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 

Down the Rabbit Hole

Much like the beloved heroine in Lewis Carroll's Children's books, I have had adventures travelling down the rabbit hole recently. And they've been wonderful!

In October, I had the opportunity to play one of my "bucket list" roles. I was cast as Becca in the Paris Community Theatre Off-Plaza production of David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole. It is the toughest role I've ever had the chance to play.

The character is trying to work her way through the terrible grief following the loss of her 4-year-old son in a tragic car accident. I am not a parent, nor do I wish to have children, so honoring the spirit of the character as a parent was extremely important to me. I can only hope I was able to do so.

More importantly to me as an actor was "living truthfully under the imaginary circumstances" of the play. I feel the entire cast was able to reach this goal. Each night the emotions were real, and we worked to connect at a human level as a cast.

I've never worked on a show that could drag such real, honest emotions out of me. It also seemed to drag out all of my insecurities. I know I gave my director a hard time, and I regret that I was often so negative throughout the process. However, in spite of all the ups and downs of the rehearsal process, I am proud of the finished product we presented each night.

Just a few short weeks after Rabbit Hole closed, I began directing an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland as a part of the Paris Community Theatre regular season.

I have a confession to make here: I have never really liked the story. 

So often, the characters are portrayed as grotesque or even frightening. In the take on the story that my amazing company chose, we discovered the characters again for the first time. I was so proud of them for finding lightness and humor. And beauty. Our Duchess, Cook, and Queen of Hearts were all beautiful, funny, and silly!

We also decided that we would approach the play as a kind of  reverse Wizard of OZ. We incorporated many "Steampunk-inspired" elements into the design. We wanted Wonderland itself to be more Earth-toned and mechanized. We reserved the soft, Technicolor-inspired moments for the beginning and ending of the play, which we set at Christmas in Alice's home, since the play closed just before that holiday.

I have never been so happy and relaxed working on a show before and was incredibly proud of the finished product. I can't really say "I" directed or "I" created,  because it was the most collaborative process in which I've ever participated.

Now, I'm preparing to enter the world of Rabbit Hole one more time. We will travel the show to TNT (Texas Nonprofit Theatres) Quad II AACTFest on January 31st.

 
I learned many lessons about myself and the power of performing art working on these two productions.  I am looking forward to learning more as we rehearse Rabbit Hole one more time.  After having been so content working on Alice in Wonderland, and so emotional working on Rabbit Hole the first time,  I hope that I can now approach the process with  an open mind and heart,  and move past my insecurities to do great work.

I plan to write more on the subject as the festival approaches,  but for now,  this marks and celebrates two amazing adventures down the rabbit hole as I look forward to a third!

Until Next Time...
Ro Huizinga