Charlotter directs new musical ‘KIN’

Ben Recchia of Charlotte has his bachelor’s in zoology from the University of Vermont, his master’s in biology and now he’s back at UVM where he’s working on his doctorate in biology with a focus on science education, although he admits that may change.

So, how is he spending his summer? Well, founding a theatre company and producing and directing a new musical from England, of course.

Although Recchia is grounded in science, he is at home in the world of theatre as well.

Recchia was one of those kids who the theatre bug bit young and hasn’t let go, but sort of unique among many of those with a passion for doing theatre, he doesn’t see a fork between these two paths of science and theatre. They dovetail quite nicely in his psyche.

When you “are building a set for a show, you are trying to figure out how to get this set piece to work with this other set piece, that has to be safe to climb on, but also temporary,” he said. “And cheap.”

He is applying both his theatre and scientific minds to the founding of Workaround Theatre Company, creative producing and directing “KIN” and “wearing 15 other hats.”

“Because we’re small, I’m doing a little bit of everything,” Recchia said.

“KIN” will run July 18-27 with Wednesday-Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. in Burlington’s Main Street Landing Blackbox theatre. The musical by Emil Dale and Stefan Kelk sold out performances in four different theatre locations in London.

Recchia was Googling and looking for a musical to workshop when he discovered “KIN” and decided it was just what he was looking for.

Workshopping a new play is different than producing an established play, where you are bound by contract to perform the play exactly as it was written. In workshopping, the playwrights encourage experimentation and changing the dialogue to help develop the play and hopefully make it better.

Although Dale and Kelk are working with Recchia et al, the collaboration is long distance. The two playwrights won’t be able to travel to Burlington to see what Workaround has done with it, although the production here will be taped for them to see and possibly incorporate the changes Workaround has discovered.

A workshop production is a unique theatre situation, Recchia said, where the playwrights are encouraging you to change things, including lyrics, music, plot or even change the characters. They’re encouraging you to “mess with it and try to make it better than it was before.”

Although it is unique, it’s not so eccentric for this area. In recent years, Vermont has been an incubator of new plays. “Fun Home,” “Hadestown” and “Suffs” have Vermont roots, have had Broadway success and have won Tony Awards.

Recchia is a graduate of Charlotte Central School and Champlain Valley Union High, where his father Carl Recchia was longtime choral director.

Ben Recchia has been in over 20 productions at Charlotte Central School, CVU and the Flynn. He initially discovered the thrill of performing but gradually fell in love with working backstage which led to directing. He realized what he really liked doing was creating opportunities for others to be on stage.

“I just really like creating the space for people to do theater, and I love to bring my sciencey background and training into the planning and the preparation,” Ben said.

For the first time, the Workaround Theatre version of “KIN” will have a live band with two keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, strings and percussion. On one of the keyboards will be Carl Recchia.

The score is pop rock, 1980s-inspired music.

A good number of the cast of 15 are veterans of CVU or Flynn Theatre productions. Others are from relatively nearby, like Montpelier or Calais, so the theme of community, or kin, is close to home, figuratively and literally.

“KIN” is loosely based on a historical story of a cult that moved into a small town where the residents viewed them with suspicion and outright hostility. The cult held a big concert festival a la Woodstock at the same time the town’s election was taking place. They had concertgoers vote in the election and a member of the cult was elected mayor.

After that, the story of “KIN” strays from the historical facts and introduces the son of the mayor, who was defeated in the election. The son is attempting to redeem himself from a previous tragedy and decides to infiltrate the group to get back into the good graces of the town residents.

“All of a sudden, he discovers these people are lovely. They’re helping him process his grief. They’re super welcoming; they’re friendly; they’re kind and thoughtful,” Ben Recchia said. “So, he’s now torn between his actual family of the town and his new family of this group, which is called the KIN.”

The story is similar to something that happened in the Pacific Northwest, but the location of the play is intentionally left ambiguous so that the story is universal.

“The idea is that it can be anywhere, any small town, anywhere with some mountains,” said Ben Recchia. “It should feel pretty close to home for Vermonters.”