Good theater knows no geographical boundaries

CATSKILL, N.Y. — Good theater is not determined by geography. Catskill and Fort Salem seem off the beaten track, but, the reality is Catskill is but 30 miles south of Albany and Fort Salem is about a half-hour drive from Saratoga.

Tonight (Thursday), Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill opens “The Glass Menagerie” and tomorrow night (Friday), Fort Salem Theatre opens the musical “Into the Woods.” The scheduling reflects the opposite style of each theater.

“The Glass Menagerie” is one of Tennessee Williams’ greatest plays. The music and lyrics for “Into the Woods” was created by Stephen Sondheim. Their next play at Bridge Street is Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” (May 9-19).

Fort Salem offers a lighter fare. Following “Into the Woods”, their spring/summer productions are “Godspell” (May 31-June 9) and “Mary Poppins” (July 26-August 11). April 19-21 they are offering a musical concert of a new work “Beethoven: Live in Concert.” The organization is super enthusiastic about the work. In a recent telephone interview with artistic director Kyle West, he said if there is justice, the contemporary musical should make it to Broadway.

Almost as important as the programming are their locations in small rural but culturally rich settings. Actually, their locations permit them luxuries of programming not to be had in a competitive urban setting. Both organizations have worked hard to create “safe spaces” for artists to take risks.

The bucolic setting of the theaters is not an accident. Indeed, how each theater came to be could be right out of a Hallmark film. You know the formula. A couple from a big city open a business in a small town. The neighbors are friendly and supportive. The business is a success and this enables the couple to move to a larger market. They look around and realize living the dream in a small town is more valuable than fame and fortune in a big city.

The Bridge Street team, John Sowle and Steven Patterson have just celebrated 40 years as a couple. After working in theaters throughout the country and spending a lot of time on the West Coast, especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles, they tired of the commercial restrictions on their art.

Many years ago, Patterson was a core member of Lexington Conservatory Theatre, which performed in the mountains near Catskill. The small band of actors offered rarely produced classics, cutting-edge material, and new work. LCT was to become Capital Repertory Theatre, the professional resident company in Albany.

In a phone interview, Patterson says they based their programming on LCT’s model. “We wanted to do plays which excite us personally,” he says. Remembering the LCT model, Patterson and Sowle decided to locate to Catskill. They bought the building that is now Bridge Street Theatre in 2013.

The Fort Salem couple, Kyle West and Jarod West have been together for about 10 years and married for the past five. They were living in Dallas scouring the country for a theater company to purchase. Kyle has performed, directed and produced theater throughout the country. He was working for a theatre production company that toured shows throughout the country. Jarod was an executive in administration for American Airlines.

Kyle saw an ad for the sale of Fort Salem Theatre on a Monday, flew to New York on Wednesday, and signed the deal on Friday. “We had investigated a lot of theaters,” he says. “We knew immediately this was it.” That was June of 2021.

Bridge Street gradually built a loyal audience. While every seat for every show is not always sold, they are prospering. “The Glass Menagerie” is a revival of last year’s sold-out show that lost an entire weekend because of COVID in the cast. According to Patterson, this run is also selling “fantastic”.

The Wests bought into a loyal following at Fort Salem. Kyle points out that because of new ownership, they are thought of as a new commodity. But he points out theater has been produced at the space for 52 consecutive years. ( not counting the COVID years). Their success is continuing. Their last production “Agnes of God” sold so well that they had to add an additional performance to accommodate demand.

Both men are in agreement as to why they have been successful. Kyle says “Quality work brings people to our theater. We believe audiences want to be entertained. Our attitude if someone comes and enjoys “Grease,” there’s a good chance to return for something more challenging like “Bright Star.”

Patterson says what gives him and Sowle the greatest sense of worth is how the public has embraced their edgy approach to theater. “Actors come from all over the country to work with us and major playwrights send us scripts, unsolicited. I hope it doesn’t sound immodest,” says Patterson, “but I think the success of our challenging work has influenced the programming of theater throughout the Capital District.”

Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill can be contacted at bridgest.org. Fort Salem at fortsalem.com