Asheville – “Attic Salt (noun): Particularly acute, graceful, biting wit, as embodied in the satirical comedies of Aristophanes.”
Asheville, NC, is home to many theater companies. Offhand, I can name 15, but I am certain that number is much higher. That may seem too saturated for one little Southern city, but each of these troupes has their own approach to this 3,500-year-old art form, offering audience members a myriad of theatrical experiences depending on their mood and tastes.
For Attic Salt Theatre Company, the focus is on strong writing. Whether it is a mainstage production or a residency in a school, founders Jeff Catanese and Marci Bernstein know the foundational importance of well-constructed dialogue.
Established in New York City in 1998, the partners quickly realized that their artistic dream needed steady funding, and they found the solution in a creative place.
“Much of the money to start the company, to get the company going, could be garnered by doing children’s theater and also residencies in schools. And while we were in New York, that was a lot of our focus. Creating curriculum, running classes, and touring shows for kids,” Catanese explained.
That necessity became a passion as well, which led Bernstein and Catanese to co-author three educational children’s theater books for Scholastic, Inc. It also pushed them to write and produce their own works because the cost of getting the rights to plays in New York was often prohibitive.
With their original material came the creation of costumes and props. In New York City, however, those had to be far more portable than here in Asheville. Pieces were designed to be repurposed, compact, and easily packed up to travel on the subway.
Many of those creations are still being used in current shows. In fact, 2017’s The Kids Show: Definitely Not For Kids, an adult version of an Attic Salt children’s show (co-written by Jeff Catanese and Rodney Smith), utilized costumes and props from the early subway days in New York City.
Obtaining the rights to shows has gotten much easier since relocating to Asheville, and that has been essential for producing mainstage shows such as their most recent, Lies, written by Jerry Slaff. The two-person play was directed by Catanese and starred Christy Montesdeoca and Jered Jackson Shults.
The riveting drama was dialogue-driven, with the strong writing foundation that Attic Salt Theatre requires for any of the work they produce.
After more than two decades of heading up Attic Salt, Bernstein moved into the role of Executive Director at Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, NC. Parkway offers a free, summer touring program for children called Reading is Alive. This year, Parkway and Attic Salt are partnering up and presenting Attic Salt’s show The Tale of the Pig as Parkway’s Reading is Alive offering.
All performances are free and, through a partnership with Penland School of Crafts, will begin with the audience creating something to take with them. Each child will also receive a complimentary book after the show.
Making the performing arts accessible seems to be at the heart of both Attic Salt Theatre and Parkway Playhouse. In addition to both organizations offering theater classes for children, Parkway also has youth summer camps and apprenticeships.
While Parkway is closed during the winter months, Attic Salt is open year-round. When they are not using their studio for their own shows, they rent it to musicians, dance troupes, classes, and other theater companies. The 2,300-square-foot space even includes a sound booth for voiceover artists.
All of this also helps pay to remain in The Mill at Riverside, a former industrial complex at 2002 Riverside Drive in Asheville, which is now home to many small businesses, art-based companies, and small manufacturers.
Next up on the calendar for Attic Salt Theatre is a sketch comedy show in July. Organized by head writer and director Rodney Smith, this will be another in his hilariously popular series, which began with Crimes & Missed Demeanings at The Magnetic Theatre in 2018.
If you’re looking for something funny to tide you over until then, Parkway Playhouse has a full season of comedies, starting with The Red Velvet Cake Wars on Friday, June 2nd.