When Joseph Adler He died last year, theater-goers were devastated in Miami. For more than two decades, Adler has worked tirelessly to build a theater scene in South Florida. During that time, he took a small stage associated with the chase – and maybe haunted – The Biltmore Hotel and turned it into a colossal beacon of local creativity.
With an adler on her head, GableStage The city has supplied tourist traps to fix it up for tough, honest and affordable theatre. He spoke to audiences of high school and college students, inspired countless Miami artists, and gave us every intellectually stimulating thing to do in the evening.
Capturing a visionary like Adler is a task. There is the burden of appeasing his former colleagues, or at least not disappointing them. It’s a tightrope walk, especially here in Miami, where no matter how transient the residents are, hometown pride reigns supreme. So when he was born in California, he grew up in Connecticut Barry Newport Joe Adler was offered the position as artistic director of GableStage production, and she was understandably reluctant.
“I don’t think people have any idea how much pressure there is, especially in this particular situation,” Newport says. the new era. “Before I decided to come here, I hired a medium, and through that medium, I asked Joe, like any good Jew, ‘Why me? ‘ He said, ‘It’s because you have balls.’ Every time I start stepping up, I try to focus on myself and allow myself to believe I’m doing the right thing, doing what Joe wants me to do.”
Related stories
I support
Sweetened
social communication
the press
Support the independent voice for Miami and help keep the New Times free for the future.
On November 12, GableStage, led by Newport, will begin production of Arthur Miller’s play the price, a modest two-act play that deals with family dynamics and financial struggles. The production would have been the last part Adler directed had it not been for the pandemic. Newport picks up where Adler left off, giving Miami a chance to see his swan song.
“She’s been on stage since March 2020,” Newport says. “I am directing Joe’s vision for the price To the best of my ability. It has the same cast and design team. I even have the theater director’s notes from Joe’s script.”
Newport is also using this season to raise money through GableStage for the Joe Adler Legacy campaign. The goal, she says, is to raise $1 million in Joe’s name.
Before the season officially begins with the price, Newport collected only one night, outdoor synchronized swimming called splash! In the Biltmore Pond On Thursday 28th October. Splash! Tribute to swimmer and actress Esther Williams, who is said to have swam in the same historic pool.
“It was a vision I had when I came down here back in February with my husband to make sure he was nice with moving here. As we were walking by the Biltmore Pool a board member said to me, ‘You know, Esther Williams swam here,'” narrates Newport. “It was the height of the epidemic; I didn’t know what we were going to do. The theater seats only 138 people; There was no space. You thought about Esther Williams’ pool play – what the hell is that? It turned into a start to the season and an introduction to me.”
GableStage production by Arthur Miller the price Debuted on November 12.
Photo by Anna Maria Carano
Despite Newport’s insistence that she would never fill Adler’s shoes, she has a long and illustrious history of working with nonprofit regional theater companies such as GableStage. For nearly a decade, she led the Penobscot Theater Company in Bangor, Maine, before she was offered her current role on GableStage. Prior to that, she worked at the Florida Repertory Theater in Fort Myers and at California’s Pasadena Playhouse and the Sacramento Theater Company, as well as other regional theater companies across the United States (and even one of the communes).
Since she was a child, Newport has been drawn to these kinds of comfortable, community-led spaces.
“When I was 12, my mother started driving me to a small professional theater called Stanford Theater Works in Stanford, Connecticut,” she says. “She said that if I wanted to work in theater, I had to become an expert in every element in it. I would do headshots three times a week, and that gave me access to the belly of the beast, the theatrical brain.”
“Then, when I was 16 and just got my driver’s license, I went to work at a historic summer stock theater in Connecticut called Westport Country Playhouse. It was an old barn. I fell in love with its smell, working overnight and making truly magical plays.”
The goal of nonprofit regional theater companies such as GableStage is to bring theater performances to local communities at a fraction of the cost of the products offered by major tour companies. Sure, I see Hamilton or evil The Adrienne Arsht Center has its allure, but the small show in a historic theater offers a more intimate experience. Here, fans can watch shows that won’t be overwhelmed by the tunes of fast-paced shows. These experiences challenge the viewer, and allow him to see the sweat on the actor’s forehead instead of staring to see what he’s wearing.
“The general buyer of a ticket doesn’t think about why and what their tickets cost. Like, why does a ticket to a Broadway show cost $800? Why does a ticket at GableStage cost $45? Does that mean a Broadway show is better comparing them is like comparing the two,” Newport says. Apples and Lamps.” “The nonprofit theater company owns 65 percent of the total that comes from grants, foundations, individual donations, and contributed income so that the ticket price remains low so that members of the community can be served, and so that the company can service itself. Mission. GableStage is neither a building nor a place. It is a group of artists who come together to tell stories. Domestic theater is a handcrafted art form. ”
Barry Newport isn’t a Miami native, not even from Florida, but her target is real. It is impossible to replace GOAT Joseph Adler’s South Florida theater. However, the show must go on. This new season at GableStage will give theatergoers a chance to not only witness what would have been Adler’s final production but also help welcome this new veteran leader to the attractive but legendary theater company.
“I don’t know how I would feel if my best friend died and then someone came up completely randomly, said they talked to a moderator, and decided to take his job,” Newport says. “I’ll never be him. It’s me, but it’s also my honor. I take this new responsibility to Joe, the local community, and the Florida theater ecosystem very seriously. My new colleagues here have been so supportive, and it really takes a village, especially in a situation like this. It’s a replay.” complete run”.
splash! 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 28, at Biltmore, 1200 Anastasia Street, Coral Gables; 305-445-1926; biltmorehotel.com. Tickets cost from $300 to $500 via gablestage.com.
the price. 8 p.m. Friday, November 12 through Sunday, December 12 at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave., #230, Coral Gables; 305-445-1119; gablestage.org. Tickets cost from $45 to $70.
.