Jerome Wheeler and the Micro Psychotic Theatric Ensemble know just what a little magic -- and creative interaction -- can do. It was in this spirit that Wheeler wrote and directed "Gomez and the Catnip Mouse," which the ensemble performed recently at Ford's Theatre.
For a man whose play was to debut in three hours, Wheeler was extremely calm as he sat in his "office" at Ernie's Steak House sipping coffee. Stopping occasionally to share a joke or a warm hug with cast members sitting nearby, he discussed the origin and purpose of the play.
"The main reason I did this was to fill a need. A lot of people here in town wanted to integrate their creative talents but there was a void as far as channels for their expression," he explained. "There are lots of creative people in Columbia but many are hesitant to take the risk of stepping out. By writing the play, I provided the vehicle -- my professionalism made it easier to pool everyone together. There is an awful lot of energy here and that energy has been manifest in the creative unity of the play."
As director, Wheeler observed, "I serve to provide a very loose direction, but I give the cast the latitude to bring their energy to the production and make it their own personal expression." This desire to involve each member in the play was evidenced in Wheeler's final comments to the cast on opening night of "Gomez."
"I want you all to be very aware of the fact that everyone is really energized tonight. We're all sharing and getting high together on what we've done. Now I want each of you to meditate on the part you've played in making this come together."
Wheeler encourages the cast members to share their excitement with each other and then communicate it to the audience. "Only when the audience can feel their spirit is the creative process complete."
Creative expression comes naturally to Wheeler. He left a banking job in Boston to return to Columbia, his hometown, and pursue free-lance writing full time. He has written several plays and spent one year assisting with University theater department productions.
In the summer of 1976, Wheeler and Glen Ward, a local musician, decided to collaborate on a creative venture that would be more than just another musical troupe.
The idea of the ensemble generated from what Wheeler describes as "a series of events and circumstances that in retrospect make one wonder about [1] men from Mars, [2] maybe somebody up there does like us, [3] the establishment of a group dynamic in a creative environment and [4] magic and fairies and pixie dust." From such esoteric origins sprung "Heaven's Bright Babies," a multimedia stage performance that incorporated the talents of everyone from filmmakers to tai chi experts. Written and produced by Wheeler and Ward, the show was performed as a benefit for KOPN radio station.
"We didn't know what the response would be," Wheeler says. But nearly 1,000 persons turned out for the first performance, and many had to be turned away from Gladstone's, the small club where the group performed.
This enthusiastic response provided the impetus for "Gomez." The play-movie-cartoon follows the exploits of Gomez, a circus tomcat who saves his fellow members of The Secret Circus from the evils of villain A. Gruesome Bile.
The actors and actresses in the ensemble are primarily local individuals with little professional experience. "They have little theatrical training, but a lot of creativity and a deep need to express it," Wheeler says. Now that Gomez has saved the circus, what future adventures lie ahead for the Micro Psychotic players?
"After we cool off a little, we will start something new," Ward says. "We don't plan ahead but just see what spontaneously starts flowing out."
"We plan to grow," Wheeler says. "Our main objective is to create resources without industry, to make our dreams realities and take them as far as we can. The world is big enough for anything to happen.
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