Factory Edge Fundraiser, Interview with Benjamin Greene

Factory Edge Theatre Works—whose debut production, The Rocky Horror Show, ran at the Mobtown Theatre from October 23 to November 9—will be holding its 1st Annual Fundraiser on Tuesday, November 17, at Miss Irene's in Fells Point (1738 Thames Street; 410-558-0033). The event will begin at 6:30 PM. There will be music, sketch and improv comedy, and magic, as well as a silent auction and a raffle.

Below is a brief interview conducted by Brent Englar with Benjamin Greene, president of the board and a founding member of Factory Edge Theatre Works, as well as the owner of Miss Irene’s and the Waterfront Hotel, also in Fells Point.

Question: How did Factory Edge begin?

BG: After having such a great time with Mobtown's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch many years ago [the production was named “Best of Stage, 2004,” by City Paper], my love of musicals was rekindled. Earlier this summer, I bought a used copy of Repo! The Genetic Opera [a 2008 film/rock opera about a futuristic organ transplant company that “repossesses” organs from patients who miss their payments]. During a particularly slow day, I put it on the TV. Within minutes I stopped all manner of work and starting thinking about how to stage it, block it, build the set, how much it would cost. Imagine my disappointment when I could not get the rights for it. However, having circulated as many copies of the DVD as I could buy amongst my musician and actor friends, the idea of a company that does dark, cutting-edge musicals had infected so many of us that with a slim time line, a miniscule budget, and only three weeks of dark space to work with, we went ahead with Rocky as it fit the paradigm. We wanted to keep the energy rolling and just go for it.

Question: How do you see the company developing over time?

BG: We see the company renting space for the upcoming 2010 season, but our short-term goal is to obtain, develop, and maintain a space of our own by summer 2011.

Question: On Factory Edge’s Facebook site, you write that you're “dedicated to bringing the most different and cutting edge Musical Theatre to life.” What exactly does “different and cutting edge” mean in the context of your first show, your first season, and future seasons? Do you plan to produce or create new musical theatre, or will you mostly focus on reviving older shows?

BG: The season we are looking at now—if we can secure the rights—would be Rocky again (and forevermore every Halloween), Reefer Madness in spring … there is talk of Tommy, Little Shop, etc. In the next few seasons, we are considering everything that has been done recently in Baltimore—from Hedwig to Sweeney Todd—as they are immensely popular and could garner a break-even (as most local theaters never see) if left to a longer run. We are building on some homegrown ideas, including writing our own musicals based on common experiences—be it online dating or, indeed, “putting on a musical.” We will obviously revive what we like with our own spin, but there is so much out there to do that fits our ideas. You will never see Factory Edge do The King and I, Sound of Music, Seven Brides ... no kids theater.

Question: Is there a core group of people with whom you expect to work on most/all of your shows (whether actors, designers, directors, admin, etc.)?

BG: The core group so far is our Board of Directors: myself, Lance Bankerd as Artistic Director, Mandee Ferrier Roberts as Musical Director, Lisa Dickenson on grants and fundraising, Lorraine Imwold on admin and box office, Lenny [Wisniewski III, the Vice President], Heiko [Spieker, who assistant directed The Rocky Horror Show], Erika [Bankerd], Lee [Conderacci], Dennis [Jaworski], and the rest of the board of course. You will absolutely see most of our actors and actresses back from Rocky in increasingly interesting and different roles.

Question: What's been the most difficult part of the experience so far? The most surprising? The most fun?

BG: The most difficult part so far—and I dare to say the most difficult part for any business—is threefold: time, communication, and cash flow. I wouldn't at all hesitate to say that many if not all of our technical problems could have been easily solved had the potential problems and solutions had more time to flush themselves out, [had we] communicated better with the cast and crew to implement the said solution, [and had we had] the funds needed to do so. We need better mics, better lights, better everything. Imagine the costumes and set we could have had if we were better funded—as such, this now becomes our challenge. Musicals are just plain costly: musicians cost money, rights cost even more, rent, set, costumes, etc. To this end we are beginning our fundraising efforts in earnest to garner the funds we need to get our own space with the quality tools needed to firmly establish Factory Edge. 

[As for] the most surprising and fun: WHAT A FUN CAST! I cannot tell you how many times the cast improvised and pulled an unannounced and unrehearsed practical joke on stage in the middle of the show—be it Riff using a sexual aid for a ray gun, Brad pulling out a stuffed porpoise from his robe, the band hilariously interacting with the cast unscripted from the pit—to the hundreds of ways Frank-n-Furtur chose to “die,” make fun of Columbia, combat overly vocal audience members … wow. It was a different experience every performance. It kept our audience coming back week after week, bringing more and more new fans of this classic with them.

The whole production was a blast from start to finish. The cast rocks and rocks well together. I am too proud just to have produced it.

Question: Is there anything else you’d like to emphasize? 

BG: Factory Edge Theatre Works is here to stay. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation looking for a home, patrons, converts, believers, friends, and family. Come and see us next Tuesday at our fund raiser and we can start to realize our dreams as well as entertain you for years to come.