The curtain will rise next week on a local gay-owned theater company’s inaugural production.
WAG Theater Company will stage its first show, “All in the Timing,” starting June 16 at Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.
WAG is the brainchild of openly gay actor and director Brian Sell, who started the company earlier this year.
A graduate of DeSales University with a degree in theater, Sell said he’s long had the aspiration to own a theater company and, after going through the paperwork needed to stage “All in the Timing” at Shubin, decided to take his efforts one step further and form his own organization.
As it gets off the ground, WAG will likely stage two performances per year, along with a cabaret-style show, Sell said, and will tap into the city’s many theater venues.
“Part of our mission and purpose is to utilize as many theaters as we can in the Philadelphia area,” he said. “Different shows are best in different spaces and each space has its own atmosphere, so we definitely want to branch out and work with many theaters, along with the Shubin.”
Sell said that while his company, like many others in the city, will seek to offer opportunities and exposure to actors and technicians throughout the region, it will do so through productions that have a decidedly different feel.
“It seems like a lot of the theater companies around Philadelphia are either going very artsy or very commercial, and we’re not seeing much that’s in between,” he said. “There’s a lot of good work out there that isn’t completely off the wall or isn’t just what companies think audiences want or expect. So we’re going for something in between — shows that makes people think but that they can also enjoy at the same time.”
“All in the Timing” is well-situated in that category, Sell said.
The collection of six one-act comedies by David Ives examines the humorous role of communication in society.
“I’ve always loved David Ives; his language and comic timing is just impeccable in his shows,” Sell said. “And it’s one of those shows that does get you thinking, but it also makes you laugh at the same time.”
As WAG develops, Sell said he plans to pursue productions with LGBT themes, such as “Dog Sees God,” which explores teenage sexuality.
For more information or to purchase tickets to “All in the Timing,” which range from $10-$20, visit www.theatrealliance.org.
A reduced-price preview performance will be held at 8 p.m. June 11, with the show running June 16-18 and 23-25.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].