Growing up in Santa Barbara, Robert Rodarte was passionate about theatre and acting. As an adult, now back in Santa Barbara after studying acting in New York City, Rodarte wants to create the kind of theater that he most enjoys consuming. In line with that aspiration, Rodarte has founded a new contemporary theater company called HappySad Theatre. Their debut production, Lucy Prebble’s The Effect, will run at Center Stage Theater January 16-17. The play follows two psychiatric patients in a clinical trial for a new antidepressant, and their experiences with the drug, the doctors, and each other. Are they truly in love? Or are their feelings merely a side effect of the new treatment?
The Effect captures the style of show HappySad wants to produce — contemporary theatrical work about issues relatable to a young demographic. “I’ve kept my ear to the ground on what’s going on in Chicago, N.Y.C., and London,” says Rodarte, “on what type of work is being done, and now I’m translating it back here.” Rodarte notes that with several colleges and universities in the area, Santa Barbara has a youth culture looking for a performance experience more in line with their understanding of and way of interfacing with the world.
“Theater has a tendency to get stuck in escapism,” says Rodarte. “I want to watch [plays about] people that I can relate to, people going through things that myself or people I know are going through. The kind of theater experience I enjoy is one where you walk out and felt like your mind or your position was changed.”
Robert Rodarte directs and also stars in The Effect, along with HappySad co-founder Riley Rodarte, and local performers Gioia Marchese and Joseph Bottoms.
See The Effect January 16-17 at Center Stage Theater. See more information at happysadtheatre.org, centerstagetheater.org/show-details/the-effect-by-lucy-prebble
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