Director sees chance for growth

Ask Drew Martorella to pick his favorite play, and he’ll rattle off an unlikely list.

For example, he’s particularly fond of Shakespeare’s “King John” — which you don’t see all that often because “it’s sort of dense, not a lot happens, and King John is petulant and kind of weird.”

“I’m naming all these obscure things,” says the producing director of TheatreWorks, sitting in his office in a cottage behind the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He crosses his arms over his chest as he contemplates his taste in drama.

“But sometimes I think that when you do an obscure show, and you do it well, you get attached,” he says.

VENUE: Since Martorella first came to TheatreWorks 12 years ago, the Springs’ most esteemed venue for classical drama — creatively helped by Murray Ross — has begun to look more like a regional theater than a university one. Its annual budget has tripled — growing from $400,000 to $1.2 million. In 2003, this growth prompted a move to a larger, more flexible “black box” space in University Hall.

BACKGROUND: Martorella grew up in a small town in West Virginia. He began as an electrician at an outdoor theater, and eventually wound up producing commercials in Los Angeles and working as a stage manager in Santa Fe.

“When I moved to Colorado Springs, I was coming off of many years of bouncing from place to place,” he recalls. “I thought I’d only be here for a year or two. But I immediately became connected to the people of the Springs.”

TAKE ON THE SCENE: “I think that to some degree the reputation of Colorado Springs — the reputation of not having a very lively arts scene — is undeserved,” he says. “I think that what the scene does is struggle to be relevant in Colorado Springs. I mean that it exists, it’s just not part of the popular tapestry that defines the city.”

GREATEST CHALLENGES: “The most challenging aspect of running a theater is maintaining your audience. You don’t have a theater if no one comes. There’s no formula for it. You hope your work is good. You hope that you matter to them.”

GREATEST REWARDS: For 10 years, Martorella has been leading theater trips to London twice a year — which he describes as equal parts work and pleasure. “We tend to steer clear of the popular West End show du jour,” he says. “We’re proud to say we think we’ll take you to theater you might not have seen on your own."

WHY DO IT HERE: “I don’t know. It was a fortuitous move that became my home,” he says with a shrug. “It’s true I noticed this wonderful culture, but only in hindsight did I realize it was an opportunity for growth.”

TYPICAL DAY: “When we decide what we’re going to do artistically, it’s my job to make sure everything is put together,” he says, listing people he deals with: actors, unions, production crews, directors. “It’s really a matter of marrying our aesthetic responsibility with financial realities.”