The creation of title3, a new multi-media production company co-founded by Lane Allison, Molly Leland, Jiehae Park and myself, and the adventure in producing our first project, Paradise Street by noted playwright Constance Congdon, is almost as crazy and wonderful a story as the play itself.
Moments before the inception of what has now become a full time job, we were just four actresses like anyone else living in LA with training under our belts and a desire to add something artistic to the rich Californian palate surrounding us. All it took was fortune to step in and our immediate futures changed beyond our wildest expectations.
The four of us met while attending the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Center in Connecticut. Years later we found each other in the same place at the same time. We started meeting and discussing our goals, first as friends, then as actors and writers and then as possible producers. And we found ourselves constantly talking about things like this:
An oft-cited 2002 study by the NY State Council on the Arts reported that only 17% of theater productions were directed by women and only 16% included a woman on the writing team. In 2009, Dr. Martha Lauzen at The Center for Study of Women in TV and Film at San Diego State University reported 22% of the films released in 2008 employed no women directors, producers, writers, cinematographers or editors.
We began working with a common goal: the creation of innovative work with an emphasis on providing opportunities for women. We met regularly trying to figure out how we could achieve this goal when Molly came to us with an interesting prospect. The small black box theater she was working at was looking for a resident company. Without thinking Molly offered our services and the rest of us agreed to mount a production in less than two months; a break-neck pace to say the least.
from the production of Paradise Street
Enter Ms. Constance Congdon, who Tony Kushner has called “one of the best playwrights our country and language has ever produced.” More importantly for us, however, she was a mentor to the lovely Jiehae Park and was more than willing to offer one of her works to be the first title3 production. Not just any work, mind you, but the world premiere of Paradise Street, which before had only been workshopped in New York for exclusive audiences. After her involvement the momentum shifted into high gear and everything seemed to fall in place. We found a talented and respected director in Courtney Munch, an amazing production manager in Emily Rebecca Norman, a cracker-jack design team in lighting designer Christopher Singleton, sound designer Ryan Shields, costumes by Rachel Weir and a god-send of a stage manager in Erin Albrect.
It seemed as if we were going to be able to pull this off without a hitch and then we felt the alarming lurch of one very big BUMP in the road. The theater that had asked us to be its resident company, and so graciously offered space and time, suddenly pulled out. We were left with all of the pieces to a beautiful play and nowhere to do it! Luckily, after a dark day or two, we were able to quickly find a home at the wonderful Attic Theatre and Film Center. We suddenly needed a much bigger budget and had no time to plan an elaborate fundraiser but even that was quickly and generously taken care of by friends and family after we reached out for help.
As a company, we at title3 have chosen to focus on what we can do to promote a change in the industry, starting with producing the kind of work we believe in. Paradise Street by Constance Congdon is just such a project: intelligent, daring and deeply moving. We see it as another piece in the ever evolving puzzle that is Los Angeles Theater where new works, adaptations and innovation abound. We hope to be welcomed into the arms of this community as we have ourselves embraced its bold spirit.
Paradise Street, presented by title3, continues Fri.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 2 pm; through Feb. 21. Tickets: $15. Attic Theatre & Film Center, 5429 W. Washington Blvd. (off the 10 Freeway between Fairfax and Hauser), Los Angeles; 323.525.0661 or attictheatre.org/tickets.
