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Sometimes, when you can see clearly that you have an opportunity to do something great, the planets align and a space opens up for you in the world. Black Box Fire, a young–blooded theatre company, was created about five years ago on the premise that Hamilton had room for edgier theatrical productions, and as it turns out, they were right.
Their past season included such shows as the incredibly daring and unique Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline, Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, and a quartet of smaller shows for their most successful brainchild, The Emerging Artists Series, which happened earlier this summer. ‘EAS’ is a platform for up–and–coming directors, playwrights and actors to bring their fresh talent to life. Black Box Fire offers up a theatre space, a small budget, and whatever guidance they can provide in order for the young talent within the community to have a real opportunity to create and market a show to a wide audience. This year the show Psychosis 4.48 went all the way from EAS to Hamilton’s Fringe festival.
Board member Stephanie Yantsis, who is one of Black Box Fire’s founders, says the EAS really keeps their blood pumping as a company because it draws a wide range of people into their fold. It pulled in Lauren Repei, who directed Two Rooms for the EAS in 2008, and who was fuelled with irreversible drive after swiveling around to see her show receive a standing ovation. Lauren, also currently a board member, has a creative spark and the same humble intelligence that seems to be an underlying factor in Black Box Fire’s success.
I met with Stephanie and Lauren for lunch, who are both down to earth and wholly gracious personalities. Not an ego in sight. I asked them how they manage to be so successful, and in a roundabout way I figured that they really just make the most of the resources they have, especially their own creativity and skill. It really looks easy coming from this group, but cultivating a thriving theatre company isn’t something that just works out over night.
Matt Moore, who is a strikingly bright director, and who is also a founding member currently on the board, was part of the McMaster crop that Black Box Fire initially grew out of. With a little bit of money, a passionate group of students who believed in their craft (and their style) brought this theatre company to life. They knew there was something missing in Hamilton – a gap between the high schoolers and old–timers – and in deciding to squeeze into the scene they discovered just how much room there was for them. The community responded with encouragement, theatre critics and peers alike, and a reciprocal relationship was born.
Fourth and final Black Box Fire board member Amanda N. Nesbitt, who works at Theatre Aquarius and in her spare time is a writer and photographer, says she’d “like to see BBF have a permanent venue with our own stage to call home.” Stephanie agrees, and believes that with higher production value (more money), there isn’t anything they couldn’t accomplish. And while that may be very true, and in fact the words mirror those of Hamilton’s guru theatre reviewer Gary Smith, I have always been impressed with how BBF makes so much of so little. From a design perspective, even though they often use basic sets, they seem to colourfully succeed where other local companies tend to be hit and miss.
Lauren spoke enthusiastically about some of the neat set ideas she has designed using whatever was lying around, and how she strives to create “simple ideas that really make things pop.”
The BBF team seems to work together on productions with more of an open concept of who is responsible for what. They take ahold of different jobs whenever they are inspired, and enjoy learning through experience to see what works and what doesn’t.
As far as the group dynamic, Amanda says “I would definitely consider Stephanie the backbone of BBF. She strives for perfection, fights battles, and spends hours ensuring the success of every show that we put on the stage. She is relentlessly passionate about theatrical arts and makes sure that BBF maintains its reputation for providing the Hamilton community with edgy and entertaining productions.”
For a theatre company whose gears turn in the interest of presenting quality shows of a unique calibre, and whose self–stated purpose includes encouraging young talent to grow within the community, it is natural to connect their warmth to their success. The Black Box Fire crew, all lovers of Hamilton, have out of thin air created a place specifically for young minds to congregate and explore theatre on their own terms. So far they have met with relatively few bumps in the road and they continue to see fresh faces walking in the door all the time, coming to shows and to auditions. Stephanie says “That’s what keeps us going, new blood.”
Along that vein, Black Box Fire is proud to present Dracula this season, which will open October 14th and runs through the 22nd. They are also doing The Glass Menagerie in the spring, which will run March 16th–31st. Currently BBF’s productions go down on the Hamilton Theatre Inc. stage, located on MacNab St North (at Cannon). Auditions for The Glass Menagerie will be early in December, and are open to the public of course (new blood). Anyone interested is very welcome to try out. See their website for details: blackboxfire.com.
So, sometime soon you should come and check out for yourself what all the word on the street is about. Black Box Fire is a great company, and they put on cool shows, plain and simple. On January 12th they are hosting a theme fundraising party, black and white attire, open to all. The party will have drinks, food and a photo booth, so come on out to that and meet everyone, or simply buy a ticket to support them in their efforts.
They found their niche, maybe they can inspire you to find yours! I say bravo to this one–of–a–kind company, and best of luck to them in all future endeavours. May their thirst never quench. V
blackboxfire.com
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