We’ve only got a couple of performances left for FIVE COURSE LOVE!
So, once you’ve seen that, get your tickets for what’s coming up next month:

Blue Door
By Tanya Barfield
September 23 – October 17, 2010
Directed by Suzi Regan

A tenured professor of mathematics is jolted from the rut of his life when is wife accuses him of denying his heritage. While experiencing a disorienting insomnia he inadvertently conjures his ancestors. Three generations of men, from slavery through Black Power, challenge him to embark upon a journey of self-discovery combining past and present. Infused with abundant humor and woven through with original songs, Blue Door is a vivid, exuberantly theatrical play about the African-American male experience.

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.
-King Whitney Jr.

Turbulence is life force. It is opportunity. Let’s love turbulence and use it for change.
-Ramsay Clark

The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.
-Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

My kids spent the week with my parents at their place up north, out in the woods on the Thunder Bay river. Sometimes we refer to it as “the cabin”, but it’s not, really, it’s a regular house… “cabin” is just the default term for “place up north in the woods by the river”.

They had a great time, fishing, swimming, going on trips to the Upper Peninsula to see things like the Tahquamenon Falls, cool stuff like that. They also relaxed around the house and played games and watched tv.

Today, my son says to me, in that breathy rushed voice kids get when they’re excited about something, “Grandpa and I watched the COOLEST SHOW! It’s a mystery show, we watched a bunch of episodes, like, a MARATHON! You follow the story, and try to solve the mystery as it goes on! I really love it!”

“Oh yeah?” I say, “Sounds neat!”

“Yeah!”, he says “It’s SO neat! It’s mostly about murders, but not always, and it’s just a really good show! You would totally love it!”

“It’s called Matlock!”

🙂

My dad and son are bonding over Matlock.

*laughing*

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Slept in, thanks to my awesome wife.
Did some yard work.
A very full performance of FIVE COURSE LOVE.
Checking out the cool set designs for BLUE DOOR that just got cc’d to me in an email between the director and designer.
Callbacks later today for WHILE WE WERE BOWLING.
Working on callback sides for GREATER TUNA, laughing at how damned funny this show is.
My schedule is sort of insane between now and mid-February, but it’s full of great projects. I’m a lucky guy.

The subject of drama is The Lie. At the end of the drama THE TRUTH — which has been overlooked, disregarded, scorned, and denied — prevails. And that is how we know the Drama is done.
-DAVID MAMET

The drama is not dead but liveth, and contains the germs of better things.
-WILLIAM ARCHER

I’m very pleased to report that, with our final production still only halfway through performances, the this season at the Williamston Theatre has been our most successful yet, in terms of attendance and box office income!

This continues a trend of growth that we’re proud of – each of our seasons so far have seen an increase of attendance by at least 15% over the last, we’re looking forward to the seeing the numbers once this final show of the season has closed.

SO – are we rolling in dough and getting rich? Nope. BUT – Are we keeping the doors open, providing quality professional theatre to thousands of people annually, and providing work to actors, stage managers, directors, designers, administrators and crew? Yep.

Want to help us keep doing that? Click HERE to donate online! No amount is too small – share the link, get everyone you know to donate $5! 🙂

And, even more importantly: See theatre!! Check out FIVE COURSE LOVE, and order some tickets! 🙂 Only 3 weeks left!

I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragoon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least.
-Eugene Ionesco

The color, the grace and levitation, the structural pattern in motion, the quick interplay of live beings, suspended like fitful lightning in a cloud, these things are the play, not words on paper, nor thoughts and ideas of an author, those shabby things snatched off basement counters at Gimbel’s.
-Tennessee Williams 

I think theater ought to be theatrical … you know, shuffling the pack in different ways so that it’s — there’s always some kind of ambush involved in the experience. You’re being ambushed by an unexpected word, or by an elephant falling out of the cupboard, whatever it is.
-Tom Stoppard

This was created by our Development Director, Emily! If you like it, share it with friends! 🙂

So after a wonderful Opening Night at the Williamston Theatre, I got home late to a sleeping family.

My wife and daughter were in their beds as expected.

My son was not.

This isn’t unusual – during the summer he makes it a challenge to sleep in a room OTHER than his bedroom as much as he can. I dunno, he’s 10, the kid’s a fruit loop, what can I say? It’s part of why I love him so much!

So I wandered into the family room, and sure enough there he is, sleeping on the pull-out sofa hide-a-bed couch thing.

And he’s surrounded by a bunch of multi-colored glo-sticks.

I have no idea why this is the case.

I mean, I see no other evidence of any kind of giant rave that went on here. There is no state fair in the backyard selling the these glo-sticks. And I don’t remember anyone in the family ever sleeping with a bunch of glo-sticks before.

For now, I’m going with the theory that he’s been training as one of those guys who helps guide planes around the runway, and he worked a late shift and forgot to leave his glo-sticks at work.

This leaves me with three thoughts:

1) If he’s working for an airline, can we get discounts on tickets now?
2) I’m pretty sure that my airplane theory will be debunked in the morning.
3) If glo-sticks are the worst things I find him sleeping with, I’ll consider that successful parenting.