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    Columbus Makes Art Presents: CATCO’s Steven C. Anderson on Building a Theatre Season and Taking a Dig at Chekhov

    As producing director at CATCO, Steven C. Anderson determines the plays the theatre organization will produce each season, a balancing act, if you will, to stage productions that have broad appeal for the very young to millennials to empty nesters, and, at the same time, serve up the right mix of classics and current works. I chatted with him about his process of building a season, casting shows and his discovery of new productions for CATCO.

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    Sarah: How were shows selected for the 2015-16 season?

    Lori Cannon as Masha in CATCO’s upcoming production of 2013 Tony Award Winner Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Photo by Ben Sostrom.
    Lori Cannon as Masha in CATCO’s upcoming production of 2013 Tony Award Winner Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Photo by Ben Sostrom.

    Steven: CATCO has always been known for thought-provoking entertainment. I think my love of stories well-told has pushed the seasons into a warmer narrative over the years. In 2015-16, for example, the common thread in every play is a very human story. There is John Merrick, a disfigured man with an enormous heart in Elephant Man; a mother trying to scoop up some of the remnants of her relationship with her dead son in Mothers and Sons; and our current production, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Christopher Durang’s madcap comedy, which profiles three eccentric, disjointed siblings named after Chekhov characters, who are trying desperately to find some harmony in their lives.

    Sarah: Do any of these shows appeal to you on a personal level?
    Steven: I lived through the AIDS crisis and lost many dear friends, so Mothers and Sons affected me on a very personal level. Who isn’t touched by The Elephant Man, revisited by each generation because it reminds us of the importance of being thoughtful and stopping to pause? Or Peter and the Starcatcher, because who doesn’t imagine, hope and dream?

    Sarah: Have you seen a performance of most plays before you select them?
    Steven: Not always. I never saw Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike performed, but I was taken by the script after a first-read. I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever read. My thinking is that anything that makes fun of Chekohv I’m in for. For my 30th birthday, I allowed myself to admit that I hate Chekhov. My feelings have never changed.

    Sarah: How did you select the cast for your plays?
    Steven: Many times we strive to have a balanced mix of CATCO favorites and newcomers to our stage. Mixing familiar and new actors in a production is appealing to audiences because they don’t know what to expect. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike features three CATCO favorites, including Jonathan Putnam, and three newcomers to our stage. Recently, we have also cast local artists beyond those found in the theatre community, such as Nina West (Andrew Levitt), who starred in last spring’s Broadway hit, Buyer and Cellar and this season’s Peter and the Starcatcher. Such initiatives help us celebrate local artistry, as well as reach new audience members.

    Sarah: What new play are you excited about?
    Steven: If I were to highlight something that I am uber excited about it would probably be An Act of God, which we just received the rights to produce next year. We are bringing in Tim Elliott in to play the role that Jim Parsons originated at Studio 54. This is deeply satisfying because Tim was in one of the first Phoenix Theatre for Children (now called CATCO is Kids!) companies.

    Sarah: What music are you listening to these days?
    Steven: I have moved on from Johnny Cash, which I was listening to for our upcoming production of Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash. Now I’m listening to soundtracks for a couple of shows I am considering for 2017-18. We have to look so far ahead and do our research for that which will follow. Mum’s the word, but one has recently closed on Broadway and the other will close soon. Neither will come to Columbus in the Broadway in Columbus series.

    CATCO’s current show, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, is being presented at the Vern Riffe Center, Studio One Theatre, 77 S. High St., through April 24. Because of its special appeal to millennials, CATCO is offering student tickets for $5 each throughout the run.

    Columbus Makes Art Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting art and advancing culture in Columbus. The column is a project of the Art Makes Columbus campaign, telling the inspiring stories of the people and organizations who create Columbus art. Each column will be written by a different local arts organization to give you an insiders look at how #artmakescbus.

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    Sarah Bacha
    Sarah Bacha
    Sarah Mills Bacha is CATCO’s press representative and arts lover. Before launching her own firm, she worked as a journalist at daily newspapers.
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