Powerhouse Theater: Proven track records, experimentation and perhaps Broadway

If you are unsure about attending any of the performances scheduled for Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College over the coming weeks, then pay a visit to www.tonyawards.com.

Once there, you will see that “Hamilton,” the smash hit, hip-hop biography of Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. treasury secretary, won 11 Tonys on June 12. Among the Tonys won by “Hamilton” was the award for Best Musical.

“Hamilton” was a musical workshop at Vassar and New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater in 2013.

Powerhouse, which opens Friday and runs through July 31, offers a forum to develop theater projects, serving as something of an incubator, and annually attracts some of the biggest names from Broadway, television and film.

The theatrical initiative involves more than 200 professional playwrights, directors, actors, designers and student apprentices.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Vassar, Powerhouse Theater bask in glow of Tony Awards

On the receiving end of these creative efforts are the audiences that Powerhouse welcomes for mainstage productions, musical workshops, play workshops and readings festivals.

“I plan my summer around their program,” said Lynn Baker of the Town of Poughkeepsie, who has been attending Powerhouse performances for over two decades.

Ed Cheetham, producing director of Powerhouse, described the program’s audience as, “a lot of local people and it’s a really core audience.”

And, Cheetham added, “You can’t do theater without an audience. Until you have an audience, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Hamilton” was still in development when Lin-Manuel Miranda traveled to the Town of Poughkeepsie to participate in the collaboration between New York Stage and Film and Vassar.

And Baker was in the audience to see it. She has also seen the developed version on Broadway.

“You never know,” she said.

Baker also saw “The Humans” when it was presented as a reading at Powerhouse in 2014.

A play about a fractious family's get-together, “The Humans” is now on Broadway and won this year’s Tony for Best Play.

Rounding out Powerhouse’s links to the Tonys this year was “Bright Star,” which received multiple nominations, including one for Best Musical.

Musician and comedian Steve Martin and musician Edie Brickell traveled to Vassar in 2013 to develop “Bright Star,” which, like Hamilton, was a musical workshop at Powerhouse that year.

“We’re so proud of all of them,” said Johanna Pfaelzer, artistic director of New York Stage and Film.

Pfaelzer said the Tony wins and nominations, “Remind us and the audience that the work that happens here has enormous reach."

She continued, "What’s most important to us is that we’re supporting our artists. By helping them refine their stories in this lower-risk setting and giving them the opportunity to see how audiences respond, it increases the possibility of  many more people getting to see these works.”

Among those scheduled to participate in this year’s 32nd Powerhouse season are John Slattery from the television program, “Mad Men;” and Josh Radnor, from television’s “How I Met Your Mother.”

Slattery is directing a reading of Lorien Haynes’ new play, “Good Grief,” which will be presented on opening night. Radnor returns to Powerhouse with his first play, “Sacred Valley,” for the Powerhouse Reading Series.

Both actors have an extensive history with Powerhouse. Radnor, who has been involved with Powerhouse off and on for 20 years, began as an apprentice.

“What’s important to me is, this has been an artistic home for him,” Pfaelzer said of Radnor. “As he wrote his first play, this is where he wanted to bring it.”

Those who value stamina and endurance in their theatrical offerings might want to clear their calendars from noon to midnight on July 30.

That’s when Taylor Mac will stage his first-ever 12-hour marathon performance of material from “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music,” which he co-directed with Niegel Smith.

Mac, outside of Powerhouse, will ultimately present a 24-hour marathon, with each hour representing a decade of music from 1776-2016. The Powerhouse audience will be treated to 12 hours representing 12 decades of music. On July 22 and 23, two three-hour shows will be presented.

“This is going to be a wild ride," Pfaelzer said. "Taylor’s never done twelve hours of this before. To some extent, we’re all going to figure this out together.”

Among the numerous Powerhouse offerings are:

• Two fully-staged productions of new plays — “Transfers” written by Lucy Thurber and directed by Jackson Gay; and “The Wolves,” written by Sarah DeLappe and directed by Lila Neugebauer.

• John Patrick Shanley, winner of an Academy Award, Tony and Pulitzer Prize, returns to Powerhouse with a reading of his latest comedy, “The Portuguese Kid.”

Shanley wrote “Doubt,” the film version of which starred Vassar graduate Meryl Streep. He also wrote “Moonstruck.”

But for all the star power and proven track records, Powerhouse, according to Cheetham, is, “a place for people to try something new and to experiment and challenge themselves and feel support.”

John W. Barry: jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4822, Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo

If You Go

Vassar and New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater

When: June 24-July 31

Where: Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie

Information: Visit www.powerhouse.vassar.edu or call 845-437-5599 for information.

Did You Know:

Powerhouse year after year builds on Vassar's artistic legacy. Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep and Emmy-winning actress Lisa Kudrow are both Vassar graduates.