Theater Group Brings Paid Work to Midd.

A new theater opportunity for actors and theatergoers alike is coming to Middlebury this season through The Company at Town Hall Theater, a new acting company that will bring musical theater and paid acting jobs to students and members of the Middlebury community. They will start their inaugural season with “Shrek the Musical”, which is expected to go up in early December.

The Company at Town Hall Theater, led by executive directors Justin Bouvier and Serena Eddy-Guiles, is still developing, but it is building its foundation upon a profit-sharing model that will provide every member of a production, from the leads to the chorus, with a stipend proportional to the member’s role and the performance revenue. Bouvier sees this model as a financial risk, but one that is worth taking given the quality of performance it will garner.

“If you are willing to take a financial risk and compensate talent, both on and off stage, you attract talented people, who then grow the talent pool by word of mouth,” said Bouvier.  “Also, people are more willing to give their time for a show, even for a small stipend.”
Bouvier also hopes to appeal to actors by basing the company at the Middlebury Town Hall Theater (THT), stating that its quality and prime location will bring talent and audiences as it has done for resident companies such as Middlebury Community Players and Middlebury Actors Workshop.

“The Town Hall Theater is a premier theater destination in Vermont,” he said. ”The state of the art facility allows many opportunities for companies to put on ‘Broadway’ quality shows, and it is centrally located between Rutland and Chittenden County.”
THT Executive Director Douglas Anderson adds that The Company at Town Hall Theater will bring some talent of their own, and that they have his full support.

“The Company brings together some of the most talented musical theater performers in the Champlain Valley,” said Anderson. “Their productions are sure to be superb.”

Aside from drawing in talent, the executive members of The Company at Town Hall Theater see financial compensation as an essential part of their business philosophy, stressing a positive portrayal of arts within a community and a focus on the individual.
“We are trying to prove that art can be self-sustaining,” said Bouvier. “We want to show that you can make a little money and still pay people by being financially frugal with budgets.”

“If we do well as a company, we do well as individuals”, he added.

While auditions for “Shrek the Musical” took place before students arrived on campus this fall, The Company at Town Hall Theater plans to do two shows a year, with the second show tentatively set for late June. Bouvier hopes that this second show, along with future seasons, will entice students to audition and become involved with the company, since they currently have very few actors who are in their 20’s.
“We would love to see college students at our auditions,” said Bouvier. “In fact, I feel that this is a huge piece that is missing. The Company wants to take on some ‘newer’ musicals, but we need college age actors to do this!”

Anderson also expressed his enthusiasm for student actors joining THT productions, but he has observed that most student performers find sufficient acting or technical opportunities within the various programs at The College.

“We always try to get Middlebury students to be part of THT productions,” said Anderson, “but it’s difficult, because the college theater program is so strong and there’s just so much to do on campus.”

“We’d be pleased, of course, if students with a musical theater bent discovered The Company and began to take part,” he added.
Student actor Leah Sarbib ’15.5 echoed Anderson’s views, explaining that time commitment and scheduling conflicts are the driving factors preventing her from auditioning for theater productions outside of The College.

“While money is always a worry when pursuing an artistic career, my experience at college has been that time is more of a limiting factor,” said Sarbib. “I would love to pursue this opportunity and I may try, now that I know about it, but I am so busy that I’m still not sure I’ll go for it. A more enticing offer might actually be a play that only rehearses on the weekends and has a flexible rehearsal schedule.”

Sarbib also thought the philosophy behind The Company at Town Hall Theater would benefit actors who have just graduated from college and often cannot find jobs that will pay and help their careers at the same time.

“I think that it’s an even better opportunity for actors who have just graduated and are trying to make a name for themselves. It is always nice to get paid and feel appreciated for your work as an actor and it would definitely benefit any aspiring actor to get a professional and paid gig on his/her resume,” she said.

Already underway with their first production, The Company at Town Hall Theater is looking ahead in various ways and is open to the future possibilities of adding more productions and performing straight theater shows, among other ideas. They are presenting a new way to produce theater in Middlebury that, if successful, will show that rewarding actors can in turn increase quality and reward the audience as well.