New Water Street Theatre to open with workshop and family show, Aug. 18/19

Alex and Christine Pressburger, founders of the Water Street Theatre, located on the third floor of the Killam Building, plan on operating their 40-50-seat facility year round, presenting Acadian plays and a Christmas show.

Their inaugural show is Piccolo’s Trunk, a presentation of Happenstance Theater, featuring Washington, D.C. based artistic directors Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell.

On the day prior to the performance (Aug. 18), a workshop will be held to introduce children age eight to 12 to physical comedy and mime. The workshop will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Saturday shows are at 1 and 7 p.m. and Sunday shows are at 2 and 4 p.m.

Mandell is the daughter of Wedgeport residents Roy and Maggie Mandell. She settled in D.C. about four years ago and met Jaster in a clown workshop.

Mandell describes their style as being in the grand tradition of the actor/performer. “We do everything: we build the set, handle the lights, hand out the posters…” she said. “The academics call it devised theatre, we make it up as well as do it,” added Jaster. “They’ve done this for centuries, way back when the commedia dellarte toured Europe in the Renaissance era,” he said.

Jaster, who received his dramatic arts major from Amherst College in Massachusetts, studied with the Etienne Decroux in Paris and served as the famous mime Marcel Marceau’s teaching assistant in Michigan.

He says the Saturday workshop will include a high quotient of fun. “That’s the way I like to teach. Equip them with the technique and then send them off to play with it,” he said.

The couple will be returning to the States for the Maryland Renaissance Festival, which typically has an attendance of 20,000. They’ll be performing four shows daily for nine weekends.

Their last performance was at the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington. Their show Low Tide Hotel was voted the Best Comedy of the Fringe. “We would like to be here longer, but there is so much that we are doing all the time,” said Mandall. “We’re doing what we love.”

For tickets and workshop registration call 748-0205 or 649-3488. The workshop is $25. Shows on Saturday and Sunday are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Limited seating.