Interview: Director Louis Scarpati of 5 WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS in Hackensack

The Company Theatre Group, Inc. is pleased to present FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS, written by the Oscar, Emmy, & Golden Globe winning writer Alan Ball and directed by Louis Scarpati. This is The Company's 19th professional production in Hackensack. The show stars Mandy Evans, Larissa Lamont, Danielle Manente, Andrea Prendamano, Jennifer Robbins and RJ Lucciall, all extraordinary actors who call New Jersey home. This entertaining & funny play takes an irreverent look at the relationships between five very different bridesmaids, each trying to escape the reception because none of them really likes the bride at all.

Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Louis Scarpati of The Company Theatre Group about his career and directing the show.

Scarpati is a founder and the Managing Artistic Director of The Company Theatre Group, Inc., a non-profit professional arts organization. The Company is currently in residence at The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center. Over the last eight years, he has directed many of The Company's productions, including: Collected Stories, Time Stands Still, Central Park West, RACE, Breaking Legs, God of Carnage, Cahoots, Writes of Spring, Barefoot in the Park, Sav-age in Limbo, 'Art', Veronica's Room, Copenhagen, Burn This, Apartment 3A, and Chapter Two. Off Broadway, Lou directed Last Jew in Europe for The Jewish Theatre of New York. Other New York City directing credits include Otto's Fortune, Queue and Waiting for the Bus (a Turnip Fes-tival Producer's Choice finalist). Regionally, Lou directed an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz for 12 Miles West, To a Point (a Tennessee Williams Festival One-Act Contest Finalist), A Gibson Girl: The Perfect Silhouette, and Victor for The Theater Project, andThe Role of Della, Two of Swords, Pillow and A Funeral Home in Brooklyn for Café Theatre.

What was your earliest interest in theatre?

I was not exposed to theatre very much as a kid. I watched a lot of movies, though. I loved movies. My earliest memories are watching old Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff monster movies. And, I wanted to write those kinds of movies - even as a child. In fact, I think I have very old notebooks in an attic somewhere with my "scripts" in them. As I got older, I was consumed by sports, football mostly, more than anything else. And, movies fell away.

The first Broadway show I saw was Cats. I think I was in my very late teens. I might have been 20/21. I don't remember exactly. It was such an incredible experience. I never knew people could do the things that cast was doing. It mesmerized me. But, it wasn't until even later in life that I explored acting. In fact, the first class I ever took was just supposed to help with public speaking. It really didn't. (I got much more skilled with that after I completed my MBA.) But, that first class hooked me. I took more classes and eventually found my way into directing.

Tell us a little about your education or significant mentors.

I attended a few one off classes for a while, and then I found the New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts. I graduated their two-year acting program in due course. And, to this day I go back a once or twice a year for their Master Class to brush up. As for directing, I pretty much fell into that. When we created The Company, I took the first directing job. I had done a little directing at the New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts, so it seemed right that I take that role at first. As it turned out, I became the Artistic Director, and I've directed nearly every production ever since.

I devour everything I can find by or about Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, John Gielgud, Constantin Stanislavski, John Barton, Christopher Guest, and others that I admire and I hope to emulate in my work. Much of their thinking in some small way makes its way into my directing and teaching.

We'd love to know about some performers or performances that have inspired you.

I modeled The Company Theatre Group after The Group Theatre. I wanted a group of talented people creating great work together, collaborating, and having fun. I like to think of myself as a guide. As an actor myself, I work with each actor during the rehearsal process to help develop and bring out the character fully. And then collectively, the cast and I work to tell the story. It's a complete collaboration. I don't know what the show is going to look like when I go into the table read. I take what the actors are giving me and we go from there crafting and modeling until we have a production-worthy story to tell.

Why is the Company Theatre Group such a distinctive organization?

No two performances of any show we do are ever the same. It's the hallmark of how we go about creating our art. Nothing is blocked - well almost nothing, we do block potentially dangerous moments. But, other than that the actors truly live in the space created for them and work organically off each other every night. Nothing is set in stone. We have developed the characters, we know the story we're going to tell, and off we go. This way of working makes each performance fresh and spontaneous. And, it keeps the actors from getting stale or bored. We're working on a play, and I encourage them to do just that...play.

Tell us a little about the cast and creative for the show.

I have been blessed to work with some incredibly talented people in the past. We generally cast each show about 50% from The Company and audition the other 50% or so. Many of the folks who are cast in shows eventually become company members. That's how I grew The Company over the years. And, now we have very dedicated actors within our membership.

So, for this show I was lucky enough to have within The Company a large group of supremely talented women that I could place into each role. It's as if I searched for them for months. Each is so tailor made for their parts that I truly couldn't imagine anyone else playing them. Our sole male in the show is also a talented company member, and I have now worked with him on 4 projects.

As for the creative team, we worked for the first time with costume designer Roxie Zeek who did a great job - we hope to work with her again soon. Oour house manager is our longtime friend and supporter Kathi Nubile. Helping out with box office and sound is Phil Sosinsky who has been a company member for years. And, our set designer is Joe Curran, a founding member of the company and my best friend since I was 12. We call him the "MacGuyver" of the theatre who can make or fix basically anything. We also have volunteers from our company helping out with crew responsibilities.

Why do you think metro area audiences will enjoy the show?

This is a play that celebrates women and their relationships with each other as well as the men in their lives. Written by Oscar, Golden Globe & Emmy winner Alan Ball, his words in the hands of these amazing actors is just a treat. I enjoy every performance, and I've been watching it for a month. These actors always bring their A game, and our audiences so far have seen that and spread the word. We only have 2 shows left (April 16 @ 8pm, April 17 @ 3:30pm) so we hope to get as many people to experience this hilarious night of theatre before we close. Also, because of a grant from Bergen County and restrictions because of our space, you are seeing professional theatre for only $19! We have film, television and Broadway veterans on our stage and anywhere else you'd pay more than double what you're paying in Hackensack.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW readers to know!

We're just so excited to be moving in the right direction with this company. After 8 years of (literal) blood, sweat and tears, this show is commercially and artistically one of our top 3 productions ever. We know that the arts often suffers during difficult financial times, and we are so happy to just be making art with the people we love and respect. We're having fun and we think it shows on stage. As one of only 3 professional theatres in Bergen County, we hope to get more exposure and get more NJ residents to come see what we're all about. We are close to NYC and sometimes people choose to just ride over the bridge for theatre. We want them to know that there is quality, professional live theatre right here in their backyard.

In addition to directing, Lou teaches all levels of acting at The Company Academy for the Performing Arts. You can get info about upcoming classes by emailing: classes.theacademy@gmail.com or by going to the website: www.njacademy.org.

FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS is being performed through Sunday, April 17th at Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, 39 Broadway, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Children under 4 are not permitted into the theatre. Teens and kids under 16 not permitted without parent. Ticket prices: $19 at the door. Tickets are also available online: www.theatrecompany.biz/tickets and by e-mail: ticketrequests.thecompany@gmail.com. For more information, please visit The Company Theatre Group's website at: www.theatrecompany.biz and follow their facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Company-Theatre-Group/212941717667.

The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, owned and managed by the Hackensack Recreation and Cultural Department, hosts a variety of artistic events, including theatrical productions, poetry readings, art galas and historical reenactments. The Cultural Arts Center also produces its own programming, including comedy nights and an annual children's show in December.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Company Theatre Group

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