The Orchard Project is a project organized by a group of like-minded people who have decided to devote themselves helping talented creative individuals and companies. Geographically it is situated in one point - a small town Hunter, in southern part of New York State. Here, only about 5,000 people live in four small towns located next to each other.



Hunter is not just a small town. Previously, it was a very popular resort, which eventually lost its summer popularity. But it is incredibly popular in wintertime because of the ski resorts location here. Winter accommodation prices soar to dizzying heights, and residents of Hunter feel again at the peak of popularity, which has fallen on this town once it appeared in an American movie theaters in a filmed here movie «Dirty Dancing» with Patrick Swayze in the title role.



It seems that Hunter has been built with the only purpose that creative personalities will live here. It is quiet, secluded and stunningly beautiful. When you ask the locals, if it is not too boring living here they response: «If you are bored - go to New York. It’s just three hours drive by car». The concept of the Project’s founders was built on the unique beauty and solitude of these places.



Ari Edelson is an inspirer and organizer of The Orchard Project. That he had the idea of a summer residence for theater people, where they could work on a product that could not be established or created in other places by various reasons. And the choice of a small Hunter is not accidental - here there are no concerned colleagues bothering you, agents do not pester over trifles, and producers do not ask to come "for an urgent talk"... There are all conditions for work and leisure. To get here is simple - you just need to send a completed detail form, and wait for an invitation, which a dozen and a half lucky ones out of 600 applicants will finally get.



Applicants must meet several criteria. For example, they must be engaged in theatrical activities. And yet - to create a project that cannot be make where they live and work. Never mind that impedes the work - lack of funds, lack of space, the political situation or catastrophic workload. The important thing is – that there you cannot do it and here - you can. While working on a project in Hunter, you are not obligated to anyone to justify or account for what you do - it's your own business, and your creative choices. If you decide to show a piece of work on the residence completion, everybody will be happy and make every effort to help in organizing the show.



Just four people are working in The Orchard Project. Another dozen are volunteers who come here from all over America – and who have been selected on competitive base. Their office occupies the first floor of the main building - a large red house, located near the pond at the foot of the mountain. Here's a great workspace format studio, and rooms for accommodation. The main building is open 24 hours a day, and you can work around the clock as well. All accommodation space is within Wi-Fi zone, and problems with communication do not exist in principle. But television is completely absent, the existence of which one forgets three minutes later after arrival. If you go back to the subject of volunteers, it should be noted, that there are more of them than enough - American students of creative art schools are doing everything to expand their field of communication, knowing that any of contacts may result in a contract. Here we met with a student, who we had taught at the California Institute of Arts named after Walt Disney last fall. She flew to Hunter from the other end of America, from Los Angeles to work for free during a month in The Orchard Project.



As in every respectable house The Orchard Project has its own mascot - a dog named Gus. He is a universal favorite, and lives there together with his master all four years of The Orchard Project existence. Maybe that was the mascot who helped to persuade local rich people to agree to start financing the fund, through which The Orchard Project exists. Today, they are delighted with Ari’s venture, when they see the brand of the project, born in a tiny Hunter, on posters of the world's major theatrical projects. This is one of the rules of the residence – The Orchard Project logo must be on printed products of the project, which has been created.



During four years of The Orchard Project existence it has definitely something to boast about. Many of the leading contemporary playwrights worked here: Annie Baker, Emily Devoti, Rude Mechs wrote his Method Gun for the festival Humana, and Laura Wade, who taught in the laboratory Fortinbras in The Free Theatre, wrote a play Posh, that was staged in the famous London theatreRoyal Court. Here Broadway project 33 Variations and off-Broadway Architecting and The Shipment were born.



Organizers warn before the residence starts: «We have unbroken traditions - for example, in the evening we go out with a glass of wine on the riverbank». The entire content of "a wine cellar" is not a fad of the organizers, but a debit item of sponsors. The organizers are very kindly anxious about two things - work and leisure. The work should be provided with all necessary components, as well as recreation. The anxious attitude towards the health affects the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Here you will be offered no hard alcohol, but always – a good wine. And only after a dinner. During our residence one of the days set aside for meeting with friends - from different cities of America theatrical producers, directors, playwrights will gather in Hunter to meet with the troupe of The Free Theatre. Perhaps in this day the rule "only after a dinner" will be violated. But on this day only.



Another criteria for applicants - «The Orchard Project organizers should like to dine in their company». In this joke there is not just a grain of truth, but all of it entirely. Communicative ability is one of the main criteria for the invitation to the residence in Hunter. One of the main super task of the organizers is the creation of an international network of theater figures and promotion of major international theater projects. By the way, the food here is delicious. Mostly vegetarian food, fish, chicken, and a lot of greens in absolutely different variations. This food does not give feeling of heaviness in the stomach, and promotes morning jogging and yoga exercises, which a wife of one of the organizers teaches three times a week. From the culinary "liberties" there is an ice cream, which is mostly for children who are not burdened with thoughts of maintaining fitness figures.



The Belarus Free Theatre became an exception here as well, having received an invitation from The Orchard Project. Until now, the residence has never hosted such a large theatrical group - 17 people. Before us, the maximum number of participants from one project was 5-6 people. Like, for example, our predecessors - a group that prepares a musical commissioned by one of New York's off-Broadway theaters. The major “contingent” of invited to the residence is playwrights or a pair of playwright/director engaged in the preparation of new projects.



In addition to the main building, at the disposal of The Orchard Project there are four houses in which artists directly participating at the residency and visiting volunteers live. Houses are very comfortable and equipped with everything necessary: from a fully equipped kitchen to audio-video equipment. All the houses are arranged very rationally: if there is a big hall, where large companies spend time in the evening, then it will be necessarily removed from the bedrooms area so not to disturb those who lay down to rest or working.



All houses are situated in picturesque places - either on the mountains slopes or on the riverbank. A quiet riverbank is a favorite place for actors who are concerned with memorizing the text.



The river performs not only the function of "a pretty picture". It is a place to dive for those who comes to see another place of worship of The Orchard Project - a sauna in the house Schoharie Creek House (each of the houses where the resident artists live has its own name). The sauna is a cult place not because outstanding contemporary actors, playwrights and directors sweat there - it is an object of the competition for new records. During each new arrival there is "the battle for the record" – to stuff possibly maximum quantity of people in a small sauna. Our arrival already owned two records: on the day of arrival the sauna accommodated 18 people, and three days later - 22. This record is kept so far, but we plan another assault on the record closer to the finale of the residence.



Late in the evening most of the "residents" are gathered together in the hall of Schoharie Creek House to arrange a jam session, or a game of "Mafia". At some point in the game Ari says: «And now everybody falls asleep». Everybody participating is playing a blind eye, supposedly asleep.



«Mafia opens its eyes» - two players open their eyes, then they "shoot", and close their eyes again... Then all participants open their eyes... All except Gus. He was not interested in games in which no one scratches you behind the ear. Besides, he should not neglect resting, because tomorrow he has to work hard - to control the rehearsals’ progress of The Belarus Free Theatre.


Photo © Nikolai Khalezin