Cayman Mitchell as Eugene Morris Jerome in "Brighton Beach Memoirs." Photo by Daylon Walton.

Dennis Yslas, Onstage in Bedford's interim artistic director.

  

Brighton Beach Memoirs

by Neil Simon

Presented by Onstage in Bedford

January 29 - February 14

at Trinity Arts Theater
Bedford Boys Ranch
2819 Forest Ridge Dr
Bedford, TX 76021
817-354-6444

$12-$15

8pm Fridays & Saturdays; 3pm Sundays

Every theater person in town knows and loves Dennis Yslas, an actor and singer who always seems to be wearing more hats than you'll find in a production of The Music Man.

He has been acting since 1975, starting out on the Bozo the Clown show. He has worked, behind the scenes, at Theatre Arlington, Creative Arts Theatre and School and Undermain Theatre, to name a few. He is currently assistant box office manager for the Fort Worth Opera, and serves as Vice President of John Garcia's The Column Awards.

If that wasn't enough, he's the interim artistic director at Onstage in Bedford, which opens its 25th season on Jan. 29 with Neil Simon's classic Brighton Beach Memoirs. He took some time for an e-mail Q&A with TheaterJones about the organization and the important and often overlooked role of community theater.

For anyone who hasn't been there, we suggest a trip. For one thing, its home—the Trinity Arts Theater on the campus of the Bedford Boys Ranch—is one of the best small theater spaces in town. And when you're driving through the ranch on the way to the theater, you know you're there when you pass a small water park.

A theater next to a water park—how cool is that? The ranch aspect is fun, too, especially when the marquee for the Bedford Boys Ranch lists a show like La Cage aux Folles. That had to raise some eyebrows a few years back.

Let's get on with it.

TheaterJones: Tell us about Onstage in Bedford in one sentence.

Dennis Yslas: We are a community theater committed to producing quality work in the mid-cities.

OK, give us a little more.

Our space is a 99-seat theater. This year we mark our 25th anniversary in Bedford—in the same building. We do not have large budgets; all of our actors, designers and running crews are volunteers. We do pay our directors, choreographers, music directors and instrumentalists a very small stipend.

What is your role with the organization?

I'm the interim artistic director. I've been in the position since December 2008. I'm responsible for selecting the directors and shows for the season. I'm also responsible for ensuring the shows are ready for presentation. The theater is looking for a permanent artistic director. The position is a volunteer position at this time. I will stay as interim until the theater is ready to hire a permanent artistic director.

Describe what a community theater is and does.

Community theater is theater for the community. Generally, community theaters don't pay their staff or actors. In the last few decades many community theaters have hired staff and stipends are common for actors and designers. Onstage is still lucky enough to be operated by volunteers—including our actors.

What are your feelings about critics reviewing community theater?

I think it's important that community theater get reviewed by critics. I think theaters learn from what critics have to say. Ideally, the directors, staff and crew are open to hear experts talk about their productions. In community and subscription-based theaters reviews rarely affect attendance, but a bad review can reduce the likelihood of someone seeing a show down the street. The hard part is many community theater actors are starting out and take what critics say too personally. I like to tell actors that it is one person's opinion and it should not affect their performances after the review. As an artistic director, it helps me consider directors that get reviewed regularly—especially if I can't go see the show and I respect the writer.

What are some of the changes happening with Onstage in Bedford?

When I came on board at Onstage I wanted to take the vision from the previous artistic director and help the board of directors continue that vision. Onstage has produced shows in the last few years that are rarely produced locally, and specifically by other community theaters. The Board of Directors is committed to raising the bar in the mid-cities. In 2008 Onstage produced Terra Nova, La Cage aux Folles, The Full Monty and Sweeney Todd—all shows that DFW theater audiences haven't had a chance to see in a while.

You’ve picked some tough titles for the season, such as Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George. Tell me the methodology behind choosing this 25th season.

I approached the Board of Directors about selecting the 2010 season differently than most theaters [do]. Theaters generally choose the show, then find a director. I wanted to select directors that I trusted to do quality work and have them give me a list of shows they have the heart to direct. This methodology helps a theater like Onstage to produce quality work directed by directors who have a passion for the show they are directing. I think directors get cheated when they are asked to direct a show at a theater just to get their foot in the door. The eight shows we are doing are all shows that each director loved. I wanted to make sure Onstage audiences had a variety, including known titles and rarely done works.

What do you most want people to know about Onstage in Bedford?

We are the theatrical gem of the mid-cities. We do not pull punches. Last year we did The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and yeah, we kept every adult word in the script. When you see Brighton Beach Memoirs you will see the "masturbation scene." This is generally cut in community theater productions. We don't apologize for that. We don't want to insult the intelligence of our audiences.

What else can we expect from this production of Brighton Beach?  

The audience can expect a fully realized Neil Simon production—without editing the script. [Director] Shane Peterman has worked with this cast of actors, who have professional credits throughout the Metroplex, to create an organic production with truthful moments. The set is minimalistic—the focus is on the acting and the relationships that Neil Simon has written. I have very strong feelings about being true to the written word. We are actors, not editors.

Do you think that community theaters are ignored by the media?

Onstage in Bedford is going through a renaissance of sorts. For years the theater went unnoticed. We are hiring directors with professional credits, seeing actors wanting to come work for us. BBM had 30 people audition for the seven roles—that's not common in community theater. The City of Bedford has been wonderfully supportive of the theater and helps underwrite our Shakespeare in the Park production—which allows us to produce Much Ado About Nothing this Spring, free of charge and in the park next to the theater. We are also continuing our All-Youth Production. This year we will produce The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs by local playwright, Linda Daugherty. This year the show is being directed by K.C. Snow—who has come up the ranks with the Youth production. We have a rich history in Bedford and hope more people come and see why we were voted 2009's WFAA A list—Top theater group in North Texas! People who come see us love us!

You can also hear Dennis Yslas featured in a podcast interview, on the Jan. 27 edition of This Week in the Arts.

Here is Onstage in Bedford's 2010 season:

• Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs, directed by Shane Peterman. Jan. 29-Feb. 14.
• The Tarrant County premiere of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Sunday in the Park With George, directed by Chris Robinson. March 19-April 11.
• Shakespeare in the Park: Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Adam Adolfo. April 29-May 8.
• The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs, directed by K.C. Snow. June 4-20.
• The Tarrant County premiere of William Finn's musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Kyle Macy. July 30-Aug. 22.
• The comedy Bullshot Crummond, by Ron House, Diz White, Alan Shearman, John Neville Andrews and Derek Cunningham; directed by Rich Wiltshire. Sept. 10-26.
• Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's court drama Inherit the Wind, directed by Billy Fountain. Oct. 22-Nov. 7.
• Forever Plaid Presents Plaid Tidings, by Stuart Ross, directed by Dennis Yslas. Nov. 26-Dec. 19.

Season subscription information, as well as individual tickets, are available at www.onstageinbedford.com.