Starting a theater company isn't easy. Beneath the surface of Boston's polished theater district is an entire world of up-and-coming artists trying to make their mark.
Despite the daunting nature of the theater world, Jason Slavick, founder of the debut company The Performance Lab, is not intimidated. The Performance Lab opened in April at the Boston Center for the Arts with a production written and directed by Slavick called "Le Cabaret Grimm."
"I thought now would be a good time [to start a company] because that's what I wanted to do," Slavick said. "I want to be making theater. Theater in general is a form that's used to poverty, so the financial aspect didn't really frighten me."
Given the already well-established theater district, Slavick developed The Performance Lab to add to what was already going on in Boston instead of trying to compete with it. The company's mission includes finding established artists who have not quite been discovered yet. In the realization of "Le Cabaret Grimm," the experimental first act was almost completely unrelated to the main show, making up a separate performance called "The HUBbub," which sought to exhibit an alternative art form that is alive but relatively unknown in Boston.
"I felt like this original work [is] not your standard American play, but is theater that explores the physical side of theater," Slavick said. "[It's] work that is clearly experimenting with all different ways, particularly using spectacle, to tell a story. That's something we don't have here in Boston ... or not a lot of."
An enthusiastic and strong set of collaborators was integral to the realization of The Performance Lab and its goals. Artistic Director Rachel Hock used her close ties to Boston's underground music scene to find artists and musicians to perform in "The HUBbub." The musical acts were chosen based on their appeal and aesthetics in relation to the "Le Cabaret Grimm" in order to create a diverse, yet somewhat unified, show.
Keeping with The Performance Lab's spirit of playfulness, the conceptualization of "The HUBbub" and "Le Cabaret Grimm" was an ever-evolving process. Johnny Blazes, the host of "The HUBbub," initially met Slavick while auditioning for "Le Cabaret Grimm" but quickly became an important collaborator on the production. Instantly recognizing Blazes as a unique personality with an interesting aesthetic sense, Slavick took him on as a co-producer. Blazes' experience as a successful cabaret and variety performer was one of the elements that shaped "The HUBbub."
Local students have also been an active part of The Performance Lab and "Le Cabaret Grimm."
"I wanted young actors because there's a kind of frenetic youthful power that they bring," Slavick said. "There's this young, bouncy, vibrant, live sense that comes with them, and that's what I wanted in this show."
Slavick uses his interest in alternative art forms to fuel the company's playful experimentation with using masks, puppets and dance as forms of storytelling.
"Anything that's playful like that [parades and streetfairs], that's theatrical, that's spectacle, really turns me on, and I like the chance to employ those things," Slavick said.
In his last gig with the Boston Theater Works — where he spent six years as a company member — Slavick garnered attention for his direction of Shakespeare's "Othello." After directing Shakespearean plays, Slavick had developed the perseverance and skill to pay careful attention to a script's language and structure, allowing him to cultivate his interest in archetypal stories.
"I love hanging out in myths, in fairy tales, in folklore," Slavick said. "I'm turned on by stories that are archetypal, which is why I love Shakespeare. His work explodes beyond the details of what he's writing about up to that massive level."
Slavick's past original works, including "Heaven and Hell — The Fantastical Temptation of the 7 Deadly Sins," "The Golem" and "Alice: A Grotesque Turn in Twelve Scenes," exemplify the inspiration he draws from all sorts of archetypes. While The Performance Lab is an ever-evolving company, Slavick foresees continuing in this direction.
"I feel both challenged and freed by archetypal stories," Slavick said. "I'm not interested in plays that take these mythical, archetypal things and scale them down to the prosaic and contemporary. That, to me, doesn't do justice; it undoes what's great about these works."
Lastly, Slavick hopes to create a company of actors who work and grow together, creating a distinct style along the way. While he doesn't know when this day will come, Slavick does know that The Performance Lab will next spring have a fresh original production at the Boston Center for the Arts.
