Theatre

I have always been a performer and learned a love for the arts at an early age thanks to my mother. She took me to the symphony and plays and I learned to appreciate the stage. I was a thespian in high school and thought I wanted to continue theatre in college. No, I don’t mesh well with overbearing, narcissistic actors, so I thought journalism would give me the opportunity to trash talk them some day if they ever made it. I’m only self centered to be funny. The majority of those in the program really was self centered.

I couldn’t stay away from the stage, so When my former HS trig teacher, Mr. Brown, asked me if I wanted to be a part of a community theatre murder mystery show, I jumped at the chance. Mr. Brown had been active in Middletown Lyric Theatre for years and was recruiting new talent. I am so thankful that he introduced me to MLT.

While putting together MLT's very own theater, Tracy and I pulled a bunch of crap...no pun intended.

The friends I had made during my time with MLT have proven to be some of the most awesome people I have ever met. “There’s no people like show people...and that’s good because show people weird me out!”

It's not a good show unless there's a man in a dress.  Just ask Shakespeare.  

My MLT Theatre Resume, that lacks a lot of details:

• Murder Mystery about the wedding: Maid (I’m having a difficult time remembering the names of the Murder Mysteries and they don’t seem to be written down anywhere.)
• You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown: Stage Crew (Charlie Brown was well into his 40s and I think Linus was in his 50s. It was really weird.)
• Spoon River Anthology: Ensemble (Being a fan of Edgar Lee Master’s poems I was so happy to be a part of this show. The most heart-wrenching poem that I acted out was Nellie Clark’s. Nominated for an Orchid.)
• Murder Mystery about the romance writer: President of Romance Book Fan club (I really wish I had written these down somewhere.)
• JB: Carnie Lady. (It was a bizarre show.)
• A Raisin in the Sun: Stage Crew (Tracy and I had some HILARIOUS backstage antics.)
• Rumors: Officer Pudney (My favorite role. I didn’t have any lines, but she was still a deep character.)
• Inherit the Wind: Rachel (There was a lot of drama with Inherit the Wind and I’m not talking about the play. Nominated for an Orchid.)
• Last Will and Testament Murder Mystery: Dee Dee Delane (Dee Dee was such a gold digging hooch. It was fun to play her, but she died.)
• Plaza Suite: Muriel Tate (After opening night I went to the hospital to see my mother. She died that evening, but I continued the rest of the show’s run. My mother would have wanted it because she knew the show must always go on. I wasn't nominated for an Orchid, but the ACT judges said nice things about me calling me brave for going on with the show.)
• Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Mrs. Clark (I love small parts. They are less stressful and I tend to run wild with them creating backstories.)
• Karaoke Killer Murder Mystery: Shadookie. (I died....again. I didn’t have to sing though, so that was cool.)

When I moved to Yellow Springs, I was looking for a way to get involved with the community. By perusing the Yellow Springs News I learned that the High School was looking for a director for their One Acts. Having always been a fan of One Act shows, I applied. Who knew that such a wild wide was ahead of me.

The YS One Acts are different than what I did in High School. The YS students wrote, directed and acted in their own show. The whole process was student owned. I was just there to make sure ran smoothly. That’s what happened the first year. Smooth as silk, or at least I thought.

One of the best aspects of the shows was that the parents involved did not want their children censored. The adults of the community supported freedom of expression especially through art. This sort of attitude would never have flown in Middletown, Ohio. I operated under the pretenses that the students’ work was accepted. I was not informed that anyone had a problem with any of the content the first year I helped out. This is where the downward spiral began.

The next year, YS school district had a new Superintendent, from a private christian School. Awesome. Principal Gudgel did a wonderful job in years past to handle any concerns. Yes the show Man-Man had some risque parts, but nothing out of control. Well apparently the blue ball props caused a problem. The audience member who was accidentally hit with a blue ball wasn’t the one to complain though. The complaint about Man-Man had reached the Conservative Art Hating Superintendent so he wanted to make sure that the shows were appropriate. In other words, he wanted to censor my students.

Here is where I handled things poorly. The year’s shows were not nearly as risque as Man-Man and I had assumed things were copacetic. Did please the administration, I chose the most offensive play, which wasn’t offensive at all, and submitted to them for approval. Cat Calls was about construction workers that yes may have said inappropriate pick up lines to ladies who passed by the site, but eventually the construction workers got what was coming to them. It was a good message to respect women.

I had not heard anything for a week, so assumed they agreed that the show was not inappropriate. Well, no. I was called into the principal’s office the day of opening night. The superintendent wanted to censor Cat Calls. Either the playwright, Peter, had to rewrite it or it had to get axed. I know I was being paid and probably should have listened to my superiors, but the students came first. Peter did not want to censor his show and decided to not put it on. It was a shame because it was wonderful. Peter is truly gifted.

When I arrived at the theatre parents were waiting for me. Having grown up in a conservative town, I was waiting for them to be upset with me. It was the opposite. They were appalled that the school tried to censor their children and I even had a parent offer to pay for a lawyer if I got fired. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.

Teenagers can be petty, but not my students. They were strong and intelligent. They collaborated to write a very moving letter on what it means to be censored and they read it on stage in place of Cat Calls. It was the most moving experience I have ever been a part of. The students rallied around Peter to support his decision to not let censorship ruin his art.

Peter’s mother wasn’t going to let his art be suppressed and neither were those in charge of running Antioch Theatre. For $1 Peter’s mother rented the theatre so that her son and the actors could put on Cat Calls. It was to be completely separate from the school and as an employee of the school, I couldn't play any part in it.  All I could do was sit back and enjoy...and I did.

If you would like to see the "banned" show Cat Calls, please watch parts one and two below.

 

 

The students continued to grow by helping to create a process on how to govern the One Acts without hurting the creative process. Superintendent Wet Blanket left the district and the previous Super acted in an interim position until they found a new administrator. The students came up with wonderful parameters to help guide the process from suggestions on writing and on direction. They also stated what they needed from the Supervising director, the Theatre Arts Association and from the Administration. I was so proud. Not only were these students talented, but mature and intelligent. I miss working with YSHS students.

It’s possible that I may get involved with the Corvallis Community Theatre out here, but none of the shows have spoken to me yet. I’ll know when it’s the right time to be in the light again.