Much Ado about the St. Lawrence

The Friends of St. Lawrence and Acorn Productions scramble to ready the arts and community center for its opening performance

By Gibson Fay-LeBlanc

Acorn Productions’ Much Ado about Nothing plays at the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center May 3 through May 20. Call 772-5580 or visit www.acorn-school.com for tickets or more information.

MILLIKEN AND LEVINE: whipped but excited.

Walking into the parish hall of Munjoy Hill’s St. Lawrence Church, it is hard to believe that Acorn Productions will put on a performance of Much Ado about Nothing here on May 3, a mere two weeks away at the time of this writing.

Looking over sawhorses, piles of sheet rock and wood beams, and a stage covered with what will be the lighting truss, Michael Levine, director of the production and a central figure in the restoration of the hall, does not exactly sound confident when he says, “I think we’ll get it done.”

A moment later, he corrects himself: “No, we’ll get it done.” Then Levine begins to list the things he cannot control — like whether the City inspectors will give the final okay, or whether they can find someone who knows how to put in a fire door.

Between evening rehearsals for Much Ado, overseeing the daily construction efforts, and teaching acting classes at the Acorn School, Levine says, “If I get six hours a night, I’m doing good.”

Talking with Bill Milliken, Executive Director of the Friends of St. Lawrence, the non-profit that owns the 103 year-old church and asked Levine to collaborate on turning the parish hall into a theater, you get the sense that he doesn’t sleep much either. Milliken gave his version of events while pouring beer and checking the IDs of customers at the Portland Public Market.

“The first time we went into the parish hall, it was pretty scary,” he says. “Most people said we’d never do it. At this point, we’ve at least got the parish hall almost done.”

Amid the mess of the construction, you can see why Milliken, Levine, and so many others have spent so much time here. If you look close enough, you can see the theater taking shape. The stage juts out into the area where the seats will be. There is a beautiful proscenium arch separating the upstage and downstage areas. Wood columns run along one side of the seating area with a row of stained glass above them. The tech booth overlooks the whole scene. It is the kind of space, the kind of building, that has character, an intimate feel.

Even the lighting truss, while laying in pieces all over the stage, is a hopeful sign to Levine. Once the “rep plot” lighting system is up, smaller theater groups, or organizations hosting a lecture or using the space for some other purpose, won’t have to enter the tech booth to ready the lights for their event – they’ll just hit the switch for their particular lighting configuration.

Down the temporary stairs from the theater, there are various rooms in different stages of construction. There will be a stained glass workshop, a set workshop, actor dressing rooms and bathrooms, audience bathrooms, and a kitchen — all accessible via a single lift already in place. There are also smaller rooms that could be rented out as offices or activity spaces for community groups.

Over the past nine months, Levine, Milliken, the Friends of St. Lawrence, and a host of others have raised almost $200,000 toward restoring the parish hall of the church, a first step in the creation of the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center. Milliken and his girlfriend, Deidre Nice — whose original purchase of the dilapidated church and vision for a community arts center spawned the project five and a half years ago — have poured in thousands of dollars of their own, not to mention the hours of sweat equity they and many others have contributed. Since the beginning, the Friends of St. Lawrence have raised close to $600,000 toward the restoration, not including all of the services given by volunteers from the community.

Now, with only a couple weeks until the curtain is set to rise, the pressure is mounting to finish this phase of the construction. Even with all the money raised, the parish hall project is about $30,000 to $40,000 over budget, mostly due to unexpected costs in meeting fire codes, doing construction in such an old building, and purchasing theater equipment like the 100 lights that will help make performances come to life.

“We’re incurring a little debt here,” Milliken says, explaining that it’s pretty normal for large restoration projects like this one to cost more than expected.

Though not directly accountable for the fundraising, Levine has felt the pinch ever since Nice called him on the day of the announcement of the closing of the Oak Street Theater last June. He agreed to a year-long partnership soon after, and has worked with them practically non-stop towards the opening on May 3.

“At this point,” Levine says, “we’ve hit a lull [in the fundraising]. We’re scrambling for cash.”

Problems raising money forced some deviations from the original plan. The removable risers that the seats will sit on are being built rather than bought. A loan was taken out for the lights. Audience members will sit in standard cushioned chairs rather than the more extravagant accordion-style seats. Dusty plastic cover or not, rest assured, the chairs are plenty comfortable.

As for the debt and the push to finish, Levine says, “When the dust settles, there’ll be some reckoning.” But for now, everyone involved is focused on being ready for the performance.

One of the things that will need to be worked out after the opening is the nature of the relationship between the Acorn School and the Friends of St. Lawrence. Their collaborative agreement expires in June, meaning Levine and the Acorn group will have to rent the space like any other theater troupe after that time. Still, both Levine and Milliken emphasize that the two non-profits will always have a relationship.

Another necessary consequence of the focus on the parish hall is that the actual church building, the sanctuary, has been basically ignored and used as a run-down storage facility over the past year.

“As impressive as the parish hall is,” Milliken explains, “the sanctuary blows it away. It’s what compelled Deidre to buy the building.”

Unfortunately, he estimates that another $1,000,000 is needed to restore the sanctuary. The roof leaks and the stone walls have tipped in and need rebuilding, among other problems. Still, at a glance, it is easy to see what Nice must have seen five years ago. There’s not an obstructed view in the entire massive square room. A row of stained glass windows runs under the massive wood beams of the ceiling. The custom-built pews rise in levels toward the back. With a relatively small amount of straining, you can see Portland Ballet dancers on an enlarged stage, or perhaps a production of the musical Chicago, or the Munjoy Hill Society filling the 300 to 350 seats.

“The fundraising will continue,” Milliken says. “We’re writing grants. We don’t want to have to borrow money for the sanctuary. If potential users come see the parish hall and get excited, that can only help. Perception is the major issue we face.”

Levine concurrs. “I cannot emphasize how difficult it is to raise money for the arts. People are excited, but it hasn’t been easy – even to get volunteers.”

Milliken, for one, has a sense of the time and energy Levine has put in. “If you asked Michael if he’d do it again,” he says, “I’m not sure what he’d say . . . It’s been an enormous amount of work.”

Despite his apparent exhaustion, Levine still lights up when he talks about the “community-based” nature of the restoration project, and the potentially different kinds of audiences that a theater in the heart of a neighborhood can attract.

Levine and the group of actors he has assembled, many of whom are helping with the construction, are clearly excited about the upcoming production as well.

Veteran equity actor Harlan Baker, who will play the part of Dogberry in Much Ado, describes how, in the days before the Oak Street Theater, Portland actors used to put on plays in abandoned storefronts.

“The Oak Street [closing] left a big hole,” he explains, “There’s a lack of good performing space.”

According to Baker, the new 100-seat facility at St. Lawrence will provide superior lighting and sight lines combined with a size that is “intimate” and “affordable” for smaller companies.

“We’re all excited about christening the new space,” says Elizabeth Enck, who has the role of Hero.

“I particularly like small theaters and being close to the audience,” adds Acorn student and Shakespearean neophyte Sue Yandell.

Levine will use that closeness for a production of Shakespeare’s work that emphasizes the farcical, comic book quality of the story.

“It’s a Three Stooges kind of approach,” says Levine.

The relatively small stage in the parish hall necessitates a “leaner aesthetic” and a simple set. Though it has not been built yet, Levine describes it as basically “three walls and five doors.”

Baker, who was in a previous production of Much Ado that was set in India during the time of British imperialism, says he has “never seen [the play] done in a traditional period.”

This particular version will be set in the shallow, upper-crust society of contemporary Newport, Rhode Island. “The characters are very modern,” Levine explained, “and a contemporary setting is easier, resource-wise.”

Apparently, each of the players has created lives to fit the contemporary interpretation of their characters. For instance, Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon, is, in this production, Don Pedro, CEO of Aragon, and Leonato is his client rather than the Governor of Messina.

Still, besides a few small cuts and the contemporary environs, Levine has closely followed Shakespeare’s text. “For my character, it works well,” Enck adds. “That world of country clubs and Miss Porter school – it’s very contemporary without disrupting the text. Michael’s a very sharp director.”

For Enck, the production is especially exciting, as this is her first Shakespearean role following a year long class in Shakespeare at Acorn. “You have to let the text guide your character rather than creating a character to guide the text” she says of the difference between contemporary theater and Shakespeare.

There was a movie version of Much Ado About Nothing released in 1993 with Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves Kenneth Branaugh, and others, but Levine told his actors not to watch it, owing to some uneven performances and the differences between theater and film. If, by the way, the prospect of Reeves doing Shakespeare with his surfer delivery amuses you, it’s worth a night’s rental.

As for the essence of this Much Ado, Baker summarizes it this way: “These characters really like each other – they lust after each other – but they can’t quite bring themselves to admit it.” Suffice to say, it’s a double love story in which one match works and the other explodes by scheming and innuendo.

And as for his character, the outsider who provides an ongoing commentary to the havoc and comedy, Baker says “Dogberry is working class, even below the servants. He’s an affable kind of guy – he would be at the Eagles Club drinking beer after work. He thinks he’s smarter than everyone else, even though he’s not.”

Baker also recommends that audiences look out for the serious turn that this work, often considered one of Shakespeare’s lighter plays, takes. Still, he adds, “The lines are funny. You don’t have to push it. I look forward to opening the new space with this in the middle of spring.”

For director and construction chief Michael Levine, the opening of Much Ado will mean relief in the completion of his partnership with the Friends of St. Lawrence and the parish hall restoration project. For Bill Milliken, Deirdre Nice, and the Friends, it’s only a beginning.

The opening is a chance to prove that their plan for the church will work and to find additional potential partners for the sanctuary project. After telling a customer to “have a good day,” Milliken makes sure to mention that they have already scheduled a few weddings for the fall and two theatrical productions for June, with several other possible renters waiting in the wings.

No doubt, those who are holding off with their commitments, including all the different arts and community groups around Portland that Nice and Milliken have spoken with about partnerships, are, like the rest of us, waiting to see whether the reality of the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center can live up to its apparent possibility.

Gibson Fay-LeBlanc can be reached at riverbetweenus@hotmail.com.