That Which Is Old Is Made New
The Rebirth of Dobama Theatre

The walk down the steps feels vaguely familiar, and when you step through the double doors and see the thrust stage and low ceiling, there’s a brief moment of déjà vu. But make no mistake—while the new Dobama Theatre respectfully acknowledges its 50-year history, its leadership is looking towards the future.

There was a time not so long ago where it looked like Dobama might not have much of a future. The theater was without a home for several years and bounced around town, using any performance and rehearsal space it could. According to Managing Director Dianne Boduszek [pictured, right], things were so bad that when long-time Artistic Director Joyce Casey announced she was retiring in 2007, the theater didn’t have any extra money to put an ad in the paper to hire a new director. Boduszek originally came to Dobama in the late 1980s as an actor, a time when legendary co-founder Don Bianchi was still actively involved in the theater that bears (two letters) of his name. Upon coming to Dobama, Boduszek says, “I kind of felt like I had landed at home. I loved working with Don. He was a tremendous, tremendous man. But I had kids, so I went on a hiatus.”

That hiatus lasted until 2005, when the manufacturing company where Boduszek worked was sold. With time on her hands, she started pursuing other interests, including theater. She called Casey to see if she could help the theater in any way and was on the verge of becoming a board member when Casey announced her retirement. It was, Boduszek says, “a real tough time for the theater. We didn’t have a home. It was a small board, and not necessarily a strong one. We were struggling financially. To Joyce’s credit, she ran a very lean ship. She did a lot with very little.” The inability even to advertise the theater’s key staff position was a turning point, making it very clear the theater needed to focus on the business end of its operations. Actor/director Joel Hammer [pictured, left], himself a veteran of many Dobama productions, offered to take over the artistic direction of the theater if Boduszek handled the managing director duties.

The two have known each other for years, and their respect for each other’s talents and intellect is readily apparent in conversation. Both Boduszek and Hammer are keenly aware of Dobama’s long and storied history in Cleveland, but they are equally aware that the theater operates in a very different world than it did at its founding 50 years ago.

For years, Dobama functioned as a theater community, in which audiences would frequently see the same faces onstage more than once during the course of a season. And if a company member wasn’t in the cast for a particular show, it’s a safe bet she or he put in time backstage. Hammer notes that the theater—Dobama and the theater world in general—is very different. He says, “That whole notion of company and family is just gone because all of these other theaters sprouted up. Once they started paying people, it made it more competitive. There is a certain competition for talent. That has changed.” He notes that “Everybody onstage gets paid now. So does the stage manager.”

While Dobama may no longer be seen as the young upstart in rebellion against the theater establishment, it has cemented a reputation as the home of theater that is consistently new and different. Boduszek is more than comfortable with this role. “No matter who you are, you have a mission,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out one. We have a very simple, very solid mission. We do new works by emerging and existing playwrights. We focus on new. It doesn’t have to be political. It doesn’t have to have to hard-to-understand accents. It doesn’t need that. It just needs to be new and it needs to be good.”

She acknowledges the hard truth that “not everything is going to be good.” She goes back to her mentor, Don Bianchi: “Don’s belief was that you take risks. You don’t judge anyone on one thing. You judge them on a body of work. Our patrons enjoy this ride.” And they clearly do: the theater’s subscriber base has doubled since it moved to its new home.

Boduszek notes that any physical similarities between the two spaces are somewhat coincidental. Dobama had originally agreed to take two spaces in the old Heights YMCA—the gym and the pool. After several years of delays for a variety of reasons, it became clear that Dobama could only handle one space. The floor in the gym was not secure enough to hold the maximum audience capacity and would have required costly reinforcements. “Financially it was a greater undertaking than the pool,” she says. So by default, the theater is once again underground. It’s clear that Boduszek adores the new theater space, saying, “It just presents so beautifully when you walk in. There’s such a feeling of potential when you walk through those doors. It’s like all blue skies in there. It’s just sitting there waiting for impressions to be made.” Hammer is less poetic: “I’m just glad to have it. For the last four years, we had to run around and find places to rehearse and perform. It just feels so good to be here.”

Hammer directed the first show in the new space and learned that it does have some acoustic problems, but adds, “I think we’ll iron those out over time.” The larger issue to him is the very limited backstage space. “The whole backstage area was something that crept up on me as we were going along [in rehearsals],” he says. “Looking at it on paper was different than working in here. …But it makes you think differently as a director and in terms of the shows you choose. When you lose depth, it takes away a certain creativity, but then you have to be creative in a different way. Every theater has its problems. There isn’t any theater where you can say, ‘I’ve got everything I wanted.’”

Both Boduszek and Hammer are excited and optimistic about Dobama’s future. Boduszek states “I’m overwhelmed with where we can go. There’s so much we want to do with the relationship with the library in terms of educational and adult programming. We’re providing opportunities for artists. There’s so much we can do.” Hammer hopes to offer workshops that would allow pairs of playwrights and directors collaboratively to work on their respective crafts. He also finds it interesting that “All these east side theaters are gone. The Playhouse is moving. Who knows where Ensemble will be. Calliope is gone. There’s stuff that still goes on on the west side or downtown, but we’re still here in the Heights area. I’m really proud of that. And I’m proud that we’re here on Lee Road because Lee Road is so cool. I think that the ball will start rolling. Once we have a season or two under our belt, we’ll be able to do more exciting work and open up our programming and really make this the community jewel that it could and should be.”

The former Dobama space had its quirks and, according to some long-time company members, its ghosts. Have the ghosts of Coventry moved to Lee Road? Hammer says, “I would hope so because certainly we’re standing on heir shoulders. If they hadn’t started this, Lord knows I never would have. If it weren’t for them and their labor, we wouldn’t be there. So I hope that they’re here. I think that they’re here.”

Boduszek is less sure: “I have no idea. I don’t know if their ghosts did, but I know I carry them. I know Joel carries them. When Joyce is here, she carries them. For me, it is all about them. Anybody could open a theater tomorrow. Anybody could. But to have a theater that is so revered and have such a legacy—that’s difficult.” One thing is certain—Dobama’s legacy is great hands, without or without the ghosts.

Dobama Theatre presents Gutenberg! The Musical!, the second production in its new space, December 4-January 2. Please call 216-932-3396 for tickets, show times, and information. Or visit http://www.Dobama.org. Dobama theater is (now) located at 2340 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights (downstairs—some things don’t change).'''

Susan Petrone

When Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Petrone is not writing an arts or culture article for Cool Cleveland, she writes fiction. Her first novel, A Body at Rest, was published in early 2009 by Drinian Press. An excerpt from the novel and some of her published short fiction are available at http://www.SusanPetrone.com.