Partnership is center stage at Balagula Theater

Monday September 29, 2008

By Rachel Parsons

Natasha Williams and Ryan Case have a hard time remembering exactly when and how they met. They're just glad it happened.

It was certainly a fortuitous meeting, not just for their sakes, but for the theater world, as well. Thanks to their friendship and collaboration, the art scene in cental Kentucky is a little richer and actors don't have to stray so far from home to practice their craft.

"Basically, it's Ryan's baby," Williams said of the Balagula Theater. The Lexington theater was co-founded by both Williams and Case, but Case has served as artistic director since the beginning. Balagula operates in Natasha's Bistro, a restaurant owned and operated by Williams, and is a non-profit organization dedicating to helping develop new talent.

"We had performed plays before in the space and Natasha and I wanted to give it a life of its own, to give actors a space to develop their skills," Case said of the Balagula, which was incorpoated two years ago and received non-profit status last year.

The 33-year-old Case has been acting since he was 13, but for the Winchester native, going to New York or Los Angeles looking for stardom just wasn't all that appealing.

That desire to stay close to home is at the heart of the theater's mission statement, and one of the biggest reasons he and Williams are so dedicated to it.

"Our greatest mission for the theater now is to find places for people who are talented beyond the region to stay here. We should keep them here, and not ship them off to New York or L.A.," Williams said.

And she firmly believes that central Kentucky will step up to the plate and help make that dream possible.

"We have a supportive community that can support professional theater," Williams said.

And no one has supported Case more than his hometown.

"It's really touching how many people responded and how supportive the Winchester community is for what we're doing," Williams said.

Right now, Williams and Case are busy promoting their latest production, "The Mystery of Irma Vep," by Charles Ludlum. The show will be performed Oct. 5, 7-9, 12 and 14-16 at 8 p.m. at Natasha's Cafe, 112 Esplanade in downtown Lexington.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children and seniors. Reservations are required.

Case will star in the show, along with Shayne Brakefield.

"It's a two-man, eight-character play and it's a comedy that sends out an homage to the classic horror movies and drama of the cinema. It was actually the first play I saw when I left Winchester to seek out a theatrical education that really inspired me to be an actor," Case said.

It's certainly not an easy show to perform in and Case and Brakefield have 84 entrances and exits and 62 costume changes, as well as playing both male and female roles.

"It's probably one of the most difficult pieces for an actor," Williams said, but she is confident in Case's ability to bring the show to life.

"I've lived in several countries and I've seen a lot of theater. What I saw in Ryan was an extremely unusual, unique talent of a major scale," Williams said.

And she's not the only person who has noticed Case's acting abilities. Williams was visiting her home country, Ukraine, and shared a CD recording of Case performing in the Balagula production of "Pillow Man" with a director of the Kiev Drama Theater on Podol, the premier theater in Ukraine,. He was blown away by what he heard.

"He said, 'This guy is great! Today he may not be known outside the state, but tomorrow he'll be a major star,'" Williams said.

That recording led to an invitation for Williams and Case to take "Irma Vep" overseas and perform it in Kiev this winter.

"I was really impressed (by the invitation). That was really something," Williams said. She and Case are co-founding an international drama festival in Kiev, as well. That's no small feat for such a young company, and one with its roots firmly planted in Lexington.

"We've really grown into one of the major players in Lexington's theatrical community," Case said.

"We're young," Williams said, pausing a moment before adding, "and feisty."

But all that feistiness aside, these days they're mostly looking forward to seeing audiences react to "Irma Vep."

"It's a joy to be a performer in it and to watch it," Case said. "This show was an exploration of style and form that we hadn't tried before. It's a challenge for the theater itself."

Case and Williams think that Balagula is up to the challenge.

"It's (Balagula) here to challenge the actor and ourselves and explore new realms within our work," Case said.

And "Irma Vep" has been bringing audiences together.

"For a moment, you'll feel like family because you'll recognize your common experiences," Williams said.

Both she and Case see theater as a way to heal the country during divisive times, and for Case, it's the laughter that helps the most.

"The laughter brings people together. That's the magic of the play."