Today we are talking about a topic near and dear to my heart: Pointless Theatre. My guests today are Matthew Reckeweg, Patti Kalil, and Lex Davis. Matthew and Patti are the co-founding artistic directors of Pointless, and Lex and I served as chairs of Pointless for the last two years. For those of you who are listening who may not be familiar, Pointless Theatre is a theater company based in Washington, DC. Pointless Theatre is dedicated to creating bold, visceral, and affordable spectacles that gleefully smash the traditional boundaries between puppetry, theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts. This episode has been a long time in the making. Pointless was founded 16 years ago by a band of misfits and miscreants from the University of Maryland. Many of the guests you know and love from Frank & Sense are in some way a part of the Pointless collective, including Matt Sparacino, Aaron Bliden, Jay Kasten, Michael Saltzman, Zach Latta, Lee Gerstenhaber, Becca Ballinger, Ali Grusell, and Navi, just to name a few. Over the past 16 years, the company has produced more than 20 original productions. The scope of this episode is ambitious - from the origins of the company in a smoke-filled college group house to today, where it is evolving, once again, into something new. We discuss ignoring bad advice, ruthless editing, and being dumb, stubborn, and brave. We also share some tough lessons learned about the pressure to professionalize, the limitations of the nonprofit structure, and how it can impact theater companies. We also share the story behind the origin of the name Pointless, and much more! Click here to watch the POV Waltz! Click here to read the statement from Matthew and Patti!
