Sans A Productions is a relatively new theatre company, which we all know can be simultaneously terrifying and thrilling.
They have been making a name for themselves with their high quality work. We caught up with founding member Sally Cade Holmes to find out more about this organization.
What are the origins of Sans A Productions and what is the significance of the company name?
Sans A started almost two years ago in a living room in Astoria. We wanted to be pro-active about our careers and have control over our art. All five of us went to the University of Evansville where we formulated a common language of theatre production. After moving to New York and working with lots of different companies, we longed for folks in the room that spoke our language.
We also saw the majority of new theatre companies focused on the actor/director/playwright relationship and we wanted to expand that conversation to include designers. We want a true collaborative process - the best idea comes from whoever has it.
Our name went through a few drafts. After our original name brought about a threat of lawsuit from another company, we found ourselves briefly without a name - we were sans a name. So we landed on Sans A which also serves as an acronym for our first names.
Producing brings with it unexpected problems and pitfalls at every turn. Most exciting has been to look those unknowns in the face and decide to do it anyway. Honestly the hardest part was trying to decide who we were as a company and what kind of work we were interested in. How do you know what you want to do if you haven't done anything yet?! But it's been exciting to see five individual artists collaborating to become one cohesive artistic group.
Exit Carolyn was the company's inaugural production. Why did you choose this play?
We saw a reading of Jennie Eng's EXIT CAROLYN put on by the Slant Theatre Project. Besides being genuine and funny and ready for a production, Jennie's play also called to us because of its unique design challenges. The script calls for a full New York City apartment, an eccentrically dressed wacko and a beautiful moment when the whole stage fills with fireflies. So the opportunity to flesh out that world is what drew us to the play.
What was the most satisfying part of working on this production?
The most satisfying part was probably the first night of tech. Seeing all the different elements of the world come together for the first time was so exciting. The intersection of all the production elements is where the story lives and it's that collaborative intersection that we find most satisfying.
Your focus is on new works. Why develop new works?
Foremost we look for work that calls for a great degree of collaboration amongst all theatre artists (directors, writers, designers, actors) and that inherently begs working on new material. New York is a new play town and new work always has the potential to reverberate down the line. It's the possibility of being part of something bigger than ourselves, the possibility to develop the next generation of great plays in the American canon that excites us about new works.
What is next for Sans A Productions?
We have two projects in the works at the moment. Up next is a co-production with aMios Theatre Company on November 5th. We're bringing in design elements to their monthly short play series, Shotz!
Then in March of 2013, we're producing Mark Rigney's wonderful new play BEARS at 59E59. Come check it out!
Keep track of our upcoming projects via our website, facebook, or twitter!
Congratulations to the entire Sans A Productions team!
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