Orlando Repertory Theatre has teamed with a national nonprofit with decades of experience in staging professional shows for children and families in a partnership leaders of both organizations call a win-win.
“We’re so excited,” said Orlando Rep artistic director Jeffrey Revels. “We love working with experts in our field.”
On Friday, Orlando Rep will kick off its 2022-23 season of theater for young audiences — known as TYA — with “Dog Man,” a musical produced by New York City-based TheaterWorksUSA.
Established in 1961, TheaterWorksUSA has decades of award-winning children’s theater under its belt — and an eye on establishing new regional “hubs” for its touring shows. Orlando was a natural fit, and once the City Beautiful was selected, Orlando Repertory Theatre with its own history of excellence was the obvious partner.
“TheaterWorksUSA has always had a strong touring presence in Florida but surprisingly not in Orlando, a major hub for family entertainment,” said Barbara Pasternack, artistic director of TheaterWorksUSA. “Partnering with a prestigious TYA theater like Orlando Repertory Theatre has given us an opportunity to deepen engagement with both Orlando’s creative artists, and with the community at large — two of the main objectives we’ve had for producing theater in our new regional hubs.”
Creating new opportunities for Central Florida artists appealed to Jeffrey Revels, artistic director of Orlando Rep. For example, “Dog Man: The Musical” was cast with local talent — who will then stay with the show as it tours the country.
Institutionally there are potential benefits as well.
“We’ll be looking at this ‘Dog Man’ experiment to see if we want to continue,” Revels said. “But on paper it looks like it does a lot of wonderful things for them and for us.”
Here’s how the arrangement works.
Orlando Repertory Theatre, with its multiple venues in Loch Haven Park, supplies free space for TheaterWorksUSA to rehearse its touring shows — saving the New York company money and making roles more accessible to those who don’t already live in the Big Apple. Orlando Rep also can help with costumes, props and arranging local auditions, though final casting choices are made by TheaterWorksUSA.
Then, the show premieres here — generally with a run of about a week — and Orlando Repertory Theatre keeps the ticket revenue.
That basic setup is how two TheaterWorksUSA shows presented later this season — “Click Clack Moo” and the TYA version of “The Lightning Thief” — will work. For “Dog Man,” which has a run of about six weeks, the companies will split the box-office revenue.
The new arrangement means Orlando Repertory Theatre will produce one fewer show than usual, to make room on the calendar for “Dog Man.” Revels said that is to the theater’s benefit.
“It gives us more time to spend on our other productions and more resources to spread out,” he said.
Having one less production also will free up time for Revels to concentrate on the four new plays the theater is developing.
The ultimate winner in the deal, Revels said, is the Orlando audience for children’s and family theater — with more new works created, more money and time to spend on productions, and more variety in the season with the Rep’s five shows and TheaterWorksUSA’s three.
In addition, the partnership means Orlando has a leg up in presenting the award-winning shows to which TheaterWorksUSA holds the rights. “Dog Man,” for example earned a New York Times Critic’s Pick during its run there.
“It allows my audience to see ‘Dog Man’ now and not five years from now,” Revels said. And for the shows with shorter runs: “We may have a chance to bring them back for a full run sooner than normal.”
Pasternack shared Revels’ enthusiasm and belief that everyone would benefit from the arrangement.
“Our companies share a commitment to providing families and young audiences with an exceptional theatrical experience,” Pasternack said, “so this is a perfect match.”
For more information on “Dog Man,” go to orlandorep.com. Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts, facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts.
