Boca Raton’s Primal Forces theater company, founded in 2014 by artistic director Keith Garsson, emerges from the pandemic with new productions, a new attitude, and a new name – Boca Stage.
The company, located in The Sol Theater, at 3333 North Federal Highway is a professional theater company that produces new and topical works geared to a sophisticated theatergoer looking for alternatives to revivals and musicals.
Past productions have included the 2019 production of Emily Mann’s “Having Our Say” with Karen Stephens and Avery Somers, “Breadcrumbs” by Jennifer Haley, and Laura Eason’s “Sex with Strangers,” which won the New Times Best Play of 2016.
“We want to be more aligned with our home and the City of Boca Raton,” says Garsson, about the name change, and says he is “excited to be coming back.”
He works in tandem with Genie Croft, artistic director and founding member of the multi-Carbonnell nominated Women’s Theater Project.
“All the world’s a stage,” says Croft, “and I can’t wait to be live in this world again.”
“The energy and dynamics of live theater are beyond description,” she says. “They are the essence of living, of being in the moment and transcribing those feelings to an audience. That’s the creative process.”
Last March 13, the company shut down on what was to be Opening Night of their production of award-winning playwright Kenneth Lin’s “Warrior Class,” a modern-day variation on the Faust legend which explores the underbelly of a political campaign. Lin has also written for the Netflix series, “House of Cards.”
The play is currently rescheduled for November 2021.
Garsson credits his landlords, Keith and Sara Grant, for their flexibility and financial help during the pandemic and says, “Without them, it could have been the end of the game.”
He also appreciates his loyal subscriber base which he says, “has been great.” Boca Stage will honor all tickets purchased for the canceled season for a future date. Garsson says he will personally call each and every subscriber to assure them the theater is returning in November and their tickets are good for a future performance.
“My heart goes out to our actors and designers who bore the brunt of losing their livelihoods during this past year of the pandemic,” says Garsson, who also runs a full-time software business.
“Of all the people who are allowed to complain, I’m not one of them,” he jokes.
While some theater companies found ways to produce virtual productions or other streaming shows Garsson says, “We are purists. We believe live theater and all its drama is best seen live.”
“It’s hard to compete with Netflix or Amazon,” he says. “Why would people stream my production when they can watch “Bridgerton” or “The Crown” or “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?”
“The way I see it is I’d rather have nothing, than settle for less,” says Garsson, referring to what he says is a phrase “loosely translated from the Yiddish.”
Luckily, this fall people will have the choice to see live theater at Boca Stage, with one caveat – everybody must be vaccinated.
Garsson plans to ensure both patrons and employees are vaccinated by Oct. 1. “Safety is our priority; we can’t risk anyone’s safety,” he says.
Croft concurs, “We cannot wait to bring our creative vision once again to an audience sharing in the evolving moments of a story coming to life,” she says. “I look forward to sharing this experience with our audience.”
Besides “Warrior Class,” on deck for the 2021-22 season (the company’s 7th season) are four South Florida premieres featuring characters struggling against the system and tackling topics such as Hollywood legends and myths, (Elton Townend Jones’s “The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe”), big pharma (Kate Fodor’s “Rx”), children’s rights (“Luna Gale,” a new play by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Rebecca Gilman), and the lunacy of the military bureaucracy in playwright Richard Strand’s “Ben Butler,” a Civil War comedy about real-life army general.
“Our audiences have made it quite clear that they enjoy the little-known plays with interesting topics,” says Garsson, who reads approximately 50-60 plays each month while exercising on the treadmill.
“We’re very lucky that today’s playwrights are providing works that are both relevant and different from the standard fare,” he says. “Barring unforeseen events, this will be a good season.”
Tickets are on sale now for $45 ($50 Sunday matinees.) Subscriptions may be purchased at www.bocastage.org or by calling 1-866-811-4111. Individual ticket sales will be available in mid-September. Thursday previews, Friday, and Saturday nights 8 p.m. curtain, and Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. curtain.