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No Rules will move to Signature Theatre in Arlington

By Jessica Goldstein,
Jessica Goldstein
Aug 01, 2012 01:35 AM EDT
The Washington Post
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It’s been a week of accidental scoops in theaterland.

First, Mayor Vincent C. Gray let it slip that the H Street Playhouse would be relocating to Anacostia — days before owner Adele Robey had planned to announce the move.

(C. Stanley Photography) - Brian Sutow and Joshua Morgan are co-artistic directors at No Rules Theatre Company.

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Then, in discussing whether the companies that performed at H Street would follow the theater to its new location, Robey revealed that No Rules Theatre Company had decided to be in residence at Signature Theatre in Arlington, just days before No Rules and Signature were going to spread the news.

“At first — and we’re glad it’s not the case — we’d heard H Street was closing,” said Brian Sutow, co-artistic director of No Rules. “We knew we were in need of a new home.” The No Rules team sat down with director Aaron Posner, “a mentor [of ours],” said Sutow, who suggested that No Rules reach out to Signature. “He said, ‘Why don’t you shoot for the stars?’ ”

Maggie Boland, Signature’s managing director, said the timing was “a stroke of serendipity,” as No Rules approached Signature while “we were right in the middle of season planning.”

“What Eric [Schaeffer, artistic director,] and I were really excited about is that there’s a lot of synchronicity between what No Rules is like now and what Signature was like 20 years ago. Eric is very excited for us to be able to give them the resources and infrastructure that Signature didn’t have,” Boland said. “What I love is that a young, hungry company like No Rules can come in and . . . they can give us a little jolt of entrepreneurial energy.”

No Rules will pay “a very modest rent” based on the weeks it uses Signature’s rehearsal rooms and theaters, Boland said. No Rules will have a presence in Signature’s office all year round “as part of the partnership.” The plan is for No Rules to produce three shows per season, all of which will be held in the ARK Theatre. Except for handling fees, No Rules will keep all its box office proceeds.

“As long as Signature doesn’t lose money, we’ll make it work,” Boland said. “We’re totally committed to making it work for the next three years and being as flexible as possible.”

Sutow said No Rules is excited about the wider audience the troupe will be able to reach by relocating to Signature, although “I hope that people will follow us from our former home.” He acknowledged that “there was always a challenge of getting people out to H Street.” The move to Arlington “presents an easier opportunity for people to connect with our art.”

The No Rules season will be “exactly what we’d be doing at H Street,” he said. “From the get-go, we both said, [they] don’t want to ever infringe upon what [we] would be programming, and that’s important to us.”

“Black Comedy” will open the No Rules season in February, followed by “The Personal(s),” a world premiere adaptation by Sutow, in late April. “The No Rules Show,” a “wild and crazy cabaret [that’s] half-revue, half-talk show with a different celebrity guest every night and Joshua [Morgan, No Rules’ co-artistic director,] at the piano,” will close out the season in July.