Two Dot-bred thespians bring drama to the Ave.
Can’t Wait Productions, a fledgling, Dorchester-based theater company, was founded on the concept that actors and artists do not have to wait for an opportunity or an audition and can take control of their own careers. This week, the two OFD founders will give local audiences a taste of their work with a staged reading at the Dot2Dot Café on Dorchester Ave.
After moving to New York City to pursue acting at Pace University, Dot native Adobuere Ebiama decided to produce the play “Oleanna” by David Mamet, which unintentionally sparked the idea of her own company in the fall of 2010. The play was performed in June 2011 in Somerville, since she felt that “NYC keeps pushing me away.”
The company relocated to Boston and focuses on the Dorchester community to support local artists and bring theatre into the community. Ebiama asked high school friend and fellow Dorchester resident Gabriella Ciambrone, to join the creative team of Can’t Wait Productions.
“One thing we want to do is to develop the idea that you don’t have to go all the way downtown to see good theatre,” Ebiama said. “It is only a quick bus or train ride away in your community and doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.”
Boston Art Academy graudates, Ebiama and Ciambrone, met in high school and have been good friends since the age of 15. Now both 24 and living together in Dorchester, they are starting their first full season with three original plays by Boston playwrights: “The Inside” by Tasia Jones and Lydia Diamond, “Show Up” by Paloma Valenzuela, and “Wednesday Double” by Ciambrone.
“We kept in touch as good friends and I came to her with idea of the company because she was someone that I trusted and was just as passionate about theatre,” Ebiama said. “We have the same background in terms of high school, so I knew she was someone who would be easy to work with and be professional.”
When Ebiama was 19, she performed in “The Bluest Eyes,” her first professional show with CompanyOne and adapted by Lydia Diamond. She recently starred in a Nollywood film “Unwanted Guest” in New York City, which is currently in theatres in Nigeria.
Ciambrone, who studied at University of Massachusetts, Boston for a little while, has been studying theatre since she was 9 and has been invested in the Dorchester community her entire life. She has babysat for 20 Dorchester families and worked in various local restaurants as well as a former board member on the Dorchester Arts Collaborative and co-founder of TC Squared, which keeps graduates of Boston Arts Academy active in their crafts.
In September, she is moving to London where she will attend the East 15 Acting School at the University of Essex to study acting and contemporary theatre.
“I’m not interested in fame, I’m interested in giving back to my community,” said Ciambrone. “Without theatre and art I wouldn’t be who I am. If I can give an opportunity to someone who is 12, then that would be awesome because it is important to create a discussion about things in our neighborhood because it is hard to understand everything.”
Can’t Wait Productions is working on building more staff and creating “a family so it can thrive in Dorchester,” Ciambrone said. They said they are looking for people who are in-between shows and do not have an extensive resume.
“We want a solid team of people that are just as passionate,” Ebiama said. “We don’t want to hire people who are just looking for experience, but people who are support our mission in Dorchester,” Ebiama said.
On Feb. 23 at the Dot2Dot Café on Dorchester Avenue, Can’t Wait Productions will jumpstart its first full season by performing a staged reading of Ciambrone’s play “Wednesday Double.” Working in restaurants since 18, she wrote about a girl in a restaurant whose boss makes comments and advances on her. Based on actual experiences, she said she included a few direct quotes and other people’s experiences who also worked in the same industry.
“The protagonist ‘Av’a is definitely me, as far removed as possible, but me, and everyone else is exaggeration of people I have met,” Ciambrone said. “Doing it through art, it makes it easier for a discussion about a touchy subject in the workplace and empowers the victim.”
Although it is not a complete production with a set, the performance will be a reading of the play with seven actors “just so people can hear the show,” Ciambrone said.
“This reading supports the local businesses and Dot2Dot and is a good experience for both of us,” Ebiama said. “It is a good promotional outlet for both, and it is a way for us to tell people to look out for us and theatre is coming to your community”
Although they are still working on dates for the first show, Can’t Wait will start with “The Inside” around late April or early May.
The performance at Dot2Dot has limited seating and includes a three course dinner which costs $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
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Two Dot-bred thespians bring drama to the Ave.