California Stage

The Short Center Repertory Interviews

James Anderson, Director of The Short Center Repertory Company, talks about the upcoming production of 4 by David Ives

“The Short Center Repertory Company is a company of adult actors with developmental disabilities. We have been in existence since 1988. The company was founded on a California Arts Council grant.  Since then the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission has been a major supporter of ours plus many foundations and Developmental Disabilities Service Organization, which is our sponsor. And we tour to festivals, theatres, colleges, sometimes high schools…. David Ives is a New York playwright, very urban, very funny, and I’ve seen his work in New York. In the late 90’s and in the early part of this century….what interests me about it is that his plays are always about dating and adult relationships, romantic relationships. And because part of our mission is to change stereotypes, many people think that adults with developmental disabilities simply don’t have those concerns and it couldn’t be father from the truth. All of the adults in our company have romantic relationships; adult relationships and concerns, just like the rest of us. So this gives us an opportunity to bring that forward in a very entertaining and humorous way. The other reason is because it is so funny, and the troop has a fantastic sense of humor and they give a very individual slant to the humor in it-- that I defy anybody to find anywhere else. It’s just utterly charming and delightful.

We started producing plays in 1988 and for the first 10 years just with actors with developmental disabilities. In 1998 we discovered American Sign Language and American Sign Language interpreters through a group called Stage Signs that was operative at that time. And they collaborated with us to create an American Sign Language version of the work that we were currently doing. And ever since then we have produced American Sign Language versions of every play that we produced, which can stand alone by itself but then we can also present it as American Sign Language version so that it reaches out to the deaf and hard of hearing community and that expands our audience and also expands the opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing community to see theatre. So it serves a double purpose. And thirdly, it is really, it adds a whole level of theatricality, sign on stage, it just makes the whole stage picture, and the whole language of the theatre that much richer, so we just love it for that reason. And this particular show, 4 by David Ives is going every single night, there is going to be American Sign Language interpreters so persons who wish to see that phenomenon or persons who use American Sign Language will have an opportunity to come on every evening that we present.”