'THE CLIMB' IS A GIANT LEAP FOR THEATER AND, NOW, FILM COMPANY
Systemic racism focus of movie at Madison Theatre
When “The Climb” premieres Friday at the Madison Theatre in Albany, it will be the first production from Creative Action Unlimited that began as a film instead of a stage project. As with many things over the past 19 months, thank COVID for that.
Uncomfortable with live performances during the pandemic, the company’s founder and artistic director, Michael Kennedy, knew she had to adjust to remain active and viable.
“I really did not know much about film,” she said. “But I believe that collaboration is essential. So, when we realized during COVID that we needed to pivot to doing film the most important thing was to create a team that could fill in the gaps of my knowledge and talent.”
She found that and more within the team she assembled to help mount “The Climb,” but don’t let her sell herself short. A playwright and theater director, Kennedy has more than 35 years’ experience working on local stages, as well as in human services.
Pairing her two passions only made sense, and in 2015 she formed Creative Action Unlimited, a message-driven theater — and now film — company.
“When I thought of the concept of the kind of theater I wanted to do, I really wanted to do theater about social issues to create community-wide change.”
Those years of hard work, seven running a cash-strapped arts organization, did nothing to dampen her enthusiasm or dedication.
“This is what I’m known for. This is where my passion is,” she said. “I’ve worked with disenfranchised populations my whole life. There is always more to say about social issues. And to help people see they can step in and make an impact.”
“The Climb” is the perfect distillation of that mission. The third of Creative Action’s productions to be filmed — two existing stage shows were recorded — it pairs well with the one that premiered last month, “Whitewashed: The Racism Project.” In “The Climb,” a diverse cast of actors
examine the systemic economic oppression of Black people in America over the past 100 years.
The film, and the process of making it, has made a lasting impact on those involved.
Sara Paupini — public interest lawyer by day, stage actress by night and weekend — feels the significance acutely. “After coming off a process like this that is so immersive and requires so much
personally, artistically, so much trust, it’s very different to go back to the traditional theater format. My thought process has changed, the way I want to work has changed.”
For others, the influence is different, but no less evident. Michael Lake, an other actor both of stage and film, is biracial and grew up in a single-parent household. He said about future work, “I think what Creative Action is doing for me is giving me a higher standard at which to hold myself,” a level he’s found on his next project. He does admit, however, “It would be different if the next thing I was doing was like, I’m the 'Black Guy' in the play. If it was that then, yeah, it would be a little weird.”
Even deciding to audition for the movie brought forth varying responses. Lake remembered, “I specifically auditioned for this piece because I wanted to do this work.” Paupini showed more hesitancy: “I was nervous . I’m a white, middlei class woman. What could add? My voice doesn’t
need to be amplified.”
Tony Pallone, another actor well-known in the local creative community (as well as a writer and frequent contributor to the Times Union), had no trepidations about auditioning. It was the work itself that gave him pause. “I was really uncomfortable and part of it was because it was challenging ideas that I have. It was making me think about things in ways I hadn’t thought of them before.” But those very conflicts became his fuel.
“I decided to use that kind of narrow-minded and privileged thinking and turn it into writing that I hope will speak to others like me.”
Pallone, Lake and Paupini had all known of Kennedy or worked with her before, although not yet with Creative Action Unlimited. What they hadn’t bargained for was the level of community and length of service that would be required to bring “The Climb” to fruition.
They, along with the other members of the cast, embarked on a more than six-month-long exploration of racial dynamics and personal stories. They crafted historical re-enactments, dramatic readings and monologues, many informed by their own lives.
Pallone went so deep with a passage about his own unconscious entitlement and inexperience with some of the social issues involved, he created a raw piece that he now has concerns about certain people seeing and hearing. Paupini mined her years in the trenches of policy and social change for authentic material. And Lake had to look no further than his own life as a Black man in the modern world.
Then the truly hard work began. “It was the duration of time that we were working on the project that was the thing that I was unprepared for,” Lake said, but acknowledged, “having that long, drawn-out process was definitely beneficial, especially for this work because we had to be so honest with each other and we had to be so honest about how we felt about these things.”
Paupini especially welcomed the process. “What was so appealing about her projects is you spend a significant portion of the
rehearsal process writing and crafting the piece. All of us were writers, too, which was new for me and awesome.”
The actors are quick to praise their director.
“The way she’s just produced these things so quickly, it’s just absurd,” Pallone said. “We wrapped filming at the end of September and we’re premiering this thing in November. She wants it available and it’s going to be.”
Paupini added, “She could say we’re going to the moon next week and I’d be like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to the moon next week.’ She’s just got that leadership quality that you’re, like, ‘All right, what do you need, what can we do.’ And I think people kind of gravitate to that energy and want to help make that a reality.”
Kennedy returned the admiration. “What a phenomenal group this was to work with. Incredibly talented, creative, open actors.” Working within a “devised theater” framework, her actors serve more than just that one role. They are collaborators, writers, researchers, interviewers.
“They’re providing me with the material I asked for,” she said. “I have a vision, I’m providing the guidance, I’m creating the safe space for the work to
be done, but the actors who work with us are not just acting. I think this approach to any creative project creates a sense of ownership among the group.”
If it seems like Kennedy, a person with no film expertise, magically turned into a moviemaker overnight, she’ll be the first to tell you the real reason is the “c” word yet again — collaboration. She brought in accomplished stage and film actor — as well as jack-of-all-trades – John Romeo as cinematographer. He, in turn, took the salary he was given and spread it among three other film professionals to help him and Kennedy give “The Climb” a high-end finish.
This shift to the film world, although planned from the beginning with “The Climb,” also brought epiphanies to Kennedy and her cast. She recalled being reminded several times by Romeo that the camera frames scenes instead of her having to do it herself as she does with plays.
Pallone’s surprise came from the gradual realization that there was no need to worry about entrances, exits and costume changes like with live theater. Of course, that will make it extra difficult when it comes time to, in his words, “reverse engineer it
now to make it a stage production.”
And that’s exactly Kennedy’s intention. “The Climb,” along with all CAU’S previous productions, will be available for groups and organizations to host once the company feels comfortable again. In addition, the three movies can be found on the website.
When it comes to “The Climb,” though, its cast and collaborators want to make clear that it is not just some message-driven medicine. Lake said it “has a certain sardonic humor to it,” while Pallone offered, “It feels very contemporary and current,” despite grappling with a century full of societal ills.
But they in no way want to camouflage or confuse the meaning behind the film. “I think it’s important for everyone to see it,” Lake said. “It isn’t one of those things where there’s a select group. No, allies need to see it, people of color need to see it.”
Paupini added, “If it makes you uncomfortable, if you roll your eyes, if you say, ‘I don’t need this,’ you need it. Other people’s perspectives have value. And just because you can’t relate to it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hear it and shouldn’t at least try to understand that. It’s not a falsehood, it’s a fact.”