(July 24, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Alex Bulova and Alex Poirier about their local Fairfax based theater company, Class Act Players. In 2015, a group of young artists dreamt of a place where they could come together and hone their artistic skills as all-around theater makers. They joined forces to found Class Act Players, and worked together that summer to produce their first original musical.
The troupe is comprised of university students, who come together over the summer to put on original shows. They have a mission to support and showcase the work of budding playwrights. This summer’s production is called Air Mail Par Avion, and is the 4th original production that they have embarked on making. The very unique thing about this show is that a portion of it is improvisational, so each and every show is slightly different. Improv is not often used in musical productions, so they are excited to bring a new concept to the stage to create a different type of experience for audience members.
Previous productions include the Complete History of Fairfax: The Musical. No other groups have ever offered to produce their shows, but Catherine suggests that perhaps the high school theater programs might be interested in putting this show on as a part of a civics course. There are many possibilities.
For the first time this year, the group is accepting submissions of original scripts. The creative team will come together to decide which show they will select to produce. Both Bulova and Poirier are excited about the prospect collaborating with a local playwright to put together an original production. Their mission is to support and bolster local artists.
The Class Act players are currently operating out of the Lorton Arts Center, and the shows are very affordable to attend. Bulova and Poirer are thankful for their sponsors, both individual and corporate, who help keep them afloat and allow the theater to be accessible to all who want to attend. Having a place for new artists to test their work and try new things is very important. Their shows tend to be an outgrowth of their mission, posing the question of: what is art and who gets to make it? The production team shares a passion for producing quality theater productions, and they hope to continue to do that into the future.
In an example of how this program works, a writing prompt asked the participants to write a letter to one of their parents. One of the girls wrote a letter of appreciation to her Dad where she was able to express her gratitude and love for him. Another participant wrote to her Dad about the pain she felt after he left their family, and how sad she was that he was absent for most of her life. The juxtaposition of these two pieces highlights how each one of us goes through life by looking at the world through our own lens.