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Q: And hopefully they won’t see dreck.

A: Of course not. But regardless of what goes on on stage, if I can ensure that the audience member has a wonderful experience in my building, I’ll be thrilled. From my perspective, [the audience experience] is going to be different because they’re going to be sitting in chairs that are designed for theater. They’re going to be sitting in an environment that’s made for hosting performing arts.

Q: How will the companies be different, now that they have a permanent home?

A: I think a couple of things. One, financially they have a burden lifted from them; they’re not panic-stricken about, is that guest house going to start charging me double for the function room I use because they realize that the space is killer and they can get a drag queen in and do a show and make more money? They’ll also be able to take more risks. I’m offering them a theater whenever they want it, basically; let’s give a shot to this play that’s questionable. So I think it’s going to be a good time for both of them.

Q: What’s your theater background?

A: I’ve been at it for probably about 12 years. Proud college dropout, and just sorted of toiled in the arts and then dabbled in quote-unquote day jobs, temping here and there, waiting tables when convenient. But most prominently, I produced for three seasons the free Shakespeare on Boston Common, and ran a couple of successful commercial productions, notably and most recently Puppetry of the Penis. It was too much for me. The whole road lifestyle. You know, you get home from work every night at midnight, you go into your hotel room, you smoke a joint and eat a cheeseburger and French fries and drink some beer. And then rinse and repeat the next day. The results are fried brain, 80 extra pounds, and sort of a hollow ambition.

Q: So you think the Provincetown lifestyle will suit you better?

A: You know, I ultimately wanted to nest. I wanted a kitchen, I wanted a dog, I wanted a parking space. That was sort of the motivation of applying for jobs. After being on the road for a good eight, nine months, I was like, oh, I need a steady paycheck, I need to grow up a bit. That was probably a big portion of it too.

Q: Tell me about the history of theater in Provincetown.

A: The start is considered in 1916, there was a production of Bound East for Cardiff, a play by Eugene O’Neill, that sort of began his career. The tagline they use for Provincetown is "the birthplace of American drama." And they consider that the birthing moment, the presentation of that play, as its start. Provincetown being an arts colony meant that it was possible for someone to come here and live cheap and play and be surrounded by painters and writers and drunkards and fishermen and hippies, and just experiment. There were always these companies that would spring up, and theaters built at the end of wharves, so that allowed people to just play and experiment. The two most well-known writers from Provincetown, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams, certainly found the place conducive to their writing. Even more so than that, in a much quieter, more private way, it continues to this day to be a place where someone can come and get away from the world and just concentrate on what’s in their head. There’s really no more gorgeous place in the world. When you’ve got two and a half miles of land completely surrounded by water, the light is different, the air is different, the energy of people is different, and it lends itself to this being an incubator for the arts.

Q: So the landscape and the community of Provincetown really affect the theater culture of Provincetown?

A: Without a doubt. And the dramatics of being in a small town. I think the small-town-ness of it lends itself to fostering creativity. And people constantly are challenging you: "That’s great; let me see what you have next." The judgment of your peers here in Provincetown, I’m finding — and I’m very new here, so this is all sort of quick observations — you’re not judged on your history; you’re judged on what you just did. If you paint a painting that someone likes, they’re going to love you for it. You paint something that’s eh, you paint the next one, they love it. You have a play read at the playwrights’ lab and it falls flat? It falls flat. Next time you’re going to write something else.

Q: What do you think you’ll be thinking when the curtain goes up on opening night?

A: I’ll be thinking, thank fucking God! Also, I’ve been producing shows long enough that I’ve stopped watching what goes on on stage, and instead end up watching the audience watch what’s on stage. So I’m just going to be thinking, I hope these people are smiling. I hope they’re loving being here. I hope the air conditioning continues to work. I hope we don’t have a blackout, which is fairly common in Provincetown on-season.

A year ago, building and opening a theater in Provincetown was not my dream. A year ago I think I was crashed out at a hotel in Seattle with two men who play with their penises for a living. That said, I’ve been brought here and have been asked to be a catalyst for this community’s dream, and that’s been really fantastic. To be the one to help usher this place into reality has just been a treat like none other. I’ve always prided myself and enjoy and look forward to building bridges, and saying, how can all of the arts companies in Provincetown help each other? Can the artists work with the guest houses and the restaurants and the shop owners? Can we help the fishermen? Is there a connection to the schools? And just continue to grow the place.

The Provincetown Repertory Theatre presents The Direct Line Play at the Provincetown Theater on June 25 and 26. For tickets and information on the inaugural season, call (508) 487-9793, or visit www.provincetowntheater.org. Tamara Wieder can be reached at twieder[a]phx.com