Will the VPA show go on?

Script rift splits board, director

October 21 2005

CASEY RESSLER\Frontiersman Valley Life editor

WASILLA - The use of strong language has created a controversy in the acting community at Valley Performing Arts, leaving one longtime director saying he won't direct an upcoming show if the original language isn't kept in the script.

Dean Phipps, who has been associated with VPA for all 30 years the organization has been in existence, said he won't direct &#8220Proof,” a drama scheduled to open March 24, if he must take out numerous &#8220f-words” and other strong language that appears.

&#8220Before the fair, a board member asked me if I would tidy up the language, and I said, ‘No,'” Phipps said. &#8220I don't know what the end result is going to be. If I were going to do it, it would have to be as it's written. If they say they'd do that, I don't know. It'd be hard to do it knowing I don't have the support.”

&#8220Proof” is about the relationship between a father - a brilliant mathematician with dementia - and his daughter, who worries about whether she inherited his dementia, but hopes she inherited his brilliance. David Auburn wrote the play, which was made into a 2005 movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow. The play has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award.

&#8220The language is integral to the production,” Phipps said. &#8220It is part of the character. But this isn't so much about this play or these words, it's about freedom of expression, and particularly freedom of artistic expression.”

VPA board president Janet Kennedy said the board should have noticed the language before accepting the play into the season lineup in January, but didn't. The offensive language first came to the board's attention during the summer, and she thinks it needs to be toned down to be accepted in the community.

&#8220The board has the ultimate responsibility of choosing plays that are suitable for the community,” Kennedy said.

In an e-mail to board members and other staff at VPA, Kennedy clarified her point.

&#8220Valley Performing Arts is a community theatre. It is a community asset. As such we have a responsibility to our season ticket holders, our patrons and to the community. Nowhere in our mission statement does it say that we have a responsibility to any one individual patron, donor, actor or director,” she wrote. &#8220I believe the only way to present ‘Proof' is in a significantly toned-down production. It needs a PG-13 rating. I don't think we should have to put disclaimers in our show. I don't think we should have to offer our season ticket holders exchanges. I believe that if the show is offered in our season lineup, then it should be in a format that is acceptable to our season ticket holders. If this requires VPA to find a new director for the show, so be it. I believe that finding a new director who is cognizant of the needs of VPA as a whole, will be a whole lot easier on us than trying to inform our season ticket holders of the language or doing ticket trades or dealing with the repercussions from the community.”

Marty Metiva, marketing director for VPA, said the board of directors has not made a decision as to the tack to take with the production. A board meeting has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, where the matter will be addressed.

&#8220The board looked at it and asked itself if the community is going to embrace it with the F-bomb being dropped as often as it is, and the answer was no,” Metiva said. &#8220I'm sorry that someone thinks this is censorship, but it's not. We are a community theater, and have to put on shows that the community will embrace.”

Phipps said VPA artistic director Grant Olson read the e-mail to him word for word, and told Phipps he was typing up his letter of resignation as he read it. Olson, however, said he'd prefer not to discuss the matter.

&#8220I'm kind of in a ‘no comment' mode until the board makes its decision and decides what it is going to do,” Olson said Wednesday. &#8220I'll probably have something to say after that.”

Kennedy said Olson had indeed tendered his letter of resignation, but will stay on through the end of the season, and that there are no hard feelings.

&#8220It is a very amicable relationship with Grant. He said he'd already thought about stepping down because he's got a lot of projects going on,” Kennedy said. &#8220He has done a great job, and he's a very talented director. This situation may have added to his decision a little, but it wasn't the only reason.”

Phipps said other potential directors are already reading the script, but he also said people will have a chance to see the &#8220real” version of &#8220Proof” later this year.

&#8220If they decide not to do it, I'll put together stage readings of the original version for people,” Phipps said. &#8220I've put too much of my time into this to just do nothing.”

This isn't the first time a related controversy has hit VPA. More than a decade ago, &#8220Frankie and Johnny at the Claire de Lune,” was presented, which had a nude scene.

&#8220Then, they offered an alternative production outside of the season lineup, for ticket holders who didn't want to see ‘Frankie and Johnny,'” Phipps said.

Productions for the next season's lineup are usually selected around January,

by the board of directors. Presumably, board members read the scripts before giving the nod to a production. Phipps said that obviously didn't happen, given

the controversy that has brewed.

&#8220I've served on a lot of boards, and I know that a lot of things fall through the cracks, or you just rubber-stamp things you think are fine,” Phipps said. &#8220I'm guessing a board member finally got around to reading it and didn't like the language.”

Contact Casey Ressler at

352-2265 or valleylife@

frontiersman.com.