Name: Josh Luxenberg

Hometown: Baltimore

Education: Baltimore School for the Arts (high school), Oberlin College

Favorite Credits: There Will Come Soft Rains, Sinking Ship’s first show, which consisted of three adaptations of science fiction short stories by Ray Bradbury and others. Caroline, or Change at Centerstage in Baltimore. Working as script coordinator in the writers office of "The Wire".

Why theater?: There’s something incredibly exciting about telling a story live in front of an audience, using things the audience can see. When it works, it’s thrilling. And it’s really hard. I like the challenge.

Tell us about Powerhouse?: Powerhouse tells the story of Raymond Scott, the composer and bandleader whose Quintette was wildly popular in the 1930s and 40s, and who later went on to pioneer electronic music in the 60s—but who is perhaps best known now for writing music that was used in hundreds of Looney Tunes cartoons (though he never saw a cartoon in his life). We take an impressionistic, physical approach, using movement sequences, puppetry, and music to get inside Raymond’s head.

What inspired you to create and write Powerhouse?: There was something that seemed very theatrical about this man who wanted nothing more than to create music that connected with people—a new kind of swing music—and who was undermined by cartoons, of all things. And once we started looking into the details of Raymond’s life, we became more and more fascinated by every little thing—his unique way of speaking, his obsessions, his recorded phone calls…

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Surprising, smart, fun… I like theater that engages the audience. And anything that can’t be done another way, that actually benefits from the inescapable fact that theater is ultimately just a bunch of people on stage pretending.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Tom Waits.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Recently, Here Lies Love, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: It would be written by Charlie Kaufman. My character would be portrayed alternatively by Peter Sellers and a muppet.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Taking time off.

What’s the most played song on your iPod?: Recently, any track from Here Lies Love, which has been on repeat as my writing music for Powerhouse. I generally end up listening to one album on repeat when I work (and I’m usually surprised by which one it is).

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A photographer (which has been my freelance work for many years).

What’s up next?: I recently took over as General Manager of the Connelly Theater in the East Village. It’s been a rental house for many years, and we’re looking at transitioning to a more curated model. I’m going to be diving into that full tilt now that Powerhouse is up and running.

For more on Powerhouse, visit www.powerhouse-theplay.com. For more on Sinking Ship Productions, visit  www.sinkingshipproductions.com

Name: Jon Levin

Hometown: Port Washington, NY

Education: Oberlin College, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq

Favorite Credits: There Will Come Soft Rains (2008, Adaptor and Director), Go to Sleep Goddamnit! (2013), The Krumple (co-creator and performer).

Why theater?: There’s something magical about a group of people sitting in a dark room playing pretend together – a kind of communal hallucination.  I like that.

Tell us about Powerhouse?: Powerhouse is about Raymond Scott who was a composer in the 1930s.  He wrote what he called “descriptive music”, “a new kind of jazz”, which became an overnight sensation in 1936. He wound up selling his music to Warner Brothers who quoted heavily from it in Looney Tunes cartoons, which is how his music has stayed alive in the public consciousness.  However, Raymond Scott never saw a cartoon in his life.  In search of the “idealized conception of his music” he wound up discarding working with human musicians entirely and began inventing his own electronic music machines.  Powerhouse explores the chasm between what an artist imagines and what his audience perceives.

What inspired you to create and direct Powerhouse?: I was fascinated by the idea of someone trying to communicate something directly to an audience while being subverted by a litany of cartoons.  That was before we did any research.  Once we started learning more about these people, Raymond Scott, his wives, the Warner Brothers animators - the real life events of the story became even more fascinating to us – though I believe that initial impulse is still lurking in the background.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I like theater that moves. I’m a big fan of Pig Iron, Wakka Wakka, Mabou Mines, this guy “Dr. Brown” and a company called Dancing Brick.  Also Pina Bausch and James Thiérrée.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: David Byrne

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Pina Bausch company’s Kontakthof, Geoff Sobelle’s The Object Lesson, and Here Lies Love.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I would be played by a series of trained dogs in “Aladdin III: Help, I'm a Bunch of Dogs”

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Peanut butter on a spoon.

What’s the most played song on your iPod?: “Once in a lifetime.”

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A neuroscientist

What’s up next?: I’m heading off to Norway for a couple of months to begin development on a new piece with The Krumple Theatre company.  It will be a work of Mask Theater.  Then we’ll be doing a short tour of a show called Go to Sleep, Goddmanit! which we’ll be bringing to New York in April as part of Flint & Tinder at The Tank.

For more on Powerhouse, visit www.sinkingshipproductions.com

The stories we don't know about the people we may tend to be some of the most engaging sources of art. Discovering what exactly made that person tick and become the person of familiarity. In Sinking Ship's production of Powerhouse, the melodic and intricate life of Raymond Scott is given the theatrical treatment in such glorious manner.
Tackling the life of music super genius Raymond Scott, Powerhouse follows the life of a man who went from composer to infamous bandleader all while creating a super songstress, inventing a new form of music, and selling away his canon of work that became cartoon infamy. Written by Josh Luxenberg and the Sinking Ship Ensemble, Powerhouse, inspired by one of Scott’s biggest hits, is a celebration of passion and art through the lens of an unsung hero. Raymond Scott was an American composer and conductor of the hit radio and television program “Your Hit Parade”. Luxenberg depicts the man rightly as a legend ahead of his time. The intricacies of Scott's music theory is breathtaking to watch come to life on stage. Luxenberg and director Jon Levin take a musical world and ensure that the theatricality and musicality are married uniformly. Powerhouse also delves into the personal life of Scott who began a dangerous affair of professional and romantic interest with a young girl who he molded into Dorothy Collins. By cleverly interspersing his personal life alongside his professional life allowed the struggles and balance of a passionate man shine through. The script thrives on the ability to pick up on context clues. Allowing the audience to string the notes together is a nice touch but with an abundance of visual wonder, integral plot points may be lost. The most important of which is Scott's cosmetic surgery as he transformed from radio to television star. The moment was so fast that it was barely recognizable so later when Scott’s first wife Pearl angrily bashes him about it, it does not hold enough weight. The other side of the Scott story that is not only fascinating but expertly executed in Powerhouse is the plot line of Warner Brothers acquiring his canon of music for their cartoons "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies". With rights seemingly being an issue, the cartoon characters that we know and love are given an insanely innovative makeover, becoming an otter and a blue-footed boobie, with the insanely impeccable voice work by Eric Wright. Luxenberg cleverly sets up this by foreshadowing three animators creating two cartoon characters through puppet and fast-paced comedy. As the play continues on we see a little more and a little more until we are given full blown mini movies all done through skillful puppetry by the ensemble. The animation sequence, with stunning puppets designed by The Puppet Kitchen, gave this piece so much brilliance. It can make any adult feel like a child again.

photo courtesy of Justin Khalifa

The entire ensemble of seven were as cohesive as cohesive can be. Erik Lochtefeld transformed into Raymond Scott with ease, adopting a specific vocal pattern and wonderful mannerisms. It truly was a powerhouse performance. Portraying his true love, through art and heart, Hanley Smith was simply ravishing as Dorothy Collins. Smith has the voice of an angel and gave Collins such an exquisite journey. The trio of Tyler Bunch, Spencer Lott, and Eric Wright were out of this world as the Animators, with Wright truly stealing the show. Their comedic timing was on par and their physical work, through puppetry and themselves, was a joy to watch.
Director Levin took a near perfect script and left the audience wanting more. In a piece that relied so heavily on theatricality, Levin was able to showcase simplicity through his staging. He kept the action fast paced and the allowed the story to carry a great momentum. If anything could have been streamlined it would be the clunky and not so attractive rolling desks designed by Carolyn Mraz. They were occasionally a hindrance to Levin’s transitions as the pieces were not fitting properly and the wheels would get caught on the curtains. While they did offer some unique staging devices, they were just not as beautiful as everything else in the show. The lighting design by Nicholas Houfek was mesmerizing from start to finish. With a colorful light show during walk in to transforming the grey curtains into a rainbow color splash, it was nothing short of a symphony of vibrancy through light. The costume design by Erin Schultz served the period quite well. The monochromatic approach allowed for the lights to give a nice touch but in the final dream sequence, you almost wished color would appear in the costumes.
Powerhouse is an extraordinary venture of whimsy and passion. Sinking Ship has created a piece that needs to go behind The New Ohio. Powerhouse is a play for artists. It’s a play for nostalgia. It’s a play for the future.