Demetri Vacratsis likes to tell stories. Stories about people who don’t otherwise have a voice in mainstream theater. Stories that explore such far-ranging subjects as terrorists, transvestites and the blinding addictions that carry some of us through life. “We’re not trying to provoke. We’re trying to tell a story that is relevant in today’s society. For some people, their stories are never told.”
Vacratsis is the co-founder of the Breathe Art Theatre Project’s Open Borders Initiative. The 34-year-old Windsor native started the company with Courtney Dempsey Burkett and Valerie Bonasso with the goal of bringing together the Windsor and Detroit theater communities by presenting contemporary, socially conscious productions that deal with the common human denominators of modern life. “Part of our mission is to produce contemporary work on both sides of the border, or as our respective mayors would say, a ‘two nation destination’. This provides a unique point of view,” says Burkett.
“It actually started in May 2004. She and I had been in New York together, although not knowing it at the time,” says Vacratsis, “We thought it would be interesting to create a company that shared actors and shared initiatives that express a fresh perspective.”
Burkett and Vacratsis brainstormed the idea and then founded the company with Bonasso. The result was a company that performs contemporary shows on both sides of the border using new and established artists. “The Canadians like to harass the Michiganders, and vice versa. We are so close and yet we are far apart on some things, and we bring it all together in the work,” says Burkett. “Family is important. I’m in Detroit because I love Detroit and I love theater.”
Theater with a conscienceMore often than not, the productions reveal aspects of culture or human behavior that are unsettling in their honesty and present a side of life that is unexplored in popular theater. “To be able to expose people to these largely untold stories through the theater is very gratifying,” says Burkett.
Last year was the company’s first season, performing two shows in Windsor and one in Detroit. This year the cross-border artistic partners have expanded from three to ten. Most of these artistic partners are graduates of local theater programs such as the Hilberry at Wayne State and the University of Windsor.
The name for the company, Breathe Art, came from an experience Vacratsis had while working at a place called Not A Theater Company in New York. A woman who worked there with him had seemingly boundless energy and when asked how she could accomplish so much, she answered, “Well, I breathe art.” Although Vacratsis thought it pretentious at the time, the name stuck. He believes it captures the organic, free-flowing nature of the company and what they are trying to accomplish through the work. “It’s not every day that you get a group of late 20s and early 30s artists who work so well together. It’s a labor of love. It’s a second career for us all. Most of the artists work in the casinos, the Hilberry Theatre or other venues.”
The group performs “contemporary works and only contemporary works," Vacratsis says. “In the times we live in, so much is going on politically, socially and culturally that we can take it all in and express it to an audience who might otherwise not be exposed to them.”
The works of the Breathe Art Theatre Project’s Open Borders Initiative explore the questions we ask ourselves in quiet moments of unflinching consciousness and the uncomfortable notion of exposing ourselves to something new and trying to make sense of the thoughts and feelings the experience elicits. “This is a concept of social theater.” Last season’s "Dead Eye Boy" is such a story. A very intense piece about addiction and its consequences that provides a glimpse into a life — and a culture that is foreign to most people.
Evolving its repertoire by an 'Inch'
This season, the company presents "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," directed by Bonasso featuring Detroit actors Kevin Young and Katie Galazka. The show already played in Windsor and has its Detroit run through March 28 at downtown's 1515 Broadway Theatre.
The story centers on Hedwig, whose only way of escaping from East Berlin is to undergo a sex change and assume his mother's identity. Unfortunately the operation goes wrong and he is left with an “angry inch.” Escaping to America, he forms a rock band whilst seeking a soul mate who will help him fulfill his destiny.
“Last year we examined the hostage crisis in Beirut,” says Vacratsis, “This year we decided to deal with a more social perspective. 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' focuses on the sanctity of marriage, gay rights and gay marriage."
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a “production about individualism, and the choices that we make in service of who we are. It’s something that you can relate to whether you’re gay or straight, black or white — it’s about being who you are. It’s also a great rock and roll show.”
'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' is presented in four performances a week at 1515 Broadway Theatre downtown, across from the Detroit Opera House, through March 26. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturdays, and 7 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20 general admission, $12 for students, reservations are recommended. Call the Hedwig Hotline at (519) 980-0607, the theater at 313-965-1515, or email [email protected].
Photos:'Hedwig' rehearsal at 1515 BroadwayCourtney Burkett and Demetri Vacratsis1515 BroadwayKevin Young as Hedwig
All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger
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