2004 marked the first time in seven years that Salvage Vanguard Theater produced all of its mainstage shows under one roof, the Off Center. It was also the first time in five years that a mainstage show was directed by someone other than Jason Neulander. SVT produced three full scale productions over the course of the year, two world premieres and a revival of the company's award-winning production The Cry Pitch Carrolls.
Download the SVT 2003 Annual Report (PDF)
16 Spells to Charm the Beast by Lisa D'Amour
WINNER! Austin Critics Table Award for Best Supporting Actress (Monika Bustamante) and Best Actor (David Jones)
WINNER! B. Iden Payne Award for Best Supporting Actor (David Jones)
The first show of the year reconnected Salvage Vanguard Theater with playwright Lisa D'Amour after an eight-year haitus. SVT produced D'Amour's first professional production (Black Velvet Bernhardt) back in 1995. 16 Spells was a critical success, garnering three local theater awards. It also marked Resident Company Member Deanna Shoemaker's directing debut with Salvage Vanguard Theater. And the beautiful snowflake dress designed by Marcia Rector made the audience gasp night after night. "Regarding matters of the heart, [16 Spells to Charm the Beast] describes the pain and beauty of our lives with a lyricism bordering on enchantment." — Robert Faires, The Austin Chronicle, February 28, 2003
FEBRUARY 21 - MARCH 8, THE OFF CENTER
tempOdyssey by Dan Dietz
The biggest-attended summer show in Salvage Vanguard's history, tempOdyssey was also a powerful critical success. The Austin American-Statesman put it this way: "Hilarious … Jason Neulander's production arrives whip-smart, allowing enough air between the funny bits for Dietz's gorgeously poetic language. Designer Chase Staggs suggests an office with rolling towers of filing cabinets. The cast is first-rate. …TempOdyssey stands shoulder to shoulder with the best plays written in Austin.". tempOdyssey marked the triumphant return of Resident Company Member Dan Dietz's playwriting to the stage after a two-year haitus. It also featured the most sophisticated set the company had ever tried to build, designed by Chase Staggs. tempOdyssey was a finalist for the 2005 Humana Festival of New Plays and has been nominated for the Steinberg Award by the National Theatre Critics Association. The show left audiences astounded by the sheer talent of playwright Dietz.
JUNE 6 - 28, 2003, THE OFF CENTER
The Cry Pitch Carrolls, a nostalgic nuclear winter opera by Ruth E. Margraff with music by Graham Reynolds
The final mainstage show of the year was a revival of a production SVT mounted in 1999. Possibly the most artful show the company had ever produced, this version of the Cry Pitch Carrolls featured the original costumes, music, and staging, but a mostly new cast and a brand-new set. Much lighter than the original production, it drew more than double the original audience. And the show featured a live poodle on stage! The company created a three-camera video of the production in the hopes of launching a tour in 2005. Salvage Vanguard also released a completely remastered version of the CD of the music from the original production, which featured three new studio tracks.
OCTOBER 31 THROUGH NOVEMBER 22, 2003, THE OFF CENTER
The Best Salvage Vanguard Holiday Ever
Now in its seventh year, the Best Salvage Vanguard Holiday Ever has become a bona fide Austin tradition. This year's theme was "candle" and the eight plays and three songs performed were written by Michael Kranes, C. Denby Swanson, Kathryn Walat, Kirk Lynn, Lowell Bartholomee, Monika Bustamante, Caridad Svich, Chad Nichols, Carlos Murillo, and Greg Romero. The plays were directed and performed by Chris Krejci, Andrea Skola, Ryan Harper Gray, Zell Miller, Susie Williams, Elizabeth Wakehouse, Shannon Grounds, Derek Mudd, Bradley Carlin, Carla Witt, Shannon McCormick, Catherine Berry, Elizabeth Doss, Hildreth England, Corey Gagne, Heather Hanna, Billy Mutschler, and M. Omid Ghorashi.
DECEMBER 5 AND 6, 2003, LITTLE CITY ESPRESSO BAR AND CAFE
Awards and Honors
Top 10 thrice, and then some
This year, Salvage Vanguard appeared in Austin Chronicle Top Ten of 2003 lists three times: Monika Bustamante got a mention for her "tremendously controlled performance" in 16 Spells to Charm the Beast; Doug Taylor's performance in tempOdyssey was called "the most effective thing I've seen Taylor do"; and of course Dan Dietz's tempOdyssey script which, according to Chronicle reviewer Barry Pineo "changed the way I look at theatre". Plus, the company's production of The Cry Pitch Carrolls took an honorable mention and board member Kristine Olson was listed for her operatic performance in Refraction Arts' Celebrity Crush.
Top 10 in Statesman
Michael Barnes of the Austin American-Statesman ranked tempOdyssey as one of his favorite arts events in 2003.
Drama League
Salvage Vanguard Theater was listed as one of eight "theaters to watch" this year by the Drama League, a venerable organization based in New York that has served the American professional theatre since 1916.
Dietz wins Heideman Award
This year, Resident Company Member Dan Dietz won the Heideman Award from the Actors' Theatre of Louisville at the Humana Festival of New Plays for best 10-minute play. On top of that, two of his plays--tempOdyssey and Tilt Angel--were finalists for the 2004 Humana Festival and another of his ten-minute plays will be presented at the festival, for the second year in a row!
MotherBone in NY
MotherBone won the 2002 Frederick Loewe Music Theatre Award, which resulted in its presentation at New Dramatists in New York in April of 2003. Both composer Graham Reynolds and director Jason Neulander joined librettist Karen Hartman in New York for the presentation, which was entirely sold out.
SVT finalist for New Generations Round 4
For the third time, Salvage Vanguard Theater is a finalist for a New Generations Program grant, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Trust and administered by Theatre Communications Group. Currently, Salvage Vanguard Theater is wrapping up its Round Two grant. If funded for Round Four, Salvage Vanguard Theater will hire a full-time Marketing and Development Director.
SVT walks in the PARC
Austin, Texas was one of ten cities selected by the Urban Institute and the Pew Charitable Trusts for a national study on the value of the arts in communities. Salvage Vanguard Theater was the only small arts organization in Austin to participate in the study, which will impact civic and policy decisions on the arts both locally and nationwide for years to come.
Neulander hosts Paynes
For the second year in a row, SVT's Artistic Director Jason Neulander hosted the B. Iden Payne Awards, Austin's equivalent of the Tony's. More than 300 local theater practitioners attended the event this year at the Scottish Rite Theatre. He has been asked to host the ceremony again in 2004.
ACT and Payne awards
Once again, both critics and peers heaped praise on Salvage Vanguard Theater's productions. In 2004, Salvage Vanguard Theater was nominated for 18 local theater awards, including awards for Best Actor, Best Cast, Best Ensemble, and Best Set Design.
NEA for Genghis Khan
This year, Salvage Vanguard Theater received a $12,000 grant to produce its next opera, Genghis Khan, composed by Graham Reynods, with libretto and direction by Jason Neulander.