Theater and Culture
After stage managing for a year now I have the luxury to choose which projects I want to take. I have turned down four amazing theaters that pay far more than others to work with smaller companies on some interesting pieces.
These four other theaters… Among them Redmoon, Metropolis, and Building Stage… I will work with again some day. I know it.
This fall I will work with Infamous Commonwealth on Odin’s Horse as well as Twenty Percent Chicago on their annual play festival, Snapshots and their production of Tester’s.
Twenty Percent is a company comprised of women. They state that there are only 20% of women in the theater as directors, writers, producers, and so forth. Therefore they work on plays only written by women, directed by women, produced by women, publicized by women, stage managed by women, and acted by with women and men.
I have yet to read Testers. Its still in development. The ten plays for the festival span the board from interesting, engaging, and never wanting to read again. But that is not the point for my choice in working with this company.
My specialty in theater is socio political theater. Classes that interest me are theater and culture, church and theater, theater and war, rhetoric and theater. Going along with that sort of theme is my involvement in a women’s only theater.
There mission of the festival is to display up and coming women playwrights and directors and meet women (and men) from all over and converse and network. Their passion is undeniable and contagious. Their enthusiasm at our first orientation meeting left nothing to be desired. Their hearts touch every aspect.
In this meeting directors and writers, the producer and I came together to get the logistics out of the way. During question time one of the directors, who had just met the playwright of her piece turned to her and said, “would you like to be a part of the rehearsal process. Would you like to be in the room?”
The playwright mentioned she had been a part of many aspects of the theater but had never done this before.
The producer smiled, “see that was a beautiful moment and that’s why we do this”
After that moment, despite some weak plays in the festival, I was convinced I was in the right place and had made the best decision.
Infamous Commonwealth Theatre surprised me, to say the least. After cleaning out files, I discovered years ago I had actually seen one of their productions, “Savage in Limbo” in which the artistic director played a significant role.
I didn’t know what to expect when the script of Odin’s Horse was emailed to me. It turned out to be a refreshing pleasure to read the script. This year their theme is nature.
Green is the new black. We all know granola isn’t a term for just snacks. And even dogs can be eco-friendly and live a life that sustains the earth. Despite the trend, this play has a different take on it all. It also ties in many themes and ideas and the words are engaging. And its intelligent. And the playwright will be in the room… Something I enjoy despite the hard moments, and I cannot wait to see the director’s artistic vision.
Both these shows and the festival will actually be my first time working with a woman director. Something that proves twenty precent’s theory correct.
Part of me approaches the idea with trepidation. Will she come to rehearsal in a bad bloated mood one day because she’s menstrating? Will she cry? Will she talk about chocolate and how fat she thinks her hips are?
These are evil realistic stereotypes that I think about. But I’ve worked with men who had mood swings, body issues, coffee and burger cravings and ridiculous breakdowns too.
So I need not worry. Working with women will give me an even wider perspective on theater, it will display yet another directorial style and there will probably be task and moments that are much easier.
Just realized, Odin’s Horse is a socio-political play and twenty percent is a socio-political company.
It is possible to live the realities of your dreams. It takes a little work, some research and the ability to make choices.
Wesley, despite working a Monday through Friday corporate job, I believe I’m more of an artist than some of our friends who seek validation in a classroom. So it is possible to do artistic engaging work, even after that final senior service day in workout. Just saying.
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