Only six months after accepting the artistic director’s job at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Timothy Douglas has resigned the post. Longtime Remy Bumppo artistic associate Nick Sandys takes over the position effective February 1.
Douglas, who was given the job in October, 2010 but only officially took over from founding artistic director James Bohnen last July, stresses that he made the decision independent of any pressure from the board or the ensemble.
He hadn’t seen any of the 15-year-old company’s work before taking over the artistic directorship, nor had the board seen any of his work as a freelance director in New York. (Douglas had never headed a theater company before Remy Bumppo, though he had done some work as an actor and voice teacher in Chicago in the early 1990s.)
“The primary reason [for resigning] is that, though I absolutely believe we had the same desires and goals for the company, the way of getting there was very different,” says Douglas.
Not only was Douglas stepping into an ensemble that had been hand-picked by founder Bohnen (who left the company), but Douglas was also taking over a midsize Equity company – exactly the sort of troupe that tends to take the biggest hits during economic downturn.
The company performs at the Greenhouse Theater Center, and Douglas had indicated that he wanted to find a new home.
Says Sandys, “We’re in the worst scenario in terms of not-for-profit theater. We don’t have enough seats to pay for what we do.”
He also indicated, however, that the Greenhouse owners are willing to work with them on expansion plans, and that the company will continue to consider other venues, including the newly renovated Stage 773 space on Belmont Avenue.
Douglas aimed for more casting diversity
Douglas, who is African-American, also wanted to bring more diversity to the mostly-white acting company, whose focus has generally been on language-rich classic and contemporary dramas and comedies about social and ethical conundrums – from Tom Stoppard to Harold Pinter to George Bernard Shaw.
So far this season, Douglas directed Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra and Stephen Wadsworth’s adaptation of Pierre de Marivaux’ Changes of Heart.
Sandys points out that the company has worked with diverse casts outside of the immediate ensemble in the past, including a production of Athol Fugard’s The Island in 2010.
“We don’t choose plays to cast ourselves,” Sandys says. But he adds “We are looking at working with diverse actors and we have been trying to do that, while not being able to do the larger plays where we could do that. Our budget is shrinking.”
Sandys commends Douglas’ “bravery”
It also appears that there were simply differences in how to approach the rehearsal process. Douglas says “I didn’t feel that I was being the most effective in the rehearsal room and out of it.”
He further notes that “The aesthetic was so established under James’ tenure. This is a group absolutely open and willing to change, but they felt that they were moving into a compromising change.”
Douglas plans to stay in Chicago for now, and Sandys says “I’m massively in awe of his bravery in saying ‘This doesn’t feel right to me.’ His tenure has been very brief, but it’s been very valuable in the questions he raised.”
Sandys, along with artistic associate David Darlow, had considered serving as co-artistic director after Bohnen announced he was leaving. Bohnen now runs a bookstore in Spring Green, Wisconsin and has directed in the summer at American Players Theatre.
