Photo Source: Ashleigh Ide
The play finds Dave in debt and out of work, and his wife is about to leave him. Then his car's GPS navigation system suddenly gives him the answers to everything.
"At its core, there's a story about a family trying to survive in difficult economic times," artistic director Scott Sickles says. "'The Navigator' demonstrates the sort of wish fulfillment we all want from our smart phones and tablets and computers, but takes it to its logical extreme. What if you no longer need you to think?"
The show originally received a developmental production in 2010, with a $300 budget. "The Navigator" was the most nominated show at the 2011 New York Innovative Theatre Awards with eight nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Play and Outstanding Original Full-Length Script. Director Leslie Kincaid Burby won the NYIT Award for Outstanding Direction, and has returned to direct this production.
Back Stage spoke with Sickles and Burby about the challenges and rewards of producing low-budget theater, developing original work, and appreciating good actors.
Back Stage: How did this new production of "The Navigator" come to be?
Leslie Kincaid Burby: The play is a great example of how a piece of solid writing can be perfected through the supportive development process which the WorkShop Theater Company provides. Their process includes readings, staged readings, the opportunity for a small production, and finally for a main stage production. I don't see this sort of development happening enough in these days of limited finances.
Scott Sickles: The NYIT award nominations actually came after we decided to produce it on the Main Stage, so that was very validating. I'm hoping that our nominations and awards for "The Navigator" afford audiences the rare opportunity to see an off-off-Broadway revival. I also hope such revivals become less rare.
Back Stage: What were the biggest challenges in mounting the show with a $300 budget?
Burby: I'm used to producing theater on a shoestring, so I wasn't too daunted by the tiny budget. It just forces you to get very creative and call in all sorts of favors from designers, friends, and family. I felt that the script was strong enough that with the right cast it could work with minimal props, costumes, and set.
Sickles: Duane Pagano is a very innovative scenic and lighting designer and was able to create a simple yet efficient set that included real, practical car seats. Some of the budget also went to Quentin Chiapetta's extraordinary sound design, which in itself became another character in the play. (Chiapetta was nominated for Outstanding Sound Design and Pagano won the 2011 NYIT Award for Outstanding Lighting Design.)
Back Stage: This revival of "The Navigator" features the same four-person cast from the 2010 production. Did you consider re-casting the show?
Sickles: Kelly Anne Burns and Nicole Taylor were both nominated for NYIT awards; Michael Gnat brought the play to the WorkShop in the first place; and Joe Franchini stepped into the role for the three-day staged reading . And you don't throw over an actor who has memorized literally every other line of a full-length play unless you have a very good reason. They've all been so integral in the development and excellence of the piece, it would have been a shame to do it without any one of them.
Burby: I had no desire to re-cast. They are doing an amazing job with very difficult material, and have been incredibly dedicated to the production. I feel that this ensemble has really developed the texture of the play, and I feel their hard work should ensure they get to keep playing the roles they have created with such mastery.
Back Stage: Do you think it can be easier to mount a show on a shoestring than with a bigger budget?
Sickles: From a producing standpoint, it's much easier to say "no" to people when you have a $300 budget. You want more gels? No, we can't afford it. We need lumber! No, we can't afford it. Livestock is out of the question.
Burby: Having a small budget tends to force everyone on a creative team to make manageable, tasteful decisions. I was fortunate to have some really ingenious folks to work with, who weren't afraid to beg scrap materials from vendors and order junked items from Craigslist.
Sickles: It's my experience that, at the beginning of the day, creative people will always want more money and resources, and at the end of the day they will find inspiration within the limitations of what they have. Sometimes, the greater the limitations, the more ingenious the innovation.
"The Navigator" will run from Feb. 11-Mar. 3 at the WorkShop Theater Company's Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th St., 4th floor, NYC. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.workshoptheater.org.
