‘Yellow’ pushes boundaries of traditional presentational theatre
TROY, N.Y. » Few theater companies embrace their names more than does Troy Foundry Theatre.
The company starts a two-weekend run of “Yellow” at the Trojan Hotel on Oct. 31, a Troy landmark that has been vacant for all but 3 years since 2002.
Helping to bring exposure to underused local buildings is an important part of Troy Foundry’s mission. Almost as much as it is to push aside the boundaries of traditional presentational theatre.
The two goals work well together because Troy Foundry specializes in “immersive theater.” It is theater without a fourth wall. The play is presented in several locales within the building; it’s usually not linear as the audience curates the order in which they experience the play.
With “Yellow,” a collaboration with Die-Cast Theater of Philadelphia, the two goals reach their zenith. It’s a completely original work based on classic Victorian horror stories. “Yellow” is presented as if it is being experienced in a dream-like state. And, not so coincidentally, the play is set in a hotel.
Ethan Botwick, an actor in the work and a newly appointed Artistic Associate with the company, describes the piece which takes place in various locations within the Trojan Hotel as “a cosmic nightmare.”
He says that most are two person scenes that take place between a character and an undefined “figure.” There are also several ensemble scenes, which he says “unifies the concept and clarifies everything that is going on.”
He admits to the difficulty of explaining the plot of a work that is essentially a dream. “Like with a dream, describing what happens in the play doesn’t make sense. It needs to be experienced.”
Botwick says the audience’s challenge is similar to what the actors faced creating the piece. “It requires a different narrative. One of our challenges was to figure out how to create horror on stage. We have no desire to produce a violent, slasher kind of show. And, even if we did, to do that requires editing and special effects – which are not appropriate for the stage The terror in ‘Yellow’ is more psychological than it is graphic.”
What adds to the terror is the audience sharing an intimate space with actors. When that space is a formerly abandoned building the dread is intensified, says Botwick.
Indeed, it is a Troy Foundry imperative that they produce their work in non-traditional spaces.
Emily Curro, the company’s Executive Director and an actor in “Yellow” says, “One of our goals is to challenge both audiences and the area theater scene. One way we do that is to produce theater in unexpected places.”
Some of the places they’ve performed are the Gasholder Building and Collar Works, an art gallery in the basement of a former shirt factory. They once used two floors of a downtown brownstone and a business office in downtown Troy.
Curro is proud that this concept showcases the many unique spaces that exist in Troy, but she admits it adds to their workload. After being empty for three years inside was a mess.
Troy Foundry has been in the space for the past several weeks, cleaning, painting and constructing playing spaces. She says the current owner of the building, Troy businessman Jim Scully, “is happy to have us use the building. He gave us permission to do what we needed to create the world of ‘Yellow.’ The condition is we keep all the historic qualities of the building intact.”
The Trojan Hotel, which was built in 1829 has been empty for the past several years. It was O’Brian’s Public House for about three years, but it was abandoned for 10 years before that. Citing a move in 2002 to tear the building down for a parking lot, Curro says of recent owners, “They honored the history of the building and had nothing but the noblest of intentions for the community.”
She says Scully has a plan to fully restore the building and within five years have it functioning as a first class hotel once again.
Both Curro and Botwick agree that some people might attend “Yellow” just to be able to see the inside of this iconic venue. Says Botwick, “We’re OK with that. Once there, we expect the quality of our work will have them looking forward to our next production – wherever that might be.”
Curro expands on the thought saying, “We know we are making an artistic contribution to the community. If our work in any way helps save a building or adds to historic value of Troy – even better. We love being a vital part of the resurgence of this great city.”
“Yellow” by Troy Foundry Theatre in collaboration with Dye-Cast Theatre at the Trojan Hotel, 41-43 3rd Street, Troy. Thursdays to Saturdays, tonight through Nov. 9. For tickets and schedule information go to troyfoundrytheater.com