The Flea Theater: A Portrait
"The Flea: A Portrait", directed and produced by Bethany Jacobson is a half-hour documentary about the Off Off Broadway theater, The Flea, best known for its innovative approach to new playwrights and its resident company, The Bats. Brash, energetic and dedicated, The Flea is a beacon for creative artists in various disciplines, including dance and new music. Founded in 1996 by director Jim Simpson, the award winning Flea Theater was originally formed out of the purely artistic impulse to create a "joyful hell in a small space." In twelve seasons, it has evolved from a precocious upstart to an internationally known institution. This half-hour portrait follows the 2008 season, combining interviews with Jim Simpson, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Adam Rapp, and Elizabeth Swados amongst others with behind-the-scenes footage of various productions. As this season coincided with the excitement of the 2008 presidential election, the productions reflected the political and social climate and made for a particularly vibrant season. "Off-off-Broadway is like a little greenhouse, where the seedlings can germinate and grow." - Sigourney Weaver (excerpt from the film)
The film premiered on Philladelphia's PBS affiliate WHYY on October 16th, with subsequent screenings in November on KLRU in Austin, NJN in New Jersey and WNET in New York City.