason Neulander and company."
The Rockefeller Foundation
This year, Salvage Vanguard received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to commission a new opera entitled Night Vision by composer Fred Ho and librettist Ruth E. Margraff. With the grant, Salvage Vanguard was able to pay the artists a living wage to create and record the new opera. Night Vision has already had a concert reading at the Cooper Union in New York and has its New York premiere scheduled for February 2000.
The Houston Endowment
Texas' largest private foundation, The Houston Endowment, recognized Salvage Vanguard's contribution to Texans by awarding the company a $15,000 grant to support Salvage Vanguard Theater's operations. Thanks to the Endowment's support, Salvage Vanguard Theater has hired Dan Dietz as its new full-time co-Artistic Director to work alongside Jason Neulander, enabling the company to increase the breadth of its productions and scope of its vision.
The National Endowment for the Arts
In 1999, Salvage Vanguard Theater applied to the NEA for the first time and was awarded a grant of $8,000 to commission and produce The American Demons, a new play based on Dostoevsky's classic novel The Devils. The main collaborators on the project are Ruth E. Margraff, Deborah Hay, Dan Dietz, and Jason Neulander. The creative process begins in February 2000 and the show is slated to open in September 2000.
B. Iden Payne Awards
The B. Iden Payne Awards are Austin's equivalent of the Tony's. The theater community-at-large nominates and votes for its own members for the post awards ceremony. This year, Salvage Vanguard Theater received a special award—the "Oh, Brave New World" Award—for its visionary aesthetics and impact on the community.
Austin Critics' Table Awards
Salvage Vanguard Theater was honored by the Austin theater critics with five nominations at the Austin Critics' Table Awards in 1999, including "Outstanding Director of a Comedy" and won the "Outstanding New Play" Award for Dirigible by Dan Dietz.
American Theatre
Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for nonprofit theater companies, honored Artistic Director Jason Neulander in its 15th Anniversary issue of American Theatre. The cover story for the issue featured Neulander as one of "15 up-and-comers under 30 who we predict will be transforming American stages for decades to come."