Rockaway Theatre Company’s Newest Season

By Dan Guarino

This month the curtain goes up on a brand-new season for the Rockaway Theatre Company (RTC). With Broadway-quality productions raising the bar every year, RTC now opens its 28th season with five already highly anticipated shows at the John Gilleece Theater in Fort Tilden.

The Monty Python comedy musical “Spamalot” starts it off, followed by the first-time premiere drama “The Value,” the big song and dance musical “Sweet Charity,” dramatic award-winning “August: Osage County” and finally, vibrant rock musical “Hair.”

“We try to diversify each season with plays and musicals that appeal to different audiences,” says RTC’s Artistic Director Frank Caiati about how their Executive Board reviews possible productions submitted by vetted directors each year. “Generally, we produce three musicals and two plays. Usually a comedy and drama. This season though, both of our plays are considered ‘dark comedies.’ They’re just as funny as they are intense and gritty,” Caiati says.

“It’s a super-strong season,” Caiati, an actor and director himself, says about their “ambitious production calendar.” “Spamalot,” running from March 28 through April 13, he notes, is a comedic musical adaptation of the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” which “humorously recounts King Arthur’s quest to find the Holy Grail while encountering an array of absurd characters and situations.” Directed by John Panepinto, director of  last year’s satirically outstanding “Urinetown,” it will have audiences singing along with songs like “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life.”

“The Value,” directed by Caiati, marks an RTC first, a world premiere play. Performances are May 23 through June 8. Written by Nicholas Dunn, it centers around three thieves hiding out in a cheap motel after stealing a painting. As a news report reveals the crime and the painting’s value, it forces them to grapple with complex pasts, as each sees the artwork as a potential escape.

“The Value” stands out not only for its exploration of themes, like class, sacrifice, and desperation, but also for its clever, incisive humor that breathes life into heavy subject matter, blending gravity and humor.

Next is the musical “Sweet Charity,” from July 25 through August 10, whose original creators include Bob Fosse and Neil Simon. Woven around numbers like “Hey, Big Spender” and “If They Could See Me Now,” is the story of Charity Hope Valentine, a “kind-hearted” dance hall hostess in New York City, who dreams of finding true love amidst her tumultuous relationships, as she steers through a series of romantic misadventures. Choreographer/actor/singer/dancer Erech Holder-Hetmeyer makes his RTC directorial debut here.

Multi-award winning “August: Osage County” comes to the stage September 26 through October 12. The dysfunctional Weston family reunites at their Oklahoma home after the disappearance of their patriarch. Secrets are revealed and tensions escalate as the deep-rooted conflicts emerge. All leads to explosive confrontations and poignant explorations of addiction, grief, and the complexities of family bonds. David Risley and Jodee Timpone, whose previous credits include “A Few Good Men” and “The Miracle Worker,” will be directing.

Rounding out the season will be “Hair” from November 21 through December 7. Dubbed “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” this groundbreaking, still impactful show follows a group of young people living in NYC’s East Village during the Vietnam War era, navigating love, loss, and societal rebellion. The show’s themes of free love, peace, and counterculture, are expressed through a fusion of rock music, dance, and psychedelic visuals, creating a vibrant, energetic portrayal of the 1960’s countercultural movement.

“Hair” is directed/choreographed by Nicola DePierro-Nellen and Gabrielle Mangano, who previously directed “Cabaret.” DePierro-Nellen and Mangano each directed last year’s “Footloose, and “Rent,” respectively.

Involved in all areas of RTC since high school, Caiati notes, “I stepped into the role of Artistic Director a year ago, after John Gilleece, the RTC’s first and only Artistic Director at the time, passed away.”

“Everyone in Rockaway knew John Gilleece!” Not only as an RTC co-founder, but as an actor, director and teacher. “John wore many, many hats, as we all do, but he had a magical way of pulling them all off with a finesse and profound kindness all his own,” Caiti says.

As Caiati and the Executive Board now move forward in “cultivating new pathways of growth for the theatre,” he acknowledges that “RTC is made of up many members who work so well together to get things done- that’s the secret to our success.”

“I have a lot of excitement for the dual growth of the RTC—internally with artistic exploration and externally with community engagement,” he says about their new initiatives designed to open RTC up to audiences in new and different ways. Among these are new uses of media to outreach, such as backstage, preview and other videos designed to “invite” audiences in, and other energetic promotional changes.

Another change is in the past, theatergoers had to wait until shortly before each production opened to secure tickets. Now they can reserve seats for any and all shows for the entire year.

Though well-known for doing classic, established shows, Caiati says, for the “first time, the RTC is presenting a world premiere,” with “The Value,” chosen from “around 400 new plays…submitted by playwrights from around the world.”

RTC is also “excited to announce a new initiative offering exclusive Masterclasses led by Broadway performers.” Open to RTC members and the public alike, they are deigned to give all “the chance to learn from industry experts.”

A monthly play reading group, another new foray, is designed to bring together performers of all levels and experiences “to foster a supportive community where actors can explore diverse texts, enhance their craft, and connect with one another through the shared love of theatre.”

All these new approaches and more “sets the stage for a bright future for our organization,” Caiati states. “I look forward to seeing how the Rockaway Theatre Company continues to evolve, fostering a deeper connection with both its members and the broader community while enriching the cultural landscape of Rockaway.”

As these changes and full-new season hit the spotlights, he tells anyone who hasn’t yet been down to the theatre, “What are you waiting for?! The RTC is your theatre too!”

Tickets are available at www.rockawaytheatrecompany.org