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Show #25 Is In The Books!

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Blue Door has closed, the set is struck. In 2 days, we launch into rehearsals for Greater Tuna.

Here’s a pic, courtesy of my iPhone, of the space after the set has been torn out. This is from the Stage Right seating bank, right next to M1.

There’s something very… Hmmm, melancholy, yet exciting and hopeful about a bare stage.

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New York thoughts

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I had the pleasure of working with a group of fantastic students from Otterbein College again this year, and directing them in their Senior Showcase. We spent the better part of this week in New York, where they performed their show for agents, producers and directors. It went very well, and I’m really proud of all 17 of them – some fabulous work was done, and it’s exciting to be there at the launch of 17 exciting careers!

Some quick observations from New York:

Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and the whole cast of “A Behanding In Spokane” are hilariously funny. If you get the chance, see the show, it’s really wonderful! Funny, foul, very non-politically correct and very worth seeing! Loved it.

The revival of “Hair” is equally wonderful, in a completely different way. Energetic, fun, the cast clearly loves what they do, and enjoys playing with the audience. In fact I can now say that thanks to my friend Chris, who is a dresser on the show and who made sure to find out where I was sitting, I know what it’s like to be lovingly manhandled and fondled by Ace from American idol, who stars in the show! I’m not gonna say we’re dating or anything but, yeah, he’ll probably call me.

Final New York thought for right now:
The receipt-printing machines in the taxis sound EXACTLY like the Smoke Monster from LOST. When walking on the street and hearing the sound from a nearby taxi, I immediately looked around expecting to see a giant column of smoke whipping down a side street, picking up hotdog carts and smacking people through buildings with them.

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A sad event

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We had a loss in our family this week….

Night, the One-Eyed Wonder Gerbil, was laid to rest this morning underneath a grove of pine trees. Everyone said a few nice words, and Maggie played her guitar.

His epitaph, written by the kids, reads:
RIP
Here lies Night The Girble
He was a nice Gerble
Died March 30, 2010

He was buried with his favorite coconut shell and, although Max says he is looking forward to having more space on his bookshelf, we will miss him.

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A great Thursday

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I spend a lot of my life being grateful for my family, and for my job, and being thankful for what I have. Lord knows I also spend a bunch of time worrying about what I/we don’t have.

Today was a great reminder of how lucky I am. We had a great rehearsal, I had some wonderful discussions about how to keep our theatre growing and, hopefully, prospering. After I got home, I had a great time chatting and laughing with Jeanne about life. Most of all, I got to be at my son’s school this morning as his class did their presentations of biographies of important people in history. It was really neat, and all the students were wonderful.

I’ve known that Max was working on this project for a while, he’s been excited about it. And, since I am a big nerd/science geek myself, I was pretty excited when he chose Neil Armstrong as his subject. The kids each had to fill up their big tri-fold screen with info about their subject, and they were placed all around the library. Then the parents came in and sat down, and all the kids stood in a row and did 5 line “teasers”, inviting people to check out their displays. Following that, the parents walked around the room checking out all of projects.

Max’s teaser? “Hi! I got my license to fly before I got my license to drive! In 1969, I was the first person in history to step foot on the moon! Think you know who I am? Then moonwalk over to my presentation to see if you’re right!”

And moonwalk I did, and so did lots of other people. It was so great to see him proudly greeting people as they came to see his display, “Would you like to see a picture of Neil Armstrong in his spacesuit? This is a replica of a 1969 newspaper from the day that he walked on the moon!”

Such fun. And not only did he know his stuff, he was proud and confident as he shared it with everyone there. And near the end, after he posed for a goofy picture, as I was giving him a we’re-in-school-and-I-don’t-want-to-embarrass-you fist bump, he wrapped his arms around me in a great big hug and said “Thanks for coming Dad, I love you!”

Yeah, I’m a lucky man.

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Thinking about what we do…

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As I put together what I *think* are the final pieces to our next season at the Williamston Theatre, I find that once again I’ve been giving a lot of thought about what exactly a Professional Regional Theatre is – it’s been a while since I found myself really questioning that in-depth. what it does, what it should do, how it fits in with both the nation-wide Regional Theatre Industry and the city and surrounding neighborhoods and state: what are the obligations, the responsibilities?

As happens often, instead of answers, I found some quotes that moved me and made me think:

“We have to dream nationally (with ambition, creativity and excellence) but produce locally (inviting audiences to help nurture new work and innovative artists). Then American theatre can dramatize a changing America, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city, region by region, in the 21st century.”
–Celisa Kalke

“I’m scared that the regional theatre, by the time it is mature, will have bored the shit out of millions of people all over the country.”
–Andre Gregory

“Why do we need to continue to exist? What is the urgent, positive, galvanizing need we will fulfill—a need that will energize others and gather them to us? Is there a social need (e.g., to bring joy into children’s lives), an artistic need (to see the creativity of specific artists reach its fullest potential)—a need that can be clearly defined, embraced and framed? ”
–Ben Cameron

I love the Ben Cameron quote because it’s a question and, along with the others, it has me questioning again. Of course, I’ve got a good idea of where the season is headed, and I’m pretty satisfied with that, but I’m also finding myself dissatisfied with how well I feel we’ve got a handle on some of the other questions I raised above. (And not because I think we’re doing poorly at those things, but because I want a stronger handle on them – Just like each moment in rehearsal: I want to take a good thing and make it great.)

So. No answers right now. That’s okay – I certainly don’t need to have all the answers right now and, in truth, I’m looking forward to exploring these topics during the rest of this season, all of next season, and hopefully far beyond.

I do think that this factors into my overall feelings about what we do, though:

Tell me a fact, and I’ll learn.
Tell me a truth and I’ll believe.
Tell me a story and it’ll live in my heart forever.
— Indian Proverb

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