FPC Newsletter February 2024
Streaming Free and on Demand February 19th to March 17th, 2024
MINTTHEATER.ORG
Discovering Becomes A Woman From Artistic Director Jonathan Bank
Many of the plays Mint has produced are best described as rediscoveries, plays that were successful once but then forgotten. A few don’t quite fit that description. Some were published but never produced (YOURS UNFAITHFULLY by Miles Malleson, THE FIFTH COLUMN by Ernest Hemingway, WALKING DOWN BROADWAY by Dawn Powell). Others had brief initial runs but were never published (WOMEN WITHOUT MEN by Hazel Ellis and SO HELP ME GOD! by Maurine Dallas Watkins). BECOMES A WOMAN by Betty Smith was neither published nor produced. It wasn’t hard to find BECOMES A WOMAN once I went looking, which I did after receiving an email from my friend David Stenn, author, film & television writer and producer, and long-time Mint audience member. David had just finished reading Smith’s novel TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER in an edition which featured an afterword written by her daughter, Nancy Smith Pfeiffer. Nancy writes: “the forerunner of A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN is an early threeact play called BECOMES A WOMAN. The character of Francie was developed in a play called FRANCIE NOLAN.” Actually, those two works turned out to be the same play, which I discovered when I requested copies of both from the University of North Carolina, where Betty’s papers are held. After reading the play, I sat down to read A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (for the first time) and it was only then that I knew for sure the play was not a precursor to the novel, as Nancy had written. Francie Nolan is the name of the protagonist in both works. They are not the same character, but of course they each are filled with Betty’s own experiences, feelings, and dreams. Am I the only one ever to ask the Betty Smith Archives at UNC for a copy of the play? I’m sure not. In fact, I later learned of an online database called North American Women’s Drama available to libraries and universities by subscription which includes the play. Why would such a good play written by such a famous woman go unproduced and unknown? I don’t know the answer, but you’ll have to admit, it does make a pretty good case for the value of Mint Theater Company.
It was a great thrill to discover this play. When we announced plans to present the World Premiere, I described it as one of Mint’s most exciting discoveries ever. One of the things that made it so exciting for me, was my hope that Betty’s family would be able to join us on Opening night, especially her daughter Nancy who led us to look for the play in the first place.
Here’s a picture of me with Betty’s family on opening night. Seated is Nancy (Betty’s daughter), with Liz Aivano (Nancy’s daughter and Betty’s granddaughter). Standing from left to right is Betty’s grandson Eric Pfeiffer, her great grandson Derek, then me, then David Aivano (Liz’s husband). Nancy is now 101 and is looking forward to watching the play again via streaming.
Streams Free and on Demand February 19th to March 17th, 2024 Closed Captioning Avaiable
MINTTHEATER.ORG
The scan of the script from Betty Smith’s papers at the University of North Carolina.
Why Are You Still Streaming?
by Artistic Director Jonathan Bank
The closing of theaters in 2020 had a lasting impact on many organizations. For the Mint there was good along with the bad. We introduced thousands of people around the world to Mint’s mission and programming by offering free streaming of nine past productions. Theater lovers from 50 states and 50 countries streamed our productions for 48,624 hours, more than five and a half years of round-the-clock viewing. And I’m not counting the post-show EnrichMint talks or rehearsal videos. Streaming has been a source of new fans, new support, and new enthusiasm for which I’m immensely grateful. Streaming was not a short-term survival strategy born out of necessity—it was a long-held dream. We made our first video in 2008, of THE FIFTH COLUMN by Ernest Hemingway recorded during a performance. I knew our World Premiere production might be the only time the play was ever done and I wanted students and their teachers to be able to see it. We found some enthusiastic backers willing to help foot the bill, including Patrick Hemingway and the Hemingway Society. Union rules forbade us from sharing the recording with a general audience, but we put the cast on a special contract that allowed the video to be used for academic purposes. Our first showing was in a movie theater at the Biannual Hemingway Conference in Kansas City in 2008. That was quite a thrill for me, seeing Hemingway’s cinematic play on a huge screen, surrounded by enthusiasts. We also sent DVDs upon request to scholars with proper credentials all around the world.
2008 was a time when most of us were still renting movies from a store in the neighborhood or via those red envelopes from Netflix. All the same, I had an inkling of what might be possible in the future. I described my vision in a letter to the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation who became our biggest source of support: I can imagine the day, after a show has closed, when colleagues, students and teachers worldwide might be able to view video of our productions as part of their research or season planning by logging onto the “For the Record” section of our website. I had no plan in mind at the time, but I kept making videos. I followed up with our first two Teresa Deevy plays in 2010 and 2011, again with an eye towards scholars. In 2013, I committed to recording all our plays. After all, each of our productions runs the risk of being the only time the play is done. I believed that one day the unions would see the benefit for everyone in allowing the recordings to be shared, and I established the Preservation Fund to pay for taping, and eventually salaries for the artists.
Elise Kibler and Stephen Plunkett in LONDON WALL by John Van Durten. Photo by Richard Termine
The value of video was further reinforced for me in 2014, when our production of LONDON WALL was chosen to lead off a new series on WNET (Channel 13) called Theater Close Up. Somebody who had seen the production recommended it to Neal Shapiro, WNET’s CEO. I guess it was someone he really trusted because he hadn’t seen it yet when we first spoke. WNET returned the following year to record FASHIONS FOR MEN by Ferenc Molnar—both videos were directed with an emphasis on close-ups, using five cameras. Our small theater was ideal for this, because actors don’t need to project to be heard in the back of
the house, giving television viewers the same intimate experience that you get from sitting in the front row. Watching the broadcast, I remember how pleased I was that we had period-perfect light switches on the set wall. Our attention to detail was now being featured in HD. Fast forward to 2020. When the pandemic shut down the theaters, the unions acted quickly to allow theaters to make use of archival video. But if you think I was eager to begin streaming, you would be mistaken. I had no interest in watching a play on my computer and I didn’t suppose you did either. As a test, we offered some videos exclusively to members of the First Priority Club, but very few people watched. I gave it another try when I was faced with the choice of
as tourists but don’t come to New York regularly. A few of our regulars have learned that our plays hold up to a second viewing. Of course, part of the appeal is the price. What could be better than free? Many of our viewers have said that they would be happy to pay, but I discovered that offering free streaming to an appreciative audience is unbelievably gratifying. Yes, I know the work is worth paying for, but I’m a bit of an idealist and reading grateful comments from so many viewers was a happier experience for me than worrying about sales. And streaming is a much more affordable way for us to extend a run. It used to be the only way to grow the audience was to keep a play running. I understand we may be giving the impression that streaming costs us nothing. That’s not the case, actors, designers and directors are all paid! Federal programs supporting these expenses are long gone, and, in fact, Mint has lost its city and state funding over the last two years, the consequence of evolving priorities for the arts. But we have also tripled our base of support and received generous gifts from many of our viewers across the country. I trust we will continue to come out ahead by asking for your support, rather than charging “admission”. I already know that you appreciate the gratifying pleasure that comes from being generous. If you believe in Mint’s mission and you want to ensure that we continue to uncover more plays and bring them to life for live audiences in person, as well as others, please celebrate and support our streaming.
either returning the Federal PPP dollars we had received or spending it employing people. I knew how much actors would appreciate a paycheck during that tough time, so I planned our Summer Stock Festival based on the number of actors we could pay with the money we received. I decided to stream three plays at the same time over a two-week period. I figured people would only watch for 5 or 10 minutes and that if we offered the plays simultaneously people might sample a few minutes of two plays. I was wrong. Not only were people watching through to the end, many watched all three. I came to realize that the audience for streaming was not our “regulars”. Most of our streaming audience have never seen any of our productions live and never will. Some attended in the past but relocated, others attended
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