Just when you thought you were done with us, we’re back with another FringeFamous Five. This week, we bring you Zach Curtis, Artistic Director of the Paul Bunyan Playhouse.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you freelance direct in the Twin Cities, you act pretty regularly, and you’re also the Artistic Director of the Paul Bunyan Playhouse in Bemidji. All of this leads me to my first question: why do you hate yourself so much?

ZACH CURTIS: Well, there’’s a certain amount of self-loathing in every theater artist, wouldn’t you say? I’’ve been pretty fortunate to have worked for five of the last six years without a regular, non-theater day job. It’s been great to focus on the theater, and to get to do a variety of things. Also, I really have no other talents, so I’’ve been lucky. And the Playhouse gives me three solid months of work every year, so I can’t complain.

How did you end up with the job in Bemidji?

ZC: Believe it or not, an ad on tctfa.org. They had fought their way back from almost closing in 2000, and the previous Artistic Director really got them back on their feet again. When he left, they were looking for someone to take them to the next level, and I happened to be ready at the right time.

What are the major differences between what you were doing with Fifty Foot Penguin and what you’re doing now with the Paul Bunyan Playhouse?

ZC: I’’m not spending my own money? That’’s an awesome part of it. Also, being able to have a real budget, and not just what’’s in my personal bank account at the time of the show is nice. Also, with Fifty Foot Penguin, it was pretty much just me. In Bemidji, I have a Board of Directors, box office staff, and a full time production team of seven. Those are luxuries you simply can’t afford when self-producing.

But with the Playhouse, your time is much more limited, and rehearsals are quick and condensed, and it requires a much stronger focus - but the great part is, that’’s all you’’re doing every day - focusing on the show. Plus we all live together (the company is housed at Bemidji State University), so there’’s a hippie commune feel, but with more laundry being done.

Christy DeSmith recently wrote an article in Minnesota Monthly about what seems to be declining numbers in the houses of several local theatres. If you’ve seen any of this in Bemidji, what plans do you have to turn this trend around? If this problem has not reached Bemidji, what kinds of things are you doing to make sure this trend stays away from the Paul Bunyan Playhouse?

ZC: I’’m heading into my third season, and fortunately for us, we’’ve seen a rise in tickets sales each year. Part of it (from what we’ve been told by our audiences) is due to the strong productions we’re staging, and some is due to choosing interesting works that audiences want to come in from the lake and see. As long as the Playhouse is able to keep providing the strongest talent from both the Cities and Bemidji, and keeps doing challenging and entertaining work, I don’t see it heading back into it’s dark days again.

My favorite thing to hear from audience members is “I can’’t wait to see what you’’re going to do next.” As long as we keep hearing that, I think we’’ll be fine.

If somebody is on the fence about making the drive up to Bemidji to see a show at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse this summer, what would you say to get them off that fence and in their car?

ZC: I would say that there’’s a thrilling energy to Playhouse performances, because the people who are involved are focused so much on the show, and not on the rest of the world that distracts us so often in our process. There’s just a lot of enjoyment of what we get to do. These performers and technicians aren’t getting paid what I wish they could be - but they aren’’t doing it for that reason. They come up and they work hard because it’s a sort of mini-vacation, and they get to play and have fun and “put on a play”. I find the whole environment rather freeing, and I think it draws some incredible work out of people.

Also, Bemidji has a very strong sense of community, and audiences love having the Playhouse as part of their summer activities. So, to watch a show with an audience who appreciates the Playhouse’’s presence as much as the company members do is a treat.

And it’’s in Bemidji - it’’s really a gorgeous town. There’’s a giant lake 100 yards out our back door. How can you not like that?

Zach Curtis begins his third season as the Artistic Director of the Paul Bunyan Playhouse next week. In a previous life, he was the Artistic Director of Fifty Foot Penguin Theater in Minneapolis. In addition he is a freelance director, scenic designer and Equity Actor. He was last seen onstage in Theatre Pro Rata’’s Metamorphoses.