NY Press: Best Indie Theater Company You Don’t Know Whose Work You Should Get Your Ass To
“People who know him call him Gus, but his formal name is August Schulenberg. And, as the artistic director and one of the primary playwright-directors of the Flux Theatre Ensemble, he’s among the visionaries behind one of Off-Off-Broadway’s fastest-rising groups. The company’s mission might be a bit balanced toward the bathetic (“the transformative freedom of theatre to re-imagine the boundaries of human connection”), but it’s the product that really matters. From its startlingly original summertime revival of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Schulenberg’s latest play, Other Bodies, a Fringe Festival hit, this group isn’t destined to be in flux for long.”
This is not only a lovely shout out from one of the theatre advocates I respect most, but also the second time this year that our mission statement has been called out on being, well, a little much. Ah, well, true. Add it to the agenda for next year’s retreat!
But truer, after long days spent hanging lights and trying to figure out how to make fake snake meat; after short nights spent tossing and turning over tickets sales and press; after all the nerves strained and accommodations made; it is good to remember that we do our work in a city where people care, passionately, and are willing to say it out loud to whoever will listen; and the lesson is not just one of gratitude, but also of responsibility. Roll up your corn syrup blood stained sleeves, hitch the wrench back on your belt, and drink one more cup of coffee. Because there is an audience coming in a few short days who believe in your work enough to give you their time, and that gift demands whatever you got.
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