Donna Marie Miller

http://youtu.be/SFDNR9Pz2bY

While her babysitter has sex in another room with a boyfriend, a four-year old girl wearing a pink tutu plays “house” with a middle-aged man plagued by anger issues and addictions to pornography and cocaine.

A “pretend” world created by a child’s neglect and exposure, sets the plot for Mr. Marmalade, a play written by Noah Haidle in 2004. It has more edge to it than a straight razor, but it’s just the type of show that the co-founders of Austin’s newest theater company hope will launch their artistic success.

Andrew Robinson and Jacob Henry, met in middle school, remained high school buddies and then went to college together before they teamed up to create Two Beards Theatre  Company.  Their first show, Mr. Marmalade, opened Oct. 4-5 at the hip east side’s Salvage Vanguard Theatre, 2803 Manor Road. The show continues with 8 p.m. performances Oct. 11 and 12. The theatre seats about 50 people and tickets sold for $10 each online in advance from the website twobeards.org.

The story combines humor with shock appeal – a 20-year-old actress plays the character of an articulate four-year-old who dreams up an imaginary friend, an abusive businessman portrayed to be decades older, but less wise.

“I’ve always wanted to do it (Mr. Marmalade) and I enjoy Noah Haidle’s work. I always enjoy his plays. He has a very interesting writing style that is very fun and light-hearted, but then it touches on some serious issues at the same time,” Robinson said.

Haidle’s work addresses social issues such as child neglect, substance abuse, and divorce. Not everybody “gets” Haidle, but Robinson does; he enjoys Haidle’s perspective and likes to provide key insight.

“He has a very different outlook for sure. I think he is very specific in his writing in the way he presents things. For instance, Mr. Marmalade is a story told through the eyes of a four-year girl. And it is very interesting to get into the mind of a four-year old. It can be very fun to see these crazy kooky characters and just come into Mr. Marmalade and just enjoy and laugh,” Robinson said.

“Or, after watching it, if audiences dig a little deeper they’ll see the other layers and say ‘Wow, that girl was creating all of this in her mind.’ It’s very interesting to think of why a four-year-old girl would have an imaginary friend who is abusive. It takes a certain child to imagine that and it takes a certain child who has had a certain experience to be able to have imagined that. I think if you go to that second layer, the writing is very very interesting.”

The four-year-old character, Lucy, creates an imaginary friend, Mr. Marmalade, who both abuses her and neglects her; she also has “an affair” with a love interest character closer to her in age.

“It’s interesting that she (Lucy) has control over all of her characters and their direction. For her to have created someone who is mean to her, or abusive — once you start to think about that — brings up a lot of different issues, social issues like child neglect, child abuse, substance abuse and divorce. Haidle writes on multiple levels,” Robinson said.

Haidle successfully delves into a little girl’s haunted and nightmare-like surreal existence inside her own mind.

Haidle’s tale, like favorite childhood stories and fairytales, makes the audience  squirm a little bit with his characters’ choices as well as their resolved and unresolved conflicts. Haidle’s story seemingly balances the funny, the beautiful and the magical touchstones of a young girl’s dream with the darkest and most sinister undertones. The audience knows the story is not real, but so much of it feels real.

“It’s definitely a story that can’t exist in our reality, but the issues are very much real in our present day. So he brings forth this very story using imaginary friends – with adult actors and actresses to play these beautiful characters. In our world, you don’t have four year olds played by 20-year olds, but you do have those horrors that are present – child abuse, substance abuse and neglect,” Robinson said.

The imaginative story told through the eyes of beautiful and memorable characters, reveals issues that remain ugly and reclusive in the real world.

Robinson said he and Henry wanted their first show produced by their new theater company to leave an impression, to make a statement, and to leave their “stamp of style” on the local community. They vowed to “wow” their audiences.

“I think Mr. Marmalade feeds Jacob’s and my creative vein in a show that we both enjoy and we enjoy the style of writing and characters. It did what we thought we could do visually. It’s a show that we thought would bring a lot of our talent out,” Robinson said.

The costumes designed by Greensboro, North Carolina costume designer Kathleen Ludwig remain true to those used in other productions of Mr. Marmalade play currently showing nationwide. However, Lucy’s cotton candy-colored tutu appears neon. In his set design, Henry narrowed his color choices to just two from the Crayola 100-crayon box selection; the result creates a deeper and richer “out-of-this-world” appearance. Lighting designer Dylan Rocamora adds more profound hues to the stage’s ethereal scenes.

“We wanted the show to almost represent what Lucy saw as her reality, so some of the things we heightened a little bit – of what she perceived her world to be. There is this very vibrant red couch on stage and a very large embellished purple chair. The outside of the house is this beautiful white house with a beautiful bright red door – one that could almost represent what her false reality is, her imaginative reality,” he said. “That is the style that Jacob (Henry) was trying to achieve with the set design and with Dylan’s lighting design as well.”

Together Robinson and Henry created a surreal and ethereal perspective that suspended Mr. Marmalade for the one-hour and a half of each audience viewing. They hoped audiences would forget their environments only to experience the world inside the mind of a four-year old child.

“We did scenes from Mr. Marmalade in college for a class that was student-directed. It was a shorter version and it was a fun show to do. So when Andrew and I sat down to talk about what shows we wanted to do, we picked one that we thought people in Austin would enjoy,” Henry said.

“Since both Andrew and I were raised here, we knew that we wanted a show that was kind of edgy and weird. It’s a great script and a great story that fits Austin.”

Robinson and Henry contacted the publishing house, Dramatists Play Service, that owns the rights to the script and once they worked out the logistics of renting the space at Salvage Vanguard, they filled their September days with auditioning a cast and crew.

Two Beards Theatre Company directors and co-producers, Robinson and Henry, have worked together since attending Westview Middle School and John B. Connally High School in Northwest Austin.

Henry, who is a year older than Robinson, was enrolled in seventh grade when Robinson started sixth grade at Westview.

They starred in a Saturday Night Live television spoof, a variety show called “Tuesday Night Live,” in middle school.

“I actually had the lead role in that. I played Dunstan Darkstorm, a super villain guy,” Henry said.

And Robinson played one of the love interests, a young hillbilly character whose girlfriend’s parents didn’t like him.

“I went after your girlfriend in the play and I tied her to the train tracks,” Henry said. “That was our big break – that’s when we KNEW.”

In high school, their theater director inspired them. Patricia MacMullen started teaching theater during Robinson’s freshman year, also Henry’s sophomore year.

Their first production together at Connally was a play by Michael Frayn, Noises Off. Robinson served as an understudy and Henry worked as a stage technician for that show.

“We had a massive two-story set that actually had to spin at one point in the show; my job was to move that big thing around,” Henry said.

Robinson attended rehearsals and absorbed the role as understudy for one of the characters in the play.

“Then we did Grease together as well. That was the next show and we were both in that production,” Robinson said. “We were both singing and dancing. I played an unnamed student and he was ‘T-bird number two.’”

In that production of Grease, the two acknowledged the excitement they felt about being part of a theatre troupe.

“We had a moment when ‘Danny’ sang his song about summer love; he and I walked up together on stage. There’s videotape of it somewhere – hopefully not on the Internet,” Robinson said.

MacMullen currently serves as the theatre director for the upper school at Hill Country Christian School, and instructor of high school advanced theatre, theatre productions, and Masterworks of Theatre.  She also teaches middle school theatre arts and introduction to theatre.

MacMullen taught Henry and Robinson and three other former students who also serve as cast members. They include Audra Uresti, who plays the character “tuxedo woman,” David Nguyen, who plays “Mr. Marmalade,” and Johnny Bender, who plays “Larry,” Lucy’s love interest.

“As a high school theatre director, if you are really blessed, you come upon a group of remarkable young people that happen to all gravitate to your program at the same time.  This group exemplifies that blessing. Working with them was a dream.  They were highly motivated, intelligent, talented, hard working, and focused,” MacMullen said.

She said that the first year Connally did not have a technical director in its theatre department, so Henry quickly filled those shoes.

“He was my rock.  He focused and programed lights, worked sound, built sets, etc. And then, I asked him to act — and he could!  What an amazing young man,” MacMullen said.

She said that Robinson possesses a profound work ethic.

“Andrew is one of the hardest working actors I know.  He ‘got it’ when I gave him direction the first time.  I knew he would one day be an amazing director because it was instinctive.  He had an innate sense of composition, motivation, and concept,” she said.

While in high school together, Henry, Robinson, Uresti, Nguyen, and Bender competed in the one act category at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) state championships three years in a row, winning third in the state in 2007.

That same year, the five also performed on the main stage at both the Texas Thespian Festival and the International Thespian Festival.

“They were just an amazing group of students and now, they’re an amazing group of young artists.  I absolutely adore them and wish them much success. I’m so proud of them,” MacMullen said.

When Henry graduated Connally in 2007, MacMullen advised him to look at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. The following year, when Robinson graduated, both Henry and MacMullen influenced his college decision as well.

Today Jacob teaches technical theater to three level one classes and one advanced class at Connally. He also manages the performing arts center and manages the maintenance and finances for the building.  After school he provides technical instruction to students and helps them to find jobs in private sector theater productions.

He feels that he is paying forward MacMullen’s influence.

“Everyone should pay if forward. I believe in something that I am passionate about. I never forget where I come from and that’s why I’m here at Connally. I wanted to give these kids a good education and something that I’m passionate about. I find that very thrilling,” he said.

Henry did not receive a teaching degree at A&M, but chose an alternative path to pursuing a career in education. He received a bachelor of art degree in theater in 2011 with a focus on tech and design and then quickly moved to Florida to work at Disney World. He obtained his teaching certification in 2012 through an alternative program offered through Texas Education Agency (TEA) after MacMullen called him home.

“I got a job at Disney out in Florida. I was doing tech work for them – lighting and pyrotechnics – that sort of stuff. Then I got a call from Ms. MacMullen and she said ‘hey, do you want to teach?’ I said ‘well, wait – where?’ Then she said ‘Connally,’ and I said ‘All right.’ I came back and I haven’t regretted it since.”

Meanwhile, Robinson finished up his senior year at A&M in Corpus Christi in 2012.

“Once I graduated, I moved back to Austin with strong intentions to move to Los Angeles or Chicago,” Robinson said.

Nguyen spiked Robinson’s interest in searching for theater work with him on the West Coast.

“Slowly, it just wasn’t working. Doors were kind of closing on us. So my mom could tell that I wasn’t very happy, because I wasn’t auditioning, I was just kind of working,  trying to raise enough money so I could move. Then, I went to a mass audition call and got some good feedback there and that led me to start auditioning in Austin,” Robinson said.

He signed with a local talent agency, then started auditioning for film work, but soon realized theater is his passion.

He worked with “The Story Wranglers” — Paramount Theater’s non-profit educational outreach program. He also worked with Punchkin Repertory Theater and did a show at Salvage Vanguard Theatre called Gods and Idols for Frontera Fest.

Meanwhile, Robinson and Henry never stopped talking about creating their own projects and starting their own troupe.

The two widened their circle of friends to include local theater actors and crew members, as well as directors who put them in touch with still more peers with similar interests.

“While talking about starting our own troupe, we kept saying how many talented people we know. It’s just amazing. We know so many great actors, great technicians – we worked with some of the best in high school and in college and after college,” Robinson said.

Some of their connections spanned several states, including Ludwig who shipped Two Beards all of the costumes that she designed for the show.

They cast the show, built the props, furnished the set, and came up with the equipment needed to technically manage it – all within a span of 30 days.

They said the key to their success has been an underlying passion they share for theater.

“And we were trained very well. It comes from our education and directors who taught us how theatre should run and so we hold it now within ourselves to manage our time very wisely and to make sure that we are using these people’s time wisely as well,” Robinson said.

“I know how it is to be an actor and have to work three different jobs, then come to rehearsals and stay until 10:30 p.m. You get tired, so I wanted to make sure that this process was convenient for them and fun and rewarding.”

The Salvage Vanguard has more than a little history behind it. Salvage has gone through several different management changes and provides a variety of different types of performances — everything from standup shows to performance art in addition to theater.

The hip neighborhood in East Austin attracts people off the streets as well. The two had hoped to attract a bit of the Austin City Limits crowd and out-of-towners during the first two weekends in October.

Robinson supplements his income by working two day jobs. He works for Kids Acting, an Austin program that has been around for 30 years. He participated in the same program when he was a child. Now he teaches 12 children in “a triple threat” class – with singing, dancing and acting – giving them a taste of the three core elements of a Broadway musical — in a production of Peter Pan.  His youngest student is five and the oldest is ten years old; the class meets Mondays from 4:15 until 5:45 p.m.

“I was in that same program when I was six. We have videotape of it. I was in a production of Snow White and the Seven Dogs and I was the Unicorn Prince,” Robinson said. “All I remember about it was — I knew all my lines and everyone else’s.”

He continues to work for Paramount Theater ‘s non-profit organization, “Story Wranglers.” He helps third graders to learn creative writing skills. He teaches one class on Wednesdays and two on Thursday mornings; each class lasts about an hour and a half with about 20 students respectively.

Highland Park Elementary partners with the Paramount Theater. Some of the financial support comes from the local community itself and other funds are provided through state and federal grants. Robinson along and the other teachers bring with them all of the writing materials and any brainstorming items needed.

The teachers offer students a typical story spine and vocabulary that begins with “once upon a time” and the children then add a character and a setting. The children fill in the blanks: “what a character wanted” and also add a conflict statement such as “something happened…” and a resolution statement that begins “ever since that day…” Sometimes, the results of the workshops take on all of the interesting improv elements of an AT&T television commercial.

“There are lots of very different, very creative ideas – that’s for sure. Very ‘out there’ thinking, which is fun. The kids get very creative,” he said.

Admittedly, it’s exactly that type of thinking that may have instilled in Robinson at an early age and later led to his choice of Mr. Marmalade as the first Austin production for Two Beards Theatre Company.

Cast of Mr. Marmalade

Lucy – Cassadie Petersen
Mr. Marmalade – David Nguyen Larry – Johnny Bender Bradley – Ronnie Williams Emily – Kristi Brawner Sookie/Sunflower – Adriane Shown George/Cactus/Man – Tim Stiefler Tuxedo Woman – Audra Uresti Tuxedo Man – Gino Sandoval

Production Staff

Stage Manager: Chanel Kemp Assistant Stage Manager: Dani Stetka Production Assistant: Sam Levine Lighting Design: Dylan Rocamora Costume Design: Kathleen Ludwig Makeup Design: Shea Lollar Makeup Assistant: Micaela Ramacciotti Props Design: Andrew Robinson Set and Sound Design: Jacob Henry Publicity Design: Drew Johnson

Technical Director: Jacob Henry Director: Andrew Robinson

Published 10-16-2013 online by Austin Fusion magazine http://austinfusionmagazine.com/2013/10/16/two-beards-theatre-young-friends-to-co-producers/

Tags: 'Mr. Marmalade', Andrew Robinson, Austin Fusion magazine, East Austin, Jacob Henry, new theatre troupe, Noah Haidle, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, Things to do in Austin, Two Beards Theatre Company