♪♪ From humble beginnings on Old Sacramento's Delta King, Capitol Stage Theater has gained a reputation for performances that both entertain and drive conversation.

In partnership with the American Leadership Forum, Capital Stage artistic director Michael Stevenson joins us to discuss the power of theater and its future in Sacramento.

Michael, when you're considering a play for Capital Stage, what does it take for you to say, "We've got to do this?"

That's a great question, Scott.

Uh, so, I start reading for the season about nine months before, uh, and I go to a lot of plays, I read a ton of plays, uh and I'm familiar with a lot of plays.

So, I'm really looking for a unique voice and something that surprises me and excites me and maybe has something in there I never considered.

But it's a long process and, uh, we really- That's what we focus on, is finding amazing scripts.

That's at the bottom line of everything we do.

So, uh, finding that uniqueness is what I'm after.

One of the things that myself, as someone who's been to your theater, and others I know who enjoy your works, is that whenever we leave, it's almost like you're forced to get coffee or to slow down going home to discuss it.

What is it about the type of choices you make that ends up making your productions such conversation starters?

Yeah, that's a great question.

Uh, you know, I think we deal with topical issues a lot, that are affecting everybody, social justice issues, um, and I think we're very careful not to provide a point of view, but to provide the text to the audience.

And a lot of these great scripts really require you to make a decision.

You have to think about the... the ups and downs of it and where it goes.

Uh, we just did a wonderful play called Passover by Antoinette Nwandu, and that was a very powerful play and it had a enormous effect on people, uh, and there... there was a palpable need to talk about that play.

What was it a... what was it about, Michael?

Uh, it was about two young Black men, uh, trying to escape their situation in the city.

Uh, and it was kind of- It's an amazing play.

It's kind of- operates on a mythological level as well, and it's, um, an extraordinary thing.

And it involves a police shooting as well and, ironically, when we chose this play, it was pre-pandemic; It would have opened on the weekend that George Floyd was murdered.

Um, so, uh, it was a strange gestalt there, and we had to wait two years to produce it.

But, um, I think plays like that, that ask the audience- I mean, our mission is to entertain, engage, and challenge our audience with bold, thought-provoking theater.

And that was one of the more challenging plays, but also one of the most rewarding.

It had two wonderful actors come from out of town, and also, uh, a local actor.

And it was- Um, I got so much positive feedback on that piece, and I was worried about it.

It had very strong language in it, um, and it's a very confrontational play in a lot of ways, uh, but our audience really was really grabbed with it and, uh, there were a lot of great conversations that came from it.

It's interesting, in terms of how you talk about- and I'll use the word str- you "stretch..." Yeah.

...a bit.

One of the things that you're noted for is your use of diversity casting.

And it's an interesting kind of relationship that the audience has with the play and your casting because, on the one hand, you notice, but on the other hand, you really don't.

And... and I don't know if you can kind of explain whether that fits, one, and if it does, how you explain how that is, because it just comes across as seamless.

Oh, that's... that's great to hear.

It's very important to us.

We, um- We, of course, have an anti-racist statement on the top of our Web page and, uh, part of our commitment is to cast people of color over 50% of the roles, over the course of a season, uh, and additionally, in nontraditional roles.

So, we just did, uh, Christmas at Pemberley, uh, uh, our holiday play with Lauren Gunderson, with, uh, I think four people of color in the roles.

And I think what you're talking about- When you think about theater, theater is this, um- it's this construct.

We agree to behave in certain ways.

We agree to sit silently and watch.

We agree to applaud.

We agree to laugh, but not to get up and start talking.

We let the actors do that.

So, it's an elaborate concept that we're all used to and, I think, because it really depends on the actor being wonderful, more than anything else.

If the play dealt specifically with race, it would be more difficult, um, but it really depends on the talent and the humanity of the actor.

And I think that, after a minute, I think you just forget about it, because we really pride ourselves, as well, on having wonderful, wonderful actors perform the material.

So, it's been going on for a while.

We've made a commitment in the last two years, uh, to really change that up just to- So, you know, one of my dear hopes is that people relate to everybody as human beings, first and foremost, and that the actor brings that humanity to the stage and the audience connects with them.

And, um, it... it's been a wonderful ride so far, so... Michael, other than quote-unquote, "butts in the seats," how do you know when you've staged a successful production?

What's your metric?

Well, obviously, "butts in the seats" is one of them, uh, 'cause that's how the theater goes.

It's got to be... it's got to be engaging and entertaining.

That's got to be, to start out with.

Uh, success, for me, though, um, really comes later when I speak to audience members and patrons about the show or actors.

Um, sometimes, there'll just be amazing moments during the performance, or in a CapChat afterwards, that I can tell that people have been moved.

Uh, and I think that's the most important thing, is you go into that theater and you are moved by what happens on that stage.

Um, gosh, there's so many, uh- We did a play called, um, Blackberry Winter not too long ago.

It dealt with Alzheimer's caregivers, essentially, um, and so many people came up to me after the performances and said, "That was such an important play," "That moved me," "My mother, my sister, my dad, had gone through similar experiences like that."

And sometimes, you know, it's one of the last, kind of, civic rituals, really.

There's.. so few things that are live that engage people and, um, it... it... it's able to reach into your life, and into really personal areas and... and touch you and affect you and also make you feel like you're not alone in those things.

So, um, yeah, I guess that's it.

You... you... you might have taken what I was about to ask you and answered it, but I... but I gotta go there, which is that I...

I'm curious, from your personal perspective, what do you consider the power of theater for all of us, in the human experience?

I think it's so extraordinary for a group of strangers to witness a play together and to have that experience, because that audience, every single audience changes every single performance.

So, it's this extraordinary ephemeral bond with a group of strangers, which is kind of a model for the community.

Um, you bring people into this room, you share this experience, and you are connected to the people who saw that performance that night.

Uh, I think it brings your empathy up, and it also brings up your critical thinking and makes you really, as a group, question what you've seen.

How do you feel about it?

Some- I've got a- I got a, uh, a letter from a... a patron who said, after Passover, actually, that they sat there in silence and then walked to their car, and it was several blocks away, and nobody said anything the whole time because they were all so moved by it.

And that a group of people from the community can come together and have that experience together, I think that just strengthens our humanity and it strengthens our bond to each other as, you know, um, just as people.

Remind us, give us the capsule on what was Passover about?

Oh, uh, it was about two young Black men, uh, in the city trying to escape their circumstances.

And, uh, a white man comes in and then, later, a cop.

And it has, unfortunately, a tragic ending, um, but a very powerful ending involving a police shooting.

Hmm.

We've been- We're just coming out of the pandemic and since 2020, you know, we've... we've all been separated from each other, and you talk about the power of that communal experience.

A lot of people are talking about hybrid experiences, where some people are in the theater and some people are not.

Some people are talking about, you know, just doing- staging productions, they can be live, but everybody's online.

What do we gain and what do we lose by taking what's been the platform for hundreds of years, if not more, and changing it through technology?

So, we all had to pivot- right?

when all the theaters were closed down, and we went into virtual productions, which, uh, we had to learn a lot.

Apparently, um, the camera is a different art form than the theater, uh, as I learned, and, uh, there's a lot of knowledge that goes into it.

So, that was the best we could do in those circumstances, but what you gain with live people in the room, first of all, is every performance, again, is affected by the audience and their reaction to it.

So, every single- It's kind of an agreement between the actors and the audience that we're going to have this experience together and we're going to adjust what we do to what you're doing.

But what you miss- and I'm- we're lucky to be able to do the virtual and it... it kept us out there, uh, but it's a completely different art form.

Uh, cinematography, lighting, sound, all those things are big skill sets.

You know, we did the best we could to capture shows with multi-camera and doing in-camera edits and whatnot.

But what you miss is being in the room, what cannot be projected by a two dimensional image, the body language, the connection, the breath of the person sitting next to you, um, the way the actual physical words, the sound waves, affect your body, uh, 'cause that can happen.

We have some extraordinary performers and that live dynamic connection between all the people in the room having that experience together in that moment is irreplaceable.

Um, we...we've done a bunch of virtual- We're still doing virtual.

We'll keep on doing it as the pandemic is... is an issue.

However, it's interesting publishers are going back- In the time- In the midst of the pandemic, all the publishers were like, "Yes, we'll get you virtual rights.

Go ahead."

But now, they're peeling back, and many, many fewer publishers are agreeing to having virtual rights, and rightfully so.

I think playwrights are insisting that their work be seen in a theater.

Um, and I... I- There's an irrepra- irreplaceable, um, ritual of being together and hearing words together that... that virtual just can't capture, not to mention the body language of the actors and the many other... many other little ephemeral things.

Mmhmm.

You know, what we've talked about thus far- You've talked about stepping out on the boundaries, in terms of the types of productions that you seek and that you stage.

What's been the biggest risk that you all have taken that you're most proud of, irrespective of how many butts in the seats were there or not?

Yeah.

So, I'm going to say a couple, because there were- they're different.

One was a play called The Nether.

Uh, it was written by a British woman, uh, and it was about a virtual- basically, people had transitioned most of their lives into a virtual world and, uh- It's hard to describe this play, but basically, there was a virtual world where, um, uh, people who had predilections for children created a kind of place for them to act out their fantasies in a Victorian, kind of, Alice in Wonderland world.

But they were all avatars, so, nothing was actually happening.

It was all a simulation.

And it was an extraordinary piece about free speech and the Internet, and what are the consequences of your behavior when you're not in the physical world?

Uh, it generated amazing conversations.

Uh, it was... it was a difficult play, but it was really extraordinary.

It really made people think.

Another was Sweat, uh- It's an incredible play about this community, uh, in Pennsylvania, and it's a steel community, and the decay of the community and as the steel plant shut down, what happens to the people and what happens to their bond with each other?

Um, and then, I would throw Passover up there as well.

Um, very topical, beautifully written, almost poetry.

But I was concerned.

I was- You know, it was a risk to take.

And as it turned out, it was a very positive response from pretty much everybody.

It begs the question, what type of production do you want Capital Stage known for?

Well, unique voice to productions that are a little risky sometimes, uh, but most... most important, they're engaging and they draw you in and they... they deal with our world in some way, shape, or form, and the face- the choices that our communities are facing right now, uh, or our nation is facing.

Uh, I think that it's live and topical, uh, and also, it's moving.

It's got to be moving.

It's got to be... it's got to be- It cannot be an intellectual, kind of, "talk at you" play.

It's got to be in action.

Um, some of my favorite plays about issues- There's a wonderful play called The Normal Heart, uh, that I saw millions of years ago.

Larry Kramer wrote it, and it was about AIDS and the spread of AIDS in New York because public health officials weren't doing anything.

And it was this extraordinary play.

And I remember very clearly, uh, somebody I ended up working with later, the director, Eric Simonson, had interviewed to direct that play, and they said, "Well, what do you think the play's about?"

And he said, "Well, it's a love story."

And that's what made that play great.

It dealt with this really difficult issue, but through the lens of this love story of these two men.

Uh, and I remember, when I saw it, it... it rocked my world.

It just turned my world upside down.

Uh, and, you know, it doesn't have to be a drama.

It can be a comedy, too.

We did a wonderful piece called Enron, years ago, uh, that was about the Enron scandal and the energy crisis.

And it was basically a musical.

It was crazy.

Um, but, uh, again, it had that unique voice and it grabbed you.

And I think those two things are the- I want us to be known for.

Hmm.

You mentioned community, um, a... a few moments back, and I know that you are a fellow, as am I, of the American Leadership Forum here, regionally.

You- You're involved- Their... their... their, uh, motto is to be involved in civic engagement, to- They... they want to serve.

And you're serving through the work directly, in terms of patrons coming in and enjoying your performances, but tell us a little bit about what you're doing out in the community.

So, um, one of the things we've been doing but had to shut down during the pandemic was classes.

We had acting classes and playwriting classes and Shakespeare and all of that stuff.

Um, we've also partnered with, um, Improve Your Tomorrow to do what we call Community Night, where we have a performance that's set aside, 30 or 40 tickets, for, uh, members of the program there to come and see the show.

We've also collaborated with, uh, Richard Falcon, the gentleman who runs, uh, Theater Nagual, and we donated rehearsal space to them as well, um, as, uh, reading space- uh, performance space, I should say.

Uh, we're also- We, um, have been working for a long, long time, um, with giving away nonprofit tickets, or excuse me, tickets to nonprofit groups, so they can attend the theater.

We've also, uh- We basically eliminated the price for them.

So, we donate tickets every year so they can attend and see performances at- basically, at no cost.

So, that's part of- So much of what we've done has been kind of shut down by COVID.

Um, so, we're looking especially forward to opening up community classes again.

Mmhmm.

In terms of your own story, I mean, uh, you- it's obvious you have a passion for your mission.

How did you come to Capital Stage?

Uh, so, I grew up in Chicago and, uh, through a long series of career moves, I...

I moved to San Francisco, uh, and went to A.C.T., uh, and from there, I moved to New York and I met my wife at A.C.T., Jamie Jones.

She's an actor in town.

And, um, so, we basically- We got engaged after two weeks, I should say, just to give you a framework for the whole thing.

Jamie grew up here in Elk Grove in Sacramento, and, um, she and I decided to move back from New York and head to San Francisco or Los Angeles, where we... we had worked before.

But, um, what happened was we kept on getting work in Sacramento, uh, and before we knew it, uh, we had careers going here.

So, um, Jamie's family was here and that's why we initially came here, but it turned out to be an amazing place to be.

The B Street had just started.

Um, there were four professional theaters in town, um, and it's an amazing... it's an amazing place.

Uh, so, yeah.

So, you... so, you kind of got your start in Sacramento at the B Street with the Busfields and... and all the... the magic that they've done as well.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, Buck took us in, I would say, and we started an acting conservatory there, Jamie and I, called the B Street Conservatory, which I think is still going.

And, uh, yeah, we were there for about ten years.

And I, during that time, had developed a freelance directing career as well.

Uh, and so I was traveling a lot to do that.

And, uh, I worked a bunch at Capital Stage as an actor and as a director.

And eventually, the founders left, uh, and I threw my hat in the ring.

And, uh, yeah, that's how that happened.

And there you go.

I'm curious, you know, in... in terms of moving through that progression and now, you... you sit and you're responsible for, uh, the entire show, so to speak- What's the biggest struggle for you and your company, beyond just the perennial of raising money?

Yeah.

Um, so, it's- I have an incredible team of people who I work with, including, uh, my managing director, Keith Riedell, our production manager, Katie Cannon.

Misty McDowell is our marketing manager.

We're a small, scrappy organization, uh, and one of the great challenges for us is- Well, right now, it's COVID.

Uh, it is preventing people from coming back to the pre-COVID numbers, uh, and we have struggled to make the theater incredibly safe.

We've been the strictest in town, in terms of masking and vaccine tests and all that, and we continue to do that.

We've never had to cancel a performance, and I'm knocking on wood right now.

Uh, that's probably the biggest we have.

But the other one is, uh, we are a small group and we put up seven full-length productions every year, and that's an extraordinary task.

And so, we struggle, literally, with, um, you know, we need to get more people in.

We need to... grow our staff.

We're always bumping up against the limits of what we can do with the people we have.

So, we're looking for ways to grow, um, the theater.

And yeah, money is certainly a part of that, but it's also skilled artists and technicians.

What... what do you wish that we, as patrons and community members, paid more attention to when we're... we're thinking about you or the other theater companies in town?

You know, I thought about this question.

We talked about it before.

And, uh, we have... we have a really wonderful subscriber base and patrons, uh, and... -Come on.

Out with it.

-Yeah.

[Laughs] Uh, I don't really have an answer for that other than, um, I feel privileged that we have the people who come to see our shows.

And I don't...

I don't have a frustration with them because they're so engaged with our theater.

So, I don't really have a good answer for that.

I mean, could there be more people?

Yes, that's certainly always something.

Well, let's talk about the more people... -Yeah.

Yeah.

-We've just come through the pandemic and... and speaking not only for Capital Stage, but as a member of the broader theater community, what's the future look like, uh, post-COVID, for theater in Sacramento at this moment?

Bark off.

Just, whatever- Totally.

That's what we think about all the time.

Um, so, over the course of the pandemic, we lost about a third of our subscribers, I would say, they- or have yet to return.

Um, some of our patrons are older.

And so, it's a genuine health concern.

I mean, it is for everybody.

Uh, and the other question is we're trying to get more people from different cultures into the theater and younger people, especially.

This is one of the great enigmas and challenges of theater.

I think you have to have an experience as a younger person to kind of inculcate you into what theater can be.

And there's so much competition with electronic media, uh, it's- you know, social media.

The world has changed so dramatically.

There's a slow, um, I would say, movement towards live experience again, that's almost a kind of Luddite reaction to just being lost in your phone all the time.

Uh, but we have yet to figure that out.

We have yet to figure out how to get young people into the theater.

I think that's one of the biggest ones.

And also to grow our subscriber base, um, and create a new audience for ourselves.

And that's a question we ask ourselves all the time.

We've been in survival mode for so long that we haven't been able to think about that in a significant way.

But now that we're- I don't want to say coming out of the pandemic.

Now that we're coming out to an extent, we can start to think of those long-term questions.

Now, growing that subscriber base and reaching younger is important.

But as you know, in California, we don't really fund arts education.

-Yes.

-If you were sitting across from every member of the legislature, the governor and our local elected officials and could give them one message to drive home on this issue, what would you tell them to do?

I would say the arts and theater, in particular, are critical to developing young men and women into the people they can become.

It requires focus, empathy, discipline, patience, concentration over long periods of time.

Um, there's all kinds of studies saying the benefits of in- Involving yourself in performing arts as a young person has an absolute outcome on your grade performance, uh, on eventual income performance.

You learn relatable skills, you learn social skills, you learn to read other people.

Uh, the list is long, but most importantly, you nourish the imagination and the soul of these children and give them a goal to drive towards, uh, and expand their universe.

So, I...

I would say arts education is absolutely critical and seminal in the development of citizens.

To be part of the great conversation that we're having in this society, it's absolutely critical.

You didn't ask 'em for any money, though.

It's guise, I said, right?

More arts education.

[Laughs] OK. Well, we will leave it there.

Thank you so much.

-Sure.

-And that's our show.

Thanks to our guest and thanks to you for watching Studio Sacramento.

I'm Scott Syphax.

See you next time right here on KVIE.

♪♪ All episodes of Studio Sacramento, along with other KVIE programs, are available to watch online at kvie.org/video