Holiday

Well it's the end of the week and the end of the calendar year for MHT . A few meetings and rehearsals will happen between now and Jan. 5 but the theatre is shut down as of 5 pm today until 9 am on Jan. 5. The box office will reopen on January 6 at noon. Most of the MHT staff are heading off to various parts of the country to be with their families over the holidays. Some left town this afternoon headed up to New York and others will leave later in the break.

Wednesday the board meeting was held at the Cochran house and we shared lots of good food and conversation along with the meeting. We addressed some difficult issues the theatre is facing and made some cuts in our budget. We are seeing a drop in contributions and fundraising income from last year and as a result have decided to cut the operating budget by 3% to reflect the drop in income. I was extremely proud of all of the staff. They chose to take a 3% cut in pay in order to keep from laying off anyone. Everyone one of the staff is dedicated to helping the theatre succeed and throughout the year the staff donates supplies and materials paid for out of their own pockets to help keep our expenses down.

Thursday, April and I, treated the staff and their families to dinner at Pizza Inn and then a group of us went ice skating. We had Alexis, Jim, and I were the only staff members brave enough to get on the ice and kids Peggy (Bookkeeper Sandy Harbins daughter), Elisabeth (Jim Keeney's daughter), and Jade (April and my daughter) joined us on the ice. It was a warm evening and we were the only ones on the ice for about 30 minutes which was great fun.

This afternoon the staff traded gag Christmas gifts and I ended up with a key finder that when you whistle it tells you where you left your keys. The rest of the staff thought that was perfect for me. Some of the other gifts were a balloon animal kits, glasses that make Santa's and snowmen appear when looking at Christmas lights, silly calendars, and other fun items.

Other than trading gifts today was spent finishing up odds and ends. Some mailings went out and Jim and I set up the walls for Southern Comforts. Phil Counts the director came down and we talked through the set and we discussed some changes but overall he approved the set for the show.

Auditions for Ramona Quimby, Having our Say, The Sugar Bean Sisters and The Wizard of Oz are set for Jan. 12 & 13. The Kentucky Arts Council grant is due on Jan. 15. The Christmas Murder Mystery for Lone Oak High School has been rescheduled for January17. Lots to do when we get back.

Have a Happy Hanukkah, and a Merry Christmas and we will see you in 2009!

Look for the next directors blog after Jan. 1. Ho Ho Ho and a Happy New Year!!

Wild Winter Ride Post Script

I forgot to add that when April got to Carlisle County they closed the school just as she got there. All she could do was turn around and drive back.

Wild Winter Ride

Yesterday was one of those days that if I had any hair left would have turned it gray!

Monday began with a flat tire on April's car which needed to get to the auto repair shop to remove the large nail in her tire. April took my vehicle to drive to Carlisle County to do classes. She called twice to make sure they were still holding classes and was assured that they were and she drove to the school. While putting on the temporary spare on April's car I received phone calls from the cast of the murder mystery asking me if we were going to cancel that night and what were the roads like in Paducah. I replied that yes the school was still holding the event and it was only raining (I was laying on the wet ground to reach the spare stored under the car at that moment). After dropping April's car off and getting a ride back to the theatre to pick up the theatre van I drove to Rowton sound and rented 4 wireless microphones for the murder mystery event at Lone Oak High School that night. Valerie Pollard and I worked on the trivia event that was a part of the murder mystery that night and then I loaded the van with the rest of the sound equipment. At noon and again at 2:30 pm I called the school to confirm the party. At 3:30 I loaded up the van and drove to Lone Oak High School. I unloaded the sound equipment and then talked with the coordinator who assured me we were doing the event even though the roads were starting to ice up. All during the set up time in the cafeteria cast members kept calling me asking me if we were canceled. One of the cast members hadn't bothered to go get his costume from creatures of habit because he assumed that the event wouldn't happen. As I left the High School to try to run back to get April's car I had to wait 20 minutes to get back on Lone Oak Road due to the heavy traffic leaving town. Just as I got out onto Lone Oak Rd the coordinator from the school called my cell phone and canceled. It took me another 15 minutes to go 5 blocks and turn around to go back to the school to load back up the sound equipment. Meanwhile I was calling the cast on my cellphone trying to get the word to them. I left Lone Oak HS at 4:15 with the sound equipment and it took me until 5:05 to get to the south side to pick up April's car. Purcell Tire waited for me after closing so that I could get there to pick up her car. I finally got the theatre van back at the theatre and drove home in April's car at about 6 pm last night. This morning was spent returning equipment that wasn't used yesterday. I felt badly for the cast who worked hard rehearsing the new show and a couple of the actors spent their own money on purchasing clothing to perform in the murder mystery event.

I doubt that we will do the event because it has a Christmas Theme and really doesn't work well after the Christmas Holiday.

Tonight I'm taking publicity photos of Tom Dolan and Renie Barger for Southern Comforts. Tomorrow is the holiday board meeting at April and my house. Thursday is the staff party at the end of the day. We will be closing Thursday at 4 pm. Friday is the last day we are opened until Jan. 5. The big Kentucky Arts Council grant is due Jan. 15 and that looms large just as everyone starts back up for the new year.

I'm hoping the rest of the week isn't quite as crazy as yesterday.

Greetings After Show

I've just locked the last couple of doors for the night and before I shut down the computer and head home I thought I would share the adventures the last few nights during Greetings. Last night during the show some car was parked just outside the theatre on the side street next to Tribecca. The driver was apparently impatient with someone inside one of the restaurants because they blew the horn on the car for a solid 30 seconds straight. This of course was close to one of the main plot moments in the play. When the car finally stopped blowing the horn some of the people walking on the street started to have a loud conversation. Not only was the conversation extremely loud but it was also laced with lots of profanity. Needless to say everyone in the audience heard the car horn and the loud conversation. Roy Hensel after the show said that if he had thought about for a moment longer he would have added lines about the lousy neighbors who not only don't put their Christmas lights but also blast their car horn.

Tonight the audience responded very positively to the play. But tonight's audience got to listen to a Harley Davidson motorcycle start up and then rev his engine for about a minute before taking off. It seems like things always happen in threes! I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Several audience members went across after the show and joined the cast for some warm wassail with and without rum and brownies and goodies. Tonight was one of the best audience responses of the run so far. They got every joke. Roy had a brief memory lapse during the play when he forgot to ask for the Bible to do his exorcism. The kitchen door on the set is supposed to open as the rest of the cast peeks out to see what is going on. Fortunately for Roy, Fowler was waving the Bible in the door way. Roy dismissed them and turned back to continue what he was doing and then it dawned on him what Fowler was trying to tell him. Roy then immediately went back and picked up the Bible part in the play.

The one thing about live theatre is that every night is different. You never know what will happen next.

We have 2 shows tomorrow and a final matinee on Sunday. We are offering $10 tickets to the matinee for anyone who brings in a non perishable food item to donate to Paducah Cooperative Ministry. Or a $5 ticket to the After Show party tomorrow night if you bring in the food item. That's a savings of 50% and you get that good feeling of helping a good cause.

Tomorrow between shows the murder mystery cast which includes Roy and Audra from Greetings will rehearse for our performance at the Lone Oak High School teachers Christmas party on Monday.

Holiday Blitz

We are in the midst of the pause from Greetings but things are still moving along at a fast pace. Greetings had a good response from the first weekend of performances. Audiences were always surprised by the turn of events in the play. Good seats are still available for the final weekend.

Last night the murder mystery troupe rehearsed getting ready for a performance next Monday at Lone Oak High School Teachers holiday party. We are doing the mystery I’m dreaming of a Red Christmas. This one is a little more improvisational than our usual scripts so the actors are having to learn less dialogue but having to pay closer attention to the flow of the plot than usual. It should be lots of fun. Characters include the Abominable Snowman, Crystal the Snow woman (Frosty’s wife), a host of elves and of course Santa and Mrs. Clause. I’ve left it up to each of the cast to come up with their own costumes and to be creative.

Tonight is play selection. We will continue to narrow down the choices for next season and hopefully have a list by the end of the month. The Holiday Home tour was last Sunday and we had a slightly smaller turnout than last year but the event was still a big success. Everyone who attended seemed to really enjoy the homes.

Today we have to put all of the Story Theatre set and sound back into storage. The tour ended last Friday and we had to rent 2 wireless microphones transmitters and receivers to finish out the tour. Those have to be returned to Rowton Sound today as well.

The Studio theatre is hosting the auditions for The Vagina Monologues. Staff member Marsha Cash is directing the show and helping to raise funds for the prevention of abuse towards women and children. This is not a Market House production and Marsha’s participation is on her own time. The idea of a group raising money for a worthy cause by creating a theatre piece where amateur performers donate their time and talents fits within our mission to help this group by offering them the use of our studio theatre for their auditions.

The studio theatre will get decorated this week for the Greetings After Hours Party on Friday and Saturday night. Wassil with and without rum will be served along with desserts and holiday music.

We are having the December board meeting next week. In addition the theatre staff always has a little holiday get together as well and that will be next week as well. Tentative plans are for dinner and then Ice Skating afterwards for those of us brave enough!

We are preparing the donor campaign letters which will go out after the first of the year. This is the biggest part of our annual fund drive and all of the board members will be writing notes to previous donors asking for their continued support and we will be conducting a new donor campaign drive as well.

Greetings Opening

The cast did a great job last night with an opening night audience just shy of being sold out. Director Phil Counts paced the lobby nervously as the audience filed in. He told me that this is the most difficult part for him. Waiting to see the audience reaction to the play. It is out of his hands now and into the audiences.

I don't outwardly show signs of my nerves but I'm also waiting to see the audience reaction. It doesn't matter how good or bad something is in my mind. It is all up to the audience. I always remember an old saying "You are only as good as your last show." Every time we open a show we have to prove ourselves again. High School Musical was a terrific show. Maybe even Market House Theatre's best ever from a performance standpoint. But that show is now part of the theatre's history and we are here at opening night again having to prove ourselves.

As the Executive Director I often worry about the subject matter of the play. Greetings is a comic drama about family and faith. It is definitely not the Sanders Family Christmas onstage. Greetings is a family portrait drawn with wit and with a tinge of regret and resentment. We will see a very funny segment that it is followed up by a powerful dramatic segment. Tom Dudzick the playwright does this really well. We may be laughing at the dad in the show yelling out the front door calling all the neighbors atheists because they didn't put up Christmas lights, and the next moment we are watching as a young woman recounts the death of her little sister and why she doesn't believe in God or miracles. The playwright brings us back and forth in a discussion of faith and family that hopefully allows us to ask the questions that the main character Andy poses to us -" Are the old ways worth holding onto? Do some ideas deserve rethinking?" Playwright Tom Dudzick comes up with answers for his characters that give us hope along with a miracle or two, but he doesn't let us, as audience members, off the hook from asking ourselves those same questions. Andy goes on to say "Because no matter what we tell our kids, in thirty years they'll be asking the same questions all over again."

In a Christmas season full of shopping we sometimes let the shiny packages blind us and forget to look around us for the miracles of faith and hope and love.