Brian Smiga's interview with John Orefice, longtime TEDxAsburyPark production director, theater educator, and director, on building a theater community around ideas worth sharing.

John Orefice has spent a lifetime making room for theater: first as a student producer at Colby College, then as an English and theater educator in Pelham, New York, and later as a central force in the production life of TEDxAsburyPark. Now, as ACT 19 begins a new series of informal theater evenings at Triumph Brewing Company in Red Bank, Orefice reflects on the connection between live performance, community, laughter, and the big ideas that stay with us.

Finding a Life in Theater

Brian Smiga: John, we both went to small liberal-arts colleges, and both got started in theater there. Tell us about Colby and whether there was a pivotal event that set your course.

John Orefice: Colby did not have a theater program, so those of us who loved theater had to find our own way. The college was gracious enough to let us do independent projects, fund them, and serve as a host for them. That is where I learned so much about being human, about teaching English and theater in high school, and ultimately about directing plays and finding my way in the arts.

It was a combination of youthful enthusiasm and imagination meeting opportunity. My friends and I produced about 20 plays in four years. In my senior year, I directed Man of La Mancha, and that may have been the pivotal moment when I knew this was so special that I had to find a life’s work in it—if it is indeed a business.

In 1975, Man of La Mancha took Colby by storm. It was after the Vietnam era, and we were all searching for ourselves. Something about “The Impossible Dream” struck home. It was beautiful and almost spiritual. I carried that experience through a 35-year career in theater education in Pelham, New York, and I always considered Man of La Mancha and Don Quixote ideals for which I was working.

From TEDx to One Act, One Idea

Smiga: We met on the SeaStreak ferry, where you were wearing a Smigats cap. Little did I know that, like me, you were a theater person—and that you had spent your career teaching English and theater. What inspired you to volunteer for TEDxAsburyPark and ultimately become head of production for many years?

Orefice: I thought it was an opportunity to bring back the chaos I missed so much after retiring from teaching. You had a beautiful sense of calm and purpose, so I was happy to hitch my wagon to your ideals within the TED experience.

The phrase “ideas worth sharing” is very consistent with theater and theater education. It seemed like a good place to put my energy in retirement. It turned out to be chaotic, wonderful, joyous, and hard work—as all good things are.

Smiga: During the COVID shutdown, we began One Act, One Idea, soliciting original short plays built around a big idea. We received roughly 3,000 submissions, selected 50 plays, and produced them online through Zoom. What did that experience reveal to you?

Orefice: We found an intersection between TED’s ideas worth sharing and the art of short theater. The TED concept of 10-minute bursts of inspiration fit beautifully with one-act plays.

We could not produce live work, but theater people were longing for the experience. Zoom gave us a platform. Actors were happy to participate, and writers were more than happy to hear their work read aloud by actors. In that moment, it was a way forward: a way to merge the art of theater with the art of TEDx.

A Stage for Conversation

Smiga: When TEDxAsburyPark returned at Triumph Brewing Company in Red Bank, we realized the venue could support an intimate form of dinner theater—or, perhaps more accurately, drinking theater. In May, you directed two scenes from Twelfth Night. What did you discover about directing Shakespeare in that room?

Orefice: We are finding our way with the Triumph environment. Adam has created a place for community to gather over a good beer, and we are adding the good idea.

The purpose has always been to create conversation—about ideas and about what it means to live in these times. Our Shakespeare choices fit the tavern atmosphere well. Sir Toby Belch was, in a sense, our host in both scenes, leading us toward the question: what is a life well lived?

It was all done in good fun, but we are trying to find that sweet spot where people are entertained and then find themselves in conversation with one another. The scenes gave us a foothold for a future in which Triumph can help bring about more ideas worth sharing.

Smiga: That informal, communal setting is close to theater’s roots: the salon, the Elizabethan playhouse, the Globe, where elites and groundlings gathered together, drank, caroused, and responded directly to the actors. ACT 19 hopes to recover some of that energy.

Why Christopher Durang

Smiga: For ACT 19’s opening evening, you helped lead us to Christopher Durang’s The Actor’s Nightmare and other Durang selections. What has Durang meant to you as a playwright?

Orefice: When I first saw The Actor’s Nightmare and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You on Broadway, it was transformative. Here was a playwright bringing up the most anxiety-provoking thoughts and making us laugh at them.

Durang is a special playwright. His work is dark comedy—often biting, satirical, and sad—but it allows us to laugh at difficult parts of our culture, our families, and our relationships. He is a fitting choice for this project because the comedy carries thought-provoking ideas.

There is something special about theater when performers and audience are face to face, perhaps 40 feet apart. Adding beer and short pieces of theater creates a relaxed opportunity for people to spend an evening with fun, community, and ideas.

The Anxiety—and Humanity—of The Actor’s Nightmare

Smiga: Without giving away the plot, what makes The Actor’s Nightmare so universal?

Orefice: It begins with the feeling of being lost in the world, of being out of place. We all have moments when we wonder, “What do I do next?” or “How do I deal with this? This is impossible.” That may be true for actors, but it is universally true for anyone raising a family, keeping to a budget, making a presentation, or trying to find a way through an uncertain day.

Durang gives us an absurd situation. We laugh at George, who is lost onstage and does not know what play he is in. But he is also trying to solve the problem sincerely. That is the best of us: when we keep working through a problem, especially in a world of turbulence and shifting expectations.

The audience feels empathy for someone who is trying hard and doing his best. The results may not be perfect, but you wake up and have another go at it.

Smiga: George is a middle-aged accountant with a version of the nightmare almost everyone recognizes: being called to speak, sell, or perform—and suddenly forgetting every line. The play takes that fear to wonderful, farcical extremes.

Orefice: The lines are not the most important thing. What matters is being there, being present, and working through the problem. Nothing is truly scripted for us. No matter how much we plan or organize, we still encounter the uncertainty of other people.

Because the audience shares that uncertainty with George, he is allowed to find his way. In that sense, he becomes heroic. Durang’s great gift is making us laugh at things that are not, on their face, funny.

The ACT 19 Invitation

ACT 19 is building a company of actors and directors around informal, accessible theater at Triumph Brewing Company. The aim is simple: bring great comic theater and classic texts into a warm, casual, non-academic setting where people can meet, share a beer, and experience the thrill of live performance together.

The company is beginning with a group of roughly 40 actors and directors and hopes to grow. Future evenings may alternate Shakespeare with other great theatrical voices, shaped in part by what audiences respond to most strongly.

Orefice: There are many talented people doing other things in their lives who still have a deep appreciation for theater. We hope to create room, space, and opportunity for them to express themselves and share their favorites onstage.

That is in the spirit of Triumph Brewing Company: let’s get together. It does not take a lot of work. It takes a lot of heart and imagination.