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Historic New Home for Brooklyn-based Activist Troupe
Irondale Ensemble performs Peter Pan at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
Irondale Ensemble in a re-interpretation of Peter Pan (Photo: Gerry Goodstein)
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Most people think of Peter Pan as a children’s story. But that’s not the way author J.M. Barrie envisioned it. He thought audiences should be cheering for Captain Hook by the end! Fortunately, one theater company dares to stage the 1904 play as Barrie intended.
“In its original form this is a dark look at childhood,” says director Jim Niesen, who doubles as the executive director of the Irondale Ensemble Project. “Neverland is a dark place with drunken elves, and pirates to kill and be killed by. This is a story about growing up, and not growing up, and the desolation of adulthood.”
In short, it’s scary, mysterious and a little kinky. That’s no surprise, given that it was crafted in the post-Victorian era, notable for its strange fears and repressions. Running through Nov. 8, the play’s debut signals the opening of a beautiful new off-Broadway venue for the Irondale Ensemble, a 25-year-old company that focuses on both theatrical and educational outreach.
Irondale is an heir to the ensemble movement in American theater, born during The Great Depression. Today, it maintains that progressive feel; Irondale has produced 42 major Off-Broadway shows, including the U.S. premiere of Brecht’s Conversations In Exile and 16 original pieces.
Its mission boasts grassroots grit, but its new home is classically beautiful.
Located down the street from BAM, the historic Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church underwent a $2.5 million renovation. The setting sports a grand room spanning 5,400 square feet on the ground, with 28-foot ceilings, a 1,900-square-foot mezzanine/gallery, gothic-style wall paintings and stained-glass windows.
Architect Leonard Colchamiro retained the original scale, character and details, but added a sleek performance space that can seat 200 and house much-needed offices. The permanent home allows its resident troupe to expand their programming, workshops and arts education. That means weekend performances for families, outreach to children and showcasing emerging and provocative new artists.
In fact, the activist church’s history neatly dovetails with the theater’s commitment to social change. The Lafayette Avenue Church played an important role in the Brooklyn abolitionist movement; in the 1860s it sheltered runaway slaves. Frederick Douglass and British novelist Charles Dickens both spoke here.
Irondale’s goal is also inherently political: utilizing theater as a central aspect of daily life. To prove it, the company has performed on stage and in non-theater arenas, such as prisons, schools and shelters. The company has roots in traditional Stanislavski techniques; but its activist passion is true-blue American.