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

The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)... Again!

For the first time in my life I have the pleasure of directing a show for the second time. I'm currently working on a production of The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) at Children and Adults Theatrical Studio in Lubbock, TX. I first worked on this script as a part of my MFA thesis project in 2010.

There is such joy in working on this script. Its authors- Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield- filled the show with timely pop culture and political references. They created the original "Reduced Shakespeare Company," an RSC for the fast-paced, high tech, America of today. They allow each group that comes together to produce and perform the show to update these references as needed. Much like Shakespeare himself always did with his writing, this show is meant to comment on contemporary events and should never feel stale.

It's a wonderful teaching tool for directors. Although the script is a rollicking comedy at heart, it is difficult to perform if the cast is not familiar with Shakespeare's works. Much like the sketch comedy of Saturday Night Live, The Second City, and The Groundlings, the script involves a great deal of satire. One can't satirize that which one doesn't understand. So, in both productions I've had the honor of working on, we've focused on discovering Shakespeare's plays, studying commentary and criticism, and studying verse. Many of the actors with whom I've worked have not worked on plays written in blank verse before. This show is a wonderful opportunity for actors to throw themselves headlong into the works of one of the greatest playwrights and poets in history.

The real joy of this show lies in each ensemble creating wonderful relationships with each other on stage and with the audience each night. Each group of actors (originally a cast of three, but I enjoy expanding to six to give both men and women the opportunity to work on this fantastic script) becomes a new and singularly unique "Reduced Shakespeare Company." The script really works as a dialogue with the audience, and the actors must react to audience responses each night honestly, quickly, and with wit and humor. I'm not sure there is another play that teaches actors so well that no two audiences are alike.

And... it's just plain funny! I love walking into the rehearsal hall knowing that every night I will laugh. I love creating a safe space for actors to try new approaches and "bits." If any fall flat, we get to keep working and trying and stretching new comedic muscles. What could be better?

So... this is the part of the post in which I switch over to "shamelessly plugging" the show. You should see this play. You should come out and laugh at us and with us. You should see how full of life Shakespeare's plays still are! Especially when they're re-imagined as cooking shows (hosted by a rather infamous Southern chef in our version), raps (yes, we're searching for our inner Kanyes and J-Zs...), and even Football Games (I know that caught the attention of some of our West Texas patrons- come see our Friday Night Lights- complete with cute cheerleaders!)! You think you know Hamlet, but have you ever seen it backwards? Or a cast of six perform that play in under 60 seconds? Can tragedies be funnier than comedies? (Yes!) Should you miss your chance to see a brave cast of only six gender bend their way through Romeo and Juliet as well as parry and thrust their way through a wickedly fast version of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark? (No!)

This really is a show for everyone. This is a show that can prove how transformative and wonderful theatre can be. I know. I've spent a lot of time with two wonderfully talented and hardworking casts, and I hope to revisit this play again in the future. There is always something new and wonderful to discover.

So please, won't you come and spend 90 minutes with us as we laugh and play? We certainly hope so! Huzzah! ( You can get more info at the Children and Adults Theatrical Studio website- and you can make reservations there, too! Or, you can call 806-792-0501.) So...

Until Next Time...
Ro Huizinga

The 2013 cast and crew! (Clockwise from top left: Zachery Kocurek, Amanda Allen, Chris Luera, Jonathan Keys, Cornelius Brown, Reagan Sudduth, Emily Healy, Robyn R. Huizinga, and Lisa Hernandez)

The 2010 cast! (Clockwise from left: Dr. Sherry Shields Scott, Ashley Pickering, Michael Risinger, Mile Pickering, Juan Espinosa, and Brittani Spang-Klotz )

So, You're Broke but Love the Arts?

Photo in Public Domain: http://tinyurl.com/9kb

Well, it's a new semester for me, and that means more time in class, less time to work, and no money to spend. Yup, that's right. So, how can someone who blogs about the arts have anything to say when she's broke? Well, I refuse to believe that just because one has no disposable income, that s/he can't take in the arts.

Here is a list of ways to take in the arts on a budget (or no budget, in my case). Opportunities like these are plentiful in my community and are likely to exist locally for you, as well. So, don't be detached from arts and culture, do as the artists do, and get creative!

Cordell Green Festival is the CATS Meow

I know I've written quite a bit about community theatre lately, but it's an area of the not-for-profit theatre realm that really moves and inspires me. This past weekend, I had the good fortune to be invited to participate as the director of a local new play festival produced by a small community theatre in the city where I live.

Photos courtesy of Zachery Kocurek, Lisa Hernandez, and CATS Theater

The Cordell Green Festival is a multi-step process which leads up to a day of performances. After a call for submissions, several plays are chosen by a committee of the theatre's board members to be presented in festival format. Also, a board member is chosen as producer to make the festival a reality. This year, a very hard-working and energetic young man named Zachery Kocurek brilliantly organized and orchestrated the event. Only the first act of each play is staged, and the playwright or the director (if the playwright isn't present) describes what happens in the remaining acts of the play. A group of board members is present to fill out a ballot for each play. The ballots have a rubric and space for notes. At the end of the day, the ballots are tallied, and a play is chosen to be fully-produced in the theatre's regular season.

"Community" Theatre

After reading a few interesting posts lately voicing people's strong feelings about community theatre, I'd like to add my two cents to the conversation.

I believe the important word in the phrase “community theatre” is community.

This is twofold.