It’s been far, far too long since my last post . . . sorry. But I have been meaning to return with a very important message. You see, as the autumn leaves fall, a change of the season isn’t the only change people are seeing around TCT. And a change as big as what we’re going through needs not only explanation, but support!

 

There was a line once in a Woody Allen film that went something like this; “A relationship is a lot like a shark. It’s got to keep moving forward or it dies.” I’ve quoted that line a lot in my life because in many ways it’s true of the arts as well.

 

When you think about, TCTA produces a lot of shows. Few community theatre come close to the schedule we operate around here with sixteen annual productions, four performance companies and a host of creative classes that run non-stop throughout the season. As great as that is, it’s also dangerous. TCTA has had to create a calendar that follows a certain formula to ensure everything we do gets done not only on time, but to the best of our ability. But following a set list of expectations can seem like following a recipe in a cookbook and we often run the risk of becoming a “theatre factory”.

 

A good friend of mine from out of state asked me; “If you do that much work, how do you keep it fresh?” That’s a good question, indeed. The answer is change.  Like that shark we move forward. Sometimes in small ways, but always forward. We approach each show carefully and as if it’s the only thing we’re doing – - even though it’s far from the only thing in reality.

 

But this autumn, we have some big changes and unfortunately, not enough people either know or are planning on supporting them. So first let me tell you about those changes, their rationale and how we expect to pull them off. Then you can decide if they deserve your support.

 

The first big change is adding Theatre for Young Audiences to our schedule. Many people haven’t caught on to this change at all. A patron recently asked me; “Haven’t you been doing Children’s Theatre for years?” Well, actually no we haven’t. What we’ve done has been Youth Theatre. Youth Theatre is area youth, (the most talented kids in the mid-west if you ask me), performing for peers and older audiences. Basically it’s kids on-stage for kids in the audience.

 

Now, we’re proud of that. Don’t get me wrong! And we are going to always continue doing our Youth Theatre. But Theatre for Young Audiences is different. It’s experienced actors, adults mostly, performing for very young kids. Our target audience for this program is toddlers to early grade school. Basically it’s adults on-stage for very little ones in the audience. We haven’t been doing that. But we are now!

 

A Year with Frog and Toad is delightful and the first production of it’s kind for TCT. With special curtain times for parents with wee ones, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM matinees on Saturdays, (another first for us). As a father with little ones myself, I cannot express more how excited I am to be giving the gift of live theatre to our most precious new audience. But just in case you think only the little ones will enjoy this show you should know it was nominated for the Tony and as the presenter at the awards said the night of the ceremony; “A Year With Frog and Toad demonstrated to a whole new generation that theatre can be fun while proving to the older generation that Children’s Theatre can be art!”

 

It’s a delightful show and another example of how TCTA grows, evolves, and continues to swim forward.

 

Our second big change is our Studio musical, Striking 12. This musical was easily the favorite musical of the play selection committee last season. But the one thing almost everyone said was; “This is so good, it’s a shame we can’t do it.” After hearing that phrase one to many times I had to finally say we’ve got to find a way to pull this off.

 

So why is pulling this show off so hard? Well, it’s unlike any other show we’ve ever offered. Part musical, part concert, part play, part narrative, Striking 12 is a musical sensation. It takes the story of The Little Match Girl and superimposes it over the tale of a man with a failed relationship, alone on New Year’s Eve with a fear of never falling in love again balanced with a fear of actually meeting the right person. And it’s all told through rock and roll music that is inspirational at the very least. Our story is sad, funny, touching, and frankly incredible.

 

But the real crux of the matter is how it’s performed. Striking 12 is completely performed by three musicians, a pianist, a drummer, and a violinist. Two of them are relatively stationary and the violinist is even limited in her movement. There are no set changes, no costumes really, and though theirs a lot of light cues, the execution of this play is simple. It’s all about the music and the wonderful trio that presents it.

 

Never have we offered a concert/musical of original untested work before. Never. But brother, its music so good and a story so touching we simple could not pass up the opportunity.

 

That in itself makes Striking 12 quite a departure from the same ole’ same ole. But there is another wrinkle in the deal. You see, we needed to hire our musicians. TCT has always paid for the musicians who perform in our pits since the Warehouse on the Levee Theatre opened in 1974. But paying an unseen person in the pit seems so different than paying an actor. TCT does not pay for actors. Musicians yes, actors no.

 

However, the American Theatre hasn’t always lived by our rules. It’s evolved, too. Plays like Pumpboys and Dinettes and Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story demanded musician/actors. Actors had to not only be brilliant on stage with there performance, they also needed to be musicians at the top of their craft. More and more plays are surfacing every year that demand musician/actors. Now, we could throw up our hands and walk away in disgust from these shows, but we are robbing ourselves and our community of some perfectly magnificent shows. We just can’t afford to do that forever.

 

             Sometimes risks are too valuable not to take. I’m proud that we offered Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story even though the musicians on stage were paid, whether they were acting or not. And I’m equally proud that we took the courageous step to mount Striking 12 under the same condition. So, the musicians are paid for their craft, but it’s a bargain. They just happen to be throwing their acting in for free.

 

And if that’s not enough change for you, how about a whole new company called Laughing Matters Jr.? I’ll tell you more about this new group in another posting. But for know, look for their first performance after the first of the year.

 

Please consider checking out these new wonderful opportunities. We’d really, really love to see a lot of faces as we launch into uncharted waters with A Year with Frog and Toad and Striking 12. As I said above, art is like a shark. It has to move forward. And under my watch I’ll never let you find a dead shark at TCT.

 

Sincerely,

 Shannon Reilly

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 9th, 2008 at 7:36 pm and is filed under Artistic Directors Remarks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.