Previews for Maidens, Mothers and Crones went very well! We got some useful feedback from the preview audiences, and the show is really coming together beautifully. Lots of laughs, and a good amount of eye-wiping at just the right times! Director, playwright, cast and crew are all doing tremendous work, and the audiences have been very appreciative of it. Word of mouth is selling tickets nicely, we’re all hoping that continues!

More detailed info about the weekend of shows, and the upcoming week, at the Williamston Theatre Rehearsal Blog: rehearsalblog

Also, we had a round of General Auditions last night for our upcoming season, and I’m really happy with the amount and quality of folks coming out. Sometimes it shocks me when audience members ask me “Now where do you get your actors from?” because so many of them expect theatres in this state to be shipping in actors from the “Big Name” towns: New York, L.A., etc… I love the please/impressed/surprised reaction you get from folks unfamiliar to the theatre when they find out that most of the great talent onstage here in Michigan actually comes from Michiganians (Michiganders? You pick…).

Mother’s Day was good – but I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with my wife and kids as I would’ve liked. Again, juggling life as Dad The Artistic Director: We had a wonderful family morning, and then I had to head to work for the preview, and stayed late for the auditions. We had a nice breakfast out, though – Jeanne picked a little place near us and we went and had coffee and hot chocolate, little quiche and egg things, and some nice pastries! (Usually we give her breakfast in bed, but my son was invited to spend the night at a friend’s house on Saturday, so we decided to get up Sunday morning and pick him up and eat out!)

So, a nice weekend!

First Preview of Maidens, Mothers and Crones went well – we had a sold out house! The audience responded very well to the show – lots of good comments at the talkback and, as usual, a few things worth taking note of were brought up for us to think about in rehearsals! The whole production team is operating at a very high level, and it’s wonderful to produce this one and sit back while letting good people do their jobs!

We’ve got good houses all weekend long, which is a nice thing!

A busy week. I really like the way this show is shaping up. We’ll learn a ton during previews this weekend, and I’m looking forward to them!

A nice lesson was learned this week by me. (Wow, that was a poorly constructed sentence!!) A few months ago I made a clerical error (an oversight: I failed to realize/double-check something) that resulted in, for the last two weeks, mis-communications and tension based on several parties looking at the same issue with complete misunderstandings about how/why it was being handled the way it was. On Monday I finally realized my mistake from months ago. Once I figured out where the source of the problem was I rectified it and made a public apology to all involved, but it was a frustrating exercise in “How Missing A Detail Can Get In The Way And Cause Trouble”. Learning, always learning…

Other things I’ve learned this week:
– I still can’t sing, but I love watching people who can.
– Starbucks employees get a free pound of coffee beans per month.
– I’m finding myself more and more wanting to learn how to play harmonica or guitar.
– Despite wishing that I wasn’t, I’m still hopelessly addicted to Hell’s Kitchen!.

1. What is your occupation? Stage Director, Artistic Director.

2. What color are your socks right now? White.

3. What are you listening to right now? Nothing, but in my head is one of the original songs from the play I’m currently producing.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Popcorn.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My wife Jeanne.

7. How old are you today? 39.

8. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball.

9. Have you ever dyed your hair? Nope.

10. Favorite food? Um… that’s an impossible thing for me to define.

11. What was the last movie you watched? IRON MAN – a few hours ago. Fun!

12. Favorite day of the week? When I get to hang out with my wife and kids doing something fun AND have a good day making theatre.

13. How do you vent anger? Hmmm… Yelling, talking to myself, walking.

14. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don’t remember…

15. What is your favorite season? Fall…or Spring.

16. Cherries or Blueberries? Both, but Cherry pie is better.

17. Who is the most likely to respond? Um…to what, exactly? Doing this quiz? I have no idea.

18. Who is least likely to respond? See above.

19. What is on the bottom of your closet? Some clothes, some books.

20. What did you do last night? Had a tech rehearsal.

21. Favorite smells? Cut grass, my kids hair after they get out of the bath.

22. What inspires you? My family, my co-workers, good stories, good theatre.

23. What are you most afraid of? Something happening to my family.

24. Plain cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Ooh, Spicy Cheeseburger please!

25. What celebrity would you most like to meet? Oh, geez… Patrick Stewart? Prince? I dunno.

26. If you knew you had 30 days to live, what would you do with your time? Be with my family.

27. All-time favorite cartoon? Hmm… I have no idea.

28. Favorite spiritual place to go when your soul needs renewal? The woods… or playing with my kids.

29. Favorite mode of transportation? Driving… until I get a jetpack or a starship.

“Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking.”
– Antonio Machado

Remember when we used to fill out contact sheets and the contact numbers were listed as “Home” “Work” and “Other”? Now they all start with “Cell”. Sometimes “Work” isn’t even on there!

Who made that decision, that our cell phone should be our primary number?

Just wondering. Heaven knows I use MINE all the freaking time…

Posted for the heck of it, Here’s my program letter for Maidens, Mothers and Crones

“I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.”
-Frank Capra (Italian born American Film Director, 1897-1991)

“The drama may be called that part of theatrical art which lends itself most readily to intellectual discussion: what is left is theater.”
-Robertson Davies (Canadian Journalist and Author. 1913-1995)

“Drama is action, sir, action and not confounded philosophy.”
-Luigi Pirandello (Italian Playwright, Writer, Dramatist and Novelist, who became famous as an innovator in modern drama with his creation of the “theater within the theater” in the 1920s, 1867-1936)