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On Monday night, the Big Tent Party, a gala fundraiser for Long Wharf Theatre, saw the regional theater institution begin its slow turn away from its Sargent Drive home and into a more nomadic future, as patrons gathered for an evening of food, drink, and entertainment that began and ended outside.
Brian Slattery Photo
“There are a lot of lasts,” said Kit Ingui, managing director of Long Wharf Theatre, “and we all marked them as they went by” as Long Wharf begins the long process of moving out of the Sargent Drive space it has occupied for decades.
The theater’s run of Queen last month, for example, was its last full production of a play. It will host two more events there — a concert of Jelly’s Last Jam for three nights in August and the sharing of a work in progress, Dignity, Always Dignity, later in the year — as well as a parade in September.
“But with that comes the excitement of what we get to do next,” Ingui said. “It was great to be able to announce the season” for 2022 – 23, “and to know we’ve got things to still do, but that’s the work of producing theater.” Though “instead of just building a creative team, we get to find a venue.”
This has involved creating deeper relationships with other arts organizations in town, from Southern Connecticut State University, Stetson Library, and the New Haven Pride Center to the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
“We’re lucky we already had some partnerships by nature of working together,” Ingui said, as was the case for the Pride Center and A&I; Long Wharf is co-producing Capsule on the Green on June 23. But “Lyman at SCSU, that’s a brand-new, deep partnership for us. It’s been really exciting to imagine and dream how we can work together.”
After all, as Ingui put it, “we are Long Wharf Theatre. That doesn’t end.” The organization anticipates an operating budget of between $3.5 million and $4 million for next year (in 2018, Long Wharf reported total revenue of about $5 million) and is moving fully into a more itinerant model of theater. (See this article about Long Wharf’s upcoming season for details on what that looks like.)
“We believe that there is value to be had by coming into different venues and absolving ourselves of physical trapping. I think there is something good there,” Ingui said. “We want to test that out. We want to try that. We want to be open and available.” In some ways, Ingui added, the process of reinventing how Long Wharf operates is itself “like making theater.”
Brian Slattery Photo
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And theater was, of course, what Long Wharf provided for its Big Tent Party, at which patrons were first treated to jazz from a quartet fronted by trumpeter and New Haven Jazz Underground founder and organizer Nick Di Maria (pictured above), while sipping cocktails provided by Ordinary’s Tim Cabral and hors d’oeuvres from Café George by Paula.
Inside the theater, emceed by performance artist Kiki Lucia, the audience was treated to live performances from Broadway star Gavin Creel — about to begin a run of Into The Woods— and the Tony award-winning actor and singer Nikki M. James.
That was followed by an intimate set from New Haven’s own Thabisa, who, backed only by guitarist Pete Greco, gave a sweeping vocal performance that swung from lilting to guttural, all in the service of the music. Lotta Studio had prepared a short documentary, See Me As, that dove into the riches of Long Wharf’s costume department.
A dance party outside closed out the evening, an apt metaphor for the direction the theater company is moving in — stepping outside its building with an air of determined joy.
Baby, what a PARTAH! A wonderful evening, great food and cocktails! Great DJ! and Folks ready to celebrate! And did you see that glorious full moon?! All the stars aligned for a great evening!