DEBORA SHAULIS | On the Scene Theater groups work together

Three years ago, Boardman-bred playwright Michael Dempsey finished writing a comedy about rival community theater groups trying to outmaneuver each other in a small town. He called it "The Romeo and Juliet War" and directed its first production at Oakland Center for the Arts in Youngstown.
It was a farce, but anyone who has participated in community theater could find truths in it, too, about pride, ego and protecting one's turf.
These days, Jack Ballantyne of Youngstown imagines the real-life flip side of "The Romeo and Juliet War" -- a joint special production, with many groups contributing to one big show to benefit all of them.
That's one of the long-term goals of Youngstown Area Community Theater Alliance, a new effort to foster collaboration among the many theater groups in the region.
YACTA's mission statement -- about creating "an atmosphere of support" through "artistic, technical and financial cooperation" -- was derived from the frustration that community theaters share in finding adequate money for advertising, talented actors to perform and equipment to meet technical needs, said Ballantyne, a play director and YACTA founder.
First effort fizzled
If Ballantyne's name sounds familiar, it's because he was active in Save Our Stage, the group that supported the return of Bentley Lenhoff as executive director at Youngstown Playhouse.
Asked if YACTA is a spinoff of Save Our Stage, Ballantyne said, "No, not at all. The Alliance is something that a couple of us had in mind for maybe a year or so," after a similar effort by former Playhouse managing director Robert Vargo fizzled.
Groups that are registered YACTA members so far are J & amp;B Production Arts Services, which is Ballantyne's company; Youngstown State University Performing Arts Department; Easy Street Productions; Oakland Center for the Arts; The Actors' Project; Youngstown Playhouse; and Victorian Players. Ten people representing three-quarters of the registered groups were at YACTA's first informational meeting, which was last week.
"We don't have a whole lot joined up ... but we have enough to start," Ballantyne said. "I think others will come in and join up when they see the benefits."
Scheduling
That idea for a joint production will be on the back burner for now as participants delve into more pressing matters.
Take scheduling, for instance. In Dempsey's play, the fictional groups are offering different productions of the same Shakespeare play at the same time. In reality, there's a weekend next February when five theaters -- New Castle Playhouse, Potter Players Community Theater in East Liverpool, Stage Left Players of Lisbon, Youngstown Playhouse and YSU Theater -- will launch new shows. Because they share essentially the same audience, YACTA will encourage discussions about scheduling in order to cut down on such logjams, Ballantyne said.
Another issue is that of show selection. Duplication isn't as big of a problem this season as in past years, but it does contribute to audience fatigue. If theater leaders are willing to share their plans early at YACTA meetings, perhaps other theaters should put off using the same plays for a few years, Ballantyne said.
If two theaters do offer the same show in the same season, people from the first production could share their experiences, he added.
Ballantyne's company already has developed a computer database of actors, technicians and even some directors and choreographers, he said. Anyone can download information for a fee ($10 per use, or $25 for one year of unlimited use), but the service will be free to YACTA members.
Common box office
The greatest interest seems to be in sharing the cost of advertisements and establishing a common box office, which would improve communication with the public and free up theater staffs and volunteers to do other work.
A YACTA newsletter will be published three times per year. All theaters, whether or not they are YACTA members, will receive the first issue, Ballantyne said.
YACTA also wants to make its presence known by participating in YSU Summer Festival of the Arts and setting up a tent at the next Canfield Fair. YACTA members also are planning the second annual Marquee Awards, which will honor actors and crew members from all of the area's community theaters at the end of this season. The first Marquee Awards were given only to Youngstown Playhouse participants from the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons, and only after the Playhouse administration didn't follow through with its own ceremonies.
Ballantyne was peppered with questions last week about how the awards will be done. A separate committee wrote a manual of contest rules, but already there are suggestions for some amendments. Ballantyne said they will stick with their plan rather than change the rules in mid-season, but the committee is prepared to update the manual annually.
The questions didn't alarm Ballantyne. "I liked all the input," he said. "It showed they were interested."
XDebora Shaulis is entertainment editor. Write her at shaulis@vindy.com.