Onyx Theatre’s owners determined to bring back success
A few weeks ago I wrote a column about how inactive the once-thriving Onyx Theatre had become. In its 11-year history, the 96-seat venue – which I’d argue is the best-looking small theater in Vegas – often played host to several productions a week. After the unhappy recent departure of an artistic director, things got quiet. There was a night or two of improv or novelty acts, but little else.
The owners are determined to change that. They’ve hired Brandon Burk as artistic director and Jaymes Thompson as theater manager to head up a rescue mission.
The pair are aware of the organizational battles that lie ahead – finding contact numbers, firming up incomplete contracts for scheduled shows, making its website (onyxtheatre.com) reader friendly, and gaining a reputation for a playhouse that offers innovative works or traditional works done in innovative ways.
Talk to Burk – a 30-year-old who holds a Master of Fine Arts performance degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas – and you’ll get an energetic listing of well-known, respected show titles. Chat with Thompson – a 46-year-old, 8-month local resident with a film background – and you’ll get a more laid-back discussion about campy, offbeat little-known parodies.
“Our website says ‘alternative entertainment,’ ” Burk says. “That’s a little vague, but I think it’s in the right direction in describing what we’ll be doing. A large majority of our audiences are artists (visual and performing). That gives us a grass-roots feel that allows us to do certain kinds of works that others might not touch.”
Burk fantasizes about unique twists on the likes of “Sweeney Todd,” “Cabaret” or “The Last Five Years.” Thompson throws out titles like “The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror.” Clearly, the pair will bring different talents to the table.
“Brandon has a strong background in (traditional) theater,” Thompson points out. “I’m more focused on the light stuff, the gay-friendly stuff, the comedy acts, and films.”
Thompson says he’ll be putting together a series of independent screenings. He sees the Onyx as a theater that will always have something going on.
“I fell in love with the Onyx the first time I saw it. It’s a cool-vibe theater. It has an art house sensibility – something you don’t expect in Vegas. You expect to find something elaborate, or something falling apart.”
The shows the pair pick (to be performed under the business name of “Off Strip Productions”) will be heavily supplemented by titles that come from other local troupes. The auditorium is available for rental, which is a huge plus in a town where theater space is at a premium.
Burk and Thompson both emphasize that for the place to survive, it must be treated as a business.
“We take ownership seriously,” Burk says. “It’s not a hobby, and it’s not a charity. We want to be around for a long time for other groups to be able to come in and make use of the space. We’re working hard at broadening our options.”
Anthony Del Valle can be reached at
vegastheaterchat@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.
