#this happened to me as a kid at the local community theatre and I don't think i ever got fully over it lmao

[smytherines]

can you sing?????? sorry this is really out of pocket and i mightve hallucinated this but i swear to god u said u did a drama program that did a musical every year and now i need to know if you're a triple threat (writer artist and singer)

I don't sing as well as I used to, I'm badly out of practice for anything other than karaoke, but yes I can sing!

I did a community theatre program in my area from ages 8 to 18, and it saved my life. It was split into a company for kids, and one for teens. So until 13 I did two shows and (sometimes) one musical per year, and then from 13 on we would do two shows per year, one musical, and then we would work tech for the two kids company shows. We also had two semesters of acting classes, one in the fall and one in the spring.

So I've done pretty much everything but spotlight (you could not pay me enough, spot operators are heroes). I've been a stage manager, prop master, I particularly loved doing sound because they let us make our own preshow mixes and I'd put way too much effort into mine. We were just a little community theatre, so we didn't do big name expensive license shows, but I played the Tin Man in Oz! And had to sing an incredibly weird song that starts with the line come on and lubricate my mouth (I swear to god I am not making that up). Actually kind of a banger though, and I got to sing at the low end of my range for once.

We had a professional vocal coach at the theatre program, but also my mother took vocal lessons for years and was a singer in a local band for about a decade, so I had a lot of help developing my voice early on. When I auditioned for the school choir the director told me he could really put me anywhere and I'd do well, but he only had 8 altos so that's where I went.

My biggest non-musical role was playing Jo March in Little Women, where I was onstage for 120 pages out of a 126 page script. I am very much a Jo March, like to the point where everyone just took it as a given I would get the role before auditions even happened, even though I was not usually cast as the heroine. I almost always got cast as a villain or the most over the top energetic characters, like I played Ms. Minchin in A Little Princess, most of the eccentric bit parts in The Man Who Came to Dinner (Banjo, Grand Duchess Olga Katrina, more I can't remember)

Sorry I'm babbling so much!! I don't get to talk about my theatre days very often, so I get excited! But that's why I love analysizing character and acting choices so much. I used to fill notebooks with lore about the characters I played. There's just something very interesting to me about using all these little... data points (?) to build a person. Like- if I was experiencing this emotion, how would my eyebrow move? What would my lips be doing, what would my hands be doing, how would that emotion affect my voice and body language. It's something I do all the time as an autistic person anyways, so acting almost felt like research to me.

Okay I'll shut up now, sorry I did an essay!!

[mymanyfandomramblings]

i love ask games too bro

can you do Rachel and Finn for the breakdown thing

yay! my Beloveds!

RACHEL:

How I feel about this character:

I love her. She's insufferable, she's sincere, she's funny, she's most definitely autistic, she really is The Character. She's not my absolute favourite, but she's up there, and Glee would unequivocally not be what it is without her.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

To be honest, Finn is my first and main choice for her. I just love Finchel...

otherwise, none of the other canon characters really call out to me as a partner to her. Maybe an OC.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Kurtchelcedes for the win! I love the divas being besties. I reckon they watch all the major award shows together, and make predictions and be delightful.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Both popular fandom interpretations have correct elements; she's a double-edged sword. Yes, she's a passionate, ambitious and quite possibly autistic young woman who has been a victim of constant and often vicious bullying, and I think she's also an self-serving, insufferable theatre kid with egomaniac tendencies and occasionally extreme reactions to being upstaged. Both are correct. She's complicated.

ALSO, my unpopular opinion is that I don't hate Season 3B for her. A lot of people complain about her being willing to defer her application for Finn and Kurt, or consider somewhere other than New York to study, because 'oh, she's acting OOC, she cares about Finn more than her dreams, what happened to crackhouse!Rachel', and while I do think that Rachel throwing away her dreams for a man (which she wasn't really, she still had every intention of being a star) isn't necessarily a good thing, the disappearance of crackhouse!Rachel is. Rachel learning to take other people's feelings into consideration--especially the feelings of the man she plans to marry--is a GOOD THING. Rachel being willing to be adaptable is a GOOD THING. Thank you.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Of course, I wish that she'd managed to have an ending with Finn--not necessarily RM's ending, but an ending, maybe in one of the non-Manhattan New York suburbs.

On a side note, I wish we'd seen her participate in more community theatre--maybe do local productions, or something.

FINN:

How I feel about this character:

Finn is one of my absolute favourites, along with Mercedes. He's a very realistic teenager, and I think he's honestly the main character of Glee.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Rachel mostly, but in the reality where I can't ship any of my main ships (I once worked out what my Glee ships would be if I couldn't ship any of the OTP's) would honestly have to be Finncedes. I think they'd hit it off.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Honestly, Finn and any of the guys. I love when the guys are just hanging out doing guy stuff--like helping Puck study, or ambushing him on a pool cleaning job.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Very little that he does falls out of the realm of 'things a teenage boy might do'. Sure, that might make him a jerk at times--and he is a jerk at times--but he's not an extra-special form of Super Jerk Worst Character Ever

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

aside from the tragically obvious, I really wish that he'd just apologise to Santana for outing her. That would have been so easy, and I think it would have made the whole thing feel so much more natural--you can see already that he's already aware that he did the wrong thing and is attempting to make it up to her, and it would be much better if he'd just apologised as well. Especially since he's apologised for most other egregiously wrong things he's done, usually immediately after the fact.

[tumbloggingattheendofitall]

I have Conclusion upon which I could probably build a thesis to test and report on but listen

You start doing theatre the way you adopt a cat . You run across a cat in your neighborhood that needs a home and before you know it you're spending money on this adorable creature that doesn't speak the language but you certainly can't insist it leave because what's the alternative really

You find theater the same way - you're existing in your life, whether it's middle school malaise, high school tactical warfare, college fancy, or just a half-hearted moment of whimsy for your local community theater. You find yourself doing Something -maybe you volunteer for box office and ushering duties, maybe you audition for a role to make your kid feel better. Doesn't matter. What matters is, you do the thing and Dionysus crashes into your life like the Kool Aid Man and absolutely, resolutely, will Not Fuckin Leave

I say this from the perspective of a pagan, of whose patrons Dionysus is a member. But the thing is, I don't think your faith background matters - where theater is concerned, Dionysus will find you one day and like a helpful human to a helpless cat, you'll be absolutely incapable of disentangling yourself from the machinations that draw you. I know that sounds ominous but the beauty of Dionysus and his purview seems to be that he doesn't have an agenda beyond Art And Sex And Wine (I'm abbreviating the deeply-felt-and-lived experiences I have with my god for the sake of those that want to substitute the Thing for the god here but) it's just that the Thing is, theater calls regardless of what values you hold. If it calls, it calls. And you keep on doing, like the kitten that showed up last month. You keep needing to do that thing because it's fulfilling in an ephemeral way that is impossible to explain beyond just saying it fulfills me

You work with people, so many valuable and diverse human perspectives and experiences among them, and you work together to build a story that lives in a 1-3 hour window (on average) and you build this Thing, this whole entire story, from nothing but grit and whatever money you can scrounge (because I think all theatre people can agree, the one truism here is that there is Never Enough Money For The Vision) and you build a whole world together and you play it together for a bit, and then it's over and you have to start all over again. Ad infinitum.

It's absolutely an exercise in futility, and often confronts and confirms that futility directly, but the point is to Make A Point. Didn't matter what, we're inclusive here and you can make your point as long as you're willing to do the work in the process.

You adopt theater the way you adopt a cat: by accident, then all at once, then on a case by case basis, if wise. And like cat adoption, it's clearly rare that a Theatre Person actually Chooses to become one, and Much more common for a Theatre Person to discover that actuality under the duress of A Show -much like a Cat Person is often discovered in an otherwise unwilling participant that diabetes an absolute Need to Care for this animal and love it and get to know it better, despite that it doesn't speak the language.

And it's a 1:1 equivalence for another reason - it can happen to anyone at any time for any reason - it's pretty all inclusive and working very hard to remain that way.

[mama-ks-house]

Things to do with the children for free (or cheap) in the holidays

I don't know about you, but I find planning holiday activities quite difficult without spending loads of money. So I'm going to create a little guide of things that are free (or indeed cheap) to keep your little (or slightly bigger ones) entertained during the holidays. or any other times of year!

1. Eastrop

There are often events on in Eastrop park but they usually step up the events over the summer holidays. You can check out the #lovebasingstoke website, but honestly, I usually find most of the events on Facebook events. I dedicate an hour now and again in the evening to trawling through FB events looking for things that are free/cheap to do. They have had a mindfulness festival, some street theatre and they regularly have a brass band play amongst other things!

2. War Memorial Park

Again, there are regular events on in the war memorial park, not quite as many as Eastrop but it's still worth a look. There are often small festivals, for example the VW festival, Rotary club festival, funfairs. I would look at Facebook events to find these events.

3. Festival Place

Festival place holds events throughout the town center, often in festival square but sometimes in some of the empty shop units or in the form of trails around the shopping center. It's lovely for the children and a little bit of fun for the adults too. During Basingstoke festival they have had street theatre, live bands and earlier in the year they also had a disco in one of the empty shop units which my kids loved. Check the website for any events.

https://www.festivalplace.co.uk/events

4. The Malls

The Malls shopping centre sometimes have small events on in their square right outside Primark. Craft events, charity events, puppet shows and workshops. It's an hour's entertainment and it's usually free. There's a list of what's on on their website.

5. Hampshire Libraries

Every summer Hampshire Libraries launch their reading challenge and I think it's a great way to get your kids reading or keep them reading over the summer. They also often offer events at their locations too. If you click the link, choose your local library and you'll be able to see any events that are available. Some are bookable events and some may have a small cost but they also offer some free events.

6. The Willis Museum

The Willis Museum is a great resource in our town. It's free to visit and there is an opportunity to make a small donation to the upkeep of the museum if you would like to. There are lots of exhibitions about Basingstoke in the museum and they often have special exhibitions that change regularly. For example, recently they had a shoe exhibit and an exhibit about the Windrush.

7. Check out your local community center

There are several local community centres around the Basingstoke area and they all often offer events for the local community. What I've found, especially with the community centres is that the word never actually gets out that the events are happening so you have to do the leg work. Look at their websites, find their Facebook pages. Their events are often free or very cheap so its worth doing the searching to find what you're looking for.

8. Visit the beach

For us this would require travelling. We live within an hour of a few good beaches. All you'd need to do would be pay to park and I recommend bringing a picnic. You can buy food out but that makes trips more expensive and I'd say about 75% of the time my kids don't eat the food anyway. For me it's easier and cheaper too make sandwiches, throw a bunch of snacks in a bag and keep everyone happy!

9. Fireworks on the beach

I spotted on Facebook events that every Friday in August (2023) there's going to be a firework display on Bournemouth beach. The firework display isn't until 10pm so it would be a late night but it's free! Again just pay to travel and park.

10. Picnic in the Park

Take your kids for a picnic in the park. Any Park. Maybe ALL the parks. Here in Basingstoke there are so many great parks, all over the place! A few of my favourites are Eastrop (playground, paddling pool, boating lakes), Popley Way (Playground, football court, zipwire), Beggarwood Park (playground, biking trail, zipwire, café nearby), Stratton Park (Playground, basketball court, football field), Basing woods (woodland walks, playground, football/tennis/basketball court). Lastly, Herriard Park, this one is a bit further out so is a short drive but it really is excellent and I recommend visiting it if you get a chance. Take drinks and food (maybe some sun cream) and have fun. Maybe do a tour and visit several parks in one day!

BONUS

Get your free video games!

We have a Nintendo Switch and although I do limit game time, I think it's ok for them to play console games sometimes. even the kids don't want to go out and do activities every day! Well, mine don't anyway. There are a lot of free online games that are suitable for all different age groups (my kids like Roblox) Periodically Epic games release some games that you can download and play for free. As with any games that your kids are playing, just check the content, look at the functions of the game. If it's a game with online chat I'll often turn off that function. Also if the games have a function for parent password or pin, use it! And make it something that the children can't remember. This way if they're downloading, messaging, sending stuff to friends. You can see it all! One of the best bits about this is that it gives YOU a bit of a break.

I have no doubt that all of us love spending time with our little ones, but 6 weeks is a long time to keep the entertainment going strong. A video game morning or afternoon for them can mean some self care for you. Drinking a coffee that's actually hot! ☕ Sitting and writing your blog ✍ Not having to get dressed and rush out at 8am! Whatever makes you happy! Happy/Rested Parent = Happy Kids. Or if you are feeling absolutely determined you could catch up on your housework (cleaning, washing, hoovering) But, before you start your ironing...let me tell you a secret. Nobody cares if your house is tidy, especially in the holidays! Basic cleaning/hygiene, yes of course! But the kids won't notice of you've hoovered the carpet or ironed their t-shirts (I don't even own an iron) And your friends come to see you! Not your house! They know your house isn't going to be tidy! they get it. But they will notice that you had time to sit and drink your coffee, or eat your meal without also getting little people dressed and making everyone else a snack, hanging out washing or doing dishes. The dishes can wait. They'll still be there if you do them now or later. But they will remember that you say and watched a movie with them, played their video game with them, had a hug with them.

The holidays can be a tough gig. Be sure to make some memories (big and small) and remember its ok to take a day or two and do nothing.

Ciao

Mama K

xXx

[laws-yellow-submarine]

5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17, 18, 23, 26, 34, 35, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50.

Sorry if that's a lot. I'm just curious. 😊

It's no problem! I just had to go find the questions 😂

5. How do you like your eggs?

I don't like eggs actually 🙈 occasionally I'll get a craving for an omelet, but I need a ton of fillings or I can't eat it lol

8. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

Now that I think about it I don't think I really have any collections? I have a collection of random items that don't go together but I just liked them and wanted to have them lol

9. What sounds or scents calm you down?

Rainfall, thunder, peppermint, lavender. I listen to ASMR at night to help me fall asleep too so basic triggers like tapping and whispering really gets me lol

11. Do you wear glasses or contacts?

Nope! I was somehow blessed with perfect vision (everyone in my family has terrible vision, no clue how this happened, I'll probably just go blind one day lol). My son just had to get glasses though lol

13. Do you prefer to write in pen or pencil?

I like that I can erase pencil but I'm a sucker for a really nice pen so I'm gonna say pen lol

17. What’s the last thing you ordered online?

A really embarrassing item lmfao (well not embarrassing but not the kinda thing you should just blurt out in a regular Q&A lmao)

18. What’s one historical event that you would have liked to have witnessed?

This is a tough one lol I feel like I'd wanna be able to observe a lot of ancient history, the things historians still have questions about when it comes to "Why did they do this?" "What was this built for?" I just want to understand everything lol

23. Which songs do you like to sing in the shower?

All of them lmao I'm pretty partial to musicals, Disney, stuff like that. I'm actually planning to audition for a musical this week (local community theatre) so lately I've been practicing for that!

26. Can you cook or bake? If so, what are some of your specialties?

I enjoy both though I'm still learning to do things from scratch instead of following a box recipe lol I make some really awesome chocolate chip cookies though! (I hate to be cheesy but considering it's literally just the recipe on the back of the bag but people have said multiple times mine are the best they've ever had, the secret ingredient really is love lmao)

34. Can you read analog clocks?

Yup! I've got one in my living room actually. It doesn't even have actual numbers on it lol

35. Describe your favorite stuffed animal, either now or from when you were a kid.

As a kid my dad won me a big purple teddy bear with a biker hat and jacket. I named him Purpley (I was 7 🤷‍♀️). Currently my favorite is a shark pillow I bought 2 weeks ago. I call him Sharky, but his legal name is Ronaldo

45. Do you have good handwriting?

If I focus really hard and write slowly I can make it look kinda nice, but most of the time it's a bit of a mess lol I write with some combination of printing and cursive so it all flows together lol

46. What’s the last thing a friend recommended to you that you looked into and actually liked?

The current (as of 2022) cast recording of Into the Woods! That's the musical I'm auditioning for, and a friend who is also planning to audition sent me a link to the album to give me more to practice with. I really enjoyed listening to it, and I like some of the ways the current class sings a bit better than the original cast. Also had a friend tell me where to find the stage version on YouTube since I had only seen the movie. Definitely prefer the stage version 😂

47. Do you like to go on walks?

With other people, yes! Or if I'm walking to a specific destination! I like being outside I just feel weird about being out alone lol

49. What’s your favorite thing to do when it’s raining?

Sit and read a book, light a candle or some incense, just relax lol just last night we had a storm and I sat out on my balcony with a book (the awning is long enough that no rain got in, but the lightning started getting close so I went back inside lol)

50. Describe your perfect sleeping conditions

Ice cold, fan on, rolled up in a bunch of blankets, rain hitting the window, maybe even having the window open slightly (so long as there's no bugs). Not quite pitch black, but very low light so it's not disturbing. Just enough to keep my eyes from playing tricks on me in the dark lol

[silver-moon1]

Choose to Cruise

I have been on cruises ever since I was little, so after watching the documentary about the cruise industry it reaffirmed how I understood how the industry works. The cruise industry is a controlled choas business as they discussed. It is crazy to me that the cruise workers are working all day every day. When the cruise docks they turn it around and go again with a new set of customers. It is insane how nonstop it is and how they continue to just "go, go, go." My favorite part of cruises is all the activities and the FOOD. There is so much to explore on a cruise and there are so many different options when it comes to dining. In my personal experiences there is usually a buffet that is 24 hours depending on the type of food and then there are specialty restaurants. My family tended to do a mix of both. We loved having special dinner nights every now and then so we would book reservations to one of our favorite specialty restaurants on the ship.

As for cruise rooms my family and I have always gotten two rooms since there are four of us. We split up into parents and kids. Us kids usually had the smaller room and my parents would sometimes upgrade. However, we never really saw much of a point in spending a lot of money on a room when the point of a cruise is the activities so we don't use the room too much.

Any time I'm on a cruise I can't believe just how big the ship is. There are bedrooms, restaurants, casinos, theatre, art, entertainment, shops and tour excursions. Not to mention food and drink packages. The cruise industry is no joke it is an insane industry with so much wrapped up into it. Last time my family was on a cruise my sister decided to go to an art auction and buy a work of art. It was a quirky piece, but she loves it! Those experiences are some of my favorite traveling memories. The shows as well as super entertaining. When thinking of all that the ships crew has to do on a daily basis makes me incredibly thankful for all that they do. I don't ever give it much thought when I am on vacation, but they have an insane amount of work to do. They have to clean rooms, clean the ship, prep the food, get shows ready, get itineraries ready, prep everyones excursions, etc.

The only impact on local communities that I can think of would be getting sick. My mom and grandmother went on a cruise together sometime last year and the two of them came back from it with COVID. They knew that being around that many people could lead to that, but none of the less is still a setback. But being that there are so may people on one ship it is so easy to spread disease an illness, so I think it's very important to keep that in mind before you take a trip. Especially if you have a weak immune system.

I tend to not think too much about safety and security at sea. I have noticed cameras placed throughout, but I have never seen security in action in any way.

One additional thing I love on cruises are the shops and the photo opportunities. On the cruises I have been on there are specific events throughout the term of the cruise where they do fun backdrops for photos or sales in the shops. I realized early on that if you want to do any shopping it is best to wait towards the end of the cruise because that is when the best deals happen and you can save a little money.

I think they do this to get rid of some of their stock and get more money out of people, which is smart considering that once that set of customers leave there will be new customers coming onboard.

Overall, this week has taught me a little bit more about the cruise industry and how it operates. It's very intense and chaotic from what it seems like. The machinery alone is intimidating, but the turnaround time from one place to another and from one set of patrons to another is crazy. There seems to be no time to be spared when it comes to cruising and I commend all the workers onboard.

[rndyounghowze]

An Interview With John D. Smitherman (Part 1/2)

By: Ricky Young-Howze

When you first walk up to the Broadway Theatre of Pitman in Pitman, NJ you look like you've gone back in time. Built in 1926 the palatial performance space looks like it should be either the home of flappers and men in suits dancing the Charleston or mothballs and cobwebs. Lovingly looked after by the owner and staff of the BTP (with the addition of all the new technical bells and whistles of a modern theater) this lovely building is the crown jewel of Pitman's downtown. But this wasn't always the case. Just seven years ago the theatre was on a much different path. They were looking for new leadership and they needed someone with a theatre pedigree almost as varied, if not as long as their venue, to take the helm. That just so happens to be the man who came up the stairs into the lobby to meet Dana and me. John D. Smitherman has done a little bit of everything in the theatre almost everywhere. We were graciously given the opportunity to meet with him to talk about his experience as Artistic Director over the past seven years and “My Broadway” his one man show debuting in three weeks.

The one thing I've learned over three years as a reviewer here is that there are two kinds of theatre people in New Jersey: the kind that you can never get to talk to you and the kind that can talk your ear off about anything you would ever want to know about theatre, local gossip, and the last show they saw. John happened to be part of the latter group but very quickly he honed in on one central theme: his tenure as a veteran of the stage and how he brought that experience to bear running a theatre company. The interview that follows took place across from a table in an upstairs rehearsal room down the street from the theater. It has been edited for clarity.

The first thing John talked about was a very personal subject: how his family reacted to him catching the acting bug. We could see him lean into us and this is where the next hour would disappear as he started to tell one story after another.

“I was still living at home during undergrad, my dad other than polite conversation did not talk to me for a solid year after I changed my degree. because you know he was concerned about you know ‘a music degree?!? What the? What are you going to do with that? You know a performance? What are you going to do?’ But then I started working for the local opera company and symphonies and stuff like that. My dad was a purchasing director at Memorial medical center and so I would go by there if I had a rehearsal in town. I would go by and visit him but basically eat free lunch at the hospital because the food was actually good at the cafeteria. And I remember walking in one day and this was after a year of my dad being obviously angry with my decision and a doctor came up to me a [said] ‘Hey aren't you Frank's boy’ I said ‘Yeah’. He goes ‘I hear you're uh doing Pagliacci this weekend.’ And that's how I knew that my dad was talking about it and was happy about it. Because it took me actually doing it. I know that makes sense as a parent…[I mean] I don't know if I want my kids to go into it because it's so much of a difficult and demanding and iffy profession.”

But he never stopped at just acting. Pretty soon he found he liked branching out.

“I always liked doing multiple things. I always liked just singing like in a concert or in a Cabaret type show like this coming up (His upcoming show, My Broadway). But I also liked playing characters. I liked comedy. And I eventually started liking directing and just things like that. A lot of different interests gave me more opportunities because you know the more you do the more you can do.”

This is how he describes an acting career that has taken him from Florida, Philly, the high seas of a cruise ship, and even Manhattan, to a home in Collingswood where he lives with his wife and two boys. Each thing he's done was a new interest that led to a new skill that led him further down the road. Later on he elaborates how he got to Pitman seven years ago. As he was trying to settle down into a nice neighborhood he got a call from a local theater he had never heard of even though it was really close by.

“When I got here it certainly was not like that (the way the theater is run today). When I got here it was basically a community theatre that was just friends family. Like the artistic director’s son was in all of the shows, or the daughter sometimes. And that’s why they brought me in. They wanted to improve the productions and become a professional theatre and so that’s where things went and changed. And the first thing I did was let people in Philadelphia know about the theatre. I didn’t know about it and I lived in Philly for a handful of years. And then we were going to have Asher so we decided to move to Collingswood which is right around the corner so we were there for about a year when they approached me about taking over. Well it started out as performing a show that was very similar to this [My Broadway] and during that it was to take over. And I mean that was the biggest thing. I never heard of it, my wife never heard of this place, and look at this place! Everyone and their brother should know about it.”

Dana chimed in that it seems so crazy that a lot of theater companies in NJ want to isolate themselves from these Metropolises around them. He latched right onto that.

“You draw from them. I remember working an outdoor theater in Beckley, West Virginia (see I told you he's been everywhere! I swore I was the only other person who’d heard of Beckley) , there’s nothing else around it and that was a 1,500 seat outdoor theatre and we were always packed for every show and I was thinking ‘Where are all these people coming from?’ They come in. You can get things from these other cities and Philadelphia is right there. People literally tell me that they prefer coming here because they would rather come here and park for free. They’ll pay that five dollars to come over the bridge but they get to park for free and they have these nice little restaurants and whatever and the shows, well they say they’re the same as at Walnut Street. We’re not. I can say that because our budget is a quarter of what Walnut Street’s budget is, they have a $50,000 dollar budget for the set alone and our entire production will be $50,000 but we try.

After trying as hard as he could to draw from the Philly crowd and let people know about this great area he started to see an effect on the downtown area.

“In the last five or so years I saw this town turn around, nothing against tattoo parlors and thrift stores because I like a good thrift store, but those kinda switched out and became boutiques and restaurants and that’s the sign of a good city that's starting to develop. I saw that happen over these last four or five years.”

But a theater company doesn't live on its audience alone. John had to also get actors into the area.

“I definitely dove right into the Philadelphia Theatre Alliance, which was even bigger than it is now than when I first got into it. They used to do all kinds of things and now they’re just kind of a bulletin board. But I would always put notices about auditions. ‘These are our shows’, ‘The largest professional regional theater in the area’, etc. And the actors slowly and surely started to come to the auditions and they would get cast and those people had the experience of their life and in a production that they were extremely proud of. And so then that person talked to this person and that person came to audition, etc. And after about five or six years, it took a long time, we now have this wonderful reputation and people like to come out here. We don’t pay well in comparison to some of these other theaters but they’re proud to be in the production. It’s something that they know is going to be a fun process. We try to make it as stress free as possible. I’m a fond believer of theater can be stress free as long as your production team is ahead of the game then you don’t have to have these last minute things that happen in tech week.

And the actors he gets can come from all over. But John is quick to emphasize that while they do have a small house that can house actors that come all they way from New York or across the country ninety percent of his casts come from Philadelphia and New Jersey.

That does mean that his most meaningful relationship isn't with the audience One of the biggest responsibilities of the artistic director is to be a mediator between the audience and the production team and even the owner. He’s noticed a key difference between the audiences of today and then dinner theater crowds of yesteryear.

And you'll have to wait until Part 2 to find out what it is. Check in tomorrow. But make sure you get your tickets for his one man show "My Broadway" now!

[ladylaquelle]

The 10-Day Performer/Artist Circle Jerk

It's all over the goddamn Book of the Face if you walk in artistic circles (or try). Over the course of ten days, you are assigned to post ten photos of memorable moments or moments in which you felt "fierce" as a performer or artist and nominate ten other people to do the same. Yes, I was inevitably nominated. No, I will not participate. I love performing and creating, and have had countless memories to treasure from all of my pursuits, but not once have I ever felt "fierce". I'm not entirely sure I even understand the word in the context used. My relationship with the theatre has always been of the love/hate variety. At times I feel confident and at ease in my performance, at other I feel terror. During rehearsals I feel impatient and frustrated. There's no other pole there, sorry. Just in the past year I've had experiences and heard stories that have colored my view of the local theater community's backstage happenings in the worst possible light; politics, ego wars, dick-measuring contests and yes, even sexual solicitations. In community theatre! What fucking sense does that make?! I can imagine things like this happening in Hollywood or Broadway or any other arena in which careers are made and broken and up-and-comers are desperate for a big break, but community theatre?! Where amateurs get together to to what they presumably love, for fun, for FREE, before an audience that, in all likelihood, 90% of which will forget the following week that they even went to see a show? THIS prospect is worth blowing a director? I don't think I want to associate with this sort of community. Paid gigs, for that matter, don't make me feel much better and I certainly have never felt "fierce" in that arena. I've had more Spinal Tap moments than fond memories. They're fun to reminisce upon, but make for a shitty foundation upon which to build a career. A few friendly connections have been made, but ultimately, "fierceness" does not replace the feeling of being regarded as like a condom, to be used once and discarded and that only when one feels imposed upon or obliged to do so. Taking all that into consideration, no, Facebook theatre kids, I will not join your little bukkake party.

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