Whispers Offstage? Could Be Actor’s Next Line
By PATRICK HEALY
Published: October 28, 2009
Ticket holders at this week’s first previews of Matthew Broderick’s new Off Broadway play have been privy to a second drama: watching the veteran theater actor try to learn his lines, with help from a prompter sitting in the front row.
Veteran stage actors, including Angela Lansbury, have used prompts as fallbacks.
In 2002, Vanessa Redgrave asked if she could have a prompter in the front row for “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”
Matt Mulhern said he was recently fired from a Hartford Stage theater production because he peeked at bits of dialogue.
The play, Kenneth Lonergan’s “Starry Messenger,” has been undergoing rewrites amid preview performances, and Mr. Broderick has struggled so much that he called out for lines multiple times on Monday and Tuesday nights. His offstage helper is expected to be on hand at least until this weekend.
The problems have led the show’s producer, the New Group, to delay opening night for a week; at the same time some audience members have complained about paying to see a star who has not memorized his part. Mr. Broderick was not available to comment, but Scott Elliott, artistic director of the New Group, said there was no shame in using a prompter. “It happens now and then,” he said, “but people simply don’t know about it.”
The stage and screen legend Angela Lansbury, for instance, said in an interview this week that she used an earpiece to stay on cue during her Tony Award-winning turn in “Blithe Spirit” on Broadway last season.
“It’s not something you ever want to do, but if we’re going to play important roles at our age, where our names are above the title on the marquee, we’re going to ask for some support if we need it,” said Ms. Lansbury, 84, who is set to star this winter in the Broadway revival of “A Little Night Music.”
But now the use of prompts has become a matter of inquiry for the Actors’ Equity union, which is investigating a recent dismissal by the Hartford Stage theater of an actor who peeked at bits of dialogue that he had taped inside his character’s hat for a difficult scene.
While opera companies have long had hidden prompters at the rim of the stage, many theater actors shudder at the idea of needing help with lines during performances. For them, mastery of a script is a benchmark of professionalism. Still, acting fallbacks have a long but largely unnoticed history in the theater. During the national tour of “Legends” in the 1980s, Mary Martin, who was in her 70s at the time, used an earpiece that also picked up taxi signals, according to published accounts.
In the Hartford Stage incident, the fired actor, Matt Mulhern, 49, was appearing in Horton Foote’s “Orphans’ Home Cycle,” a series of three plays over nine hours. Mr. Mulhern said he never received any warning from Hartford Stage that his job might be in jeopardy; “Orphans” is a co-production with Signature Theater Company in New York, where it is transferring next month.
In an interview, Mr. Mulhern described the prompt in his hat as a “crutch” that he relied on because of script changes during rehearsals. He said he had been “emotionally devastated” by his Sept. 22 dismissal, the first of his 27-year career. He also acknowledged he had “ruffled feathers” among colleagues for a variety of other reasons after rehearsals began in July.
Michael Wilson, the artistic director of Hartford Stage and director of “The Orphans’ Home Cycle,” declined to comment, saying the theater did not discuss employment issues. Maria Somma, a spokeswoman for Actors’ Equity, also declined to comment.
Hartford Stage has yet to give Equity a formal reason for firing Mr. Mulhern, according to the actor. Ms. Somma again would not comment on the matter.
“Actors being fired for this reason vary by the situation,” Harry Weintraub, general counsel of the League of Resident Theaters, which includes Hartford Stage, said in an interview. When asked if the production created hardships for actors because it spanned nine hours and included script changes, Mr. Weintraub said, “I wasn’t aware that Mr. Mulhern had nine hours of lines to learn.”
Actors’ Equity contracts do not forbid actors to use prompts, though directors sometimes fire actors who have trouble learning their lines. Robert Falls, the artistic director of the Goodman Theater in Chicago, said he had done so in the past. But he has also made adjustments, he said.
In 2002, for instance, Vanessa Redgrave was having “a stressful time learning the lines” for the role of Mary Tyrone in the Goodman’s production of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” Mr. Falls said. When previews began, she asked the producers and Mr. Falls if she could have a prompter in the front row with a script. Ms. Redgrave never called for a line, he said. She went on to win the Tony Award for best actress when the production transferred to Broadway in 2003.
“The prompter was more of a security blanket for Vanessa than anything else,” Mr. Falls said. A representative for Ms. Redgrave said she had no comment.
In the Broadway production of “The Gin Game” (1977-78), the characters played by Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn spent stretches of time playing gin rummy. The actors at first used randomly dealt cards with numbers that, naturally, did not match the dialogue. While the two spent extra hours drilling lines for the gin rummy sequences, they were both nearing 70 and had memory lapses.
“The initial solution for this was to pare down each scene, then write notes on the top of the card table” for the actors to refer to, said Nina Seely Sommer, the production supervisor for the show. “This was difficult, because the stage was raked so that the audience could see the top of the table, so these notes had to look like player graffiti.” Eventually the faces of the playing cards were sanded off, so the actors would not get confused.
Although prompters once played a part in theater, audiences are no longer accustomed to them. And with Broadway producers now charging $125 for orchestra seats, ticket buyers expect at a minimum that actors will know their parts. New wireless technology has made it easier for actors to mask, say, flesh-colored earpieces. Ms. Lansbury recalled that when she and Marian Seldes were on Broadway in Terrence McNally’s “Deuce” in 2007, a tiny speaker was behind their chairs in early performances to pipe lines to them if needed.
Ms. Lansbury emphasized, though, that neither the “Blithe Spirit” nor “Deuce” prompts diminished the productions — or audiences’ apparent pleasure.
“In the early days of theater, there was a ‘prompt corner’ with a person ready to throw the line to any actor,” Ms. Lansbury recalled. “In the electronic age, some 80-year-old performers wear earpieces. And all of us lose ourselves in a play at moments. Laurence Olivier did at the height of his career. This is part of theater.”
This season “A Steady Rain” is one of the most dialogue-driven plays on Broadway, with the actors Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig — who have extensive experience in the theater, not just movies — shouldering all 90 minutes of dialogue. A spokesman for the show said this week that neither man used prompts. Still, Mr. Jackman said in an interview in August that the amount of memorization was a tall order and that he and Mr. Craig even tossed a ball back and forth while running their lines.
“I hope we won’t have to use cue cards,” Mr. Jackman joked, then added, “It’s a slog to learn the whole script, but there’s no other way to do it.”
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Bad Words
Before I get into my topic for this blog I want to promote the added Walking Ghost Tour dates. Thursday Oct. 29 and Friday Oct. 30 we have added a 6:00 and 6:30 pm ghost tour. Tickets are available online or by calling the box office.
Now on to my topic-
Thursday I received a phone message to call a woman who wanted to talk to the director of Tom Dick and Harry. Immediately I worried about why this woman wanted to talk with me. She had called the box office earlier in the week and asked if there was any "foul" language in Tom Dick and Harry. I told the box office to tell the woman that if the play were to be rated like a movie it would have language that easily fit into the G rating. We are not allowed to rate our plays based on the movie rating system because that is copyrighted by the Motion Picture Association and they don't allow "others" to use their rating system. The television ratings system are the same way and most people get confused by the TV ratings system. So trying not to use the movie ratings yet give this person some information, and keep my integrity, I used the words "if" the play were rated like a movie it would be rated G.
I wasn't going to get off the hook that easy apparently. The woman wanted to know specific words. This is like trying to have a conversation with someone about what constitutes foul language in code without actually saying the words. Other than the infamous "f" word what else constitutes foul language? Is it the "A" word, the "B" word, the "D" word, the "G" word, the "H" word, the "S" word, etc. etc... This conversation is like being in an absurdest comedy.
The woman called again and asked to speak to me. I was out of the office and returned her call. Generally I'm pleased that people call and ask about subject matter and appropriateness for children etc. This helps our ticket buyers make an informed decision. But deciding on foul language is a slippery slope.
So I began the conversation. My thoughts are in parenthesis.
Woman: I want to know if there is any foul language in the play.
Me: (okay just dive in and figure out what she is talking about) Well a couple of times during the play someone might say the word hell. Like "what the hell are you doing!"
Woman: Oh that's the worst thing that someone can say.
Me: (I can think of a lot worse words-okay now I have a better idea of where you are coming from) They also use the expression "Oh God!" sometimes.
Woman: Those are the two worst words you can use.
Me (When did asking God for help become a foul language word? I always thought that taking the Lord's name in vain meant that you tried to make money by connecting yourself to God. Nope don't say that to this woman!) I can't think of any other words that I would define as foul. (Some how I think she probably will find something else that I haven't thought of.)
Woman: Can you take them out of the play? I really want to come see this play but I can't come if those words are in it.
Me: Well that's a really difficult request.
Woman: Everything has so much foul language these days that I can't even watch TV.
Me: Well you see we sign a contract that says we won't change the language in a play without the playwrights permission. In Tom Dick and Harry the playwright has given us permission in the script to change the locations to help make the play easier to understand but hasn't given us permission to change the basic dialogue.
Woman: Well other places change stuff all the time. They take out words and music and add songs and do what ever they want to a play.
Me: I can't speak to what other places do. I can only tell you that we abide by the letter of the law. These plays are copyrighted and you are not allowed to change them. If you change them you run the risk of the publishing company finding out and then you run the risk of being fined or not being able to publish any of their authors in the future.
Woman: Well (she names a theatre in Western Kentucky) does it all the time.
Me: I'm sorry but we don't do that. When we choose a play, the play selection committee looks at the language in a play and tries to decide if it is within the standards of the majority of our community. They select plays knowing that we can't change the language. If they feel it is too much language then we don't choose to produce the play. We just finished doing Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming which was enjoyed by a wide range of ages and audiences.
Woman: You won't change those words?
Me: No, I'm sorry.
Woman: Then we won't be coming to see your play.
Me: I hope that you will consider coming to one of our other plays this season. I appreciate your calling and your concerns.
We ended the phone conversation.
We are in the process of play selection for next season right now. There are several wonderful plays that I'm sure audiences will love. Some of them do contain the words that this woman wanted me to remove. It is not just language. I've gotten letters from audience members upset that we have actors who pretend to drink alcohol onstage, we were once asked to stop a performance in Graves County because the husband of the owner of the company that hired our murder mystery troupe stopped the show and told the crowd he was standing up for Christian Morality when a character took a flask out of his pocket and pretended to drink from it (he had water in the flask). I really try not to pass judgement on other people's ideas of morality. But as the Artistic Director I work with the play selection committee to present plays that are positive and life affirming.
While someone may not always approve of every word or action in the plays we produce. I can promise that we will always respect another person's opinion and try to give an honest answer when we cannot honor their requests. MHT shows are enjoyed by over 30,000 people each year. I receive maybe 10 or so complaints during the past year. In our just completed surveys taken during Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming the audiences, who have come four or more times during the past two years, have overwhelming said keep up the good work!
One of the plays we tried to review for possible future production was a comedy by the writers of The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. It is a show called "The Bible Abridged". I'm not sure we could do this play because it would get a "PG-13" rating (if we rated our shows like movies which we don't because we aren't supposed to). The Bible has lots of foul language, sex, violence and drinking in it. I can just imagine my phone already ringing .....
Now on to my topic-
Thursday I received a phone message to call a woman who wanted to talk to the director of Tom Dick and Harry. Immediately I worried about why this woman wanted to talk with me. She had called the box office earlier in the week and asked if there was any "foul" language in Tom Dick and Harry. I told the box office to tell the woman that if the play were to be rated like a movie it would have language that easily fit into the G rating. We are not allowed to rate our plays based on the movie rating system because that is copyrighted by the Motion Picture Association and they don't allow "others" to use their rating system. The television ratings system are the same way and most people get confused by the TV ratings system. So trying not to use the movie ratings yet give this person some information, and keep my integrity, I used the words "if" the play were rated like a movie it would be rated G.
I wasn't going to get off the hook that easy apparently. The woman wanted to know specific words. This is like trying to have a conversation with someone about what constitutes foul language in code without actually saying the words. Other than the infamous "f" word what else constitutes foul language? Is it the "A" word, the "B" word, the "D" word, the "G" word, the "H" word, the "S" word, etc. etc... This conversation is like being in an absurdest comedy.
The woman called again and asked to speak to me. I was out of the office and returned her call. Generally I'm pleased that people call and ask about subject matter and appropriateness for children etc. This helps our ticket buyers make an informed decision. But deciding on foul language is a slippery slope.
So I began the conversation. My thoughts are in parenthesis.
Woman: I want to know if there is any foul language in the play.
Me: (okay just dive in and figure out what she is talking about) Well a couple of times during the play someone might say the word hell. Like "what the hell are you doing!"
Woman: Oh that's the worst thing that someone can say.
Me: (I can think of a lot worse words-okay now I have a better idea of where you are coming from) They also use the expression "Oh God!" sometimes.
Woman: Those are the two worst words you can use.
Me (When did asking God for help become a foul language word? I always thought that taking the Lord's name in vain meant that you tried to make money by connecting yourself to God. Nope don't say that to this woman!) I can't think of any other words that I would define as foul. (Some how I think she probably will find something else that I haven't thought of.)
Woman: Can you take them out of the play? I really want to come see this play but I can't come if those words are in it.
Me: Well that's a really difficult request.
Woman: Everything has so much foul language these days that I can't even watch TV.
Me: Well you see we sign a contract that says we won't change the language in a play without the playwrights permission. In Tom Dick and Harry the playwright has given us permission in the script to change the locations to help make the play easier to understand but hasn't given us permission to change the basic dialogue.
Woman: Well other places change stuff all the time. They take out words and music and add songs and do what ever they want to a play.
Me: I can't speak to what other places do. I can only tell you that we abide by the letter of the law. These plays are copyrighted and you are not allowed to change them. If you change them you run the risk of the publishing company finding out and then you run the risk of being fined or not being able to publish any of their authors in the future.
Woman: Well (she names a theatre in Western Kentucky) does it all the time.
Me: I'm sorry but we don't do that. When we choose a play, the play selection committee looks at the language in a play and tries to decide if it is within the standards of the majority of our community. They select plays knowing that we can't change the language. If they feel it is too much language then we don't choose to produce the play. We just finished doing Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming which was enjoyed by a wide range of ages and audiences.
Woman: You won't change those words?
Me: No, I'm sorry.
Woman: Then we won't be coming to see your play.
Me: I hope that you will consider coming to one of our other plays this season. I appreciate your calling and your concerns.
We ended the phone conversation.
We are in the process of play selection for next season right now. There are several wonderful plays that I'm sure audiences will love. Some of them do contain the words that this woman wanted me to remove. It is not just language. I've gotten letters from audience members upset that we have actors who pretend to drink alcohol onstage, we were once asked to stop a performance in Graves County because the husband of the owner of the company that hired our murder mystery troupe stopped the show and told the crowd he was standing up for Christian Morality when a character took a flask out of his pocket and pretended to drink from it (he had water in the flask). I really try not to pass judgement on other people's ideas of morality. But as the Artistic Director I work with the play selection committee to present plays that are positive and life affirming.
While someone may not always approve of every word or action in the plays we produce. I can promise that we will always respect another person's opinion and try to give an honest answer when we cannot honor their requests. MHT shows are enjoyed by over 30,000 people each year. I receive maybe 10 or so complaints during the past year. In our just completed surveys taken during Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming the audiences, who have come four or more times during the past two years, have overwhelming said keep up the good work!
One of the plays we tried to review for possible future production was a comedy by the writers of The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. It is a show called "The Bible Abridged". I'm not sure we could do this play because it would get a "PG-13" rating (if we rated our shows like movies which we don't because we aren't supposed to). The Bible has lots of foul language, sex, violence and drinking in it. I can just imagine my phone already ringing .....
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New Seats Press Release
Market House Theatre has raised over $55,000 towards the purchase of new seats. “We’ve placed the order for the new seats and will receive them around mid December,” according to MHT Executive Director Michael Cochran. “This will replace all but the last three rows of our current seats. The original seats were manufactured in the early 1900’s out of cast iron. We began the campaign four years ago and with prices rising every year we felt we needed to purchase the majority of the seats now and not wait another year” Cochran said. “Since we first began this project costs have increased by over $16,000.”
Funding has come from a variety of sources. The theatre held a new seat campaign for donors to have their name engraved on a plaque on the new seats in addition to taking orders from those people who want to own a piece of history by purchasing the old seats. The theatre seat campaign raised over $22,000 in donations. A grant was secured from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Good Works program for over $18,000. “The final piece was using the earnings from our endowment,” said Cochran. The Market House Theatre’s Endowment is held at the Community Foundation of Western Kentucky. Each year individuals have donated to MHT’s Endowment and the theatre received matching funds from the Fred Paxton Fund Run for Charities. Those individual contributions and matching funds raised over $14,000 in earnings revenue without touching the principal. “This is exactly what the Community Foundation and the Fred Paxton Fund Run has been encouraging us to do- grow our endowment so that the earnings can help with projects like this or when funds get tight. This project was a perfect fit,” said Cochran.
While the theatre still needs to raise $10,000 to purchasing the remaining seats, Cochran said that he feels confident that those funds can be raised within the next two seasons. “We have several projects that the theatre is working on before we reach our 50th Anniversary of the founding of the theatre in 2014. Lots of exciting changes are on the horizon for Market House Theatre.” MHT audiences will get their first chance to sit in the new seats next January.
Funding has come from a variety of sources. The theatre held a new seat campaign for donors to have their name engraved on a plaque on the new seats in addition to taking orders from those people who want to own a piece of history by purchasing the old seats. The theatre seat campaign raised over $22,000 in donations. A grant was secured from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Good Works program for over $18,000. “The final piece was using the earnings from our endowment,” said Cochran. The Market House Theatre’s Endowment is held at the Community Foundation of Western Kentucky. Each year individuals have donated to MHT’s Endowment and the theatre received matching funds from the Fred Paxton Fund Run for Charities. Those individual contributions and matching funds raised over $14,000 in earnings revenue without touching the principal. “This is exactly what the Community Foundation and the Fred Paxton Fund Run has been encouraging us to do- grow our endowment so that the earnings can help with projects like this or when funds get tight. This project was a perfect fit,” said Cochran.
While the theatre still needs to raise $10,000 to purchasing the remaining seats, Cochran said that he feels confident that those funds can be raised within the next two seasons. “We have several projects that the theatre is working on before we reach our 50th Anniversary of the founding of the theatre in 2014. Lots of exciting changes are on the horizon for Market House Theatre.” MHT audiences will get their first chance to sit in the new seats next January.
Monday, October 19, 2009
the lead up to hell week
We are beginning hell week with lots of positive energy!
We have seen a terrific response to the Ghost Tour fundraiser. Several of the tours so far have been sold out and the theatre has raised over $5,000 with one final Saturday left. There are still tickets left for the final Saturday tour. We have added a 7:10 pm tour to the October 24 tour times. What we have found is that the early tours 6:00, 6:45, and 7:30 tend to sell out through advanced online sales or people calling the box office during the week. The later tours 8:15 and 9:00pm have been selling more tickets at the door with a smaller advanced sale. So if you are thinking of coming next Saturday I would definitely recommend buying your tickets ahead of time. We will close the online sales for at 2 pm on Saturday. The box office will open at 5:45 for walk up sales for the evening. Remember that walk up sales are cash or check only. The box office for the walk up sales is located in the MHT Studio Theatre. Popcorn and apple cider are provided free to all tour ticket holders to enjoy while they wait for their tour to be called. We recommend arriving 20-30 minutes before your tour time. All tours depart on time.
Our tour guides so far have included; Jody Smith for the trolley tours; Jim Roush, Marsha Cash, and myself (Michael Cochran) for the Oct. 10 tours; Marsha Cash, Chris Black, and Phil Counts for the Oct. 17 tours; and Chris Black, Kim Yocum, and Jim Roush for the Oct. 24 tour.
Over the course of the tours we have had so many compliments and people telling us additional details about other ghost stories and buildings in the downtown area. We definitely have plenty of material for additional tours next year. We are looking at several options for the future and will definitely be making the walking tours a part of MHT future programming.
Tonight are the auditions for Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Because of a dance class in classroom until 5 pm the audition tonight will start in the main theatre building. The auditions will probably be completed by 6:30pm when the rehearsal for Tom Dick and Harry is supposed to start tonight. If they are still going on the auditions will shift across the street to the classroom until they are completed no later than 7 pm. Tomorrows auditions will all be held in the classroom. Tom Dick and Harry rehearsal starts at 5:30 pm tomorrow.
I received a notice from the Wenger Corporation that our new chairs are scheduled to arrive December 14. We will replace all but the last three rows of the theatre. We still are trying to raise $10,000 to complete those last three rows. It's not too late to donate funds and have a plaque on a seat named in someones honor that will be there for years to come.
The murder for hire troupe will go out Saturday to Caldwell County High School for their fundraiser and our performance of Reunion at Hippie High written by Mysteries by Moushey. We had our first rehearsal off book Sunday afternoon and the cast is working hard on their characters and lines.
This Sunday is the technical rehearsal for Tom Dick and Harry. Cast members are bringing in their clothing so we can choose costumes. For some we are digging into our own costume storage and for others we will be renting costumes from Creatures of Habit. The show is set present day so that helps us with the costuming costs by having actors wear much of their own clothing. Thursday night was the first time Jim Roush had to climb into the couch and Al Knudsen sit on top of it while Jim was in there. It was very funny to watch Al riding up and down in the air as Jim pushed the seat up and down as called for in the script.
The story theatre cast of City Mouse Country Mouse had a rehearsal this morning after a week off for fall break. They have their first performance a week from today and they were off book (no scripts in hand) today. Many of our performers are involved in the Ghost Tours, Murder for Hire, and Story Theatre. We all laugh about having to memorize multiple scripts all at the same time.
Al and Chuck Wilkins only have one script to memorize but they are really having a tough time with lines because they repeat the same actions several times in Tom Dick and Harry with only slight variations. Chuck will stop and look from one door to the other and say "I know I exit! I just can't figure out if I exit out the front door this time or exit out the upstairs door?" Al must say the words Shut up over 30 times in the play when Dick and Harry start talking about a crazy ideas. It has become almost an automatic response for Al to now say "Shut up" to anyone onstage when he doesn't know what else to say. The final week of rehearsals and then tech rehearsals and dress rehearsals are called hell week because of the overwhelming amount of work that must be completed before opening night. We are now entering hell week for 3 shows all at the same time- Reunion at Hippy High, Tom Dick and Harry, and City Mouse Country Mouse.
We have seen a terrific response to the Ghost Tour fundraiser. Several of the tours so far have been sold out and the theatre has raised over $5,000 with one final Saturday left. There are still tickets left for the final Saturday tour. We have added a 7:10 pm tour to the October 24 tour times. What we have found is that the early tours 6:00, 6:45, and 7:30 tend to sell out through advanced online sales or people calling the box office during the week. The later tours 8:15 and 9:00pm have been selling more tickets at the door with a smaller advanced sale. So if you are thinking of coming next Saturday I would definitely recommend buying your tickets ahead of time. We will close the online sales for at 2 pm on Saturday. The box office will open at 5:45 for walk up sales for the evening. Remember that walk up sales are cash or check only. The box office for the walk up sales is located in the MHT Studio Theatre. Popcorn and apple cider are provided free to all tour ticket holders to enjoy while they wait for their tour to be called. We recommend arriving 20-30 minutes before your tour time. All tours depart on time.
Our tour guides so far have included; Jody Smith for the trolley tours; Jim Roush, Marsha Cash, and myself (Michael Cochran) for the Oct. 10 tours; Marsha Cash, Chris Black, and Phil Counts for the Oct. 17 tours; and Chris Black, Kim Yocum, and Jim Roush for the Oct. 24 tour.
Over the course of the tours we have had so many compliments and people telling us additional details about other ghost stories and buildings in the downtown area. We definitely have plenty of material for additional tours next year. We are looking at several options for the future and will definitely be making the walking tours a part of MHT future programming.
Tonight are the auditions for Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Because of a dance class in classroom until 5 pm the audition tonight will start in the main theatre building. The auditions will probably be completed by 6:30pm when the rehearsal for Tom Dick and Harry is supposed to start tonight. If they are still going on the auditions will shift across the street to the classroom until they are completed no later than 7 pm. Tomorrows auditions will all be held in the classroom. Tom Dick and Harry rehearsal starts at 5:30 pm tomorrow.
I received a notice from the Wenger Corporation that our new chairs are scheduled to arrive December 14. We will replace all but the last three rows of the theatre. We still are trying to raise $10,000 to complete those last three rows. It's not too late to donate funds and have a plaque on a seat named in someones honor that will be there for years to come.
The murder for hire troupe will go out Saturday to Caldwell County High School for their fundraiser and our performance of Reunion at Hippie High written by Mysteries by Moushey. We had our first rehearsal off book Sunday afternoon and the cast is working hard on their characters and lines.
This Sunday is the technical rehearsal for Tom Dick and Harry. Cast members are bringing in their clothing so we can choose costumes. For some we are digging into our own costume storage and for others we will be renting costumes from Creatures of Habit. The show is set present day so that helps us with the costuming costs by having actors wear much of their own clothing. Thursday night was the first time Jim Roush had to climb into the couch and Al Knudsen sit on top of it while Jim was in there. It was very funny to watch Al riding up and down in the air as Jim pushed the seat up and down as called for in the script.
The story theatre cast of City Mouse Country Mouse had a rehearsal this morning after a week off for fall break. They have their first performance a week from today and they were off book (no scripts in hand) today. Many of our performers are involved in the Ghost Tours, Murder for Hire, and Story Theatre. We all laugh about having to memorize multiple scripts all at the same time.
Al and Chuck Wilkins only have one script to memorize but they are really having a tough time with lines because they repeat the same actions several times in Tom Dick and Harry with only slight variations. Chuck will stop and look from one door to the other and say "I know I exit! I just can't figure out if I exit out the front door this time or exit out the upstairs door?" Al must say the words Shut up over 30 times in the play when Dick and Harry start talking about a crazy ideas. It has become almost an automatic response for Al to now say "Shut up" to anyone onstage when he doesn't know what else to say. The final week of rehearsals and then tech rehearsals and dress rehearsals are called hell week because of the overwhelming amount of work that must be completed before opening night. We are now entering hell week for 3 shows all at the same time- Reunion at Hippy High, Tom Dick and Harry, and City Mouse Country Mouse.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Preparations
The Trolley Ghost Tour held on Oct. 3 and the walking ghost tour that was held last Saturday Oct. 10 were a huge success. We sold out both events. This weekends continuation of the walking tour on Sat. Oct. 17 is also selling so well that we added two more tour times. A 7:10 tour and an 8:40 pm tour. We have this weekend and next weekend. I can already tell that this will be an ongoing event of the theatres. We had lots of stories left over that we didn't use. There are still some tickets left for the Sat. 17th tour and the Sat. 24th tour. We will take group reservations for additional bookings by request. We are not doing the walking tours on Oct. 31. We have a performance of Tom Dick and Harry that night.
Next Monday and Tuesday are the auditions for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at 5 pm in the classroom above the studio theatre. April will direct. She needs lots of adults and kids to fill the roles. It's a great chance for the whole family to do a show. Rehearsals are generally from 5-7 pm. The show opens Dec. 10.
Tonight was to be the start of and Adult Improv class taught by Joey Judd. Joey is a terrific teacher and is great at improv games. We did not have enough people sign up for the class at this time so we will cancel the class for the fall and try again next January. I have a free workshop this Saturday at 9 am on Script Analysis. The workshop is open to anyone interested in acting and there are lots of openings available for people to still sign up.
We are putting the finishing touches on the Annual Fund Drive Campaign. The campaign letters should go out in the mail before the end of this month. A core group of board members have been working on this project and we hope that some of the changes we have made will make a big difference in how people understand donating to the theatre.
Tonight for Tom Dick and Harry is a run through of Act Two. Maria Miller who jumped in as Katerina has been gone since last Sunday on Fall Break. The other actors will be happy to see her back. This week so far has been spent on working on Act One off book. We open two weeks from today and things are tight but on schedule. The set got all of the doors yesterday for the first time and we worked on timing with the doors. The play has such rapid action that the doors are critical in their function. We tried out 3 different wheelbarrows over the past week to find just the right one that will carry Jim Roush on and Shawn James off. We have also rebuilt the couch and tonight will do our trial run of having Jim Roush fall into it and then having Al shut the top and sit on it. We raised it up about 2 inches so Jim could get into it with ease.
Kelly Salchli came in yesterday and today and painted the scenery for the City Mouse County Mouse Tour of Story Theatre which goes out November 2. She has painted the wall of the country mouse with seed packets as decoration and the city mouse home has framed postage stamps as her wall decorations.
I'm off to check on the new posters for Tom Dick and Harry at IVS before tonight's rehearsal. The billboard went to Lamar today for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever show. We always seem to have at least 3 shows in process at all times and often working on marketing for even more.
Next Monday and Tuesday are the auditions for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at 5 pm in the classroom above the studio theatre. April will direct. She needs lots of adults and kids to fill the roles. It's a great chance for the whole family to do a show. Rehearsals are generally from 5-7 pm. The show opens Dec. 10.
Tonight was to be the start of and Adult Improv class taught by Joey Judd. Joey is a terrific teacher and is great at improv games. We did not have enough people sign up for the class at this time so we will cancel the class for the fall and try again next January. I have a free workshop this Saturday at 9 am on Script Analysis. The workshop is open to anyone interested in acting and there are lots of openings available for people to still sign up.
We are putting the finishing touches on the Annual Fund Drive Campaign. The campaign letters should go out in the mail before the end of this month. A core group of board members have been working on this project and we hope that some of the changes we have made will make a big difference in how people understand donating to the theatre.
Tonight for Tom Dick and Harry is a run through of Act Two. Maria Miller who jumped in as Katerina has been gone since last Sunday on Fall Break. The other actors will be happy to see her back. This week so far has been spent on working on Act One off book. We open two weeks from today and things are tight but on schedule. The set got all of the doors yesterday for the first time and we worked on timing with the doors. The play has such rapid action that the doors are critical in their function. We tried out 3 different wheelbarrows over the past week to find just the right one that will carry Jim Roush on and Shawn James off. We have also rebuilt the couch and tonight will do our trial run of having Jim Roush fall into it and then having Al shut the top and sit on it. We raised it up about 2 inches so Jim could get into it with ease.
Kelly Salchli came in yesterday and today and painted the scenery for the City Mouse County Mouse Tour of Story Theatre which goes out November 2. She has painted the wall of the country mouse with seed packets as decoration and the city mouse home has framed postage stamps as her wall decorations.
I'm off to check on the new posters for Tom Dick and Harry at IVS before tonight's rehearsal. The billboard went to Lamar today for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever show. We always seem to have at least 3 shows in process at all times and often working on marketing for even more.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Kicking off the second quarter
October kicks of the the second quarter of our fiscal year and it has started at full speed. This week has been non stop. From wrapping up Secret Life of Girls and the Trolley Tours last weekend we have been on the run all week. Rehearsals are going on for the City Mouse and the Country Mouse Story Theatre Tour which goes out November 2, Reunion at Hippie High which is the Murder for Hire troupe putting on a performance for Caldwell County High School Junior Class fundraiser on Oct. 24, the walking Ghost Tours which are this weekend, and Tom Dick and Harry which opens 3 weeks from today.
Last night at rehearsal for Tom Dick and Harry we unfortunately had to replace one of the actresses. She is going through some difficult family issues and it was in her best interest and that of the the family for her to drop out. What is most important in everything we do is the health and well being the people involved.
After rehearsal last night I contacted Maria Miller who just finished the Secret Life of Girls to step into the role. I dropped off a script at her home about 9:30 last night and she will be at rehearsal tonight for a review of Act Two and then tomorrow night for a run through of the entire show. Maria is then off with her family for 4 days on Fall Break. The character she will play only speaks Albanian. So Maria will be studying her lines will lying on a beach and when she gets back she will have just 2 weeks to prepare for opening. I'm confident in her abilities to do a great job. Last night we finished blocking the show. That means that all of the performers now know where to stand, sit, and what part of the stage to move to on their lines. Blocking a farce comedy is like a giant crossword puzzle. Each person has to be at certain spots in order to see or not see what is happening in the scene. In addition characters have to enter and exit room at exactly the right time in order to keep the comedy at a heightened level. Some people love farces because the action and the pace are so fast that it leaves you almost breathless. Farces are about action and that means lots of movement. My armchair definition of a farce is a room with 6 doors. Tom Dick and Harry has 5 doors and a window and all are used for entrances and exits. Jim and I went to the warehouse yesterday and brought back several door frames and wall units to start building the set. We should have the basic structure up by this weekend and then there is a lot of finish work to do. We also brought back the bench seats for the theatre van to take the Murder Mystery Cast to Caldwell County on the 24th. Those have to get removed again to put in the set for the Story theatre show to go out 1 week later. A lot of the time at the theatre is spent moving equipment from one building to another and then moving it back. An example is the lighting for Secret Life of Girls. A large part of the lighting instruments are used in the main theatre. We have to un-cable the lights and take them down and re-hang and focus them for the studio show and then un-cable, take them down and re-hang and focus them back on the mainstage for the next show over there.
April just completed the performances of the Gifted and Talented show she directed at Lone Oak Elementary. Technical Director Jim Keeney made her a portable masking unit for her to be able to hide the kids behind at the sides of the performance space. The gifted talented shows often perform in the library in a space where there are no "wings" or side areas masked off from the audience. We've used large 4x8 foot flat walls in the past, but they were difficult for April to transport and manage by herself. The new masking set up more like the fabric panel dividers that you would find at a convention or expo center to separate exhibits. We used some of old drapes that were donated by the community college when they purchased new drapes a few seasons ago.
The Curtain Call fundraiser committee met last night to continue its planning for next the auction event next March. Melisa Mast, Valerie Pollard, and Renie Barger are heading up the committee. Melisa has been working on the business campaign and has some great ideas. We also did brainstorming last night on some of the auction packages including a couple of adult Prince and Princess parties. The auction is really shaping up to be lots of fun and those that attend will also be able to bid on roles in CINDERELLA for a one night only performance. The wicked stepsisters and a couple of other fun roles like the mice who help Cinderella and some of the princesses that the prince has to dance with at the ball will be up for auction. These are all great cameo roles.
Cindy Miller has been hard at work on the Annual Fund Drive campaign that will kick off the week after Fall Break. We are moving the annual campaign into the first part of our fiscal year in order to do a better job of managing the funds from this campaign. This is going to be a long month.
So far all of the the shows and events this season have made their budgeted goals. The first quarter has been very successful for the theatre and the second quarter is looking good as well.
Last night at rehearsal for Tom Dick and Harry we unfortunately had to replace one of the actresses. She is going through some difficult family issues and it was in her best interest and that of the the family for her to drop out. What is most important in everything we do is the health and well being the people involved.
After rehearsal last night I contacted Maria Miller who just finished the Secret Life of Girls to step into the role. I dropped off a script at her home about 9:30 last night and she will be at rehearsal tonight for a review of Act Two and then tomorrow night for a run through of the entire show. Maria is then off with her family for 4 days on Fall Break. The character she will play only speaks Albanian. So Maria will be studying her lines will lying on a beach and when she gets back she will have just 2 weeks to prepare for opening. I'm confident in her abilities to do a great job. Last night we finished blocking the show. That means that all of the performers now know where to stand, sit, and what part of the stage to move to on their lines. Blocking a farce comedy is like a giant crossword puzzle. Each person has to be at certain spots in order to see or not see what is happening in the scene. In addition characters have to enter and exit room at exactly the right time in order to keep the comedy at a heightened level. Some people love farces because the action and the pace are so fast that it leaves you almost breathless. Farces are about action and that means lots of movement. My armchair definition of a farce is a room with 6 doors. Tom Dick and Harry has 5 doors and a window and all are used for entrances and exits. Jim and I went to the warehouse yesterday and brought back several door frames and wall units to start building the set. We should have the basic structure up by this weekend and then there is a lot of finish work to do. We also brought back the bench seats for the theatre van to take the Murder Mystery Cast to Caldwell County on the 24th. Those have to get removed again to put in the set for the Story theatre show to go out 1 week later. A lot of the time at the theatre is spent moving equipment from one building to another and then moving it back. An example is the lighting for Secret Life of Girls. A large part of the lighting instruments are used in the main theatre. We have to un-cable the lights and take them down and re-hang and focus them for the studio show and then un-cable, take them down and re-hang and focus them back on the mainstage for the next show over there.
April just completed the performances of the Gifted and Talented show she directed at Lone Oak Elementary. Technical Director Jim Keeney made her a portable masking unit for her to be able to hide the kids behind at the sides of the performance space. The gifted talented shows often perform in the library in a space where there are no "wings" or side areas masked off from the audience. We've used large 4x8 foot flat walls in the past, but they were difficult for April to transport and manage by herself. The new masking set up more like the fabric panel dividers that you would find at a convention or expo center to separate exhibits. We used some of old drapes that were donated by the community college when they purchased new drapes a few seasons ago.
The Curtain Call fundraiser committee met last night to continue its planning for next the auction event next March. Melisa Mast, Valerie Pollard, and Renie Barger are heading up the committee. Melisa has been working on the business campaign and has some great ideas. We also did brainstorming last night on some of the auction packages including a couple of adult Prince and Princess parties. The auction is really shaping up to be lots of fun and those that attend will also be able to bid on roles in CINDERELLA for a one night only performance. The wicked stepsisters and a couple of other fun roles like the mice who help Cinderella and some of the princesses that the prince has to dance with at the ball will be up for auction. These are all great cameo roles.
Cindy Miller has been hard at work on the Annual Fund Drive campaign that will kick off the week after Fall Break. We are moving the annual campaign into the first part of our fiscal year in order to do a better job of managing the funds from this campaign. This is going to be a long month.
So far all of the the shows and events this season have made their budgeted goals. The first quarter has been very successful for the theatre and the second quarter is looking good as well.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Success comes in many forms
This has been a wild weekend. With 8 performances of the Secret Life of Girls and the kick off of the Ghost Tours with a party and Trolley tours everyone is ready for a quiet Sunday evening.
Last night we had 90 people who took the trolley and heard the legends and lore of Paducah's Downtown and Lowertown ghosts. First I want to thank Lew Jetton and the Paducah Transit authority for working with us to offer the trolley tours for the kick off. In addition we want to thank Big Top Popcorn for helping us with Popcorn for the tour attendees. Board President Cindy Miller made a great deal of food and brought in flowers and decorations. Board members Barbara Allen, Heather Dorr, Jennifer Hughes, Melisa Mast, and volunteer Kim Yocum also helped provide food and flowers for the event. A thanks also goes to the spouses of the board members and volunteers who also helped set up and take down and clean up after the event. Maria Miller helped set up the event before going across the street to perform in the Secret Life of Girls. Mary Kathryn Dorr, Katey Miller and Landon Baker also helped during the evening to replenish food and make popcorn. Marsha Cash volunteered her time as well to help with the ticketing and trolley boarding.
We had about 1/2 of our tour guests waiting for the theatre doors to open promptly at 6 pm. We had arranged for the trolley to show up at 6 pm so we could do a sound check with the trolley microphone and talk with the driver about the stops along the way. Our first tour was scheduled for 6:30 pm. When Our trolley hadn't shown up by 6:10 pm I called and was told the trolley driver was still out on her daily route and would be back to the garage soon. In addition our trolley was still charging for the evening. I began to panic slightly, worrying that we wouldn't have time to fix any problems with sound or route before loading. I also knew we had several 6:30 tour guests who had tickets to the symphony at 7:30 pm. At 6:20 I called again and was told the driver should be leaving any moment. At 6:40 I called again and they were surprised the trolley hadn't arrived yet. The trolley showed up at 6:45 and we hustled the guests aboard to start the first tour. As the first tour was boarding we found that there was no microphone that could be used on the trolley. Our tour guide would have to try to project his voice to 30 people over the sounds of the trolley. Many tour guides stand in the middle of the trolley to give tours. This was going to be difficult to allow everyone to hear. Phil Counts has been the coordinator of the tour guides for both the kick off and the walking tours. Phil's job last night was to help guide the bus as it went on the route. Jody Smith was going to be our only story teller for the evening. A big thanks is owed to both Phil and Jody for the efforts last night.
There is a story that went on behind the scenes last night. Jody Smith, has performed in several plays at MHT and WKCTC. Jody has a wonderful vocal delivery and sense of humor. He is someone who loves to perform. Those of us who know Jody, know that he has been dealing with an illness and treatment that makes him physically very weak. Jody can no longer stand or walk for extended periods of time because of the medication he takes for his illness. Jody refuses to be negative about this or to give up. When Phil Counts and I discussed guides for the tour Jody's name came up and we both thought that Jody would do a terrific job as the trolley guide but also this would be something meaningful for Jody as his stage opportunities have become more limited. Those who boarded the trolley for the tour had no idea how much effort Jody made just to be there. In addition he was going to have to project his voice, without a microphone, to people sitting behind him while trying to also tell stories that required him to get loud and soft at certain points in the stories. Jody did 3 tours without a break. As we helped him off the trolley he was totally exhausted but in high spirits. The tour on Saturday night raised almost $3,000 for the theatre but also allowed Jody the opportunity to perform for an audience (including his parents) which is something that he loves doing. It meant a great deal to Phil and I that Jody was able to guide last night. Thank you Jody and Phil for adapting to the difficult situation with almost no notice and for a job well done.
In the future, if we do another trolley tour, we will know to provide our own sound system for the trolley and to ask for the trolley at least an hour before our first tour start time to build in any problems with its arrival... well, maybe and hour and a half ahead of our first tour time:)
Every director has moments when they are helpless to do anything but watch and hope that everything works out. As the door closed on the trolley and they headed off for the first tour I felt this. That's thing about live theatre. You never know what is going to happen. No matter how much you plan. You work as a team and count on team members to come through when things don't go as planned. I knew that we had rehearsed the stories 3 times that day and built in ways to cut and stretch the stories if we needed. I had faith in Jody's ability as a performer.
On Friday evening during the performance of the Secret Life of Girls, April had one of those moments. In the middle of the show Chandler Emmons- Smith was onstage and typing when blood suddenly started dripping from her nose. Chandler did an outstanding job of continuing her performance without missing a beat. At the end of her scene she exited the stage. Two scenes later cast member Nicki Caturano was supposed to be onstage but wasn't. Nicki came on for the last scene. After the show we found out what happened. Chandler developed a nose bleed out of the blue. Nicki being very alert got ready for her scene early and then went to help Chandler with tissues and costumes. Chandler stuffed tissue up her nose to try to stop the bleeding trying to disguise it and then ran back onstage for her next scene. Unfortunately Nicki changed her costume a little too early and forgot she had to go back onstage in her other costume. Nicki was stuck offstage until the scene she had dressed for started. Afterwards we all laughed about it. I don't know that most of the audience even realized what was going on.
The Secret Life of Girls has a talk back session at the end of each performance to help teenage girls deal with the effects of social bullying. We will have performed to over 500 girls when this run is completed. A person associated with the Four Rivers Behavioral Health last night told April that no matter how many lectures or pamphlets they give to girls to help them cope with the effects of bullying, nothing is as powerful or as helpful as what the theatre is doing with this show to get that message through.
This weekend reminded me of what MHT is all about, We don't just entertain.... we change lives! With the trolley tour, Jody Smith's limitations weren't what defined him. What defined him was his talent for performance. Chandler's bloody nose came in front of a large group of people as she was performing, but she managed to deal with it in stride and do a great performance in spite of it. Nicki Caturano jumped in to help out a fellow performer sacrificing her own scene to do it and everyone onstage covered for her. Young girls learned how to be defenders when they are faced with social bullying. Theatre teaches you to deal with challenges and not let your circumstances define who you are.
Over 30 people performed, made food and helped the events this weekend, all as volunteers. They did things that made the community proud them.
Success comes in many forms. This weekend we had lots of it.
Last night we had 90 people who took the trolley and heard the legends and lore of Paducah's Downtown and Lowertown ghosts. First I want to thank Lew Jetton and the Paducah Transit authority for working with us to offer the trolley tours for the kick off. In addition we want to thank Big Top Popcorn for helping us with Popcorn for the tour attendees. Board President Cindy Miller made a great deal of food and brought in flowers and decorations. Board members Barbara Allen, Heather Dorr, Jennifer Hughes, Melisa Mast, and volunteer Kim Yocum also helped provide food and flowers for the event. A thanks also goes to the spouses of the board members and volunteers who also helped set up and take down and clean up after the event. Maria Miller helped set up the event before going across the street to perform in the Secret Life of Girls. Mary Kathryn Dorr, Katey Miller and Landon Baker also helped during the evening to replenish food and make popcorn. Marsha Cash volunteered her time as well to help with the ticketing and trolley boarding.
We had about 1/2 of our tour guests waiting for the theatre doors to open promptly at 6 pm. We had arranged for the trolley to show up at 6 pm so we could do a sound check with the trolley microphone and talk with the driver about the stops along the way. Our first tour was scheduled for 6:30 pm. When Our trolley hadn't shown up by 6:10 pm I called and was told the trolley driver was still out on her daily route and would be back to the garage soon. In addition our trolley was still charging for the evening. I began to panic slightly, worrying that we wouldn't have time to fix any problems with sound or route before loading. I also knew we had several 6:30 tour guests who had tickets to the symphony at 7:30 pm. At 6:20 I called again and was told the driver should be leaving any moment. At 6:40 I called again and they were surprised the trolley hadn't arrived yet. The trolley showed up at 6:45 and we hustled the guests aboard to start the first tour. As the first tour was boarding we found that there was no microphone that could be used on the trolley. Our tour guide would have to try to project his voice to 30 people over the sounds of the trolley. Many tour guides stand in the middle of the trolley to give tours. This was going to be difficult to allow everyone to hear. Phil Counts has been the coordinator of the tour guides for both the kick off and the walking tours. Phil's job last night was to help guide the bus as it went on the route. Jody Smith was going to be our only story teller for the evening. A big thanks is owed to both Phil and Jody for the efforts last night.
There is a story that went on behind the scenes last night. Jody Smith, has performed in several plays at MHT and WKCTC. Jody has a wonderful vocal delivery and sense of humor. He is someone who loves to perform. Those of us who know Jody, know that he has been dealing with an illness and treatment that makes him physically very weak. Jody can no longer stand or walk for extended periods of time because of the medication he takes for his illness. Jody refuses to be negative about this or to give up. When Phil Counts and I discussed guides for the tour Jody's name came up and we both thought that Jody would do a terrific job as the trolley guide but also this would be something meaningful for Jody as his stage opportunities have become more limited. Those who boarded the trolley for the tour had no idea how much effort Jody made just to be there. In addition he was going to have to project his voice, without a microphone, to people sitting behind him while trying to also tell stories that required him to get loud and soft at certain points in the stories. Jody did 3 tours without a break. As we helped him off the trolley he was totally exhausted but in high spirits. The tour on Saturday night raised almost $3,000 for the theatre but also allowed Jody the opportunity to perform for an audience (including his parents) which is something that he loves doing. It meant a great deal to Phil and I that Jody was able to guide last night. Thank you Jody and Phil for adapting to the difficult situation with almost no notice and for a job well done.
In the future, if we do another trolley tour, we will know to provide our own sound system for the trolley and to ask for the trolley at least an hour before our first tour start time to build in any problems with its arrival... well, maybe and hour and a half ahead of our first tour time:)
Every director has moments when they are helpless to do anything but watch and hope that everything works out. As the door closed on the trolley and they headed off for the first tour I felt this. That's thing about live theatre. You never know what is going to happen. No matter how much you plan. You work as a team and count on team members to come through when things don't go as planned. I knew that we had rehearsed the stories 3 times that day and built in ways to cut and stretch the stories if we needed. I had faith in Jody's ability as a performer.
On Friday evening during the performance of the Secret Life of Girls, April had one of those moments. In the middle of the show Chandler Emmons- Smith was onstage and typing when blood suddenly started dripping from her nose. Chandler did an outstanding job of continuing her performance without missing a beat. At the end of her scene she exited the stage. Two scenes later cast member Nicki Caturano was supposed to be onstage but wasn't. Nicki came on for the last scene. After the show we found out what happened. Chandler developed a nose bleed out of the blue. Nicki being very alert got ready for her scene early and then went to help Chandler with tissues and costumes. Chandler stuffed tissue up her nose to try to stop the bleeding trying to disguise it and then ran back onstage for her next scene. Unfortunately Nicki changed her costume a little too early and forgot she had to go back onstage in her other costume. Nicki was stuck offstage until the scene she had dressed for started. Afterwards we all laughed about it. I don't know that most of the audience even realized what was going on.
The Secret Life of Girls has a talk back session at the end of each performance to help teenage girls deal with the effects of social bullying. We will have performed to over 500 girls when this run is completed. A person associated with the Four Rivers Behavioral Health last night told April that no matter how many lectures or pamphlets they give to girls to help them cope with the effects of bullying, nothing is as powerful or as helpful as what the theatre is doing with this show to get that message through.
This weekend reminded me of what MHT is all about, We don't just entertain.... we change lives! With the trolley tour, Jody Smith's limitations weren't what defined him. What defined him was his talent for performance. Chandler's bloody nose came in front of a large group of people as she was performing, but she managed to deal with it in stride and do a great performance in spite of it. Nicki Caturano jumped in to help out a fellow performer sacrificing her own scene to do it and everyone onstage covered for her. Young girls learned how to be defenders when they are faced with social bullying. Theatre teaches you to deal with challenges and not let your circumstances define who you are.
Over 30 people performed, made food and helped the events this weekend, all as volunteers. They did things that made the community proud them.
Success comes in many forms. This weekend we had lots of it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
First Weekend of October
I'm writing this about 45 minutes before The Secret Life of Girls performance on Friday evening. Since the show opened Thursday morning the cast has already done 5 performances. Tonight will be another big crowd with a school group from Christian County. Many of the schools who couldn't get into the school matinees took advantage of our school matinee group price for the evening shows. Our goal was to try to get as many girls into the performances as possible. The after show discussions have been great. We have the performance tonight and then Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon and 3 shows on Monday.
The staff celebrated Jim Keeney's birthday today. Jim turned 44 last Wednesday but we couldn't get everyone together until today for the cake and card. April didn't make it because she was at a performance of the gifted and talented show that she directed at Lone Oak Elementary school.
Board members came in and decorated the stage this afternoon for the ghost tours. Jody Smith, who has been a little under the weather, Phil Counts, and I will do a dry run of the Trolley tour tomorrow morning. We will make any last minute adjustments at that time in preparation for the party and tours Saturday night.
The Strategic Planning Committee had a meeting today at noon to work on the structure of the theatre's planning dates. We discusses several of the planning sessions that have taken place in the past and looked for a way forward towards the planning methods that will be used this year. The theatre is trying to make a comprehensive plan for the future as we move toward our 50th anniversary in 4 years.
Footlights classes are tomorrow morning starting at 8 am for the early elementary students.
House is now open for the Secret Life of Girls show tonight and I'm needed as a crew member for the performance. Gotta run!
The staff celebrated Jim Keeney's birthday today. Jim turned 44 last Wednesday but we couldn't get everyone together until today for the cake and card. April didn't make it because she was at a performance of the gifted and talented show that she directed at Lone Oak Elementary school.
Board members came in and decorated the stage this afternoon for the ghost tours. Jody Smith, who has been a little under the weather, Phil Counts, and I will do a dry run of the Trolley tour tomorrow morning. We will make any last minute adjustments at that time in preparation for the party and tours Saturday night.
The Strategic Planning Committee had a meeting today at noon to work on the structure of the theatre's planning dates. We discusses several of the planning sessions that have taken place in the past and looked for a way forward towards the planning methods that will be used this year. The theatre is trying to make a comprehensive plan for the future as we move toward our 50th anniversary in 4 years.
Footlights classes are tomorrow morning starting at 8 am for the early elementary students.
House is now open for the Secret Life of Girls show tonight and I'm needed as a crew member for the performance. Gotta run!
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