In Depth With Small Town Productions: Exclusive Q&A

Along with the obvious benefits of refining your craft in acting school, perhaps the best part is the community. The opportunity to be immersed in a place with other like-minded creatives has produced some of the best collaborations onscreen and on stage. We’ve had our eye on Small Town Productions for a while now, and it’s clear that NYC Production company has found its stride as a collective — and the best part is that they’re just getting started.

Forged from a shared desire to create and take control of their own narratives, Small Town Productions started off with a bang. Their first project Seven Feet Under was received well by their audience and served as a great calling-card for what they’re all about. Their willingness to seamlessly merge their ideas together and collaborate was showcased with Seven Feet Under, but it will be explored further in their next project titled “Utopia!”. This project pulls it’s inspiration from the world around it, basing its theme off a single question. More on that later.

We sat down with one of the co-founders of Small Town Productions Luis Trinidad to discuss the company below. Read up and learn more about how you can get involved!

1. It's really cool that you've co-founded your own production company. Can you talk a bit about how Small Town Productions came to be, and why it was important for you and your friends to embark on this?

Small Town came from a place of wanting to continue working with each other. Each of us bring such diverse and new perspectives to the group, and approach creativity, theater and storytelling with a deep desire to collaborate. Drama school was coming to a close and we knew there was  power in being a unit, so before it all came to an end we asked each other if we’d want to meet the next Thursday and boom, Small Town Productions was born. As actors in the city, opportunity can be scarce. So what better way to take charge than to create your own. 

“Small Town came from a place of wanting to continue working with each other. Each of us bring such diverse and new perspectives to the group, and approach creativity, theater and storytelling with a deep desire to collaborate.”

2. What was it like producing your first play last year? We'd love to hear more about the response it got, and the creative process.

Our first production was a collection of short plays, called Seven Feet Under. Seven Feet Under was a fulfilling and great introduction to the production and how we can blend our many talents and skills. During this process, we all had to put our heads together when it came to every department, and step into roles not only as actors, but in parts of creative production you normally don’t get to experience as an actor. We were in charge of our own costumes, our own sets—- dedicating days to painting and building and seeking out materials. We met up weekly to discuss where we were at that point in time. Also, shout out to our captain Rebecca Greubel, who oversaw the entire production to ensure that this ship sailed smoothly no matter the current. It was a good storm to be in and she manned the ship for us. Without her, and every single person in Small Town willing to give their all, there would be no ‘Seven Feet Under’.

As for the response, I hope people enjoyed the show, which was what I got based on the conversations I had with people. We added a show because we sold out within a week of having tickets on sale, and that one sold out too! We were floored by the level of support we received, and based off of the support in the room, people were engaged deeply in the plays. That's what's most important to me, telling stories that engage the audience fully and immerse them in a new world. It was also incredible to prove to ourselves that we are capable of creating something from the ground up. 

3. You're cooking up another play this fall. What should we know about this play? How did you land on the story?

This fall we’ve got an original piece of work straight from our writers room, titled “Utopia!” (Brought to you by CapitalCapitol). The process started by bringing together 5 playwrights in a writing room style process, focusing on the question: 

‘Are we capable of existing without conquering each other?’ From this, an experimental, satirical play was born, still being refined by our writers as we speak. 

The theme came up through discussions in the group, with a desire to play with a theme that felt pertinent to the world's socio-political situation. Asking a question allowed the writer’s who applied (and who ultimately ended up in the room) to explore many different facets of what conquering means, from diverse lenses and viewpoints. Fellow Small Town-er Hana Dehradunwala came up with the question after a conversation with her sister about cults, and how people will leave society as we know it to try and create a ‘Utopia’ without hierarchy and social ills. It got us all excited and we jumped on board. And what better way to try and answer this question than to make playwrights work together to cook up one play! We knew a process involving collaboration was essential to get a full, interesting and engaging piece, one that in its process, had to see if the writers were capable of existing without conquering each other.

4. For anyone interested in donating, let the people know how they can get involved!

We have a gofundme in our Instagram @smalltownprods: https://gofund.me/c45932d6 . All these donations directly go to the paying of our crew, building sets, costumes and everything that’s necessary to putting on an evening of Theatre, and one as collaborative, experimental and pushing the boundaries as we are going for! 

”That's what's most important to me, telling stories that engage the audience fully and immerse them in a new world”

5. Since you're also a filmmaker, we know it's only a matter of time before you return to that medium. What are you working on these days? What should we expect from Small Town Productions in the years to come?

Lately life’s been coming back full circle, running into professors and people who I haven't seen in almost a decade who made an impact in my journey as an actor. It’s made me realize how proud I am of my past and story. So with that being said I’m writing my first feature that shows my love for my first love, Basketball and my high school, Cardozo. After this production, we’ve had conversations of dipping our toes into filmmaking, so keep an eye out for that next year.