BRAVO: Finding theatrical balance at the Warehouse stage | Arts And Entertainment

Every community theater faces the same issue year after year. Ask any one of them across the country, “What’s the most challenging thing about selecting a season of plays?” There’s no question that their answer will be “Balance.”

Balance between tried and true “old chestnuts” drawing audiences by name alone and new plays that will be crowd pleasers if only the crowd will attend; balance between straight plays and musicals; balance between shows that stretch actors and those that stretch audiences; balance between shows for adults and those that are kid friendly; balance between comedies that gives patrons a chance to laugh without having to think too much and dramas that can act as a forum for thought provoking dialogue. Finding something for everyone is the goal every time.

Over the next 30 days, the Warehouse Theatre Company will offer Yakima audiences a chance to take in works on either end of the theatrical spectrum.

On one end is the current show, “Boeing Boeing” by Marc Camoletti. Running now through Feb. 28, this play is farce at its best. Set in the “swingin’ 1960s,” it’s the story of Bernard Lawrence, an architect who is dating three airline hostesses at once, each of whom believes she is his one and only fiancé. What could possibly go wrong, right? When they all show up at the same time, there is much ado about dating and the laughs are non-stop.

In her program notes, “Boeing Boeing” director Ryan Clinkenbeard sums it up best: “There is something timeless about a well-crafted farce. When it works, it feels effortless—doors slam, identities tangle, misunderstandings multiply—and laughter becomes inevitable. But beneath that whirlwind is a piece of theatre that demands precision, trust, and a deep respect for the audience.”

That respect means that patrons are carried along on a two-hours journey where the minutes fly by. They’re immersed in a Parisian apartment the moment they enter the theater and in true farcical fashion, they’re always one step ahead of the characters in anticipating the shenanigans to come. Audiences know from the jump that Bernard’s clever plan to keep three women on the hook is never going to work and that they will have a front row seat to the crash of his high-flying plans.

Clinkenbeard says this play “… invites us all to laugh together, to delight in chaos and to enjoy the kind of storytelling that reminds us why live theatre is so much fun.” It “understands exactly what it is: joyful, unapologetic escapism, built on impeccable timing and human folly. It doesn’t ask to be taken seriously—but it does ask to be taken seriously as comedy.”

The second play to grace the WTC stage in the coming month is David Auburn’s drama “Proof.” On the flip side of a theatrical coin from the farce of “Boeing Boeing” this is a serious play that asks to be taken seriously.

“Proof” is directed by a Warehouse Theatre veteran making her directorial debut, Megan Hawkins. She proposed this play to the selection committee as a candidate to fill the position of “sixth show” in the WTC season. Since the 1970’s, the company has offered five shows per season. As a rule, the plays were chosen to remain cleanly in the lane of family friendly theater. While that plan continues to work, it isn’t as friendly to a fully balanced series of theater offerings. Balance requires weight on both ends of the scale.

To explore audience reaction to more weighty drama, the Warehouse slid an additional show – a “sixth show” – into the 2024/2025 season. That first foray into plays with adult language and more challenging content was the November 2024 production of “The Quality of Life” by Jane Anderson. A moving play focusing on end-of-life questions and the deeply personal reaction to loss, it, too, was a serious play that was taken seriously. It received only glowing praise from patrons in attendance. So, the “sixth show” is now the norm.

Hawkins is a fan of “Proof” because it is serious. “It explores adult themes including mental health, misogyny in academic spaces and complicated family dynamics.” Audiences will hear adult language inspired by reaction to real world frustrations. “It does contain some adult language,” says Hawkins. But she adds that “it’s powerful because it’s a thoughtful, realistic and sometimes quietly intense piece.”

Scene 1 of “Proof” opens on the eve of Catherine’s (T’liia Franklin) 25th birthday. After years of caring for her failing father, Robert (Michael Meeks) – a brilliant mathematician troubled by the ogre of mental instability – Catherine is wrestling with her emotions as she seeks a purpose in her life. The arrival of her estranged sister, Claire (Carlee Richard), presents one kind of challenge, while Hal (Aaron Cohen), a former student of her father, poses another. When Hal’s search of the professor’s 103 notebooks leads to a mysterious find, Catherine has an even more challenging problem: Will she inherit her father’s genius… or his madness?

“’Proof’ is an intimate, emotionally layered show,” says Hawkins. “The cast has jumped in with a level of honesty and care that has made the early rehearsal process feel both exciting and meaningful.”

Newcomer to the Warehouse stage Aaron Cohen agrees. “Being my first show at WTC, it is great to go to such welcoming and supportive rehearsals to tackle the intricate themes of grief and intelligence in this show,” he says. “I’m excited to see what elements of the story audience members are drawn to.”

Warehouse veteran Michael Meeks – the man who coincidentally directed “The Quality of Life” – finds himself working with a largely unfamiliar cast and crew as he prepares his role in “Proof.” He sees art imitating life through the rehearsal process. “Early rehearsals are a bit awkward. And that’s the tone in Act I as well. Catherine and Hal dance around each other, unsure, repulsed and intrigued all at once while Claire and Catherine do their best to appear genial and unthreatening so as to not rock the boat. Ultimately, each character, real or fictional, is trying to be seen, judged worthy and valued.”

Of the rehearsal period, stage manager Kayce Helgert says this one is different in many ways from her previous experiences. “This show has only four incredible actors, and that makes rehearsals seem to fly by.” Obviously, this play has serious content, however “the comedic moments have made it a joy to come to rehearsal each day.”

Producer Keila Scott agrees, but says, “Things that touch me the most about this show are the elements of mental health, family dynamics and people’s expectations/limitations of others. We all believe that we know our family members well, but do we? Or do we just know what we want them to be? It certainly makes you think about how you are treating others and how you want to be seen.”

To be sure, patrons of the Warehouse Theatre Company love a good laugh. They’ve come to trust the creatives who pick and choose and produce musicals and comedies at the WTC. And there’s nothing wrong with that. While dramatic shows such as “Proof” sometimes give them pause, theater people – whether they come from away or live in downtown Yakima – know that the WTC is driven by its mission to engage, enrich and encourage audiences through sharing all kinds of theater experiences. The Warehouse will unveil its 2026/2027 season of plays in mid-March. Their obvious hope is that it will attract a wide range of supportive patrons to the theater.

Despite best attempts, it’s safe to say that every community theater falls short of the “something for everyone” holy grail. But the artform is such that every season may well offer a play that ends up being “everything for someone.” In the end, that may be the most meaningful measure of balance.