More than four decades of friendship fuels “Patti & Theo” at Ochre House Theater

Polly Maynard remembers the first time she saw Ochre House Theater Artistic Director Matthew Posey onstage over four decades ago. She was 14, and Posey was starring in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” “I don’t think I’d ever seen a straight play before. I’d seen a lot of musicals and a lot of opera, and I was just really blown away,” Maynard recalls.

Later, they got to know one another through theater classes at Coronado High School in Lubbock. They went on to work together in the 80s at The Deep Ellum Theatre Garage, the first theater space Posey opened in Dallas. “The work that we started there was very unique, and it gathered a lot of attention because it was kind of renegade work,” Posey says of the theatre garage. “We practically lived in this grimy, little space in Deep Ellum on Main Street. It was actually a brake and clutch shop that we converted into a theater.”

Maynard played Alice in the theater’s opening production, a version of “Alice in Wonderland.” Posey says they sharpened and honed their skills working on innovative productions during long, intensive rehearsals at the theatre garage. “We really did find new forms and techniques of acting that became unique,” Posey says of their work during that time.

Posey and Maynard’s paths onstage split once the theatre garage closed. Maynard, an experienced guitarist with a master’s in classical guitar performance from UNT, became the owner and director of The Denton Childbloom Guitar Program dedicated to teaching young children guitar. After moving to Los Angeles to further his acting career, Posey eventually returned to Dallas and opened Ochre House Theater, an award-winning theater known for its uniquely creative avant-garde works.

Last spring, however, the two would find themselves sharing the stage once again at Ochre House Theater in its original production “Patti & Theo.” “Believe it or not, I wrote this play for Polly and I,” Posey, who also stars as Theo and directs the show, says. He calls it a “real gift” to have been able to work closely with Maynard once again.

The new collaboration between longtime friends was clearly a success as Posey saw “Patti & Theo” as “such an important breakthrough in terms of the kind of theater” that Ochre House is known for that he decided to restage a new version of the production. The show is now running at Ochre House Theater through November 23.

“Patti & Theo” is the story of a struggling artistic couple caught in a cycle of drinking, abuse and oppression. “Patti is stuck, and she’s the one that really has the talent,” Posey says, explaining that the show winds up following her journey trying to break free of these vicious cycles. “It’s about a study of people who are at a deficit in life and who try to make it as best they can,” Posey says.

Now in its second run, “Patti & Theo” has retained most of its original cast and features additions to the show’s second act. It also includes plenty of the theater’s signature humor and artistic creativity that helped make the show’s first run such a success. “I think my understanding of the work has grown too,” Maynard, who stars as Patti, says.

She describes how her work on the show originally began early last year when Posey would send her pieces of the script and ask her for help with songs to fit the show. Maynard, who’s credited for the show’s lyrics, says the process helped her develop a deeper understanding of her character and the broader production itself.

Posey notes that the music helps “move the plot forward” to convey what acting sometimes cannot. He credits the collaborative environment working with Maynard, music director Matthew McNabb, who also performs in the show, and fellow performers/musicians Trey Pendergrass and Aaron Gonzales with helping craft the “organic” musical stylings heard throughout “Patti & Theo.”

“It really does run the gamut,” Posey says, noting the production includes ballads, a rumba, spoken word and deconstructed songs played against the melody. The musicians even play ambient noises throughout the show to help bring the world of “Patti & Theo” to life.

A backdrop of shadows adds depth to that word. Shadow artist Janet Dodd creates the show’s shadow play, an extension of the theater’s use of projections that creates new meaning through intricate shadow imagery. Posey says Ochre House Theater previously experimented with shadow play, but “Patti & Theo” represents its most expansive usage in storytelling yet. He calls it “a chaotic ballet” backstage to create the “very fluid and very dynamic” shadows. “It’s like clockwork,” Maynard says of watching the creation of the shadows. “Everybody’s working together. It’s really beautiful.”

The end result of all of the creative energy going into “Patti & Theo” is a show that Posey says audiences can take something different from each time they see it. “It’s kind of a smorgasbord of art,” Posey says. “There’s a lot to take in.”

It’s all centered around the show’s titular characters in a production that’s brought two friends back together onstage after decades apart. “Even though we haven’t worked together for a long time, it’s just like we picked up where we left off,” Maynard says.

She remembers her and Posey’s original goal for audiences was simple and something that still rings true today. “We just want to blow their minds,” Maynard says.

“Patti & Theo” runs through November 23 at Dallas’ Ochre House Theater. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit https://ochrehousetheater.org/.

These interviews were edited for clarity.