CATSKILL, N.Y. — On Friday, Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill opens “Bakersfield Mist, written by Stephen Sachs.
It’s about a woman, Maude, who believes she’s discovered a painting at a small town thrift shop that was created by Jackson Pollock. She invites an art expert, Lionel Percy, to authenticate the work. He disagrees, denying it as a Pollock. She refuses to accept his opinion. The battle begins.
Of course, a painting that might be worth millions of dollars is important to the story, but it is the starting point for the playwright to speak on issues of class, discrimination based on social position and ask the question of who decides what is art?
Despite all this potential, it’s more than likely that even though the work played in London and starred Kathleen Turner back in 2014, only a very few people know the play, or the playwright. But as the play’s director, Mark Perry, says discovering neglected plays is one of Bridge Street Theatre’s strengths.
According to Perry the plot of “Bakersfield Mist” is “compelling, funny and wise without being pretentious.” Indeed, he feels the audience will find themselves responding to a play in a very deep way. His reasoning is that even though the play is filled with humor, it makes serious points on the issues of truth, worth and integrity. “I think our audiences will be surprised at how long this play will stay with them after they leave the theater.”
Besides being the director of “Bakersfield Mist” Perry is also the organizations Interim Artistic Director. As such, he feels it’s important to maintain both the quality of the work offered in the past and to offer plays that the community will identify with. To begin with, a play in which the conflict involves rural vs urban has a built-in appeal to a small upstate community such as Catskill.
Perry also feels the way the play speaks about art and the creative process evokes the mission of Bridge Street Theatre. He speaks as if in awe of what founders Steven Patterson and John Sowe have accomplished with the theater. “They came here respecting the community and offered them challenging work, produced with a high level of professionalism. The community responded by attending and supporting the theater. They proved art can flourish anywhere.”
As for onstage work, he is confident in the two-person cast. Lusia Strus is the boozy, foul-mouthed Maude who believes her Pollock will fit perfectly in her trailer home. Conan McCarty plays the stuffy Brit, Lionel. As Perry rattles off an impressive list of Broadway and regional theater credits for both actors he concludes saying, “This cast has, arguably, the best two-person resume for any play we’ve produced here.”
To Perry, the performances are critical to the success of this two-hander. “The play is essentially a long 80-minute scene,” he says. He explains that there is not a lot of physical action in the script so it’s essential that every conversation be clear as to intent. “Because both Lusia and Conan are Shakespearean actors they are trained in the beats and cadences that enrich the situation. They add a sense of musicality to the performances.”
Another area in which he expresses pride is the set, which he designed. “We’ve built a double-wide mobile home on stage. It has running water, a working tv and a sense of being lived in. This gives the world of the play a sense of realism. My goal is to have the audience ask each other – ‘How did they do that?’”
As for his role as Interim Artistic Director he takes an “if it ain’t broke…” position. He explains that though John and Steven have stepped away from day-to-day operations they are still deeply involved with the company. “I see my job as enlarging rather than improving. We have gone from five shows per season to six. I am working on ways to better involve the community in what we do and to make the space a center of local activity. Most of all, my job is to maintain the things that have made Bridge Street a success. That’s creating great theater,” he says.
“Bakersfield Mist” at Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill. Performances April 16-26. For tickets and schedule information, go to bridgest.org