Monday, February 9, 1998
Buffalo Nights gives wings to six-play comedic suite
Ensemble of former Bruins premieres pair of famous playwright’s
works
By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Contributor
According to Hollywood cliches, actors are supposed to wait
tables until their agents call with an offer to be corpse No. 2 on
"ER." But in reality, one group of actors could not wait. With one
original play, a small amount of money and just a little luck,
several students – fresh out of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and
Television – established their own theater company six years
ago.
Buffalo Nights Theatre Company – a not-for-profit theater group
– will premiere two new productions on Saturday at Los Angeles’s
new Falcon Theatre. Both "Featuring Loretta" and "Problem Child"
are part of a six-play comedy suite, "Suburban Motel," written by
renowned Canadian playwright George F. Walker. Winning the rights
to all six Walker plays is seen as an accolade in itself for the
troupe.
"The thing about George Walker is that he writes very real
characters. They have elements of extreme comedy and elements of
sadness. They’re very well-rounded," says Kevin Weisman, an actor
and producer. "It’s not slapstick or farce. The comedy comes from
the situation."
The entire comedic suite centers around a wide array of
characters who, throughout the six plays, cross paths in the same
cheap motel room. An additional complication is that each character
– from a young, married woman contemplating life as an exotic
dancer in Tokyo to an ex-con and his drug-addicted wife fighting
for custody of their child – has reached his wit’s end and must
quickly make life-changing decisions. Although the characters may
sound far-fetched, their attitudes and emotions are very true to
life.
"There are a lot of things going on which people can relate to –
young people especially. These plays are about people who are at
transitions, cross-roads in their lives, which I think a lot of
college students are facing," Weisman says.
Fellow actor Jeff Maynard also values an audience’s
interpretation.
"People come and get different things out of it. That’s the nice
thing about how people react differently. That’s one of the things
I like about going to the theater," Maynard says.
Buffalo Nights has been fortunate in securing prestigious
material and backers. Although the Mark Taper Forum showed interest
in Walker’s plays, no deal was made because Walker would have been
required to rewrite them as part of a series of workshops. So TV
producer (of "Laverne and Shirley") and Falcon Theatre owner Garry
Marshall stepped in. With digital lighting, air conditioning and
plenty of restrooms, the Falcon provides an ideal venue.
"Garry Marshall was very supportive. He is involved from a
producer’s stand-point and has already given us great suggestions,"
Weisman explains.
As undergraduates, Weisman and Maynard became involved in the
theatrical creative process and wrote plays to stage on campus.
They continued honing their acting skills as they confronted the
change from the UCLA microcosm to the real world. However, the two
credit the school’s theater department with building the
camaraderie and creative energy which binds the company
together.
"I think the best thing about UCLA was that we all got
together," says Maynard, who joined the company after returning
from a role on Broadway. "If it wasn’t for going to UCLA, we
wouldn’t have had those resources. We got together because of our
mutual respect for actors."
"Teachers at UCLA, when we were there, understood the basic
precepts of acting, directing and playwrighting," Weisman says.
"When you get out into the world, that’s the Olympics. But (UCLA)
is a good training ground on all levels."
After viewing many theatrical works around Los Angeles, the
theater students were not particularly excited by what they saw. As
a result, Weisman, Maynard and the rest of their acting cronies
produced their first play. "Hope on the Range," a comedy written by
a friend and then-amateur playwright, Ethan Lipton, garnered
positive reviews as well as a few awards.
So, in 1991, money compiled from the awards went toward
financing the launch of Buffalo Nights. Aside from producing and
writing original plays, the troupe also breathes life into obscure
plays penned by more famous writers such as Oscar Wilde and Mark
Medoff ("Children of a Lesser God").
"Theater is done for theater’s sake. We’re excited about
creating this journey for people. It’s not about ‘Hey, look at me,
I’m showcasing something I can do.’ It’s about creating a piece
that will hopefully be moving, funny, tragic, whatever. It’s about
the work itself," Weisman says.
"It ultimately does showcase our acting in these pieces, but
that’s not the goal," Maynard adds.
Being a non-profit organization, the theater group sometimes
finds it difficult to gather everyone simultaneously, since more
than half of the company’s 18 members work in the film and
television industry. Yet, every actor, designer and producer
remains committed. Buffalo Nights ensures a chance for everyone to
choose projects that excite them for their entertainment value, not
market value. As actors, that privilege can be comforting during
moments of rejection.
"Surround yourself with positive people. Rejection is such a
part of it that if your friends, the people you work with, don’t
feel inspirational for you, it’s just going to bring you more
down," Weisman says.
"I try to reject Kevin everyday," Maynard jokes. "I just reject
him on a daily basis to make him feel strong as a person."
Weisman and Maynard hope they can inspire anyone who has a
similar desire to establish his or her own company – whether it is
theater or business. And Buffalo Nights especially seeks out UCLA
students for many production steps: acting, business affairs and
technical work to keep the company "within the family."
"We try to keep the UCLA family together. That was always what
we wanted to do. Not only with the actors, but we started with
designers from UCLA that we knew," Weisman says.
"And," adds Maynard, "We’re always looking for new blood."
THEATER: "Suburban Motel" opens Saturday and runs through March
22 at the Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank. Tickets
are $20 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday; $22.50 on Saturday; and $15
for preview performances (starting Tuesday) and for students with
ID. For more information, call (818) 955-8101.
Buffalo Nights Theatre Company
Khrystyne Hage and Jeff Maynard star in "Featuring Loretta" at
the Falcon Theatre.