Look forward in hope

"Why do movies draw such a larger audience than theatre," asks Boston actor Daniel Berger-Jones, "when essentially it's the same thing? It's storytelling." For Berger-Jones and his colleagues in the theatre company The Orfeo Group, the question isn't just fodder for idle chatter at cast parties. It's a vital topic for a new company forging its identity in Boston's burgeoning theatre scene.

You may recall Berger-Jones from his recent work with Actors' Shakespeare Project and Company One. But is the name Orfeo Group sounding less familiar? Less than a year old and with just one production under its belt, Orfeo is one of Boston's newest companies, along with Way Theatre Artists and Spontaneous Theatre Project (the Class of 2007, as it were.) The group was founded last July by four actors interested in the play Marisol.

"We had read this play and we just wanted to do it," recalls Berger-Jones. "Rather than pitch it to a bunch of other companies we decided to see what we could do. We got a great group of people together and we all knew afterwards that we had stumbled into something that was very artistically fulfilling."

Having come together for one project, the group's members went their own ways. "But around November," continues Berger-Jones, "we felt the itch to work together, and decided it might be worthwhile to, rather than working project by project, to sit down and write up a business plan and some goals and see what we can accomplish."

The current financial difficulties of Boston Theatre Works, which recently was forced to downsize the remainder of its season despite the critical and box office success of its production of Angels in America, are a sobering reminder of the harsh economic realities of the business side of theater. Starting a theater company is a risky proposition, and Orfeo Group isn't just taking a gamble, it's trying to roll a hard six: rather than charge admission to their production of Look Back in Anger, which opens this weekend at The Factory Theatre, the company will pass the hat after the curtain call.

"There's a very good chance we'll end up completely broke and have to start over from scratch," admits Berger-Jones. "But there's also the possibility that lots of people will come, and after they see the show they'll decide it was worth donating a little money."

This bold strategy is part of the Group's attempt to find the Holy Grail of the theater world: new audiences. Noting the rising cost of ticket prices, Berger-Jones jokes that his friends can't afford to come see him in plays. He explains that Orfeo Group hopes to attract "people who wouldn't normally spend money on a theater ticket. Some of the immigrant communities, or students."

To that end, Berger-Jones stumped for John Osborne's classic post-WWII drama Look Back in Anger for the group's sophomore effort. The play is both a personal favorite of his, and one that he finds very relevant today.

"The main character's driving force is his disgust with the apathy of his time," Berger-Jones explains. "I think the world situation right now is a little less dire. People are coming out of their apathy. But it wasn't long ago...I mean, we live in a country that reelected Bush after 9/11. When that happened, I thought, this country does not care about anything."

But Berger-Jones's voice is just one of seven core members. "It's great to have all those creative cogs working at the same time," he says enthusiastically. The group has plans to explore a wide variety of work, from the magical realism of Marisol to the kitchen sink drama of Anger, and on to expressionism and physical theater.

In fact, one of the biggest challenges the new group is facing is to keep their plans and expectations realistic. Although the group has set itself the modest goal of producing four shows over the next two years, some members are already eager to expand.

The group's confidence is the latest indicator of how much Boston's theatre scene has changed. Once a training ground for young theatre professionals who moved on to other cities, the Hub is now able to hold on to the youthful energy and innovative spirit of people like the artists who make up The Orfeo Group, several of whom, like the folks at Spontaneous Theatre Project, are recent graduates of Boston University.

"I'm not New York bound," says Berger-Jones decisively. "I love Boston and I think it has its own identity. I'm really excited to see what happens to that identity, especially as groups like Way and Zeitgeist come up. I think the play selection on the fringe is really exciting and vibrant in juxtaposition to the big companies like Huntington and ART."

The Orfeo Group presents Look Back in Anger at 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday, June 19 - July 6, at The Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont St., Boston. Admission is free but donations are accepted. Info: www.orfeogroup.org.