Producing More than Just Plays at Bootless Artworks

Rosanne DellAversano lives a double life. By day, she is an unassuming Office Coordinator/Paralegal for a Wilmington law office. By night, she may wind up impersonating Julia Child, or directing a gaggle of bloodthirsty zombies. Her husband doesn't seem to mind her daily transformation. In fact, he joins in. She's the Executive/Creative Director for Bootless Artworks in Wilmington, Delaware. Her husband, Jim Fuerst, serves as the group's Music Director/Conductor.

Bootless Artworks is not your run-of-the-mill community theatre. Go to a Bootless show, and prepare to be shocked, thrilled, or to laugh yourself right out of your seat. And there's a good chance (if you sit in the "splatter zone") that you'll be sprayed with fake blood.

Count me in.

Rosanne, Jim, and their friends dreamed of creating a theatre experience that would knock your socks - or boots - right off. This charismatic couple serves as the coal, steam, whistle, and rails that have guided the nonprofit organization from its birth in 2003 to its status today, as a professional theatre group. Everything Rosanne and Jim do for Bootless is in addition to their full time jobs.

 

I met this dynamic pair at a cozy restaurant in Wilmington, and felt as though I had known them for years. They were excited and easy to talk to, and launched headfirst into the whirling, rough-and-tumble history of Bootless. The interview flowed so naturally, I nearly forgot to ask my prefabbed questions.

 

Bootless began as a gild of the Arden Theatre, originally called the Arden Club Theatre, but eventually they struck out on their own. The founding members, Jim said, hailed from a wide array of artistic backgrounds so "their experiences turned into a great knowledge base" from which to build. Since its birth, Bootless has become a professional theatre, and an affiliate of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

And yet, that is only the beginning. Bootless has become so much more.

 

Scene from Evil Dead: The Musical

The group has organized and produced plays, musicals, operas, and one-acts. They also entered competitions. "The first year was terrible, really terrible," Rosanne laughed, "but we've won [awards] every year since, both for published productions and original shows."

Among their more memorable projects, Rosanne translated "Mozart's Magic Flute" from Austrian-inflected German to English, and Jim adapted its original orchestral score for a rock band. The costumes and set designs were directly inspired by Japanese anime. Jim laughed as he said, "Little kids were lying down in the aisles, not knowing they were enjoying an opera." These two seem to live and breathe innovation. I was kicking myself. How in the world did I miss this?

 

Rosanne works directly with volunteers, paid performance actors, mentors, and families who make up the Bootless team. They will find a job for anyone who wants to work. She says, "Come to us with a spark, and we'll ignite it, and keep it going." One volunteer didn't have a theatrical background, but was an avid hunter and outdoorsman. "We put him on blood splatter work for Evil Dead: The Musical, Jim said. "The guy was in his element, spraying the audience with blood." For each show, Rosanne may oversee as few as six and as many 50 staff members, paid and unpaid. "Whole families participate in the production of a show." While Mom is delivering a monologue onstage, Dad may be running the audio, while Junior is helping other actors suit up. Families that run plays together stay together. What a great way for families to spend time together!

 

Vocalist Jim Dennison as Sarasoto
in Mozart's Magic Flute



Bootless is also building a successful mentoring program. The organization pairs younger volunteers with their more seasoned counterparts in order to help them develop their talents. This is true for every participant, whether they are acting, handling stage lighting, prop, set, or costume design, or production management. Jim takes school-age kids to buy lighting rigging and props. The kids aren't just shown the equipment, they're taught, hands-on, how to run it. "We're teaching kids a lost art," says Jim. Bootless runs a summer camp for kids, which teaches them all of the components of a drama production. At the end, they produce their own performance - a camp grand finale.

Bootless mentors have unlocked incredible potential in kids. "Lynn was a kid who [didn't have an outlet]. She got involved with Bootless, eventually winning Bootless's $500 scholarship." She described a kid who just didn't have obvious outlets. "[Bootless] gave her the opportunity to show what she could do, and to develop confidence. She continued to perform in college, and she comes back to Bootless to volunteer whenever she can." Another young man, Sean, auditioned for Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. a few years ago. After Bootless, Sean went to New York and is a working actor, performing in The Changing Room, and eventually winning the Strawberry One-Act Festival award for his original works. For those of you that don't know, that's a pretty big deal. And it's obvious that Rosanne could not be more proud of them; her face glows as she talks about them. With young people involved, she says, "Bootless will never get old."

 

Scene from
Mozart's Magic Flute

Despite all of its champions and support, Bootless is homeless. They have been without a performance hall for nearly a year. They've bartered and paid for temporary space, performing everywhere from an airplane hangar to an elementary school auditorium. Although their audience is faithful, Bootless has faced enormous challenges. Jim told me about the theatre company's worst nightmare: a show's opening night was canceled without notice by the leasing agent. "Rosanne and I were in the parking lot on opening night, handing out drink tickets. Talk about tears."

So they've developed a plan for a new theatre/community center, identified a location, and are starting up their capital campaign. They need $250,000 to get the plans underway. "We know that the creative and logistic must work hand in hand." Crystal Trust has stepped forward to help them get their capital campaign started, but they still have a long way to go. Read their appeal here: http://www.bootless.org/pgm-download_media.php?name=2011_Patron_Ltr.pdf

 

They plan each season, no matter what. They know they will find locations.

I asked Rosanne how my ten bucks would be used to directly impact her consumers. "Actors cost me $100.00. If ten people give me ten bucks, I can hire one more actor for a show." But what does Rosanne need the most? Bootless needs a home. Their capital campaign (a Bootless "community center") is their first priority. "We've been given grants for programs, but we have no place to [house them]."


Rosanne plays Rona Peretti in
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

True to their originality, Rosanne and Jim have fun plans for recognizing their donors. "We'll have a donor wall, with a plaque for every donation, no matter its size." They want people in the community to have a sense of ownership when they visit Bootless. "They're helping to build a theatre that will be around for years and years. A kid that donated his allowance can bring his kids to show them his name on the donor wall."

And they've taken it one step further. "If you buy a piece of equipment for the center, we'll put your name on it." Oho! There was only one thing on my naughty little mind. But my excitement soon turned to deflation when Jim said his mother had beaten me to donating the toilets. Jim says, "She wanted to have the best seat in the house."



Finally, what's with the name? It's catchy, but what does it mean?

"Bootless" is a Shakespearean term meaning "profitless". But Rosanne says the definition, for them, means more. "Bootless means we're not in it for the money or prestige. It's about providing a great show." Their ticket prices average $22, which covers the costs for each show, nothing more. (If you haven't tried to buy theatre tickets lately, let me tell you: this is a bargain.)



Rosanne and Jim's enthusiasm is delightfully infectious, and they make me want to be a part of the future of Bootless. I hope you will also choose to do so, either as a donor or a volunteer.

The best way to donate to Bootless is to go to http://www.bootless.org/ and make an online donation using Paypal. The nonprofit doesn't pay any fees to PayPal to use this service. Here's the direct link to their donor page: http://bootless.org/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=4. Since they don't have an official home, to mail a check, please email me at ecurtis19977@gmail.com and I'll give you their mailing address.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.