Practically Perfect

Have you ever worked on a nearly perfect production? I have. I just did.

Photo Credit: Margaret Ruff 

Was it technically flawless in every way? No. But... it was still pretty perfect. 

The production I'm writing about is Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and it took its final bow yesterday. The play is a part of the Paris Junior College Department of Drama's 2018-2019 Season of the Elements. Our first element was "fire." Fahrenheit 451 was also our "theatre for young audiences" production for this year. When I found out how many local schools still study Fahrenheit 451 as a part of the high school curriculum, I knew it would be a great fit for our season. Plus, it's a literary classic, and our production fell close to the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week. Since the plot focuses on how important preserving and having access to books is, I couldn't imagine a more perfect choice in plays. To add to the fun and excitement, our English classes are also studying the novel this year. Again, perfection! 

Photo Credit: Margaret Ruff 

But, did all these factors contribute to it being a nearly perfect production for me? Well, honestly, not really. 

Photo Credit: Robyn Huizinga 

What made this production so unbelievably special and nearly perfect for me was the cast and crew.

We have many students we are proud of in our department. Most are on scholarship. Some are majoring in theatre and some are planning to pursue careers in other fields. They come from all over our region of northeast Texas. Many are here from rival high schools and theatre programs. I have never had a group of students in the past band together as a cast, so dedicated to great storytelling and audience engagement as this group did working on Fahrenheit 451. All old high school rivalries disappeared, and a dedicated and professional cast and crew grew, developed, supported one another,  and created a moving piece of art. 

Photo Credit: Emily O'Connor 

Photo Credit: Margaret Ruff

We also had a fantastic group of community members involved. The final scene of the play takes place in a far different setting from the rest of the story. It requires a large group of people we only see once in the play. I had a great group of community members- alumni, high school and middle school aged kids, college students who have never been involved in a Department of Drama production, working professionals and retirees- show up to audition and be cast as "book people" in the final pages of the play, other small roles, and in roles behind the scenes. The production would not have been the same without them, and they also brought a work ethic and energy that complimented that of our students beautifully. We often had people playing different roles at different performances, and everyone handled these changes with grace and professionalism. Allowing freedom in scheduling also allowed actors to be involved who might not have been able to do so if a more strict schedule was required. I also learned to be more flexible and relaxed as a director. 

Finally, we had faculty members from outside the Department of Drama give their time, energy, and talent to the production. We had teachers and administrators in the show, including the president of the college, to whom I will always be grateful. I have never had an opportunity to work with my fellow instructors in this way, and it was magical. To see them work alongside our students was fantastic. Each member of the cast truly became a part of the family that grew out of working dozens and dozens of hours creating a theatrical world that would entertain, enlighten, and even frighten our audiences. 

This amazing cast will always have a place in my heart. Each person worked and treated each other respectfully as equals. I have heard positive feedback from people in our community who enjoyed the show during its sold-out run, which always feels good. We had two exciting talk-back sessions with high school audiences that left us all inspired. They were so engaged and asked thought-provoking questions. We are all glad the finished product was enjoyed by so many. However, the work ethic and dedication of this cast and crew is what will always stay with me. 

I can really never fully or properly express how thankful I am to have worked with each and every actor, crew person, stage manager, designer, and fellow teacher. I also have an amazing partner in the Department of Drama who made magic happen behind the scenes on a daily basis and worked as an understudy and swing for multiple roles. We had a great lighting design from a guest artist who made the long drive back and forth from Southeastern Oklahoma State University for days. We had a terrific stage management team made up of a Paris Junior College Department of Drama alumna and a wonderful community member, who both volunteered more time and energy than I could ever repay in turn. I will always have a grateful heart for those who shared their time and talent on this production not because they had to but because they wanted to. I am honored. 

Photo Credit: Margaret Ruff 

Working with this amazing group of actors, technicians, stage managers, and designers that made the whole experience from auditions to strike feel, to quote Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way."   

With a happy heart and...

Until next time, 

Ro Huizinga 

The Production that Could, and Did

Photo courtesy of  Will Walker 

I recently wrote a post about a wonderful production in which I'm currently cast. It's a wonderful production because it's such a great example of the best of what community theatre can be.

I'm playing the role of Yonah in Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden at Paris Community Theatre. It's a dream for me. I've wanted to play the part for over 15 years. I love everything about her. She is kind, patient, decisive, loving, and puts others before herself. The fact that I am getting a chance to play her is one of the miracles of community theatre and what it can do. If this were the professional world, I'd be too old. Yup. It's that plain and                                                                  simple.

We have two extraordinarily talented young people playing Adam/Noah and Eve/Mama. They are too young. We have people who are new to theatre or who haven't been onstage in decades. In theory, none of us should be playing these roles. And yet, it works. We work together as a cast. We compliment each other. And we have wonderful audiences who come to the theatre happy to suspend their disbelief for a fun and moving evening of music and storytelling.

Photo courtesy of Kayla Phillips

We've come a long way, too. We had a musical director who had to leave the production unexpectedly and another who joined us but also had to leave due to illness. We were sad to see both go, but we rallied as a cast and those of us who had any musical skills to offer came forward. We taught songs, played notes, gave vocal lessons and coaching, and we came together and worked.

I've watched this show magically come together as a whole in less than a week's time. After all the stress and frustration of Tech Week, we made it. We moved past stumbling blocks and problem areas to pull together a beautiful piece of theatre. And from opening night to our third performance, the show grew more than 100% more. It's just amazing.

Photo courtesy of Kayla Phillips

For the first time ever this past Sunday, we had to cancel a performance due to a broken air conditioning unit and sweltering temperatures. We continue on undaunted, though. We rallied as a cast and decided this show is too important to us and its message of love is too timely to not find a way to make a belated performance happen.

So, this weekend, we present five performances of Children of Eden. Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 and Sunday we will present a "double-header" with performances at 2:30 AND 7:30. This is what community theatre can do. It can bond people together in a shared creative goal. It can move audiences that will accept us as storytellers and not literal representations of characters- because that's what great casts and audiences do. They are supportive. They rally. They give time and love.

If you live anywhere near the Paris, TX area, I encourage you to see us. We're not perfect, but we've worked really hard to bring these stories to life. We've taken on challenging roles and extra work far beyond being actor-singers. And we want to give this production to you as a gift. From us to you with love.

Photo courtesy of Kayla Phillips

Photo courtesy of Kayla Phillips

And isn't that what it's really all about?

Until Next Time...
Ro Huizinga

Top 10 Reasons I Love "Children of Eden"

Over fifteen years ago I was introduced to the most beautiful score I’d ever heard, and it belongs to a lesser-known musical, Children of Eden, by Stephen Schwartz.

I am so incredibly lucky to currently be cast in a production of this show.

There are so many things I love about it, that I thought I’d share my personal Top 10:

10. The stories. Even if you’ve never heard of the show, you likely know the stories, as it’s based on the first seven chapters of the book of Genesis.

9. The kids. We have the world’s cutest (IMHO) group of children playing the animals in the Garden of Eden and on Noah’s Ark!

8. The voices. There are great voices to go along with this great music. What tremendous local talent we have!

7. The variety. This show has something for everyone- really- it is a story of families for families. If you like music, and comedy, and drama, and a powerful message… you'll love this show!

6. The characters. It’s a beautiful transition from page to stage.

5. The role. I’m playing a character on my bucket list. I love Yonah. She’s kind, faithful, loving, and a peace maker. And her songs… sqeee!

4. The scenery, costumes, and lights. So many people have contributed to creating a beautiful world from the Garden of Eden to the Ark. Come out and get swept away into this world the way the cast does every day!

3. The energy. If you want to enjoy a high energy, moving story, this is for you.

2. The message. Ultimately, this is a story of love. And we need to hear what we already know: “The hardest part of love is the letting go.”

1. The music. This score is epic! It contains a variety of musical styles, the songs are memorable, and the ballads are so moving! Who doesn’t love great music?

OK… you’ve caught me. My personal Top 10 are also my personal Top 10 reasons to get you… Yes, YOU!... to come see this gorgeous musical. It’s not to be missed!

See you in Eden June 16-26! (Paris Community Theatre orBrown Paper Tickets)

Until Next Time…
Ro Huizinga

(All images from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/top-images.php)

Finding the Present

Lately, I've been fortunate enough to really live in the present while exploring the past and looking to the future. That sounds convoluted to me, too.

I have had the pleasure of travelling a bit this summer. I've not done anything as impressive as a coast-to-coast trip or travelling abroad. I have taken numerous day trips and explored the state in which I live.

I've mentioned in previous posts that I'm preparing to direct one of my "bucket list" shows, Defying Gravity. All the travelling I've done has been influenced in some way or another by this upcoming production. I've written a review of one museum I recently visited, and I fulfilled  a childhood dream in visiting another, Space Center Houston. While I have spent a lot of time delving into the past and future of space travel and exploration, I've also spent time outdoors at nature preserves and wildlife refuges. In some way, I suppose I've been exploring where we come from and where we are.

That's been an amazing aspect of this bit of travelling around I've done. By exploring the past and imagining the future, I've really been enjoying and living in the present. There's something magical about standing on a marsh and watching herons take flight. While looking into a bayou at an alligator with an ancient lineage, it's easy to become hyper aware of one's surroundings and perhaps even mortality in that moment. How fortunate I felt to "touch the moon" at Space Center Houston. My childhood and my present collided  touching an artifact that had traveled 238,900 mi. to be there in that moment with me. I've come to truly appreciate the beauty that exists all around me, only a drive away.

I've been finding myself in the present, appreciating moments.

Bldg 9 (Vehicle Mock-Up Facility), Johnson Space Center 

The best of the places I've been this summer include Space Center Houston,










The Armand Bayou Nature Center,

Small Alligator in the murky water of the ABNC

and The Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.

Heron at HNWR

I tend to get caught up in what's coming up- work, meetings, etc- or what's in the past, that I often find it difficult to really live in the present. I have a feeling most of us do that, as it's a topic often discussed and written about (just do a basic internet search to see). The places I've visited recently have forced me to be aware of the here and now.

I plan to take enjoying moments into every day (in my classroom, in the rehearsal hall, when I am spending time with family and friends).  And, when I need visit a place to help pull me back into the present, I am glad to know that so many are relatively near by, and I hope to explore and find more. I highly recommend exploring what's around you. It just might change your perspective.

Until next time...
Ro Huizinga

The Stafford Air and Space Museum

In a museum, I'm like a kid in a candy store.

I could have spent a full day inside the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK last weekend.

We got there rather late in the afternoon on August 8th, but the time we spent there was wonderful. The museum has one hall dedicated to the history of flight, and several dedicated to hometown hero General Tom Stafford.

If you have any interest in space exploration, flight, or 20th Century American history, I highly recommend taking the time to visit the museum.

Top 5 Highlights:

5. Learning more about one of NASA's first and eventually most experienced astronauts and administrators. Stafford grew from a rather average child in a small Oklahoma town to an accomplished military officer- in the Navy and in the newly established US Air Force- to an astronaut involved in the Gemini missions and so much more. His story is inspiring.

4. "Flown in space artifacts." From Lunar Module checklists, to flags, to space suits, to pieces of rockets and shuttles flown into space, there are many artifacts large and small to see, interact with, and read about. (And of course there's a moon rock!)

3. Space flight history that wasn't in my sixth-grade science book and missions I'd not seen documentaries of or read about elsewhere. I grew up during the decline of the Cold War, and since the shuttle program has ended, we send up astronauts in Soyuz rockets these days. However, the exibits dedicated to the mission in which the Apollo and Soyuz docked together were news to me. It marked endings and beginnings, and I highly recommend reading more about the mission- or better yet, visiting the Stafford Museum- whether or not you are already familiar with this mission.

2. Monument Guys. If you enjoy this member of The History Channel lineup, then see one of their creations at the Stafford Museum. The care that went into the statue is evident. Although the piece is relatively small, it's lovely and packed with details. Catching the episode by chance is how I heard about the museum.

1. Finding your inner child. I like to feel like a kid. I was so happy standing inside a segment of solid rocket booster that I could have stayed there for hours. I felt so small standing by a full scale Titan II rocket. It's good to be reminded we're small. We're standing on a sphere hurtling around a sun in this miracle of a universe. If you can't find that kid inside of you who longs to fly to the stars here, then maybe s/he is lost. Go find that kid!

There really are a myriad reasons to visit this small but impressive Smithsonian Associated Museum. Mine was the need to defy gravity that I recently wrote about.

What will yours be?

Until Next Time...
Ro Huizinga