In a week full of endlessly repeated questions asking for the same superficial details of the summer, Jess Chayes ’07 must be relieved to be able to provide unique answers.
Chayes and her newly-formed company, The American Story Project, did something remarkable this summer: they brought their original play, “We Can’t Reach You, Hartford,” to the world-famous Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“We Can’t Hear You, Hartford” played at Edinburgh’s Bedlam Theater from Aug. 7 to Aug. 19 to good-sized houses. It was reviewed four times, including in The Scotsman, one of Scotland’s largest newspapers. The reviewer wrote of, “a lyrical, well-researched script, slick performances by the cast, and Jess Chayes’ imaginative direction.” The Scotsman proceeded to nominate the play for the “Fringe First,” which is an extremely prestigious award given to new writing that premieres at the festival. Although “We Can’t Hear You, Hartford,” did not win, the trip was a resounding success.
“I can’t speak highly enough about my experience in Edinburgh,” Stokar said. “We got to see a lot of other new and alternative theater, which was definitely a highlight. Even in just two weeks, the city of Edinburgh began to feel like a second home. We became pros when it came to our own art while learning a lot about local culture. It really is a privilege to be able to form relationships with students on another continent who essentially have the same passion for theater as we do.”
Chayes both directed and co-wrote the play with Stephen Aubrey ’06. Her cast consisted of Edward Bauer ’08, Elissa Kozlov ’08, Haley Stokar ’06, Mike James ’07, and Annie Bodel ’08. They all contributed creatively to the script. Behind the scenes, a supporting crew of Katey Rich ’06, Erin Smith ’06, Greg Malen ’07, Nick Benacerraf ’08, and Scott Elmegreen, who attends Princeton University, took care of everything from lighting and costume design to music composition.
The road from conception to opening night involved a lot of work and dedication from the cast and crew of “We Can’t Reach You, Hartford.”
“The company set out to try and achieve some sort of balance between historical accuracy and compelling staging,” said Chayes. “[Aubrey] grew up in Connecticut and suggested the Hartford Circus Fire as a possible true story. None of us had even heard of it, but the moment we started reading about it, we were hooked by the dramatic possibilities and the emotional impact of the event.”
An ensemble cast portrayed a variety of characters, telling both fanciful and factual stories of the fire. A series of workshops at Wesleyan throughout the spring brought in constructive feedback for Chayes and Aubrey, who revised the script before leaving for Scotland. The play will be revised again this semester and re-mounted in April as Chayes’ directing thesis.
Bringing an entire play across the Atlantic costs money, so as the cast worked to put together a play, Kozlov took on the role of producer.
“My main goal was to raise money, lots and lots of money,” Kozlov said. “So I called Wesleyan Alumni relations and spoke to Sandy Tello, the head of the alumni club in New York City. She was phenomenal, helping me to find alumni contacts who might want to help. We rented out a theater in Greenwich and were able to send an e-mail to everyone on the New York City listserv. We played two performances and brought in 180 people.”
Eventually, it became clear that they were missing out on a lot of funds from grants because the project lacked non-profit status. Kozlov began pursuing non-profit status in February, jumping through countless hoops, from filing fees to finding a pro-bono lawyer. In the end, however, The American Story Project was born. Although non-profit status wasn’t applicable until after the festival, Kozlov sees a future for the fledgling company.
“We see a future working together, Jess and I, we enjoy working together,” Kozlov said. “We did our first play together when I was in seventh grade and she was in eighth grade. So Jess and I incorporated hoping that this would be something we could do after we graduate.”
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