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

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!

United Celebration

Every four years, a night comes along that never fails to make me laugh, cry, feel a bit of pride, perhaps confuses me a bit, and above all, makes me feel included as a global citizen. This magical night happens to fall this evening. It is the night of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

The "Parade of Nations" is still being shown in my time zone as I write. Over 200 nations will be represented during the 2012 Games. As someone involved in the arts, the Opening Ceremonies are more meaningful to me than the weeks of intense athletic competition which will follow. I am not writing this evening to critique the aesthetics, narrative, performances, or direction of the opening ceremonies. I am simply writing to explain why they mean so much to me.

To Tweet Seat Or Not To Tweet Seat

As I sit here late on a Saturday night after a very long day of work when I probably should be thinking about sleep, I'm thinking about "Tweet Seats." You may ask yourselves, "What is a 'Tweet Seat'?" I've wondered quite a bit lately about the kind of publicity or general PR that can be generated for a theatrical production through this fairly recent development.

A "Tweet Seat" or "Tweet Seat Performance" is an area of a theatre or perhaps an entire performance dedicated to allowing patrons to get out those smartphones- yes, during the show, gasp...- to Tweet about the goings on during a performance. Perhaps a patron wants to give a "shout out" to a particularly strong number, scene, or performer. Perhaps they want to tell everyone they know to #comeseethisshow.