Written by: Jo Ann L.B. Duggins
Full Name: Paul Bargetto
Age: 40
Currently Residing: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Currently Listening to: Pandora
Paul Bargetto is sort of a theater dreamweaver. He took a bunch of artists and gave them a haven to grow in. The undergroundzero Festival is becoming a highlighted tradition at the Collective:Unconscious and with good reason. How often do you get to give an artist complete and total creative license and make their visions a stage reality? It might not be great every single show, but you can at least support the dream. Mr. Bargetto is doing something great for the community. He's bringing these artists to life and allowing them to fulfill their passions.
In my book that's pretty terrific. I decided to probe him for more information.
When did you begin the undergroundzero Festival and where did the concept come from?
I started the undergroundzero festival in 2007 at the Collective:Unconscious at their former location on Church Street in Tribeca. I had been invited by Caterina Bartha, the managing director, to a three week residency to make a project of my choosing. At the time I did not have the funding in place to make a play, so I decided, almost on a whim, to make a festival. I had been involved in Collective Unconscious since my earliest days in New York and I wanted to bring as many new artists as I could to experience the space and make new work.
One night I had a long conversation about the idea of the festival with the playwright Saviana Stanescu and the name undergroundzero was coined. Conceptually, I was always concerned with one thing - to create an opportunity for artists to make the work that was closest to their hearts. So I decided that in my position as curator I would only select artists, not projects. I would not meddle in their creative process or solicit applications and dvds. I would meet them individually, listen to their dreams, discuss the logistics and then step back and wait to see to see what appeared on the stage at festival time. I trust the artist to have full creative control of their work, and in exchange I insist that they take a big risk. More often than not I have been rewarded with very interesting work.
You've had problems in the past trying to get funding for these productions, how are things now in this economic climate?
It is very challenging, there is no other way to put it. After the 2008 festival Collective:Unconscious closed their venue on Church Street and stopped producing. The organization is in transition and did not apply for their traditional funding sources this fiscal year, or were no longer eligible. So this year I took the festival to PS 122 as a rental with very little funding and am producing it thorough my theater company East River Commedia. As I am writing this we are two thirds of the way through the festival and are succeeding mainly on the strength of our box office. I am also praying that the DCA will come through and support us. In addition, as always, it is the generosity of a small group of private individuals who love the theater that covers the rest.
There are a number of productions this year...is there a central theme to the productions or is it a mixed bag?
There is not a theme, but if you were able to see the whole festival I believe you would find a certain attitude present in all the work. I am seeking artists who are interested in experimentation - with forms, beliefs, language - new interpretations of classic texts, bold smash ups of forms, and new writing.
Which one would you recommend most for a first time OFF-OFF Broadway audience?
Since we are in our last week, I recommend Doris Mirescu's 3!, which is an adaptation of Fassbinder's film the Third Generation. Its a multi-media exploration that pushes a lot of boundaries. I am really excited to see it.
You're actually directing a piece in the festival, Jamal Lullabies. Can you tell us a little about it?
The Jamal Lullabies was performed in the first week of the festival. It is written by Emily Conbere and relates, in song, the story of Jamal Slims Hall, a young black student and drug dealer who was killed a party. The piece is performed by four white women. It is an exploration of race and desire and pushes into a lot of sensitive terrain. It was developed over three years at various venues and festivals by a core of performers who are also responsible for much of the arranging of the songs. They are Nicole Stefonek, Bekah Coulter, Allison Jill Posner, and Debbie Friedman.
How can people help your cause and what do you find most difficult about giving these artists a haven?
The most important thing people can do is come to the festival and share in the risk that the artists are taking. Theater works best when it is reinventing itself, and when it has active witnesses. There is a kind of distillation that happens between audience and performance that always excites me and is a big reason why I continue to make it.
The most difficult thing I face with the artists is not being able to give them more. All I offer is the venue, marketing and tech support. After that they are on their own. It would be great to offer them a budget and rehearsal space as well.
What do you find most exciting about doing this sort of Indie theater?
I love the surprise, and the gambles people take to make this work. There is almost no commercial gain to be had from doing this kind of work. It is closest to the purest expression of theater because it is made with passion and sweat and little else. The rewards are mostly aesthetic and personal, but they are always deeply felt - even in the failures.
Has it been difficult to market or find an audience?
Surprisingly no. By inviting many companies, you mingle and share audiences.
The undergroundzero Festival has been deemed an experimental "laboratory". Are the players the same every year or is it ever changing?
It is an ever changing line up. There are new artists, and artists from previous years who return. It depends on who wants to come! That said, I am very proud of the artists who return to take advantage of our laboratory to hone their voice and find the forms they are searching for.
Do you have future projects in the works?
I am developing a project with Saviana Stanescu called For A Barbarian Woman. Its a very interesting play about the Roman poet Ovid and the Black Sea city of Constanta. I am also developing a project with the Polish Cultural Institute and the brilliant young writer Dorata Masłowska called, A Couple of Poor Polish Speaking Romanians. And I hope undergroundzero will continue on into the future as well.
I know I was a little late in producing this feature, but I really wanted to give you readers an inside look at what an individual as Paul Bargetto does. It is in the Anti-Mag tradition that I highlight passionate individuals and their accomplishments. Although the festival is almost over, I hope some of you will get an opportunity to go to a production. You also have something to look forward to next year and all the future projects Mr. Bargetto is involved in. It was most important to highlight his work in the theater community as it takes a lot of gusto to believe in what people are doing and then putting it out there for others to see. Bravo, Mr. Bargetto!
For more on Paul and the underground Festival :
Back to Motions
Full Name: Paul Bargetto
Age: 40
Currently Residing: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Currently Listening to: Pandora
Paul Bargetto is sort of a theater dreamweaver. He took a bunch of artists and gave them a haven to grow in. The undergroundzero Festival is becoming a highlighted tradition at the Collective:Unconscious and with good reason. How often do you get to give an artist complete and total creative license and make their visions a stage reality? It might not be great every single show, but you can at least support the dream. Mr. Bargetto is doing something great for the community. He's bringing these artists to life and allowing them to fulfill their passions.
In my book that's pretty terrific. I decided to probe him for more information. When did you begin the undergroundzero Festival and where did the concept come from?
I started the undergroundzero festival in 2007 at the Collective:Unconscious at their former location on Church Street in Tribeca. I had been invited by Caterina Bartha, the managing director, to a three week residency to make a project of my choosing. At the time I did not have the funding in place to make a play, so I decided, almost on a whim, to make a festival. I had been involved in Collective Unconscious since my earliest days in New York and I wanted to bring as many new artists as I could to experience the space and make new work.
One night I had a long conversation about the idea of the festival with the playwright Saviana Stanescu and the name undergroundzero was coined. Conceptually, I was always concerned with one thing - to create an opportunity for artists to make the work that was closest to their hearts. So I decided that in my position as curator I would only select artists, not projects. I would not meddle in their creative process or solicit applications and dvds. I would meet them individually, listen to their dreams, discuss the logistics and then step back and wait to see to see what appeared on the stage at festival time. I trust the artist to have full creative control of their work, and in exchange I insist that they take a big risk. More often than not I have been rewarded with very interesting work.
You've had problems in the past trying to get funding for these productions, how are things now in this economic climate?It is very challenging, there is no other way to put it. After the 2008 festival Collective:Unconscious closed their venue on Church Street and stopped producing. The organization is in transition and did not apply for their traditional funding sources this fiscal year, or were no longer eligible. So this year I took the festival to PS 122 as a rental with very little funding and am producing it thorough my theater company East River Commedia. As I am writing this we are two thirds of the way through the festival and are succeeding mainly on the strength of our box office. I am also praying that the DCA will come through and support us. In addition, as always, it is the generosity of a small group of private individuals who love the theater that covers the rest.
There are a number of productions this year...is there a central theme to the productions or is it a mixed bag?
There is not a theme, but if you were able to see the whole festival I believe you would find a certain attitude present in all the work. I am seeking artists who are interested in experimentation - with forms, beliefs, language - new interpretations of classic texts, bold smash ups of forms, and new writing.
Which one would you recommend most for a first time OFF-OFF Broadway audience?
Since we are in our last week, I recommend Doris Mirescu's 3!, which is an adaptation of Fassbinder's film the Third Generation. Its a multi-media exploration that pushes a lot of boundaries. I am really excited to see it.
You're actually directing a piece in the festival, Jamal Lullabies. Can you tell us a little about it?
The Jamal Lullabies was performed in the first week of the festival. It is written by Emily Conbere and relates, in song, the story of Jamal Slims Hall, a young black student and drug dealer who was killed a party. The piece is performed by four white women. It is an exploration of race and desire and pushes into a lot of sensitive terrain. It was developed over three years at various venues and festivals by a core of performers who are also responsible for much of the arranging of the songs. They are Nicole Stefonek, Bekah Coulter, Allison Jill Posner, and Debbie Friedman.
How can people help your cause and what do you find most difficult about giving these artists a haven?
The most important thing people can do is come to the festival and share in the risk that the artists are taking. Theater works best when it is reinventing itself, and when it has active witnesses. There is a kind of distillation that happens between audience and performance that always excites me and is a big reason why I continue to make it.
The most difficult thing I face with the artists is not being able to give them more. All I offer is the venue, marketing and tech support. After that they are on their own. It would be great to offer them a budget and rehearsal space as well.
What do you find most exciting about doing this sort of Indie theater?
I love the surprise, and the gambles people take to make this work. There is almost no commercial gain to be had from doing this kind of work. It is closest to the purest expression of theater because it is made with passion and sweat and little else. The rewards are mostly aesthetic and personal, but they are always deeply felt - even in the failures.
Has it been difficult to market or find an audience?Surprisingly no. By inviting many companies, you mingle and share audiences.
The undergroundzero Festival has been deemed an experimental "laboratory". Are the players the same every year or is it ever changing?
It is an ever changing line up. There are new artists, and artists from previous years who return. It depends on who wants to come! That said, I am very proud of the artists who return to take advantage of our laboratory to hone their voice and find the forms they are searching for.
Do you have future projects in the works?
I am developing a project with Saviana Stanescu called For A Barbarian Woman. Its a very interesting play about the Roman poet Ovid and the Black Sea city of Constanta. I am also developing a project with the Polish Cultural Institute and the brilliant young writer Dorata Masłowska called, A Couple of Poor Polish Speaking Romanians. And I hope undergroundzero will continue on into the future as well.
I know I was a little late in producing this feature, but I really wanted to give you readers an inside look at what an individual as Paul Bargetto does. It is in the Anti-Mag tradition that I highlight passionate individuals and their accomplishments. Although the festival is almost over, I hope some of you will get an opportunity to go to a production. You also have something to look forward to next year and all the future projects Mr. Bargetto is involved in. It was most important to highlight his work in the theater community as it takes a lot of gusto to believe in what people are doing and then putting it out there for others to see. Bravo, Mr. Bargetto!
For more on Paul and the underground Festival :
- To Buy Tickets for the shows: PS122.org
- underground Zero Festival
- East River Commedia
- Collective:Unconscious
Back to Motions