Interview: caryn desai on ICT's 40th Anniversary Season of Premieres

International City Theatre (ICT) is opening its 40th Anniversary Season on February 21 with the Los Angeles premiere of the musical comedy Desperate Measures (inspired by Shakespeare's Measure for Measure). The rest of the season features all premieres, something ICT is not usually known to do.

I decided to speak with the theater’s Artistic Director caryn desai (sic) (pictured) about that decision and the challenges faced over the years.

Thanks for speaking with me caryn. First, tell me about your long history with ICT; how long have you been with the group and what drew you to join?

I have been with ICT since the beginning but as a volunteer catering their parties, writing their Bylaws, housing an out-of-state playwright, etc. I became the General Manager in 1990 after completing my MFA (still ICT could not afford to pay me). I taught part time at several colleges to pay my bills. I was on board because I believed in the mission of Founding Artistic Director, Shashin Desai. I also felt strongly that a city the size of Long Beach deserved a resident professional theatre company. The City Council formally and unanimously named us their resident professional theatre company in 1999. Shashin and I worked together for 25 years until he retired. The Board named me Artistic Director/Producer 15 years ago and I also remained the General Manager as well until recently.

Christopher Karbo, Gabbie Adner, and Daniel A. Stevens in Desperate Measures
All photo by Jordan Gohara

What have been the struggles and challenges over the years, starting out as a small 99 seat theater and then moving up to an Equity/mid-sized house? And what’s the best lesson you have learned in the process?

Shashin, our Board, and I all understood we were taking a risk to jump from the 99-seat plan that Equity had at the time to a mid-sized theatre. In fact, for 3 years we ran both theatre spaces but we knew our future was downtown. We also believed artists should be paid, and even if it is never enough, we wanted to do our part in supporting the artists and the future of this most human art form. I think the best lesson is to stay focused on your goals, find those you can trust who share those goals, and find those who can also support your goals. We produce 5 mainstage productions annually as well as 6 education programs. Arts and education are my passions, and I know how important access to arts education is in developing critical creative and analytical thinking skills which are needed for our youth, our community, our nation, and our future.

Absolutely true, especially now when Arts funding is being threatened.

Daniel A. Stevens and Gabbie Adner

How or why did you make the decision to present an entire season of premieres?

I did not make the decision to present an entire season of premieres. It just fell together that way. The longer you are in business and maintain trusting relationships with NY licensing houses, playwrights, and agents, the more you receive requests to read and produce various works. So, after reading these submissions and noting the variety in the plays (we produce musicals, comedies and dramas), they fell into place. When I was looking into the final play for our 2025 season, I had no idea whether it would be a premiere or not. I had heard about the play so I researched who held the rights, and it was a licensing house in NY where someone I had worked with for over 30 years at a different company was now working. He was the one who told me I had the L.A. premiere. That is how the last premiere filled out the entire season of premieres.

Please tell me about the upcoming ICT 40th Anniversary Season of Premieres.

Production #1, Feb. 19 – Mar. 9: Desperate Measures, an American musical comedy which we are presenting as its Los Angeles Premiere, with Book & Lyrics by Peter Kellogg, Music by David Friedman and Directed by Todd Nielsen. When the dangerously handsome Johnny Blood's life is on the line, he must put his fate into the hands of a colorful cast of characters including a mysterious sheriff, an eccentric priest, a narcissistic governor, a saloon girl gone good, and a nun out of the habit. It won the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Musical and for Outstanding Lyrics, Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical.

Production #2, Apr. 23 --May 11: ICT is presenting the American premiere of The Violin Maker, based on the Stories from the Violins of Hope, written by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum & Ronda Spinak, Musical curation by Dr. Noreen Green, and Directed by me! The Israeli violin maker, Amnon Weinstein, founder of the Violins of Hope collection, restored violins played during the Holocaust. He died in 2024 at age 84, but his extraordinary story, and the true stories of the violins are masterfully interwoven with music in this powerful and uplifting play.

Did you attend the concert performed with those Violins of Hope when they toured the country? I found it so spiritually inspiring.

The Long Beach Symphony did a concert I attended and yes, it is inspiring. I am in touch now with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County who will be presenting a Violins of Hope concert in June. We are looking at some cross promotions.

Production #3, June 11 – June 29: The Los Angeles Premiere of The Angel Next Door, a Romantic Comedy written by Paul Slade Smith and Directed by Cate Caplin. Young Oliver Adams is on the brink of a major success. His novel The Angel Next Door is set to be published, and famed Broadway playwrights Charlotte and Arthur Sanders have already adapted his book for what is sure to be a huge stage hit. As leading lady, they have their eye on Margot Bell, the very person Oliver adores and about whom he has written his novel. When they converge for a weekend in Newport, Rhode Island, the thin walls of the mansion reveal the angel may not be angelic. Only the power of theatre can save the play, Oliver’s novel, and his heart.

“The Angel Next Door is a glittering, effervescent hit romantic comedy. . . non-stop laughs, merriment, glamor, and high-spirited hijinks. It’s hard to think of more fun you could have at the theatre right now, or really, more fun anywhere.” - Amanda Callas, Broadway World, after seeing the production in Laguna Beach.

#4, Aug. 27 – Sept. 14: The World Premiere of Masala Dabba by Wendy Graf. Secrets, lies and unresolved conflicts play out against a background of familial memories of food and cooking in this deeply felt family drama where food is love, loss and a portal into the past. Long buried truths surface through stories inspired by each of the spices in a grandmother’s masala dabba, an Indian spice box. Though Masala Dabba focuses on an Indian/African American family, all families can see themselves in the stories about the past, culture, identity and the choices we make.

#5, Oct.15 – Nov. 2: The Los Angeles premiere of Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B by Kate Hamill, Directed by Amie Farrell. An irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick, this fast-paced romp re-examines the world’s most famous detective story with a bold new feminist lens. In this highly theatrical escapade, oddball female roommates Sherlock (yes, it’s also a girl’s name - wait, is it a girl’s name? Is it even a name?) Holmes & Joan Watson join forces to emerge from pandemic fog as a deeply codependent, quasi-dysfunctional Odd Couple adventure duo solving mysteries and kicking butts - until they come face to face with a villain who seems to have all the answers.

Gabbie Adner, Daniel A. Stevens, and Madison Miyuki Sprague

Tell me how you decided on those plays. Besides being premieres, are they linked in storyline or message?

I’m always looking for entertaining, educational, and inspiring works which will create a balanced season. Some are more thoughtful and tackle important issues and some are more fun as we produce musicals, comedies, and dramas. Production history, of course, determines whether it is a premiere in our region.

How does each speak to you or carry messages you hope will resonate with audiences?

The violins survived one of the darkest periods of our recent history. Not all their owners survived. The stories are a painful reminder of that period but also represent hope for a better world, a better understanding of our shared humanity, and the need for kindness, empathy, and compassion.

Gabbie Adner, Daniel A. Stevens, Aaron Gibbs and Jason Whitton

Tell me about the director of Desperate Measures which kicks off the season on February 21.

Todd Nielsen is directing this fun story that captures the foibles and strengths of humankind. This was a show he wanted to do. Todd has worked with us for many, many years. He lives in Oregon now, but I’m always glad when he is available to return home and direct at ICT.

The Desperate Measures Ensemble

Tell me about the cast. Have any of them appeared there before?

Two of the actors, Daniel A. Stevens and Gabbie Adner, have worked with us before and they were both in Murder on the Links in 2024.

What’s the production schedule?

Desperate Measures runs February 21 through March 9; previews on February 19 and February 20. All performances take place Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For more information about ICT’s 2025 season and to purchase subscriptions or single tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or https://ictlongbeach.org 

Madison Miyuki Sprague and Aaron Gibbs

Let’s talk about your all-important and very supportive subscribers. What’s their make-up and did that have any bearing on your play decisions?

Like most theatres they tend to be older, but some of our education programs are geared to getting high school and college students to live theatre. We have had kids say, “Wow, this is better than the movies. I hope I can see more plays.” And from a young man in high school, “I found something in myself I didn’t know existed.” They are our future artists, audiences, donors, and board members.

And they will be your future patrons and subscribers!

Gabbie Adner, Madison Miyuki Sprague, and Daniel A. Stevens

Have you seen the percentage of show-by-show buyers increasing over the years, rather than subscribing for a season? And are you hoping these new plays will bring in new patrons?

I am pleased to share that our subscriptions are up over the last 4 years! They are buying 5 shows they do not know; they are adventurous, supportive, and trusting. I am so grateful. Subscribers play a very important role in the future of this art form. They provide a base of support for an entire season which allows producers to take risks and introduce new, relevant, and important works. Without subscribers, producers wouldn’t have that base of support and it might mean even more commercial shows and the dumbing down of our art form and our society.

Theatre entertains and educates. Our job as producers is to educate our audiences and the very important, valuable role they play as subscribers to this art form and to themselves. When they subscribe to new shows, they are opening themselves to new experiences, new ideas, maybe new ways of thinking. That’s how we grow. I can’t tell you how many times a subscriber will tell me after a production that this was the show they thought they would not like, and it is their favorite. If they only choose what they think they will like, they won’t have that experience.

You are lucky to have very adventurous subscribers willing to see all different types of plays!

Madison Miyuki Sprague and Aaron Gibbs

How concerned are you about the possibility of losing funding for the arts across the country due to recent changes in our federal government?

One of the positives that came out of Covid is more communication with other producers across the nation on Zoom on a regular basis. These are theatres with similar budget sizes. The last meeting I felt the real concern for the future of our field and the ability to freely produce works that are relevant and important. Theatre is still a vital platform for our democracy and our society. Unfortunately, the stress of raising money to make theatre (and our educational programs) possible has always been there. With this possibility, we will have to work harder and smarter, but I don’t think we will give up. Theatre people understand and value what we provide. We create a sense of community where we come together to laugh, cry, think, and grow, and better understand ourselves and our world. We need that more than ever.

Yes, we do!

Madison Miyuki Sprague and Aaron Gibbs

Anything else you would like to share with me about yourself, ICT, or their season of premieres?

My job now is to ensure the next 40 years for ICT! I’m grateful for your time and your questions. Thank you!!!

To post a comment, you must register and login.