Season Two, 1989-1990
Stark Raving opened its second season, with a full slate of productions, in October, 1989 with Harrel's production of Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine. Harrel was proud to receive the review headline: "Adding Machine rings up zero". Although hard on the show, the reviewer recognized SRT's attempt at doing something different. "(Elmer) Rice's tale seems to be a grand exercise in black social comedy, but little humor sneaks into director Rod Harrel's production...To be done justice, the play needs the talents of a more professional company. But the odds of a Storefront (Theatre), Portland Rep or Oregon Shakespeare Festival taking a chance on such financially risky material are - well, close to Zero...Which leaves it to little Stark Raving Theatre which at least took an honest stab." Westlake's parody of absurdism From Here to Absurdity, and Suttle's innovative take on Titus Andronicus followed. The group was committed to a pay-what-you-can sliding scale, and asked for $0–$15 at the door, and $0–$500+ from subscribers/contributors. Stage readings began in September, 1989 and new plays were being submitted. This approach was noted in an article in the newsletter, TheatreSource. "Plays that deal with unusual subject matter, offbeat approaches or unique psychological insights are welcome, and staged readings of those kinds of new works will be performed during the season."
The three founders split up in early 1990 because of artistic differences, mostly revolving around how political the work of the theatre should be. Suttles went on to take a key role in Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company; Westlake remained as the Managing Director and recruited Rich Burroughs as the Artistic Director; Harrel remained active with SRT as an actor while continuing his work in video.
The remainder of the season featured Paul Bernstein's Cold Hands, a play seen through the eyes of a schizophrenic homeless man featuring Rod Harrel and Michelle Maida, and Burning Conscience, a stage adaptation of the letters of Claude Eatherly, the pilot of the Straight Flush, directed by Norm Johnson.
Read more about this topic: Stark Raving Theatre