The Fort Point area of South Boston has long been known for its arts community, and the Boston area’s newest theatre company has made its home in the district. The Fort Point Theatre Channel, currently in the midst of its inaugural season, was founded earlier this year largely through the collaboration of composer Mark Warhol and director Marc Miller, now the company’s Artistic Director.
According to Miller, the two men met while working on another production and began to search for a piece on which they could collaborate. Shortly thereafter, both relocated to Midway Studios in Fort Point and decided that their project would serve as the initial effort of an ongoing company, “based in and drawing on the Fort Point arts community.”
It was soon agreed that the company’s first production would be Sarah Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis, after news of its success in Paris at the Theatre Bouffes de Nord. According to the play’s program, 4:48 Psychosis was selected because Miller and his colleagues wished to “present art that is close to home…that we feel compelled to present,” even at the risk of losing money and raising controversy over subject matter, in this case the issue of suicide.
That being said, Miller is also dedicated to creating a going concern, and is already at work with his core group—a diverse assembly of technical designers and artists, most of whom worked on 4:48 Psychosis and also make their homes in Fort Point—on ideas and issues of scope, structure, and mission. Miller intends to create a “professional performance company…nurtured and inspired by the artistic talent that lives and works in Fort Point, enriching all of Boston and beyond.”
Tentative plans call for the company’s next full-scale production sometime this winter. In the interim, they will be continuing their Exclamation Point! readings of short works from Fort Point writers and friends. The first of these served as the kickoff event for the company, with the next being held sometime in November.
In addition, the Fort Point Theatre Channel will be presenting Week 49 of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays cycle on October 20th-21st at locations throughout the community. Parks created the cycle beginning in 2002 by writing a play a day for one year, and theaters all over the country are presenting the cycle one week at a time. After deciding to become involved, Marc Miller was informed a slot had opened up that neatly coincided with Fort Point’s annual Open Studios event, which draws crowds into the area that might not otherwise be present.
4:48 Psychosis runs through September 22nd at Midway Studios, 15 Channel Center Street. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 pm and Friday/Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets are $22.