“To love another person is to see the face of God.” This is the famous concluding line by Herbert Kretzner in Les Misérables. If this is true, then perhaps the people of True Repertory Theatre have created a sacred experience for all between their easily noted love for one another and their commitment to the community.
True Repertory Theatre, based out of The Beal House in Kingston, was born out of a passion for the art of theater that continues to fuel founder, Donald Sheehan. Sheehan founded TRT in 2000 -the summer after completing graduate school. With an MFA in acting from Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, RI, and a love for acting and theater that started as a 13-year-old in Pembroke, Sheehan has been leading local theater down paths of success for over two decades. From Shakespeare performances at Fort Revere, to debuting modern day, independent works, Sheehan has the repertoire and experience to guide his theater company in any creative direction with success. In addition to Sheehan, a group of talented, ambitious, dedicated artistic visionaries have joined him on the adventure to bring local theater to the South Shore. They are now celebrating their 25th Anniversary Season.
Paving the path hand in hand for local theater with Sheehan, Victoria Bond is an integral and irreplaceable force in TRT. Bond found a love for acting as a child and majored in theater at Emerson College with a focus on acting. She spent a decade in NYC working in all aspects of theater -on stage, backstage, box office, front of house, and administration. “What I found I loved most, though” says Bond, “are new plays and new works. I love fresh, current, and ground-breaking material and being able to see it received by audiences for the first time is amazing.”
After the events of 9/11, Bond and her husband left NYC to settle in Massachusetts where she had her daughter. After eight years away from the stage, Bond returned and co-founded Rogue Theatre Company, a 501c3 not-for-profit theater. With Rogue, Bond has been a performer, producer, director, writer, and administrator. She currently serves as President and Artistic Director of the organization. In 2017, she started working with True Repertory Theatre as an actress and currently serves as their Associate Artistic Director.
In addition to Bond, Mark Reed has become a solid force in the success of TRT. Growing up, Reed was involved in football and other sports and though he found secret enjoyment in observing acting and theater, he never felt there was a place for him in that world. “I thought, I can’t do theater, I am a jock! But every time I saw it, I could not stop thinking about how much I would love doing it,” Reed recounts. “It wasn’t until twelve years ago after seeing my daughter’s journey with theater that I decided it was time to just try it out.” Reed took acting classes and auditioned for TRT and landed his first role. For Reed, the experience can be daunting and demanding, but is always more than worth any effort. “Sometimes, I am driving to rehearsals and thinking ‘What am I doing?’ and then I get here and I am reminded that there is nowhere I would rather be. For me, the dividends it pays to me are more than I could have ever dreamed. Getting to work with these amazing people and the network we are part of -it makes it all worth it to me. I even met my significant other here.”
Leading the group of equally inspired and inspirational people in TRT, Sheehan has overcome and triumphed in spite of significant challenges in his theater journey. Though based locally, opportunities were in place to take Sheehan elsewhere. “I had the chance to start working at a theater with a friend down in New York City. I moved down there, but discovered I was ill. I had to really think about if I wanted to pound the pavement as a struggling actor down there for years, or come back home where I could focus on my health and where I knew there was a need for local theater -something NYC has plenty of already.” After returning home and receiving a kidney transplant on July 19, 2016, he was prompted to start Project 719 -a community-based outreach initiative that brings awareness and fundraising to various organizations whose missions align with the dramatic themes of the TRT season.
A common theme among the members of TRT is the focus on, and awareness of, community, and the power local theater has to support and connect audiences. TRT has made an effort to collaborate with local programs and support organizations that sustain and uplift minority groups and those in need. One local collaboration was with Hope Floats where experts in grief counseling have come to coach actors in portraying grief and TRT has provided an entertainment outlet for those looking for an escape or a healing night out. “Theater can touch on many things,” Bond says, “Local theater can touch on things that are particularly relevant in a community because we are part of the community. We want to pass this gift along to as many people as we can.”
For the holiday season TRT worked with and cast actors of different abilities to be in Christmas Carol. “It was one of the most beautiful experiences we have ever had,” Sheehan recounts. “We also make sure we are supporting and including those in the LGBTQ and other marginalized groups so that everyone feels comfortable and knows they have a place here at TRT and in theater in general.”
In addition to inclusion in the community, local theater has the ability to reach new talent and expose those who may not be able to attend the big shows of Broadway or major theaters near cities. Bond points out, “Community theater gets a bad rap, but it should be seen as an incubator for new ideas, new voices, and new talent. You should not have to go to Boston or New York to have your work shown or to see really good theater. It should be something available to the community on a local level.” Reed also notes that affordability is a major benefit of having local theater. “We are a really affordable night out,” says Reed, “You can enrich your soul and mind for a really reasonable price and that is important to make theater accessible to everyone. It shouldn’t always cost a fortune for a ticket -most of us can’t do that.” Sheehan also explains that tickets can be acquired for TRT shows for free with their ticket support program. “We have patrons that donate money or they pay for a ticket, sans getting the ticket so that we have funds available to cover those who can’t afford the admission. We want to make sure everyone can come see the show regardless of financial circumstances.”
As for the future of TRT, Sheehan says further community connection is on the horizon. “We want to start up a summer camp -possibly for kids to learn about and get involved in theater. We had high school students come from Middleborough and the questions they asked and the brilliance and talent they showed -it was amazing and we want to connect more with the youth like that in the community -the future writers and actors.”
Whether you are looking for an enjoyable and affordable night out, or for a way to pick up that passion again for theater (they welcome anyone to audition!), or explore an entirely new hobby, even if you are simply wanting to find a meaningful local organization, True Repertory Theatre is worthy of a leading role as a priority in the community. Sheehan has written and offered up the greatest script one can in life -one where people can come together, be their messy, brilliant human selves, and work hard to create and express art in a true, honest, and unfiltered form. He has created the only stage anyone ever needs to find -the one where everyone has a part, a purpose, and aside from their characters in the production, they never have to act like anything but themselves.
Don’t miss True Repertory Theatre’s next show: The Odd Couple, Directed by Victoria Bond
March 6, 7, 13 at 8 p.m.
March 8, 14, 15 at 3 p.m.
The Beal House 222 Main St., Kingston
TrueRepTheatre.com