Profile

Photo by Lars Anne Productions

Redefining
Self

and in politics.
Although he has never met
a Nazi, he has felt the sub-
tleties of anti-Semitism which
prompted I Hate Nazis. He
has also never been physical-
ly abused, but the screaming
manipulation of the cat he
loved drew an un-
likely connection
with domestic vio-
lence in I Am My
Housecat's Wife.
Mr. Hoffman
said he has re-
cently identified
the Jewish voice
in his writing —
one that has be-
come more overt
over time.
"The first time I
knew of separa-
tion was growing
up in England. In grade
school someone told me I
killed Jesus. I said I didn't
know him. Now that's a line
in one of my works," Mr. Hoff-
man said. "To say I'm making
a return to Judaism would be
wrong. I never left it.
"In college, I never tried to
incorporate it (Jewishness)
into my writing either. But I
guess it was always there, in
jokes, intonation, talmudic
reasoning that perhaps no
one understood."
Mr. Hoffman isn't sure how
often all his notions are com-
prehended. Although his
works have been well re-
ceived, in reviews and by pa-
trons, his concept of
recreating theater space
might puzzle some — at least
in Detroit.
While New York and
Chicago theater run the
gamut from four walls and a
light bulb to neon and an or-
chestra pit, Detroit options

Todd Hoffman's
Miniature Sun
Productions
elevates the sometimes
mundane to art.

Todd Hoffman: Alternative theater space.

rit

odd Hoffman
hates Nazis.
He is also
his housecat's
wife and be-
lieves in flan-
nel love.
Oddities of
Mr.
sorts,
Hoffman has
incorporated such thoughts
into the titles of his mono-
logues and plays. From bat-
tling with the dilemma of
despising a hate group to
drawing metaphor between
domestic abuse and the be-
havior of his pet, everything
Mr. Hoffman writes about
has touched him personally.
He follows the old adage,
"Write what you know."
And so desiring to perform
works important to him, Mr.
Hoffman developed his own
theater production company,
Miniature Sun Productions,

about one year ago.
Working primarily out of
coffeehouses about town, Mr.
Hoffman's performances in-
clude minimal props and sets.
His monologues last only 30
minutes, as do his improvi-
sations, done with partner
Joe Hickey.
However, he is no stranger
to the larger stage. Mr. Hoff-
man graduated from Wayne
State University with a bach-
elor's degree in theater, is a
member of actor/producer Jeff
Daniel's Purple Rose Theatre
Company Playwriting Unit
and has played roles such as
Shylock in The Merchant of
Venice at the Bonstelle The-
atre and Pico in Aladdin
with the Hilberry Repertory
Co.
His first independent work,
What Do You Want?, opened
at the Shadow Box Caffe in
Hamtramck in June of 1992

and moved on to the Perfor-
mance Network in Ann Arbor
later that summer.
It's a story Mr. Hoffman
believes most anyone could
relate to as it deals with is-
sues troubling the collective
consciousness — sex, rela-
tionships and fidelity.
He is now working exclu-
sively in coffeehouses and
cafes with titles like Fish
That Swim in Watermelon,
an improvisational act in
which the audience directs
the story, and MonoTodd, a
series of monologues.
"Writing, acting, it's a very
personal thing. I can't write
a play because someone tells
me to. I have to be thinking
about it. It develops. And I
write about that which I rec-
ognize I have come up against
in my life," Mr. Hoffman said.
Control fascinates Mr. Hoff-
man, too — in relationships

nu

are more limited.
"I'm working hard to break
through the notion of theater
as only a place with seats in
rows. People think 'theater'
and they think Oklahoma. I
love a great stage and beau-
tiful curtains and big effects,"
Mr. Hoffman said. "But I
write plays that are down to
earth, that I think people can
relate to. I don't write big,
flashy productions. It's not
about spending dollars. It's
about making a point."
A few others are joining the
trend. And Mr. Hoffman said
he welcomes new competition
sprouting up in bars, book
shops and cafes.
"I'm not a household name,
but I can fill the spaces. Yet
any day people can stop com-
ing to see me," Mr. Hoffman
said. "In a pure business
sense, I believe everyone —
the audience, the shop own-
ers, the actors — does better
this way."
Expenses are minimal. Mr.
Hoffman passes a hat around
at the end of performances
and the profits are split
among the few actors. He is
proud to be among a few the-
ater production companies
not in debt. And everything
he receives, from the quarter
to a $20 bill, signifies to him
that people want to see his
work expand.
"It's about getting there
that matters – the process,
the risk," Mr. Hoffman said.
The Shadow Box Caffe in
Hamtramck will host Minia-
ture Sun Productions' Fish
That Swim in Watermelon
Oct. 22 and 29 at 8 and 10
p.m., MonoTodd Nov. 5 at 8
and 10 p.m., and Pinballs in
a Broken Arcade Nov. 12 at
8 and 10 p.m.

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