The Journey Of An Off Broadway Theater Company: Drew DeCorleto Talks About 'Broken Watch'

On June 30th, 2008 the Michael Weller Theater, home to many Off Broadway theater companies will close its doors for the last time as management "looks to offer more office space".  The last show to play in the Michael Weller Theatre was presented by Broken Watch Theatre Company, The Framer by Edward Allan Baker.

Broken Watch Theatre Company has produced critically acclaimed Off-Broadway shows since 2001. Beginning as a producer of Off-Broadway revivals, Broken Watch found quick success with Howard Korder's Boys' Life and soon followed with Michael Weller's Split, produced at Theatre Row. Having two productions under the belt, Broken Watch now enjoyed an increasing presence in the New York theatre community but was finding it difficult to curate material that was appropriate for its emerging style. Based upon an inherent belief in the value of total collaboration, a decision was made to focus on new work. Broken Watch commissioned its first new play from Edward Allan Baker.  After a successful trial run, Broken Watch took over the Sande Shurin in 2005 and renamed it the Michael Weller Theatre. Using its new home to its artistic benefit, Broken Watch created a series of new play workshops that often developed into subsequent productions and three plays have been published. Now, with the closing of the theater Broken Watch along with other companies that found refuge in the Weller must now find new means to fund and mount their productions. Here, Artistic Director Drew DeCorleto talks about the journey of Broken Watch and the trials they now face in the New York theater scene.

Faetra Petillo: I was wondering if you could talk briefly about how you came to start the Broken Watch Theater Company and what you had to do to get it off the ground and running.

 Drew DeCorleto:  Broken Watch Theatre Company was founded by Andy Hoff, Jeremy Koch and myself.  We had always informally talked about starting a theatre company, when we were students at the Boston Conservatory but had gone our separate ways after graduation but stayed in touch.  I had stayed in Boston, where I met my future wife, Teresa Goding.  And in late 2000, we decided to move to Los Angeles.  We had gotten rid of everything we owned and planned on moving in early 2001. When I told Andy and Jeremy of my plans, Andy convinced me to come to New York to direct one more show for old time sake before taking off.  After talking it over with Teresa, I agreed, and we decided to mount Boys' Life by Howard Korder under the AEA Basic Showcase code in March 2001.   

With minimal advertising (fliers and postcards) and word-of-mouth, BWTC was close to 80% in box office sales for the 99-seat theatre.  In addition, the run brought in so much enthusiasm from audience members that we decided to revive the production in a one month AEA Off-Broadway Mini-contract with the possibility of extension.  Via the Internet we incorporated the company on June 12, 2001 and prepared for a September 10, 2001 Opening.  

In order to make the Off-Broadway show happen, we knew we would need lots of money but that most people wouldn't just give us money without any kind of benefit in return; so, we sought fiscal sponsorship through Blue Spheres East so that our donors could make tax deductible donations to our company. We also knew we wouldn't raise enough money to really market the show beyond the poor man's marketing of postcards, letters, fliers and e-mails; so, we found a terrific press rep (Joe Trentacosta of Springer Associates) to help us entice the press to check out our production, which we hoped in turn would encourage audience members outside of our immediate circle of family and friends to check it out.  Joe was thankfully able to get in the New York Times and New York Post, and our New York Times review was slated to come out Tuesday, September 11, 2001.   

 Early that morning of September 11, 2001, after a night of partying, my cell phone kept ringing, and I just assumed it was congratulatory calls, since we had waited up all night outside the Times building for the New York Times review to come out –and when it did, it was a rave.  I finally answered one of the calls.  It was my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Donald Goding, telling me to turn on the television –just turn on the television!  That's when we saw that the first tower had been hit.  Shortly thereafter, we saw the second tower get hit and all the chaos of that morning is firmly ingrained in my mind.   

The impact of September's events on our box office sales was devastating. The following two performances after 9/11 were cancelled due to no audience.  The weekly audience attendance steeply declined from the 39% just before opening to 5.6% for the entire opening week, but we refused to close our doors. We believed then, as we do now, in the importance of continuing through difficult times.

 Prior to 9/11, we had already offered discounts and promotions through student rush tickets, two-for-one promotion, TKTS 25% discount tickets and a limited number of special vouchers for senior groups.  After the events of 9/11, we were at the Time Square TKTS booth everyday handing out half-sheet fliers filled with our positive review quotes and kept encouraging the use of our other existing discounts and promotions.  We decided to remain on the TKTS board for the remainder of the run, increasing the discount to 50% during the last week.  

In the meantime we received successive good reviews, including a glowing review from the New York Post; and we mailed letters to all New York agents encouraging them to "support small professional theatre."  No review, amount of advertising or promotions could rouse the public interest in our small Off-Broadway play. Even though we were offered to move the show to another theatre with a rental discount, and a royalty free month agreement from the publisher, the financial hardships we endured proved to be insurmountable. The week after the attacks, our weekly box office sales were at 18% and ended in the final week at 25%.   Even though we were starting to gain a little momentum, our total box office sales for the run ended as it had begun, 16% –a 64% decline from the March 2001 run.  The show had to close on its advertised date with no hope of extension. We were left with a whopping debt that we are still paying to this day.

That was the start of Broken Watch Theatre Company.

After Boys' Life, we reorganized the company and formed a board to help establish a more formal business structure. We added three more board members to the company: Leo Lauer, Stephen Brumble and Teresa Goding to help us. Weekly meetings kept the company focused on the tasks at hand and became a way to maintain unity and support. By making sure the daily business was taken care of, we were confident in our ability, once sufficient funding had been secured, to emerge from that devastating state into a prosperous future.   

 After receiving a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Arts Relief Fund and a SBA loan based on our New York Times review, we decided to use that money to propel us forward rather than extinguish the company.  After reading many plays, we decided to re-establish ourselves with Michael Weller's Split. It was through this production, we forged our relationship with Michael Weller, and it was him and the last line of Elyse Sommer's review of Split in Curtain Up that made us think about leaving the chorus of theatre companies already reviving plays.  Almost overnight, Broken Watch went from a company that just showcased performing talent through reviving existing works to a company that showcased the playwright with the help of the hottest emerging talent, designers and production teams we could find.

In 2003, we premiered our first original piece: Edward Allan Baker's American Storage.  Still being so new to the New York Off-Broadway theatre community and having the New York Times pan Split, we were finding it difficult to draw in outsiders even though critics were praising it.  The New York Times wouldn't even come.  We continued to lose money, but we knew we were on the right artistic track.  We needed to find a way to curb our production expenses without compromising on the quality.   

Through the Broadway Bowling League, we learned of a perfect opportunity. The Sande Shurin Theatre, in the heart of the theatre district, was seeking a resident company to manage their daily operations. It was an opportunity that not only would cut production expenses by thousands per show but offered additional income as well. After a successful trial run, Broken Watch took over the Sande Shurin Theatre, rehearsal space and offices in 2005. Soon after, the theater was re-christened the Michael Weller Theatre, in honor of the playwright's contributions to the world of dramatic literature, the theatre community as a whole and for his continued support of Broken Watch.  

Using our new home to our artistic benefit, we created a series of new play workshops that often developed into subsequent productions, which include The Kidney by Hunt Holman; The Safety Net by Christopher Kyle; A Broken Christmas Carol by Jim Christy, J.Holtham and Kendra Levin; Never Tell By James Christy; Two Thirds Home by Padraic Lillis and now The Framer by Edward Allan Baker.  We are very proud that the world premieres of The Safety Net, Never Tell and Two Thirds Home have been published by Samuel French, Playscripts and Dramatist Play Service respectfully. Hopefully, The Framer will follow suit.

FP:  As an extension of that- are you finding that (especially with the closing of the theater) it has become more difficult to produce works as an off Broadway company and what kinds of changes have you noticed since you started Broken Watch in the off Broadway theater scene?

DDC: I don't know if it's really become more difficult to produce works as an Off-Broadway company.  It is always difficult to produce theatre on any scale, period; but I think it's much harder on smaller theatre companies, because we are working with very limited financial resources –meaning it's your friends and family members coming to see your shows and donating year after year.  Grants are not really available to newer companies.  Most foundations want to see that you have been around for five years.  And unless you are a patron/supporter of the arts, you may not understand the need to keep donating if you want to see theatre survive.  There are only so many times you can ask for money before people stop giving, because they think you should already be making money on your own and not be requiring their support any longer; so, a big challenge is retaining financial support from your donor base, which is primarily made up of just friends and family.

When donations dwindled, the theatre became a great way to insure the continuation of Broken Watch.  But even with a space, we do not profit enough to garner the financial ability to mount productions on Off-Broadway contracts; so, we adjusted our methods based on our circumstances.   

Now, the most important part of our process is to get the plays we produce published.  In this way, we hope to act as a springboard and start the life of these plays through performances outside New York.  Hopefully, organizations and the peoples who see them will become excited by these pieces and thus hopefully create a familiarity and eventual demand so that perhaps bigger producers might consider bringing these plays to Off-Broadway and Broadway contracts, which will gain these pieces even more attention and momentum.  It may sound naïve, but it's through this naïveté that we have gotten where we are.  As we learn, we make adjustments and off we go.  

It's only when you are running a theatre company that you start to see why donations and grants are so important.  Ticket sales rarely if ever cover the expenses of the productions let alone trying to make a living out of it.  You never realize what "tough" really meant back in the days where you used to dream of doing theatre in New York until you are actually doing it and trying to gain and sustain support. And it gets depressing when you hear of theatre companies that have been around for a lot longer than yours and they still don't have enough money to pay themselves a salary.  Even though you claim to be doing professional theatre, it makes it hard when you're not turning a dime. It makes it feel like you are doing theatre as a hobby, which could be done any where in the country –not what you dream you would do in New York. So, unless you have a working board that can help fundraise money . . . one huge benefactor or a set of them . . . or unless a star that practically volunteers to be in your show, it's almost a given that you won't breakeven on ticket sales alone.  We need donations.  We need grants.   

The latest change I am seeing now is the closing of theater spaces, and the economy certainly doesn't help.  We have been booked pretty solidly this year, and many times, we have heard renters say that they have had to look elsewhere because the theatre where they used to rent has lost their space.  It seems to be a trend right now.  In our own building the landlord feels that theaters are not a good fit for the building.  Apparently, he believes we are the cause of jamming elevators and the occasional inoperable toilet.  Yet we probably have less traffic than the rehearsal studios and casting offices in the same building, and maybe the toilets always seem like they are out of order, because maybe we are the only ones that care enough about the maintenance of the building that we're the only ones calling in the problems.  I don't know for sure, but I'm sure the prospect of making a lot more money in rent doesn't help our cause.   

In summary . . . Without the space and fundraising on the decline, it will be very difficult to continue to contribute the theatre that we do, because we refuse to sacrifice the integrity of our productions and without the revenue that we generated from renting the Weller, I don't know how the company will survive since our production expenses will double since we now have to lease space. It certainly will be harder to get plays up off the ground.

FP: Can you talk a little bit about why you chose this production- and did you know going in that this would be the last show in the Michael Weller Theatre- and if so did that play any part in your choice?  

We had always known our lease would expire on June 30, 2008, but we didn't think the landlord would not renew us since the theatre space had been such a staple in the building.  We were wrong.  It was actually a bit of a coincidence that we ended up doing the last show in the Weller.  We try to do two plays a year and had developed a pattern of a July/August run and then a December run, since these were usually lighter rental months.  Because Teresa and I had a child this past November, we knew there was no way we could mount a show in December, since we wouldn't have sufficient help to see the production through; therefore, we knew we had to do a show by June 30 to fulfill our AEA seasonal showcase agreement.  So, it was kind of coincidental but fitting that Broken Watch is producing the last show in the Weller. Knowing that we might be the last show, I did think about who and what play I would want in the Weller for the last time.  I narrowed it down to three possibilities, but in the end, I chose Edward Allan Baker to close out the Weller, since it was with Ed that that we first produced an Off-Broadway world premiere; and by producing an original piece, Broken Watch grew and came into it's own at that point in time.  

 Working with Edward Allan Baker is like the biggest thrill ride. I love his edgy fast-paced writing style and the way he attacks his plays head on. His mind is constantly in motion, and I love to see it ticking as he is writing and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting his plays.  The ending of American Storage completely changed on Opening Night –thank goodness, our actors were able to just read the lines since it ended with the reading of a letter . . . and sometimes there was an intermission and sometimes not. He's unpredictable and just enjoys the ride of writing his plays.  He tweaks and tweaks and tweaks until he's satisfied, and I love to work with people that are so passionate and a complete team  player.  His e-mails are just as passionate.  It's almost like a possession, and that's why I love Ed and wanted to have him work with Broken Watch again.   

We specifically chose The Framer, because in March of last year, we had done a reading of The Framer and debated whether to do The Framer or have him write a play from scratch such as when he wrote American Storage for us in 2003.  With only weeks before we were to start rehearsal for American Storage, he showed up with only an outline of a play he wanted to write, and we all gasped with glee at the insanity of this idea.  And working with him, you discovered and felt how intense and fearless he is as a writer.  He is completely open and isn't afraid to take a wrong turn to get to the bottom of his plays. We loved our experience with Ed and always discussed wanting to do another piece with him, especially since we believed American Storage was never given the credit it should have.  There is no reason that American Storage should not be published.  So, when we were trying to figure out what to do to fulfill our AEA agreement, The Framer was at the top of the list.  We had presented the option of having Ed write a brand new piece, but The Framer was tugging at him, and so we knew Ed wasn't ready to move on until The Framer was completed. The end result has been nothing short of magic.  He's just so good and such a great person that I can't say enough about this guy, except that he is a Red Sox fan, but I don't hold it against him since he's such a fine writer.   

FP: Why do you think that Broken Watch has been so successful- it's certainly very impressive that you've been able to take the company to the point it is at now in such a short period of time- is there something you guys have done that you think makes you unique and has lead to your success?

 I think Broken Watch is so successful because our heart and soul are in the right place. We are advocates of theatre and want to bring good playwriting to the forefront. We believe that the writing/story is the core of great theatre.  Furthermore, nothing is stronger than its foundation, and artistic integrity is our foundation –our backbone.  As soon as we start to compromise artistically, we'll lose support, direction and trust –we would be done.  That's not to say that artistic decisions for the play's production are not discussed and explored.  We will just never compromise on our projects by casting someone or hiring a designer based on a favor or guilt.  You either belong or you don't –if not this project, maybe another one.  We want to give each project we choose our full attention and give it the best shot for success as possible.  Compromising on key elements doesn't do anyone any good.  So, far we have stuck by that, and I honestly believe that has been one of the main successes of Broken Watch.  

Another enormous piece to the puzzle is Michael Weller. The man is built on integrity and has taught me so much through the years, and Broken Watch has become the theatre company it is today because of him. When Michael believes in something he puts his heart and soul in it.  Broken Watch has had the benefit of side stepping potential pitfalls because of him. He is not only a terrific asset to Broken Watch, but he is also a caring and loyal friend.

Trying to figure out what makes us unique is an old question we have been trying to answer since the inception of the company.  We don't know what our "gimmick" is. It certainly would help focus our grant writing and perhaps bring in more grant money.  With our wide eyes, a bit of luck and support, we endure.  But without financial support of our tireless efforts, I don't know how much longer we can go on without the Weller.  Perhaps, what makes us unique is that we're not unique yet we have been able to make some sort of stamp in such a short period of time with the work we have chosen to create and produce.

FP:  Do you work at all with other theater companies that have called the Michael Weller home? If so, can you talk about your relationship with them?  

Theatre companies that rent from the Weller rent completely independently of Broken Watch, although we do have repeat renters that make the Weller their artistic home.  It's funny, because I think of all the great theatre companies and artists that have graced the Weller, and I see how they struggle to make things work for them, and how many of them don't realize how much ahead they are from us if they are able to rent space and produce a show with the support they have.  Having a space can be so deceiving to outsiders.  They think you must be really successful and raking in the money, but we're no better than they are.  Without the Weller, I don't know how long we could have endured since our donor base is always declining.  I constantly wonder . . . there would be so much power for smaller theatres . . . . a greater chance for survival if a bunch of us joined forces and worked together.  The problem is that all of these companies have different thoughts artistically on what they want to do; so, that's the key issue I think.   

Our relationship with our renters has been humbling, educational and a great way to give back to other theatre companies, especially those companies just starting out.  I think that we are not your typical landlords.  We don't just rent the space.  Basically, when we were pounding the pavement looking for space, we learned how unhelpful many of these people renting space really are and how unwilling they were to offer advice unless it benefited them.  They just want to know what week you need for the space and 50% up front. What we set out to do was NOT be like that. We offered a nice tour packet that consisted of not only the essentials (technical specs and rates) but we offered a list of places they could get insurance quotes and why they needed the insurance as well as a short directory of local businesses that carry things potential renters might need while renting space from us or anyone else in our area. If renters asked us how to get people in the seats, we offered them numbers for papering companies. Even if the Weller wasn't right for them or not available when they needed it, we offered them other space options. Basically, if we could help, we would. Most importantly, we paid to see their shows in our space. When my wife was in high school, Faith Prince, who was an alumna of her high school, came to speak about her career on Broadway.  The one thing Teresa took from Faith that day was that Faith told them that they didn't get comps even though she was on Broadway.  After buying tickets for people, it was getting out of control and Faith finally had to let people know that they needed to buy their own tickets because she wasn't getting them for free.  And because we have now lived it, we know how difficult it is to get paying audience members and if you produce a day in your life you know how essential every dollar can be and how important it is for fellow artists and theatre companies to support one another.  

FP: How will the theater closing impact your company and where will you guys go from here?

 The closing of the theatre will be devastating.  It's mostly due to the profit of the Weller that we are able to produce our shows and workshops.  As much as I don't really want to think about that right now, I do. Everyday. We have told ourselves that we will just get through this show, close the theatre and worry about the future after June 30, but it's hard not to think about it everyday. How will we survive and continue to do the work we now do without the Weller?  I don't know.  I don't know where we will go from here. I'm afraid to look at the future sometimes.  I would love the opportunity to keep on doing what we are doing: offering a service to the theatre community that will help the community grow and learn; giving Off-Off- Broadway a chance to grow in the midtown area and develop an area/community that has potential to turn the public eye to Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway.  Existing downtown is one thing but to succeed in midtown is always a goal that many artists and theatre companies look to achieve. I want to continue to help theatre companies realize their goals and want for Broken Watch to do the same. Without a space that we can control, it will be very difficult. We have weathered a lot in our seven plus years.  Losing members and having a fluctuating roster of volunteers/interns creates increased and top heavy workloads on just a few people.  With my own lifestyle change (Teresa and I now have a beautiful almost seven month old baby boy), we have other pressures outside the theatre company mounting.  So, we need to sit down and brainstorm our options since our finances look bleak without the Weller to help us create opportunities for our playwrights and artistic family.
       
FP: For you and the company what personally is the most upsetting thing about the theater closing and do you think even though it is only one building, this is becoming a pattern in theater row. If so why do you think that is and what do you think can be done to change it?  

I find it upsetting that theaters seem to be getting closed down one by one –it's happening silently all across Manhattan.  Even today, I received a frantic call from a former PROSPECTIVE renter that was in a bind because the theater space they had leased was suddenly terminated, and she had to not only find another space but also lighting and sound equipment because the space she found did not have any of that equipment available.  So, she wanted to know where she might be able to rent such equipment; and because we're starting our move out next week, we're letting them borrow it at no cost. She only needs to arrange for the equipment to be picked up and returned.  So, I know it's not just our building that is fed up with theaters.  It's definitely a silent trend that no one thinks is important enough to acknowledge.   

It's also upsetting, because the closing of the Weller will directly affect many theatre companies; especially one's looking for a real theatre in midtown at affordable rates. We have real theatre seats with real theatrical lighting units and offer services beyond the call of duty. You will not get this service anywhere else in midtown I can guarantee that with almost certainty. Teresa puts so much time and thought when dealing with prospective and actual renters.  She cares so much about the people that walk through the door of the Weller, and the theatre community will suffer. No other place in midtown is run by a theatre company that cares so much about their renters, answers emails at all hours of the night and genuinely helps in any way possible without seeing a penny in salary for the hours we all put in to running the space. I just want to be clear that every dollar Broken Watch raises goes to our productions. Every dollar. Not one member of Broken Watch has cashed a check for doing day to day business. Ever. Even our Opening Night parties are paid for "out of pocket" by us personally. People who find this out are amazed that we would put in 60 hour weeks and not take home a penny. We do it, because we believe in the Weller and how it benefits the theatre community and what benefits the theatre community benefits us all. To me, that is what is most upsetting about losing the space.  

Also knowing how hard it is to find space like the Weller is upsetting. Having to not look for space these past four years has been spoiling.  We know what's out there, and there is nothing in our price range that compares.

Michael Weller is probably the most upsetting thing about the theater closing. He deserves a theater named after him and now his name will be homeless and that is really upsetting to me.  People don't realize how much he contributes to the theatre world with not only his own works but also being the greatest supporter of young up-and-coming playwrights.  The Mentor Project at Cherry Lane is a prime example of this contribution. He should also be nicknamed "the matchmaker," because he's always trying to match up playwrights and directors with theatre companies. He is undervalued and underestimated.

I'm not sure why the disappearance of theatres is happening so readily lately. I can only guess that landlords feel they could make better rent without us, but I am only guessing.  Our own landlord apparently thinks we're more trouble than we're worth despite everything we tried to do to comply and be stealth like.  We always sensed that the workers of the space did not trust us.  Apparently, some of the workers who maintain our building felt like we were deceitful.  We have never seemed able to convince them that we only wanted to be respectful.  They always seemed untrusting of us, and all we wanted to be was a good tenant for them.  So, one of the things you have to change is how people view smaller theatres and the importance of having us around.

A great vision of mine, if we had the funds to make this happen, is to have either a complex similar to Theatre Row except for smaller theatre companies that need theaters ranging in size up to 99 seats and also have rehearsal rooms and offices, too . . . Or another situation where a number of buildings all over midtown would have small professional REAL theatre spaces scattered all over midtown.  The city would offer a nice sized tax credit to those buildings willing to have these smaller theatres in them and also the city's tourism office would help promote smaller theatre alongside its bigger sibling, Broadway. I haven't completely thought out the logistics, but I know there is a definite need for better and more spaces that are actual theatres, and the need to re-educate people about theatre.

Also, knowing how much stuff theatre companies acquire during a production and then having to discard much of those things afterward, it would be great to start a library of things/props/flats/furniture that theatre companies could sign out and return with little to no cost.  The idea is similar to MFTA except that it's more of a library feel, and we would stock stuff that always seem like it's needed for shows.   

Both ideas would only be available to non-profits or fiscally sponsored projects under a certain budget. The obstacle in realizing any of these dreams, however, is always money and support.

 Educating the public and even patrons of the art who only think big theatre is the only legit theatre is a constant struggle but it's a necessary change.  We're like the bottom feeders, but we're essential to the whole system.  It's through these seemingly smaller projects that sometimes Broadway benefits.  I know that Broadway producers look to familiarity (such as converting films into musicals) because it's safer risk, but we hope there will one day SOON be some producers willing to risk again and take chances on some of the gems found in smaller theatres –kind of like how we started out.  We're theatre, too!

For more information on Broken Watch Theater company please visit  www.brokenwatch.org

Photo 1: Broken Watch Theater company cast and creative 

Photo 2: Ryan Woodle, Aaron Weiner and Peggy Scott in Two Thirds Home by Padraic Lillis (photo by Jennifer Sayegh)

Photo 3: Mark Setlock in Never Tell by James Christy (photo by Jito Lee)

Photo 4: Leo Lauer and Teresa Goding in American Storage by Edward Allan Baker (photo by Double Wide Productions)

Photo 5: Matthew Wilkas and Jason Schuchman in Never Tell (Photo by Jito Lee)

Photo 6: Chris Kyle and Michael Weller

Photo 7: Teresa Goding and Drew DeCorleto 

Photo 8: Edward Allen Baker and Suzanne DiDonna