Pendragon Theatre: More Than Entertainment - A Vital Part of Life 

 

Fran Yardley

 

 

 . . . Pendragon has become a treasure in our area, drawing tourists and providing consistently high quality theatre for us all. 

Editorial, Adirondack Daily Enterprise  c 2006

 

 

            Pendragon began one early fall evening in 1980. To be clear, the name Pendragon did not yet exist. The idea began earlier in the dreams of Bob Pettee and Susan Neal who had been active with Enterplay, a summer theatre company that originated in Long Lake in the mid-1970s. Bob was about to end his career teaching at the Long Lake Adirondack Mountain School, and Susan was in New York studying theatre. 

            One day, they called Elliott Verner in Saranac Lake and said “We can't find the artistic freedom we need in New York City. We want to move to Saranac Lake. Do you know a place we could rent?”  He did. He and his wife, Joan, owned the Community Bookshop at 68 (now 69) Main Street. He kicked his non-rent-paying son out of the roomy third-floor apartment above the bookshop, and they moved in and got to work immediately.

            They had in mind to put on a production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams with a budget of $250. Bob would produce, direct and publicize; Susan would play Blanche. They needed at least eight more people. The storied night they held auditions in the bookshop, the only one to show up was Fran Yardley. The three of them finally gave up hope anyone else would appear and began scouring the bookshelf in the Drama Section of the compact bookstore, looking for plays with three characters. Then in the door walked 6'4” brawny Jay Ellsworth, perfect to play Stanley Kowalski (the Streetcar role played by Marlon Brando). His neighbors, Diane Fortado and Phil Newton, had followed Jay in and were immediately cast as well.

            Somehow they found people to fill out the cast, including Elliott Verner who was willing to play the small part of the Doctor because, as he said, “I am a theater buff, but not a real actor.” Manny Bernstein, Rich Merritt and Georgette Duval also took on roles.

            Then they needed a place to perform. Locally, the best stage in 1980 was at Petrova Elementary and Middle School. The school board gave permission to hold evening rehearsals and to schedule two performances for early December.

            From the beginning, this theatrical troupe, under the guidance of Bob and Susan, took off on a wing and a prayer, with a passion to present good solid plays, involve the community, and enrich the audience. With the dress rehearsal for Streetcar, we began a tradition that has continued for forty years. We invited residents of St. Joe's Rehabilitation Center to watch a preview performance gratis so we could get a feel for the play with an audience.

            We did it! We had enthusiastic audiences for each performance. We were ready for more.

 

*****************

            Sailing on this euphoric wave, Bob and Susan asked “What next?” By Spring, 1981, auditions took place for Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Word had spread about the quality of the Streetcar production and the good time we had. Many people auditioned, and we ended up with a cast of twenty-six, including several families and lots of kids, truly a community production.

 

******************

 

Pendragon's name...

            At some point during rehearsals (for Under Milk Wood in 1981), Bob and Susan said “We need a name for our troupe. Any ideas?” After several suggestions, Tom Delehant proposed the one that stuck – PENDRAGON!

 

It gave us something firm, something tangible that we could build around.  Bob Pettee

*******************

 

 

            By the fall of 1981, we found a new production space for our burgeoning troupe – The Center for Music, Drama and Art (now the Lake Placid Center for the Arts) to produce our next show, Hot L Baltimore, by Lanford Wilson.

 

*******************

            Pendragon continued to grow under the careful guidance of Bob and Susan who held high standards for the plays chosen and how they were produced. Their passion was infectious. Those of us lucky enough to be involved in the early days were willing to do anything and everything to help Bob and Susan make this kind of theatre work. As Managing Director, with an attitude of respectful and non-judgmental inclusion, Bob welcomed anyone who walked through the door and put them to work. This unique approach meant that those of us who did show up worked hard to create the best we could.

********************

 

            In 1982, our season expanded to five plays, including the premiere of George Sand: A Passionate Cantata by Emmy Award winning Karen Lewis. Her play, Safe Harbor, would be produced by Pendragon in 1993.

 

****************

            By 1983, Pendragon was producing at least five shows a year and needed a space of its own. The second floor of 68 Main Street (above the bookstore and below Bob and Susan's apartment) was available and provided the possibility for an intimate black-box theatre. Bob and Susan generously provided a Green Room (a space for actors to dress and prepare) in part of their third-floor apartment.

*******************

           

During this year, internationally respected author and playwright Jack Kendrick offered his play, Third Class Carriage, for production. After performing in Saranac Lake, Susan and Bob took the play to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won a coveted “Fringe First” award.

 

Audiences at Canongate Lodge can . . . expect to see a quality of acting from Susan Neal and Bob Pettee which is unlikely to be bettered at the Fringe.

                                     The Scotsman, Edinburgh

 

            They were also invited to the English speaking theatre in Stockholm for a limited run and two years later to the Dublin Theatre Festival.

 

In what must be one of the best short American plays seen here in recent years . . . The performances from the husband and wife team are superb, controlled expressions of theatrical insight.                    The Irish Press, Dublin Theatre Festival

 

******************

           

            Pendragon had begun to hit its stride. With a growing reputation for first-rate theatre, they began to attract professional actors. In 1985, a small group of like-minded visionaries from New York City and Boston traveled to Saranac Lake to see a production of Talking With by Jane Martin.

 

My friend, Anita Montgomery, had taken leave from her theatre work in NYC to return to this small place called Saranac Lake, to this small theatre called Pendragon, to direct a production of Talking With. We decided to drive up to see it. We truly did not expect very much; perhaps a little theatre in a small town that Anita loved. We arrived in Saranac Lake after dark. The streets were covered with packed, pristine snow. Lights sparkled. It was a wonderland. We made our way up the stairs at 68 Main -- still expecting nothing much – and experienced an evening of magic.                       Josie Good

 

*******************

 

 

 

************

            By 1986, they had committed to involvement with Pendragon and created a core professional company consisting of Bob Pettee, Susan Neal, Josie Good, Joe Guzman, Robert Rutland and, eventually, Anne Solomon. Community members still played an integral part. Pendragon officially became a regional theatre company based in Saranac Lake and staffed by a group of in-residence professional actors and community performers. Pendragon also reached out to other theatre professionals with whom they had previous experience. One was Burdette Parks who brought his one-man shows of Benjamin Franklin and William Shakespeare to flesh out the first three-show repertory summer season.

****************

 

*****************

            The aims of the Pendragon company were to:

 

* provide year-round theatre for residents of and visitors to the Adirondack region

* bring theatre to the region's schools and other institutions

* present a provocative variety of plays, from the classics to new works

* establish a stimulating and healthy environment for actors, directors, and playwrights in order that they may grow through continuous ensemble work

* be an important force in the nation's regional theatre network

 

            Lofty aims for a dedicated group of thespians. Even as they formed the backbone of the artistic efforts, they also served the theatre as managers, secretaries, bookkeepers, carpenters and building maintenance personnel. In addition, they supplemented the compensation Pendragon could afford with external jobs, sometimes two or three, to sustain themselves. Just some of the occupations were with schools and prisons, construction, restaurants, the clergy, and business.

********************

 

 

 

********************

 

            In that eventful year of 1986, Pendragon learned that 68 Main Street would be sold and they would have to find a new space. After scouring the village of Saranac Lake, they located a dilapidated truck garage at 148 River Street (now 15 Brandy Brook Avenue). While some saw that building as an eyesore, Bob said “Perfect!” After fifty frantic days of hard labor, a cadre of enthusiastic workers transformed the building into the space that from that time on has launched hundreds of plays.

            The formation of a core company and the promise of a space all their own prompted incorporation as a not-for-profit organization and a concerted effort to provide more adequate compensation for the company.  That summer Pendragon employed six full-time and ten part-time artists along with eight others involved in various aspects of technical production.

 

            From that time on, the art and craft of Theatre flourished in the one-of-a-kind building on River Street, and Pendragon became known as the only year-round professional theatre organization in the North Country.

 

We have quality artists who produce a wide variety of shows and an excellent audience base. And we have a space that we can truly call our own, a wonderful space that has, through a great deal of work from many dedicated people, evolved into an important part of our identity.            Bob Pettee

 

*******************************

 

            Highlights of the years from then until now . . .

 

            Towards the end of the 1980s, roots in the broader community were forged ever deeper as Pendragon toured several productions and took their Arts-in-Education initiative to elementary and secondary schools in seven North Country counties, reaching more than 20,000 students. They traveled south to Albany, north as far as Fort Covington, west to Harrisville and east to Ticonderoga.

 

*********************

            In 1988, about 6,300 patrons enjoyed 107 performances, including tours. When performing Hamlet for students in Plattsburgh, Susan Neal said:

 

I have to say the first school performance we did last week was one of the most exciting times of our careers. All the actors were so caught up in the enthusiasm of the audience they chose to stay in the wings instead of waiting for their next entrance down in the dressing room. No one wanted to miss a moment of the special feeling.

***********************

            On the wish list in 1990 was:

 

* to finish the shop, started with a capital grant from the NYS Council on the Arts

* to expand the theatre by fifty seats

* to raise actor salaries or risk losing them

* to employ a full time Director of Development to help with the above

* to procure a computer system for bookkeeping, word processing and desktop publishing

* a pick up truck

 

            To help bolster funds for wish-list items, an annual benefit was initiated with both silent and live auctions led by Bob's famous antics which provided hilarity and helped bring in greatly needed revenue.

 

**************************

            In 1990, Pendragon marked its 10^th anniversary by adding a fall show and a holiday performance to their annual repertoire. In the first ten years, they produced over fifty plays utilizing both regional talent as well as drawing performers from New York City, Boston and beyond. And they remained committed to an ideal of theatre as more than entertainment, as a vital part of life. Their productions took risks, issued challenges, and resulted in performances of on-fire artistry.

 

We are small; our core company members are active in most aspects of the organization. They are encouraged to stretch, to try roles for which they might not easily be cast, production tasks they've not done before, to well-utilize the talents of all. We place a premium on strong, positive collaboration and strive to develop a deep sense of trust which allows us to risk and to communicate more effectively.   Susan Neal

 

****************

 

            In the course of its evolution, Pendragon designed and implemented imaginative outreach programs. They forged links to the larger community through networking with regional theatres, taking shows on the road, and bringing in outside talent.

 

To avoid isolation and to help the ensemble grow in size and expertise, we periodically introduce selected directors, performers, designers and technicians.       Susan Neal

 

*******************1

 

A premium goal was to promote theatre education and inspire a love of live performance in young people. They accomplished this through several programs:

 

            * The Rent-an-Actor Program: Pendragon company members worked with teachers to support their goals and curricula, advised student productions, held workshops on poetry, acted as classroom resource for drama and literature, introduced students to improvisation and theatre games, and enlivened lessons on language and verbal skills.

 

            * The Prop Trunk Players: In conjunction with the North Country Community College Arts-in-Education Program, Pendragon traveled annually to thousands of students in over thirty districts over a six-week period.

 

            * The Fall Classic: As part of the normal schedule, this production often coordinated with the curricula of the region's high school students and reached over 2,000 students to illuminate their text book pages with living theatre.

 

****************************

A theatrical potpourri fulfilling Pendragon's vision of a wide variety of plays.

 

            In 1994, Pendragon celebrated the honor of receiving a Governor's Art Award which cited the 'unique creative genius' of those individuals and organizations that make New York a cultural center. During this year, Kitty Carlisle Hart showed up one day as a board member of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), one of Pendragon's most faithful supporters. In 1996, Pendragon welcomed the famed actor, Julie Harris, along with Peter Dee, for a benefit production of Love Letters by A.R. Gurney.

 

***************************

            From the opening curtain of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1980 to the present, Pendragon has strived to push the edge of the envelope, to find new and exciting plays to produce as well as beloved classics. In these forty years and well over two hundred productions, Pendragon has honored the vision of Bob Pettee and Susan Neal to present good solid plays, involve the community, and enrich the audience. This brief review cannot possibly highlight by name all the bright stars who have shone in one way or another – the legions of actors who have graced the Pendragon stage, the directors who have guided those actors to brilliance, the throng of technicians behind the scenes who have made everything go smoothly; the steadfast box office crews, the talented costume and set designers, the savvy publicity team, the committed board members and fund raisers who have kept the operation going, and, of course, the audience, without whom none of this would matter. Kudos go out to two of our longest-standing staff: Kent Streed for practically living at the theatre and creating magic over and over with his keen eye, swift sewing needle, and wry good humor; and Bonnie Brewer for years of remarkable talent and dedication to making a play the absolute best it could be. 

 

**************************

 

 

*************************

 

            Mind-boggling numbers of theatre lovers have crossed the threshold at 15 Brandy Brook Avenue to say I want to help, I want to act, I want to build, paint, design, sew, I want to publicize, be on the Board, I want to shine the light, I want to give. One, Karen Lordi-Kirkham, came as a starry-eyed young girl to be involved in whatever way she could and after years of acting, singing, directing,  became Artistic Director. Because of these countless creative individuals, Pendragon has thrived and provided the opportunity to think, tremble, cry, question, and laugh.

******************************

 

****************

            Pendragon has created a spell night after night. The lights go down, a hush settles over the audience, and then the magic. Lights up! We never know exactly what we will see because magic is like that. It is impermanent, ever different, something ever new. They say it takes a village to raise a child. At Pendragon, it takes a community to raise a play. Together, we make it happen.

***********************