Washington Ensemble Theatre will postpone the last play of its 2007 season, The Destruction of Hedda Gabler, its long-anticipated, ensemble-generated deconstruction of the Ibsen classic.
The reason, according to Katjana Vadeboncoeur (WET's communications director), has to do with Marya Sea Kaminski's starring role in Seattle Repertory Theatre's production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie. "Hedda was really meant to showcase her," Vadeboncoeur said. "It's her and Jen Zeyl's baby." (Zeyl, a Stranger Genius Award winner, is designing Rachel Corrie.) Rachel Corrie's performance schedule conflicts heavily with Hedda's rehearsal schedule, making Kaminski's participation nearly—or entirely—impossible.
There had already been talk of postponing Hedda Gabler so WET could do a coproduction that would be, according to Vadeboncoeur, "bigger, better, and louder." (And, presumably, better funded—she wouldn't specify the potential coproducers, but On the Boards is a good guess, as is the Rep, which is looking to brand its second stage, the Leo K, as more experimental.) Either way, Vadeboncoeur said, the conundrum is a sign of success: "It's an awesome problem to have."
It also brings up a difficult question: What is the function of a small, successful theater company? To launch its members to individual success or to be successful in its own right? The two are not, Kaminski said, mutually exclusive: "Individuals in the company may have varying levels of absence or presence at different times, but we work under the premise that what is good for one is good for all." WET is currently discussing whether to replace Hedda with another production.
My Name Is Rachel Corrie opens at the Seattle Rep on March 15.
