Desert Magazine: Can you give me some background about CVRep? How did it start and how has it grown over the years?
Adam Karsten: Coachella Valley Repertory was founded by a gentleman named Ron Celona [in 2008]. Ron was at the helm for 13 years. It is remarkable when you think of where he started, saying, “I'm going to have a theater company at the Joslyn Center.” They moved to the Atrium, where they had a space with 65 seats, [and then they were] able to buy this building in 2019 and create a theater from the IMAX. It shows the support for theater in the Coachella Valley. They had full houses … and then COVID hit and it put an end [to the season). It was touch and go for a little bit, but the audiences came back.
Desert: Do theater officials still feel the effects from the COVID closure? I remember that during COVID, many people wondered if the live audience experience would ever make a comeback – not only theater but also music and cinema.
Karsten: Getting that audience back from COVID was a challenge. People were a little worried [to] come out and congregate in that way. It was just a struggle to make sure that we were going to have the support to produce the season that we were going to have. Not to stray a little bit, but for me, what I love about live theater is [that] you're sharing that experience with a number of other people, but you're safe in your interpretation of it. There's so many different viewpoints that you can see the same play with, and you're safe to have that in [a] theater, and that's what makes it so kind of magical in a way.
Courtesy CV Rep
Jesus Christ Superstar
Desert: Were you surprised when you were asked to move from New York and take over the executive artistic director role?
Karsten: It wasn't completely out of left field. Towards the end of the pandemic, [my wife and daughter] came out to Los Angeles to work on a project for a couple of months. When they came back [and rejoined] my son and I, it was pretty clear they were not living in New York City anymore. Their minds and hearts were completely in California. I said, “Okay, we'll start thinking and looking and seeing what options might be [available].” I had kind of inquired in a couple [of] places … at universities and other theater companies. When this came up, it really was exciting for us because it had so much potential … whether it was new works or the scope of what they were going to be able to give the community. So, I was hopeful. I remember [when] we came out for my final meeting with all of the board members … and Ron said, “Please come and see the show.” We came and saw the show and we toured a school for my son, who was in middle school at the time. It was March, so it was a beautiful time of year to be here. Things were blooming and it was sunny and warm compared to New York. During that trip, they offered me a position.
Desert: Please share a bit about your background.
Karsten: I grew up primarily in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My dad was a legal and … military historian and spent his career at the University of Pittsburgh. Every four years, he would take us to another part of the world and write a book and use his sabbatical to do so. One year, when I was about 11, we went to Dublin, Ireland. One night, I had a sleepover with my best friend. We were in our pajamas, and his mom came in and said, “All right, boys, [get] in the car.” I thought, “Maybe we're going for ice cream or something.” We drove to the Abbey Theatre and she said, “[Go] in that side door. I'll be back to get you when it's over.” I had no idea what we were doing or where we were going. She was in the chorus of “The Mikado.” We were in [the] standing-room [section] … and the lights went out and the curtain went up, and I thought, “What is this?”
Desert: Wow – your first theater experience was at the Abbey Theatre.
Karsten: I know … where do you go from there? The next morning at home, I said, “Mom, Dad, we went to this place called Abbey Theatre, and I want to go back.” My parents were good about it. We went back and saw “The Mikado” again. They had a downstairs theater and a pub where they had live performances, and we’d go there and listen to music. It was a really wonderful, eye-opening, immersive experience.
Courtesy CV Rep
Once
Desert: Incredible. If that doesn’t get you hooked, nothing will.
Karsten: I stayed in Pittsburgh … and went to Carnegie Mellon [University] for theater before I went to New York and pursued my career as an actor. I did some great things and went around the world doing great things, working for great producers and great directors. I got to a point where my wife and I were saying, “We want more. We're going to transition.” I transitioned to writing and directing and producing, and then worked with “Live from Lincoln Center” and had my own production company in New York City.
Desert: What was your production company called?
Karsten: It was called A2K Productions. We produced a couple [of] off-Broadway shows. It was also a film and video and TV production company. We were in production for a new Broadway musical when COVID hit. My wife is a choreographer and had two shows running in Europe. We had plans for this show that we were producing to take off, and then everything went dead. We were like,”What are we going to do? How are we going to pay the mortgage and get groceries?” But then, the corporate video element to the production company exploded. Companies said, “We need to go online; how can you help us?” I got permits to go out and film when [the companies] were still in lockdown. It saved us.
Desert: What was the first show you produced here?
Karsten: The first season of shows was “The Humans,” “Once,” “Dirty Blonde,” and “Fun Home.” And “The Humans” was challenging in many ways for our audience. It's a fantastic play, but it has some unanswered questions at the end. The end of the play “Fun Home” was challenging for some of our audience members, but they were both very different. Beautiful works. “Dirty Blonde” seemed appropriate in many ways for the area. “Once” was complicated to produce because it has a large cast and all of the cast [members] play instruments. I loved each one in their own way.
Desert: Is each season based solely on your vision?
Karsten: It is my vision, but I share the vision with the board. I want it to be much more collaborative. Especially so in the beginning, because I was really getting to know our audience. I'm trying to push some boundaries with thought-provoking theater, which was the phrase that Ron coined when he founded the theater. I'm not trying to push anybody out the door. I'm trying to draw them in. My wife and I often have discussions about whether theater is entertaining or is it supposed to push the envelope? For me, it's a combination of all those things. My job and responsibility as an artistic director is to make sure that it has all of those elements.
Desert: It must be tricky because this is unlike most regional community theaters, where one might be tempted to come down heavy on the entertainment side. But here, I suspect you have a sophisticated audience. You probably have a population that is educated in theater. It must be challenging in that way.
Karsten: So true. I don't think I was prepared for and aware of how many residents here have the knowledge of the theater that they do, whether they are Broadway veterans themselves, producers, directors, investors, or whether they are theater lovers on another level. They don't just go to New York [to see plays]. They go to London. I get emails that say, ”Adam, can I tell you about what I saw in Vienna? This opera will blow your mind.” They really are patrons of the arts and theater. When I came here, I understood quickly that [what] we were going to produce would have to meet a high level of expectation.
Desert: Does that high level of expectation also bring enormous pressure in terms of casting?
Karsten: I don't like to say, “I'm a great director” or “I'm a great producer” because that's one, a matter of opinion … and two, not always the case. But, I feel like I do casting well. It's exciting for me to be able to start that process. COVID changed things. Broadway went way more into self-tape video audition[s] than it had ever done before. At the same time, … we still hold our local auditions here, and I go to LA and audition. I had 20-plus years of a career in New York, so [I know] many actors in New York. Keeping those connections [and] staying within that network is key. And I feel like it's grown as opposed to shrunk. One of my fears was that I would lose touch with that artist community in New York City and the agents and managers in New York. But no, I feel like I've been more in touch with them than ever. I've started new relationships and connections with actors and artists, managers, and agents in LA, and there's a pretty good pool of talented, veteran Broadway actors here in the Valley.
Desert: On average, what percentage of your talent is from out of town?
Karsten: I draw as much as I can on the local community to find the roles that are right. It's not unusual for the case where 100% of the actors are from out of town or when 60% of the actors are from out of town. It just depends on the show. “Once” is a good example because it requires a lot of artistry. They have to play those instruments at an extremely high level and then be able to move, sing, act while they're doing it. There were 11 members in the cast … and two understudies. And I want to say three were local.
Desert: Your Rolodex must be incredibly helpful in moving this forward.
Karsten: It does. And it's not just going through the Rolodex. It's calling somebody on the Rolodex [and] saying, “Hey, do you know anybody who might be [good for a certain role]?” and even shooting out a text. People who have worked with us [might] say, “I wish I could be available for it, but I just worked with so and so.” And that's the beauty of the community. People want to work together. Theater is a collaboration. I'm not the director of all [of] our shows, but when I am, I don't always have all the answers. I [will say], “Let's discover it together. Let's look at the writing. If the writer’s around, let's reach out to them. Let's talk to the choreographer [and] let's talk to the music director. Let's talk to the stage manager and let's find the best way to create this experience.”
Desert: What can audiences expect this season?
Karsten: We want to learn from everything that we've produced and see how we can do it even better going forward. I love that challenge. You have to find creative ways in a smaller venue, but that's the beauty of our space. It's very intimate. We have a great opportunity to present shows in a very intimate way. The first show is “Dear Evan Hansen.” We're doing the West Coast premiere of the show. It just finished Broadway and touring, and it's not licensable, but again, because of the people I've been working with over 20 years producing, I was able to say, “Hey, we're starting our season in December. We'd really love to premiere this show.” And they were like, “Let me get back to you.”
Desert: That's a coup.
Karsten: The second play is “One Man, Two Guvnors,” which is pretty fun. And it's right before the end of the year. That's more of an entertainment piece than anything else. People will have a really good time. And then the third piece is “Guys and Dolls.” It's a very well-known American musical that is such [a] classic in so many ways. And again, we have the opportunity to explore what's usually done in a big Broadway theater in someplace intimate. I want to explore the idea of people coming in and there being a crap[s] game right here in the lobby. It excites me so that as soon as you come in, you're starting the experience of the show. Originally, it was very candy-color-coated and funny and comedic. I'm interested in exploring if it can be done a little rougher, because Damon Runyon’s [original] stories were gritty. There were tough gangsters. I’m excited to see how it would work if we gave the audience that grittier side.
Desert: That's a great choice and a great direction to take it.
Karsten: And then, we close it out with a piece that is not well-known. It's a two-hander play with lots of music called “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me.” It's about a single mother in Brooklyn and Ernest Shackleton in the North Pole, and they explore a mystical, magical connection that helps both of them get through some of the things they're going through in life. And you would not think it to be achievable, but the way it's crafted and the way it's done, … it's another one of those experiences where you need somebody with a skill set. I think it's going to be fun for audiences if they are willing to come out and take a chance on it.
Desert: What would you like to see in the next few years in terms of CVRep's impact on the Valley?
Karsten: There is the New Works Program we started. It's been successful beyond my expectations. We bring the writers out and we bring union actors out, and we produce a reading of their work at no charge to them. We pay for everything. We then select one of the four or five readings that we do and put it into the next year’s season. We did that this last year with “Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks,” which got picked up by producers in New York. It was written by Gregg Ostrin, who wrote “Kowalski,” which debuted Off-Broadway in New York and is slated for a Broadway run. [Ostrin] wrote it and tested it out in the reading series, and then we put it on stage. The audiences really loved it. And producers in New York are interested in taking it to the next place. And for a little space like this one to be a place where writers can come out, try out new things, see how an audience responds, make changes, adjust it, and then send it out and have it see a future beyond the Valley is exciting to me. That's really great. It's great to be able to say, “We are working to be able to provide that kind of outlet.”
