"Impending Disaster" Seems to Always Lead to Success for Summer Theater Group

Matthew Hersh

This past Monday, Jed Peterson and the entire Princeton Summer Theater company had planned to squeeze some time out of their grueling rehearsal schedule to make some waves at the Jersey Shore.

Unfortunately, the only thing the shore had to offer that day was a veritable typhoon as the entire area received a soaking not seen in months. So, for Jed and his theater comrades, it was back to the rehearsal stage to get to work on the next production, which, this week, happens to be the award-winning play by David Aubern, Proof.

But such is the life with the members of the Princeton Summer Theater, which is celebrating its 36th anniversary this season. And with five plays in about 11 weeks time, days off are hard to come by, and a rainy day simply means more time to rehearse.

For these actors, largely Princeton University students, the whirlwind of activity is why they involve themselves in the program. It also gives the actors a chance to see the "complete picture." Not only are they acting, but they are creating the sets, designing the costumes, and carrying out their own grassroots promotional tactics.

That said, it ain't easy.

But to illustrate this, Jed actually uses a movie reference to evoke the possible frustration of being in the wings five minutes before taking the stage and not being able to remember his lines.

"Theater is a constant state of panic and impending disaster," he said in his best Geoffrey Rush accent, quoting from the movie, Shakespeare in Love.

But how does it work out?

"I don't know," he quipped. "It's a mystery."

He is being half-facetious, of course. The company, which fluctuates from about 12 to 15 members, works relentlessly to make sure everything is ready by showtime and as the curtain rises, the sum of the manic parts of the Princeton Summer Theater is on display. Reviews of the two shows put on this summer so far, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and Proof, have received positive reponses from reviewers and audiences alike.

So while disaster might always be impending, it certainly hasn't happened here.

On the contrary, in fact. Jed, whose father Geoff founded the Summer Theater in 1968, is now fresh from two years of study at the Moscow Art Theater School and hopes to bring some of that knowledge to the repertory group. In fact, three of the actors in Proof, which is currently performing at Murray Dodge Hall on campus, also studied at the Moscow school.

Jed would have graduated this past Spring, but took two years off to involve himself in the Moscow program. Along with the other members of the company, they formed the first American class of students to study at the school.

"The training came very much out of the actors' relationships with their partners on stage, and their attachment to what it is they're doing" he said, adding that a level of intimacy on the small, intimate stage at Murray Dodge that allows him and his fellow actors to be more comfortable. He said the environment also allows the actors to familiarize themselves with the total production and not just the acting.

"It's not the acting part of it, but the unique aspect of Princeton Summer Theater is the totality: they learn very quickly something that you never get in academic theater," said founder and Board of Trustees member Geoff Peterson. In a somewhat unorthodox move, Jed's father has "come out of retirement" to return to the Summer Theater in Proof to take on the role of Robert in David Auburn's play about a mathematician who crossed the fine line of genius to insanity. Geoff came back because he saw what the program does for the company members and how they are able to benefit from it.

Preserving the Past

Princeton University's acting tradition ranges from the 1930s when Jimmy Stewart was the standard-bearer of the Triangle Club performances to the 1950s, when the University Players featured such future acting glitterati as Peter Falk, Suzanne Pleshette, and Georgine Hall. But for the Summer Theatre, the ball did not really begin to roll until 1968 during a springtime performance of Molière's The Misanthrope.

"A fellow named Chuck Bernstein and I were talking and he was saying 'shouldn't we be doing theater in the summer?'"

Geoff said at the time it sounded like a good idea; however, in those days, Princeton University was literally closed off in the summer, leaving only a skeleton crew of staff present. Since the two did not want to take their idea back to their native Chicago for the summers, they decided to pursue it in Princeton.

"You have this gem of a theater, and we thought 'why don't we do it here?'"

After many appeals and a guarantee to the University that it would not suffer any losses by housing the rogue actors, they created the foundations of the Summer Theater Company, and what would later be known as Princeton Summer Theater.

The stage was set for the repertory group, with the promise that it had to make its own way, with little support from the University. This involved not only putting together a comprehensive repertory program, but sweeping the stage and cleaning the toilets, thus presenting the students with the often harsh "totality" of the program.

"At the outset, I think that is what gives the greatest value of the whole thing," Geoff said. "You don't have that somewhat artificial protection that often accompanies an academic theater environ- ment."

Avenue Q

Geoff's assertion regarding the value of seeing the complete production rather than simply the acting alone pays off for those involved. Avenue Q, the musical that uses puppets to illustrate the story of a young college grad who moves to the the big city, recently won accolades at this year's TONYs for best musical. Up there on stage accepting the awards with the rest of his colleagues was executive producer Geoff Rich, a member of Princeton Summer Theater in the late 1970s.

By the way, the young college grad seeking success in that musical is named "Princeton."