The Brooklyn Paper / Hilary McHone

Getting a ‘Degree’: Richard Prioleau, above, stars in the Gallery Players production of ‘Six Degress of Separation,’ opening Sept. 15.

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The Gallery Players doesn’t do “community theater.” The phrase, which can reek of a high-school production of “Grease,” doesn’t do the Players’ work justice. In fact, by putting a professional company on its stage, the Gallery Players has reached its 41st season with dignity in tact.

It all began in 1967, when Bruce Wyatt relocated from New Orleans to Brooklyn and brought the idea of the Gallery Players with him. Originally working from Flatbush, the group performed in churches and other borrowed spaces, and in 1978 became an Equity house, meaning it would work with players who were part of the Actors’ Equity Association, the stage actors union. It wouldn’t be until 1989 that the group moved to its current home, the 99-seat basement on 14th Street in Park Slope. But, while it didn’t always have a permanent space, the group had been building a reputation all along.

“Other showcases and even off-Broadway can feel like everyone is scrambling as part of some homegrown guerilla theater,” said Richard Prioleau, a Park Slope actor who will star as Paul in “Six Degrees of Separation,” this season’s opener. “Here there is a sense of professionalism. It feels established.”

Working for such a group is what keeps actors, directors and members of the technical crew returning each season, all without getting paid movie star, or even Broadway star, salaries. All equity players are entitled to a salary and benefits, however.

Dealing with a tight budget can definitely make things difficult, though. Costume designer David Withrow, who has worked on Broadway productions of “Three Penny Opera” and “The Wedding Singer,” said that creating costumes for “Six Degrees of Separation” was “like working miracles.”

Like most of the group’s members, though, Withrow is happy to do it. “I’m treated well,” he said. “I’m never told how to do my job. You have a say and you know they trust you.”

Of course, trust doesn’t pay the bills, and the majority of the Players have less-than-glamorous day jobs to toil at. They’re willing to put in the extra hours, though, if it means working on quality theater.

“I was just bleeding money,” said Prioleau, who recently got a job at a consulting firm to supplement his actor’s salary. “I’ll do plays like this for free for the opportunity to do good work. You don’t go into the theater to make money.”

Despite the pitfalls, getting on this stage is no small feat. The Gallery Players cast their performances from a mixture of open calls, agent-recommended auditions and members of the Equity Actors Association. For “Six Degrees” alone, more than 300 people auditioned for 17 roles.

And sometimes, a performer gets lucky. “We’ve had a lot of people go on to bigger and better things,” said Heather Curran, the group’s artistic director. “We’re using professional actors and designers, [so] this is really a showcase for everyone involved.”

One of the reasons the group is able to keep producing shows is its “extremely loyal Brooklyn base,” according to board member and “Six Degrees” producer Cathy Bencivenga. She said that at least 80 percent of subscription holders renew every year. And while most cultural institutions keep that kind of information secret, when we floated this number past a local membership guru, he said it was “phenomenal,” as long as they were bringing in new subscribers as well.

But using a bigger house to bring in bigger bucks is out of the question. The productions are limited to 99 seats, one of the strict parameters, including limiting rehearsals and performances, that the Actors’ Equity Association insists upon.

As with so many aspects of this sort of work, it’s a trade-off. “In general, it says something about the quality of actors,” said Wojtunik. “To be offered a job at an equity theater has a certain amount of cache.”

He’s right, since only Equity actors can audition for Broadway shows. “We wouldn’t be able to do as good a show as ‘Six Degrees’ if we couldn’t have Equity actors,” said Wojtunik.

And there’s always the chance of being discovered. “The idea behind a showcase is a casting director scopes you out and scoops you up,” said Prioleau. “That’s the romantic way of putting it.”

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper