2009 A Year in Review

Friends of Midland Community Theatre:

Now that we have closed all of our 2009 productions, it's a good time to review this past year. We had a wonderful season, including a community theatre premier (RENT) and the first mainland US community theatre to produce a show (LES MISERABLES). We also had an outstanding run of our two holiday productions - A TUNA CHRISTMAS and A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Many other shows were extended, including MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS, SUITE SURRENDER and the 2008 McLaren winner KNOCK KNOCK. Shows were sold out for the Pickwicks PINNOCHIO and FOOTLOOSE . Finally, Summer Mummer broke every record for income in 2008, and we thought that the economy might hinder our fundraiser in 2009 - but it didn't happen. Summer Mummer made more money in 2009 than in 2008 for MCT. All in all, it was a great year of productions.

In addition to our work onstage, we continued to expand our educational programs. MCT has partnered with the Rays of Hope Grief Center to utilize drama therapy for those in need, and Bill and Judith have also expanded their work with the Autism Society to help kids find new (and creative) ways to express themselves. MCT continues to work with MISD to expand their drama programs in the schools, and the Pickwick Players, Theatre School and Centerstage programs continue to flourish. Education remains an important element of your community theatre.

Overall, MCT remains extremely blessed to have outstanding volunteers. Whether it be onstage or backstage, front of house or building sets, costumes or props, our staff is lucky to have so many outstanding volunteers. This past month, we were worried about auditions for our 2010 opening musical THE WIZARD OF OZ - very few scripts had been checked out, and we had not run many ads in the newspaper. To our surprise, over 150 people auditioned for the show, including 100 adults! We were at auditions until 1 a.m. each night, and this goes to show that MCT remains committed to our mission of allowing the community to participate in our productions.

In 2010, we have an exciting season of productions, starting with THE WIZARD OF OZ and ending with our 2010 holiday musical IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS. In between, we have two great musicals - GODSPELL and THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - as well as comedies - THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB, the 2009 McLaren winner VIRTUALLY IN LOVE and ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT - and drama - THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK and DOUBT. In addition, we are doing the live musical version of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at the Yucca in April/May. There's something for everyone in 2010 at MCT!

To those who have supported us this year as a donor, an audience member or as a volunteer, I thank you for your support of our community theatre. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you at MCT in 2010!

NOTE: MCT will be closed from December 22nd through January 3rd.

Wizard of Oz Auditions

Last night, we had the first night of adult auditions for THE WIZARD OF OZ. Youth auditions were on Saturday, and there were 38 youth (ages 8-13) at these auditions. A good number - and lots of talented kids - but not an overwhelming number. We start auditions at 6:30 p.m., and on Sunday night at 6 p.m. - when those of us who had worked all afternoon on A CHRISTMAS CAROL returned from a quick dinner - there were already 20 people in line for auditions and by the end over 80 adults auditioned for the 2010 opening musical.

It takes a long time to audition that many people - especially since they all need to dance, sing and read scenes from the show. In the end, we completed the first night of auditions at 1 a.m., and will continue auditions tonight (Monday) along with casting the show - this could be a long evening!

Madison Conference - Day Two

Yesterday, we spent a lot of time on two topics - marketing theatre (seasons, tickets) and selecting a season. There was a lot of discussion in both areas, and we're behind on the agenda - we've got lots of topics to cover today and Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, I'm leaving on Tuesday morning and will have to leave the Tuesday session early in order to get to the airport in time for my flight.

There seems to be an overall thought of two things - lots of community theatre directors are burned out and need to be "recharged" at this meeting, and we're all concerned about the next group of plays/musicals that we're going to produce. The "hits & misses" session last night had limited usefulness - there was lots of disagreement - what worked in Peoria didn't work in Sacramento. Hard to gain consensus on shows.

I have two questions that I hope to get answers today from the groups:
1) How do other theatres list the "crew" in the program without knowing the volunteers in advance?
2) Do other theatres have a master calender or schedule posted on line?

AACT Management Conference

I'm currently in Madison, Wisconsin attending the AACT Management Director's Conference. This event happens every two years, and always take place the Sunday through Tuesday before Thanksgiving. However, I missed the conference in 2005 and 2007 since the holiday production opened on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and therefore this was tech weekend for the show (which I always direct). However, since we moved to opening this show the Friday before Thanksgiving, I can now attend. A CHRISTMAS CAROL opened on Friday night, and I was on the airplane at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning. The sessions take place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning, and I will be back in Midland on Tuesday night.

I will share my thoughts on the conference when I get the chance. Right now, we just finished the introductions, and are moving into "marketing" for the morning and afternoon...

Dress Rehearsals

This past weekend was tech weekend for A CHRISTMAS CAROL - worked on Act One on Thursday night, Act Two on Friday night and then runs of the show on Saturday and Sunday (twice). Last night (Monday) was first dress rehearsal for the show. We are still training crew members - set crew, dressers, spotlight operators - so it was very rough. However, it's part of the process and will result in getting trained more great volunteers to help with the long run of the show.

Speaking of the run of the show, we have added two performances in December to our run - if you are still looking for tickets to the show, contact the Box Office and they will get you some great tickets for the matinee performances on Sunday, December 13th and Sunday, December 20th - 570-4111 or visit our website.

Christmas Carol - getting closer

We're less than two weeks away from opening night for A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This past weekend was our last "off" weekend with Friday and Saturday night free - this weekend, we will have rehearsal on Friday night and Saturday afternoon - as well as Sunday afternoon and evening - and then performances on the weekend through Christmas.

Sunday was our last chance for Heather to review all of the major dance numbers in the show - it was good to also have Bert at rehearsal to check in on our progress. Steve and Scott - the other Musical Directors - have done a great job, but neither has done a performance of this show. I know that Steve got a good feel of the show last Thursday night with our stumble through.

Tickets are available to the public starting today - there are many shows with tickets still available, so contact us and bring the family down to the theatre and enjoy this wonderful holiday production - (432) 570-4111 or visit our website.

Stumble Thru - A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Last night was the first stumble through of the 2009 version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. We ran the whole show from beginning to end without major stopping. It was a good introduction - especially to those that had not been in the show before - about how their "part" fit into the "whole". I have always called it a stumble through so that people knew that it wouldn't be perfect, but rather an important step in the growth process of the show. Overall, the show is in good shape - some people still need to get off book and a lot of actors need to continue to work on their singing and dancing outside of rehearsals - but we can make it to where we want to be on opening night if we continue to work hard.

Christmas Carol in progress

This past week, we made more progress on A CHRISTMAS CAROL - an important step since we're now less than three weeks away from opening night. It's always interesting to work on a show that you've done before because you already know where the "problem spots" are and have solved some of the blocking or staging challenges. In addition, you have actors who have been involved in previous versions of the show and remember old "bits". However, it's great to have new people in the show who bring a fresh perspective to their character and the overall production. I'm looking forward to moving upstairs and getting the show ready for an audience. This past weekend, we started filling Cue Card orders - I will have an update on sales in my next post.

Many thanks to all who attended the Eddie Pleasant MAAS fundraiser last Thursday night - we had over 400 people (into the blue seats at the Yucca) and it was a great night of Nat King Cole music.

Christmas Carol rehearsals

Over the last three days, I have blocked all of the "scenes" for A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Mind you, I skipped over the choreography numbers, and there are some scenes that are just rough blocked and need to be reviewed and cleaned up, but this was an important step in the process towards opening night. Considering that I was absent from the first two weeks of rehearsal - thank you Gralin, Bert, Steve, Scott and Heather for all your great work on music and dancing - we needed to get these scenes under our belt in order to move forward. Of course, it's a lot easier since I've directed the show four times in the past and already have all of the rough blocking in my script - it's simply a case of putting the new actors into their positions and allowing (and encouraging) them to make the show their own.

I am away from rehearsal (again) for the rest of the week - the Midland Area AIDS Support fundraiser is Thursday night at the Yucca. As most of you know, MAAS serves those with AIDS and their family and provides counseling and support. This is our annual fundraiser, and Eddie Pleasant - a Midlander who lives and performs in NYC - is returning to do his one-man show, a tribute to Nat King Cole. The show will be Thursday night at 8 p.m. at the Yucca - tickets are available at the door and seating is first come, first serve (behind the sponsor tables).

Finally, the TUNA boys had some time off from the show, and are back at it this weekend with four shows this weekend.

The 2010 membership season has been announced - watch for a brochure in the mail soon!!!

TUNA Opening Weekend

TUNA CHRISTMAS opened this past weekend with three great audiences in Mabee Theatre II. I think that cast and crew - as well as the director - were ready to put this show in front of an audience and get the ball rolling. Mike and David worked really hard, and both are experienced at dealing with live audiences - from their years on the Mummer stage. In addition, the crew has done a great job of supporting the show. We now have six different dressers trained to work with the quick changes, and Doug has several light board operators and two great ASM to assist him with the upcoming run of the show.

On Sunday, I returned to A CHRISTMAS CAROL rehearsals - I don't know if they remembered me! We blocked most of the major group scenes in the show, including Act One, Scene One; Act One, Scene Three; and Act Two, Scene Five. I will continue to block the show throughout the next 6-8 rehearsals - with a break for the MAAS fundraising concert on Thursday night at the Yucca Theatre. I will keep you updated - through this blog - on the status of rehearsals for A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

The Cue Card for A CHRISTMAS CAROL has gone out, and we expect tickets to go as quickly as they did for TUNA CHRISTMAS. Contact the Box Office with questions - boxoffice@mctmidland.org or (432) 570-4111 or visit our website.

Tuna Christmas - more dress rehearsals

There's a lot of stress backstage when you have only two actors in a show and 40+ costume changes within two hours. Over the past two nights, we have worked with the dressers on getting more comfortable with the quick changes, and the actors are getting more comfortable with the transitions from one character to another. We're making progress, and opening night is right around the corner.

A quick note of thanks to all the great volunteers who work our shows - Stage Manager Doug Hart and his crew - a light board operator, an Assistant Stage Manager backstage and two dressers - will be expected to man 20+ performances of TUNA CHRISTMAS. We couldn't do it without our great volunteers - onstage and off - thanks for all your dedication to our community theatre!

Tuna Christmas - Dress Rehearsals

Sorry for the delay in posting updates - CHRISTMAS CAROL auditions, Indian Guides camping trips, teaching at Midland College and preparation and planning for our 2010 season have kept my plate full.

TUNA CHRISTMAS rehearsals have progress well, and Mike and David are ready to put on the costumes and get ready for an audience. We've created solid characters for both actors, settled on vocal choices, smoothed out the blocking and pantomime of props and now need the added pressure of costumes and costumes changes. Those of you who know the TUNA series will understand that these shows are all about the costume changes - getting these changes "choreographed" so that the actors can concentrate on the show - and not on the changes - is the biggest challenge this week. Tonight is first dress rehearsal - the guys had a rehearsal with Rebecca (Costume Designer) and the dressers last Thursday - and this should get us "on the road" to opening night.

For those looking for tickets - or frustrated that you can't get tickets - the Box Office has been working with me to add performances to meet our membership demands. Check in with the Box Office - (432) 570-4111 or boxoffice@mctmidland.org - and they can update you on added shows. We want you to visit Tuna this holiday season, and we're working hard to make it happen!

TUNA CHRISTMAS end of week one

Last night, we finished our first week of rehearsals on our upcoming comedy. We started by reading through Act Two, and then moved on to blocking the first two scenes of the second act. We will finish blocking Act Two on Sunday afternoon, and Monday we will start over again and begin reviewing the scenes.

Mike and David are having fun discovering the different characters in the show. In addition to determining how they are going to play 11 different roles each, they also need to figure out a quick way to switch from one character to another. David is trying out phrases that he can say to himself that get him into the new character. Mike is playing many of the same characters that he played in GREATER TUNA, but he's also having to discover new characters. It's a fun process for all of us.

Blocking - TUNA CHRISTMAS

This week, we are blocking the show - determining where and when actors enter and exit, where and when they move or sit. As the show has very little furniture, there's also a lot of pantomime - a coffee cup, an oven, decorating cookies, etc. We are also in the early stages of determining the differences for each actor between their characters - what makes Jody different than Charlene for David Odom? How does Mike change from Thurston to Elmer? It's a fun process that will continue until we get the entire show blocked and then we'll move into making more specific choices and further developing the characters.

On a separate note, this is the final weekend of SUITE SURRENDER - we have four shows this weekend, including Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. If you haven't seen the show, come on down and support our great cast and crew!

TUNA CHRISTMAS rehearsals begin

Last night, we had our first rehearsal for TUNA CHRISTMAS. It's a small group - just the two actors (Mike Harrell and David Odom) along with Stage Manager Doug Hart and myself. It was good to get back into the rehearsal room and get back to work on directing - I have not directed a show since LES MISERABLES opened in February 2009. Of course, I'm going to be directing four shows in a row - TUNA, CHRISTMAS CAROL, the opening 2010 musical and the spring 2010 Yucca musical - so I am pretty much going to be in rehearsals and performances until late April 2010.

Working on TUNA CHRISTMAS is going to be fun for both myself and the actors. If you're familiar with GREATER TUNA, you understand the basic premise of the show - two guys play all of the people in Tuna, Texas. The original (GREATER TUNA) introduced you to these characters, and we had a tremendous run of this show in Mabee Theatre II in 2001. The guys who wrote the show live and perform in Texas, and have always restricted the rights to perform this show in their home state - in other words, for years you could do this show in 49 states - just not in Texas. They have actually written and are now performing a fourth version of the show based on Las Vegas, so I guess they released the rights to TUNA CHRISTMAS in Texas.

I will try to blog more now that I am in rehearsals and keep you updated on our progress. Opening night for the show is Friday, October 24, 2009.

Auditions

Auditions can be one of the most difficult times to work at a theatre. Almost everyone involved in the auditions is nervous - will I get a part? who else is auditioning? how do i feel right now? who am I reading with for the next scene? As the director, you try to provide a "level playing field" for everyone participating in the auditions. If it's a non-musical, you can have them read scenes and then go home. If it's a musical, you have scenes plus singing and dancing - musical auditions can (and have) gone very late into the evening.

At MCT, we have traditionally held auditions on Sunday and Monday night. I made this change when I arrived because I felt that providing a Sunday night auditions allowed some people to audition on a day they didn't have to work. The downside is the fact that its the end of the weekend - and sometimes people just forget until they go to work on Monday. However, we don't require you to be there both days, so two days of auditions are usually enough to cover our needs. If we have youth (ages 8-14) auditions, they are usually held on Saturday, adding a third day of auditions to the process - this will happen for both A CHRISTMAS CAROL (our upcoming 2009 holiday musical) and THE WIZARD OF OZ (our 2010 opening musical).

This past weekend, we held auditions for TUNA CHRISTMAS. These auditions are a little easier - after all, you only need two guys to do the show. However, we had nine talented men audition for the show, and this meant some hard choices - check out the cast list on the MCT website. However, I feel very lucky that MCT has such a talented pool of actors to chose from. This past summer at the conference in Tacoma, I heard from many of my friends in community theatre - "we have no men". MCT has a great talent pool of male performers, and I hope that we can continue to provide our men - and women - with many opportunities to let their talents shine on our stages.

Opening Night - SUITE SURRENDER

Two years ago, we were alerted to a new comedy being performed in Florida. It was about a USO show in the 1940s with two divas who did not get along and were performing at the same USO show. They were both assigned the same dressing room, and chaos ensued. This farce was 90 minutes long and would be a perfect addition to an upcoming season. This comedy was SUITE SURRENDER.

Director Pam Keel and her great cast have been working hard to prepare for tonight's show. I watched dress rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday night, and I think our audience is going to love this show. Now, you may have heard that many performances are sold out - we recently added two more shows to the run on September 20th and 24th. In addition, you can always just "show up" and we will put you in an empty seat. So come on down and join the funny - I promise that you'll laugh and have a great time!

McLaren Festival

This weekend is the McLaren festival, the culmination of the process for 2009. Each year, we accept submissions in January and February from around the country for original comedies in both the full-length and one-act categories. A reading committee of outstanding (and dedicated) volunteers makes sure that every scripts is read by at least two people - keep in mind that we usually receive between 120-150 scripts each year. The readers select the one-act winner, and they also select the finalists for the full-length competition.

This year, there are four finalists, and each will have a Reader's Theatre presentation on Saturday afternoon starting at 1 p.m. From the audience vote, a winner will be selected for the competition. In addition, the members of the 2010 Play Selection committee will attend, and one of these plays may be selected to be included in our 2010 membership season.

Therefore, you're invited to join us on Saturday afternoon and see these finalists - support the readers who helped to select them, and support the directors and actors who will be reading. The cost is only $15, and a small dinner will be served between the second and third performance - the shows will be over by 6 p.m. Call 570-4111 for tickets or just come on down to 2000 West Wadley on Saturday!

Final Weekend - FOOTLOOSE

We added the summer Pickwick musical to our membership season several years ago, and it has become more and more popular with our audience. Normally, we produce our Pickwick shows in Davis Theatre I for two weekends, but we may need to consider three weekends for the 2010 summer musical. FOOTLOOSE has sold out all of the public performances - thank you for your support. However, if you still want to see this show - come on down to the Cole Theatre this Friday or Saturday night at 7 p.m. and put your name on the waiting list. Our good people in the Box Office will work hard to get you in when people turn in tickets or don't show up. Congratulations to the Pickwick Players!

Also, kudos to the great volunteers at Summer Mummers - we are in the midst of our 2009 summer run of our annual fundraiser, and the audience response has been tremendous. Floor tickets for the rest of July and August are few and far between - call the Box Office and make your reservations before the remaining tickets are sold out. 570-4111 or visit the website

Everyboy cut...everybody cut...

FOOTLOOSE - presented by the Pickwick Players - opens tonight in Davis Theatre I. There are public performances on July 17, 18, 19 (matinee), 24 and 25. Right now, all performances are sold out but call in and put your name on the waiting list and the good people in the Box Office will work hard to get you into the show. Plus, you can simply show up to a performance - the odds of everyone who has tickets showing up is slim and we would love to fill in those empty seats with you!

Break a leg, Pickwicks - have a great run of the show!

Everybody cut loose!

The Pickwick Players are hard at work on their 2009 summer musical - FOOTLOOSE. Based on the 1980s hit musical starring Kevin Bacon and including many of the great songs from the movie, this musical is a great opportunity to showcase the tremendous talents of our youth performers. Director Bill Williams, Choreographer Judith Giebler and Musical Director Darryl Knapp have been working with the Pickwicks for the past five weeks, and the youth are adding lighting, scenery and costumes this weekend to perpare for their opening next Friday.

FOOTLOOSE public performances are on July 17, 18, 19 (matinee), 24 and 25. For tickets, contact the MCT Box Office at 570-4111 or visit our website

Below is a synopsis of the musical FOOTOOSE from the American Rose Theatre:

Chicago. A group of young people have gathered at their favorite dance club to unwind and say goodbye to Ren McCormack. Ren's father has walked out, so he and his mother are forced to move in with her sister's family in a small town nobody has ever heard of - Beaumont. Ren soon finds himself at odds with the repressive atmosphere in Beaumont, where the spiritual life of the community is overseen by the power local minister Reverend Moore. Ren is stunned to learn that dancing is not allowed anywhere within the town limits of Beaumont. His new friends explain that this law dates back five years to a car accident that claimed the lives of four Beaumont teenagers. In the flood of grief and guilt that followed that tragedy, Rev Moore managed to convince the town council to ban dancing. The only person seemingly unfazed by Rev Moore's iron-fisted control is his daughter Ariel. Following a bout with her boyfriend, Ren walks Ariel home and they find they have a lot in common. But Rev Moore forbids Ariel to see Ren again, citing him as a troublemaker, despite his wife's pleas. Annoyed, the minister walks away.

The next day, frustrated by his new stifling environment, Ren vows to "take on this town" and incites a revolution by his classmates to throw a dance. Ren drives Ariel and their friends 100 miles outside Beaumont to a dance hall where they party into the night and teach Willard how to dance. When Ariel finally arrives home, her defiance infuriates Rev Moore, who denies that he has become too severe since the death of his son - one of the teenagers killed in the fateful car accident. Angered, he walks away again.

At the long awaited town council meeting, Ren makes his case for a dance with Ariel's help. When the motion is defeated, he is devastated, but his mother convinces him that Rev Moore "fixed" the vote, and urges him to try again by speaking privately with the minister.Ren goes to the church, but after a brief discussion in which Rev Moore is unable to share his fears and motivation for continuing the ban, he asks Ren to leave and turns away. Appalled by his own actions, it is only then that the minister realizes how musch the pain of his son's death has overshadowed his life, and the lives of everyone in Beaumont. After a struggle with his conscience, he announces to his parishioners that he has had a change of heart - that in fact a dance might be a good idea. And so, for the first time in years, the young people of Beaumont are able to dance freely, and as everyone joins in, the evening becomes not only a celebration, but finally as ecstatic expression of healing. They dared to dance and "Everybody Cut Footloose!"

Fourth of July

Have a happy (and safe) Fourth of July weekend!

REMINDER - the Saturday, July 4th performance of Summer Mummers will have a curtain time of 7 p.m.

AACTFest 09 Report

I am back in Midland after 10 days in the Northwest where the highest temperature was in the upper 70s and it even got down to the 40s some nights - it was nice!

First off, I was the facilitator of the AACT Management Conference. 28 people participated in this class, and for three days we discussed various ideas, frustrations, thoughts and suggestions for areas such as Financing the Organization, Administrative Functions, Board of Directors, Marketing, Selecting a Season, Outreach Activities and Professional Development. It was a group of Managing Directors, Artistic Directors, Development Directors, Board Presidents and lead volunteers at mostly smaller community theatres. We had people from many states, and I made new friends from all over the USA that share a passion for community theatre. This conference took place on Monday afternoon and evening, all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday afternoon, the AACT festival started with shows. Through Saturday afternoon, there were 12 one-hour productions from 10 regions across the USA and even one from the US army bases in Europe. There was a mixture of musicals - How to Talk Minnesotan, Nine and John and Jen; comedies - Gornischt, Catfish Moon, Lemonade, Hold Me; and dramas - How I Learned to Drive, Intimate Apparel, Eleemosynary, Scooter Thomas Makes It to the Top of the World, Minnesota Moon. Awards from the 2009 AACTFest can be found at this site

Overall, it was a great festival, and the organizers should be proud of their work. It was great to have a festival on the West Coast and include some theatres that don't normally travel too far east. In addition, Tracy Alexander from MCT was also able to attend the festival, and long-time supporters Neal and Marilyn Allen were also in Tacoma. It was a great week of theatre!

Report from Tacoma

I am currently in Tacoma, Washington attending the AAACFest 09 - the national festival of plays for community theatre. Prior to the festival, I facilitated a conference for managers of community theatres that wrapped up on Wednesday morning. We worked Monday afternoon and evening, all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning - the plays started Wednesday afternoon.

The participants were mostly from smaller community theatres - they were board members, founders, first staff members of their theatre. They came with a list of problems and a desire to learn more from each other. There were 28 participants in the class. I think that the workshop went very well as each person had the opportunity to speak and share their thoughts and frustrations and provide insights and ideas to each other. Several people told me - "I thought I had problems at my theatre and now I know that these problems are everywhere". Overall, I hope that everyone gained something from our discussions - I know that I have a list of ideas to take back to MCT and share with the staff.

There are shows Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon and evening and Saturday afternoon here at the festival - two shows in each time slot - and then a wrap up dinner and award show on Saturday night. I will update the blog again when the festival is over.

AACTFest 2009

The AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) festival will take place on June 24-27, 2009 in Tacoma, Washington. I am headed to the northwest on Wednesday and will be facilitating a managing conference prior to the festival. There will be twelve performances from theatres from around the USA - including a production from the US Army bases in Europe. I will try to find some time and provide my thoughts on the shows while I am in Tacoma. I have already seen two of the shows as I was the adjudicator for Region I and the AACT rep for Region II.

Summer Mummers is now open and running every Friday and Saturday night through Labor Day weekend. We had a great opening weekend - including an outstanding (and rowdy) crowd for opening night. Shows are filling up, so make your reservations soon - call 570-4111 or visit the website.

It's Summer Mummer time!

For sixty-one years, the Mummers have been entertaining the Permian Basin all summer long. This year's theme is big time wrestling - West Texas Fighting (WTF - get it?). Our outstanding volunteers have been working hard to prepare the melodrama and olio, film the movie and edit it in time for opening night and prepare the Yucca Theatre and fill it with mugs, popcorn, beer, novelities and t-shirts. The show opens on Friday night (June 12th) and runs through Labor Day weekend.

Last year, Summer Mummers grossed over $400,000 for our community theatre. It's a wonderful fundraiser, and we couldn't put the show on without our great volunteers onstage, backstage and in the house. Only two groups get paid to work Summer Mummers - the police officers and the people who clean up. Everyone else is a volunteer - show your support for our volunteers and for MCT and put together a group and come see the show!

For more details on the show, visit the Summer Mummer website

Tickets - (432) 570-4111 or the MCT website

Special Theatre Event

There's going to be a special theatre event at local movie theatres:

"Forever Plaid," one of Off-Broadway’s most popular and critically acclaimed musicals will return for only one night, not to the stage, but to the big screen! NCM Fathom and Forever Plaid Productions partner to present a hilarious and irresistible event featuring a LIVE red carpet appearance by the original cast followed by a pre-taped performance of the musical, Forever Plaid. The exclusive event will conclude with a LIVE performance by “The Plaids” and sing-a-long where theatre audiences can even join in the fun! Buy your tickets early for this sensational musical event on Thursday, July 9th at 8:00pmET / 7:00pmCT / 6:00pmMT and 8:00pmPT (tape delay).

LINK

June is busting out all over

June means summer and that means that it's time for Mummers! The Yucca Theatre has been busy with activities - dance, melodrama and olio rehearsals have been down at the Yucca since mid-May, and the building is still being worked on. Tonight, the popcorn arrives for the summer! We also have the new Mule Train sign installed in the lobby - check it out when you come to see the show.

Summer Mummers opens on Friday, June 12th and runs through September 5th. Tickets are $20 for the pit, $15 for the floor, $10 for the balcony and $5 for the "peanut gallery" - remember, there's no popcorn throwing in the balcony. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to assist you with your ticket purchase - (432) 570-4111 or visit us online and check out the Summer Mummer page.

This is the final weekend for KNOCK KNOCK, the 2008 McLaren winner. There are performances on Friday and Saturday night - come see the show and support our great volunteers and this wonderful new comedy!

Memorial Day weekend

I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

This past weekend, we had a reunion of the Les Miserables cast - we cooked burgers and hot dogs and shared memories and talked about our experiences with the show. One of the joys of community theatre is the feeling of family that exists within the volunteers. Les Miserables was a unique experience for our theatre - the cast worked together for many months to learn the music and the blocking and then performed it for six weekends. Gail Theobald summed it up best when she said that there were many musicals she had performed in the past where she would have been happy to never hear the music again, but Les Miserables was a show that she could have kept performing and hearing even after it closed. Many thanks to all the great volunteers - both onstage and off - that helped make this a wonderful opening to our 2009 season.

Knock Knock continued performances this past weekend and the crowds have been enthusiastic and full of laughter. We have a three show weekend coming up - Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Finally, many people have been asking me about Summer Mummers recently - the show opens on June 12th and runs through September 5th. Laura Abbott in the Box Office reports that sales are actually stronger for the first 1/2 of the season than the second half. Group sales have been going on in April and May, and the Box Office will open for single ticket sales on Wednesday, May 27th at 10 a.m.

McLaren winner

This past weekend, MCT opened the fourth production of our 2009 membership season - KNOCK KNOCK. The cast and crew did a great job with their two performances this past weekend, and we are looking forward to entertaining audiences with this brand new comedy. If you have not already made your reservations, contact the Box Office at 570-4111 or visit the website for tickets.

Several members of the cast and crew of MCT's version of RENT were in Austin this past weekend to see the national touring production of RENT. It's great to see that the volunteers involved in this show remain so passionate about this wonderful musical. Congratulations to the cast and crew of MCT's RENT - you guys rocked!

Finally, many thanks to all the great MCT volunteers that assisted MCT with the load-in for Summer Mummers on Saturday morning at the Yucca Theatre along with the volunteers who worked Celebration of the Arts in downtown Midland. MCT has an outstanding group of volunteers - we couldn't do it without you!

What's Up?

Sorry for the lack of updates recently - it was easier to provide information as the director of a production (i.e. Les Miserables). As producer, I am less involved in the day-to-day rehearsals of recent or current MCT shows, so I have less "backstage" information that this blog was intended to provide. However, I want to keep you updated on the news at MCT.

On Monday night, I attended the first dress rehearsal for KNOCK KNOCK!, which was the winner of the 2008 McLaren competition. During my 12 years in Midland, we have been pleased to support original works by conducting the annual competition for comedy plays, and by producing winners (or finalists) in future seasons. Director Tracy Alexander and her cast have worked hard on this comedy, and it's shaping up to be a good one. Intern Josh Cooney has designed the scenery, and he's done good work in capturing the necessary space for these events to take place in the confines of our smaller theatre (Mabee Theatre II). The playwright will be in Midland this weekend to attend the final dress rehearsal along with opening night and the Legacy Society reception on Saturday night. If you have not made reservations, contact the Box Office for ticket - (432) 570-4111 or visit the MCT website. KNOCK KNOCK runs May 15 through June 6.

Summer Mummers is in full swing for rehearsals - the melodrama and olio are hard at work at the Cole Theatre, and load-in will take place on Saturday, May 16th starting at 8 a.m. for the SM set at the Yucca Theatre. Starting on Monday, May 18th, the cast and crew will move down to the Yucca Theatre to get ready for their opening on Friday, June 12, 2009. Single tickets go on sale on Wednesday, May 27th - visit the SM website for more information.

Last Chance for RENT

The incredible cast and crew of RENT have done two weekends of great performances, and you have one more chance to see our 2009 Yucca musical.

Saturday, May 9th at 8 p.m.

For tickets, call (432) 570-4111 or visit www.mctmidland.org

RENT Extended!

Due to audience demand, we have added an extra performance of RENT to the run of public performances. This is going to be a one night only, last chance to see it, better buy your tickets now and come see the show performance. There will be no other shows added to the run of our production, so take advantage of your last chance to see it.

Saturday, May 9th at 8 p.m. at the Yucca Theatre

Tickets: (432) 570-4111 or visit the website

Congratulations to Director Carl Moore, Choreograher Misti Tytanic, Musical Director Bert Bostic and the cast, crew and band on a great show!

Pickwick Auditions

If you know someone going into the 7th grade and up who might be interested in auditioning for Pickwicks, the auditions will take place on Friday, May 1st and Saturday, May 2nd at the Cole Theatre. At these auditions, youth will be asked to perform a memorized monologue (that you must prepare yourself) and then asked to sing and dance. If you would like more information about times and other details, contact Pickwick Director Bill Williams at 682-2544, extension 3023 or bill@mctmidland.org

RENT Opens

Rent opened at the Yucca Theatre on Friday night - congratulations to the cast and crew on a great and energetic performance. There was a good crowd for the show, and hopefully they will "spread the word" on this wonderful production and tell friends and family to attend our upcoming public performances. There are still three public performances - April 25th, May 1st and May 2nd at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door (Box Office opens one hour before curtain) and through the website or by calling the Box Office (570-4111) during Box Office house (10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).

Break a leg to the cast of Rent for their Saturday night performance!

The West Texas View

On Wednesday morning, I was invited to KWES (NBC) to tape an episode of The West Texas View about Midland Community Theatre. Johnnie Lou Avery was an extremely gracious host, and we sat down to tape one episode of her show with her asking questions and me talking about our community theatre. The program airs on Sunday mornings at 6 a.m. (you can tape it!) and we talked about the history of the organization, how we select a season and volunteer opportunities. Before we knew it, we had completed three 8 minute segments for one show, and she asked if I would stick around and do another show - so we tape three more segments and talked about Summer Mummers, working with the Symphony and the college, and other aspects of MCT.

I really appreciate this opportunity to showcase MCT to the community - thank you, Johnnie Lou - and encourage you to consider taping these shows. MCT will be highlighted on May 3rd and May 10th at 6 a.m. on KWES (Channel 9).

RENT Update

Last night was first dress rehearsal at the Yucca Theatre. All weekend, the cast had been working on the scenery, lighting, sound and prop issues, but they added the element of costumes last night. In my experience, this is a somewhat stressful night for the actors - certainly, it's not the first time they have seen their individual costume (they saw them in their costume fittings) but it's the first time they've seen the other costumes and they also have to work through all of the costume changes that take place throughout the show. Fortunately, we have a wonderful crew of Dressers who patiently work with the actors to make these changes work. Overall, the cast did a good job this past weekend adjusting to the technical elements, and they are working very hard to put on a great show starting on Friday night.

Since we are in tech week of RENT, let me also tell you about the work of our designers. We've been talking about costumes, and Rebecca Crow has been a fantastic Costume Designer for our community theatre. She's extemely talented, organized and hard working while also understanding the complexities of a volunteer actor - she's very good at soothing their egos while following through on her vision. Her costumes reflect the characters and the original feel of the Broadway production, but are unique for our particular actors. Eddie Taylor, our Lighting and Sound Designer for many years who has also taken on the role of Technical Director, is a talented and tireless worker. His lighting and sound designs are great within the confines of our limitations (space, budget, instruments) but he's also worked to make sure that all of the scenery for this show is completed in a professional manner and within our budget. Finally, this is the final production at MCT for our Scenic Designer - Eric Beeck. From his initial model, we knew that Eric had a great idea for this show, and it's working very well at the Yucca Theatre. In his two years, Eric has done many great sets for us, and we will miss him and wish him all the best.

RENT tickets - call 570-4111 or visit www.mctmidland.org

ESTA - Region II festival

This past weekend, I was the AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) rep for the Region II festival held outside Baltimore, Maryland. What's the AACT rep? I am the independent person sent in to be present for all tech meetings and all performances, work with the host and the adjudicators and make sure that everyone follows the rules set forth by the AACT guidelines. Last month, I was an adjudicator for the Region I festival in Boston. It's much easier to be the adjudicator - you just show up for the performances, make some public comments and vote on the winner. When you're the AACT rep, you have to be there for every technical rehearsal - each company has a 20 minute meeting to review the space and all of the rules and regulations, then an 80 minute "rehearsal" to work on scenery placement, lighting and sound cues and run anything they want.

My weekend started with flying to Baltimore on Thursday - I left around 8:30 a.m. and landed in Baltimore at 4:45 p.m. Since my work was starting on Friday morning, I decided that if I landed on time I would head into Washington to see the new Nationals baseball park. We landed on time and I drove down and saw them play the Phillies. After the game, I drove across the Bay Bridge to Grasonville, MD and was in my hotel by 11 p.m. The tech day started at 7:30 a.m. with meetings and rehearsals by six of the companies. There was a piano concert in the performance space on Friday night, so we were done by 4:30 p.m. and then had to be out of the building until 9:30 p.m. After dinner, I was back for a seventh meeting and rehearsal and then done at 11:30 p.m. Then, I was back on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. for the eighth (and final) meeting and rehearsals. The first performance block was at 10 a.m. (2 shows), then a 1:30 p.m. performance block (4 shows) and finally an 8 p.m. performance block (2 shows). I met with the adjudicators after the final performance to determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place shows as well as some acting and technical awards. The afterglow party was held at a nightclub on the waterfront, and everyone at the event had a great time.

Congratuations to M&M Productions from NY and their original production of GORNISHT that will advance to the national AACTFest in Tacoma, Washington in June 2009.

Rent Rehearsal

Last night, I had the chance to watch a rehearsal of Act One of RENT at the Yucca Theatre. The cast has just moved into the space, and they were working with director Carl Moore to adjust to the set and spacing at the Yucca Theatre after rehearsing the show for four weeks in the basement of the Cole Theatre. Despite the challenges of the adapting to the new space, you could sense the excitement and drive within the talented cast. They have been working hard to create their characters and learn the songs, and the work is paying off with good performances even though we're still 10 days out from opening night. This is a very youth cast, and they have been working hard to put on a great show. Tonight, they will run Act Two, repeat the process on Wednesday and Thursday night and then run thrus of the whole show through opening. Tech rehearsals will start this weekend - adding lighting, sound and props - and then dress rehearsal on Monday night. I will be back in on Monday to check in on the show and watch the dress rehearsal, and update you again next week in the blog.

RENT will be performed at the Yucca Theatre on April 24, 25 and May 1, 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through the MCT Box Office at 570-4111 or by visiting the MCT website - www.mctmidland.org. If you're on the MCT mailing list, you will be getting a Cue Card this week in the mail.

I will not have another update this week - I am departing for the Region II AACTFest in Baltimore on Thursday morning to serve as the AACT rep and I will not be back until late on Sunday night. As the AACT rep, I am the "referee" for any problems with the festival. I will run all tech meetings with the performing companies, and settle any disputes. Prior to the festival, I have already been dealing with e-mails regarding companies complaining about the performance schedule and questions about changing set pieces based on adjudicators comments at the state level. It should be a fun weekend!

Rent at the Yucca Theatre

I remember seeing the Broadway produciton of RENT in New York. I didn't have the best seats - toward the back of the top balcony, if memory serves me correctly. However, I remember how much the performance impacted me. It is not a show about the scenery or the spectacle, but rather about the characters and how much their lives change in the year we see them interact. The music was very powerful to me, and blended modern rock 'n roll music with the sensibilities and needs of muiscal theatre.

Director Carl Beery Moore and the wonderful cast of MCT's production of RENT have been rehearsing for several weeks to get ready for our presentation of this Broadway musical at the Yucca Theatre. RENT is not a musical for everyone - it deals with AIDS, homosexuality, drug use and other tough issues. Therefore, we are presenting this musical at the Yucca Theatre - it is not part of our 2009 membership season. However, I strongly encourage you - and your friends - to attend this production. Public performances will take place on April 24 and 25 and May 1 and 2.

Tickets for RENT will go on sale to the public next week - the Cue Card will be mailing to everyone (10,000 people) on our mailing list. Watch for more information on our Yucca special.

Education and Community Theatre

One of my first memory of Midland Community Theatre was a presentation by the Pickwick Players when Lisa and I were interviewing for the position of Executive Director in the spring of 1997. One of the reasons that I felt that MCT was a good fit for me - and my work - was the fact that dramatic education played an important role at MCT. In addition to the Pickwick Players and the Theatre School program, we have many outreach programs - Education Directors Bill Williams and Judith Giebler work with MISD Fine Arts teachers to expand their drama cirriculum and they also incorporate Drama Therapy into the programs at Rays of Hope and the Autism program at MISD. Although we have many programs within the walls of the Cole Theatre, we also find ways to move outside of our doors and share the wealth of knowledge and dramatic programs with the community and area youth.

This weekend, you have a chance to support our education program by attending the third production in our 2009 membership season - Pinocchio. Presented by the Pickwick Players, this adaptation of the classic adventure was written by our own Bill Williams and is performed by our Pickwick Players. There are performances on Friday and Saturday evening (8:00 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (2:00 p.m.) this weekend, and performances the next Thursday evening (7:30 p.m.) and Friday and Saturday evening (8:00 p.m.). There is no Sunday afternoon matinee on the second weekend due to Easter. The show is appropriate for the entire family, and is 80 minutes long with no intermission.

Contact the Box Office for tickets (570-4111) and support these wonderful youth and their hard work, talent and dedication.

Quarter Report

Today is March 31st, and that means we are 1/4 of the way through our 2009 season. As a calender year theatre, our "season" follows the new year. Many other theatres have a season like an academic year - opening in the fall and ending in the summer. I think that only about 10% of community theatres have a celender year season, which makes us a little unusual.

So far, it has been a good season - especially considering the economic conditions of both the USA and the Permian Basin. Midland had avoided many of the downturns experiences in 2007-2008 across the US due to the high price of oil. Once that price fell in the fall of 2008, we began to experience our own downturn. Many long-time volunteers have lost their jobs in the oil business, and things are certainly changing in the Permian Basin. However, it appears that people want to be entertained. Our January run of "Improv at the Yucca" was a great success with over 800 people attending over two nights - 350 on Friday night and 450 on Saturday night. This blog has already documented the success of our 2009 opening musical - Les Miserables - and our current production of Moonlight and Magnolias has added two performances. The Pickwick Players are opening Pinocchio this Friday night, so we will again have a two show weekend at the theatre. Spring Break's Fine Arts Camp was sold-out, and the Pickwick teachers entertained and educated our 90 youth with a wonderful week of music, dance, art and drama. Finally, although our AACT production of Half a Lifetime did not advance beyond the Texas competition, I have received many positive comments from those in attendance at the festival about our production.

Things coming up in the second quarter (April - June):
-Pinocchio in Davis Theatre I (April 3-11)
-Rent at the Yucca Theatre (April 24-May 2)
-Auditions for Summer Mummers (April 26-28)
-Knock Knock (2008 McLaren winner) in Mabee Theatre II (May 15 - June 6)
-Summer Theatre School (June 1-25)
-61st edition of Summer Mummers (June 12-September 5)

Quiet Weekend?

After several weekends of multiple activities, it is a fairly quiet weekend at your community theatre. In Mabee Theatre II, we have three performances (Friday and Saturday night and Sunday matinee) this weekend of Moonlight and Magnolias, the second production in our 2009 membership season.

On Sunday and Monday evening, we have auditions for Knock Knock, the winner of the 2008 McLaren comedy competition. This full production will be directed by Tracy Alexander, and will be performed in Mabee Theatre II from May 15 - June 6. Auditions are at 6:30 p.m. both nights, and you are encouraged to join the fun and come out and audition.

Pinocchio and Rent are both in rehearsals in preparation for their openings in April.

Busy Weekend

This past weekend, MCT's production of Half a Lifetime participated in the Texas state festival for the AACTFest 09 competition. Director Cody Tumlin, Stage Manager Ashley Melenez and cast members Justin Tate, Beau Dameron and Phil Tytanic perfomed on Friday evening. Unfortunately, MCT's production was not selected to advance to the Regional competition. However, the cast did win the "best ensemble" award and Phil Tytanic was selected to the All-Star cast. Congratulation to the cast and crew of this production for their hard work on this show.

On Saturday night, we performed Les Miserables for the last time. As some of you know, I started this blog as a "backstage look" into our work on this production, and it has expanded to include information on everything related to MCT. Saturday was a very sad night for the cast - everyone enjoyed performing this show and working together on this production. For me, this musical will always hold a special place in the productions that I have directed at MCT. Someone asked me recently how many productions I have directed at MCT - Les Miserables was my 48th show, and A Christmas Carol (2009) will be my 50th show at MCT. On a personal note, assuming I don't have additional directing assignments added to the slate - the 2012 opening musical will be the 100th production I have directed overall.

Congratulations to the Pickwick Players. Every year, 40 of these teenagers give up their Spring Break and run the Fine Arts Camp for 90 youth. Certainly, I have expereinced this event each year from afar, but the past two years have been very different for me as my son Zach has been able to particiapte. Zach had a great time this year, and I am amazed at the dedication and talent of our Pickwicks. Please support these teenagers and attend their upcoming production of Pinocchio which will run April 3-11, 2009.

Two Show Weekend

On Firday and Saturday night this weekend, we have two shows performing at the Cole Theatre - Les Miserables in Davis Theatre I and Moonlight and Magnolias in Mabee Theatre II. Les Miserables is a hold over on the original run of our 2009 opening musical, and this will be the final weekend for this show. Moonlight and Magnolias is the second production in our 2009 season, and it has performances all weekend, including Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. After striking the set, costumes and props of Les Miserables on Saturday night, the tech crew only has 13 days before the opening of Pinocchio, the third production in our 2009 season.

Yesterday, the Box Office informed me that all remaining performances of Moonlight and Magnolias were sold out. As a result, we added two Sunday matinees (March 29th and April 5th at 2 p.m.) to the run of the show. If you have not reserved tickets for the second production in our 2009 membership season, contact the Box Office (570-4111) and make a reservation. Director Jane Moore and her wonderful cast - David Theobald, James McNew, Michael Fields and Jennifer Oliver - have worked hard on this funny show.

Best wishes to the cast and crew of Half a Lifetime at the Texas Nonprofit Theatre (TNT) state festival in Ft. Worth. The Texas state festival for AACTFest 09 is taking place this weekend, and the top two shows from this competition will advance to the regionals - the winner of the regional will perform at the AACT national festival in Tacoma, Washington in June. MCT's entry will perform on Friday night (March 20th) at the Texas state festival - best wishes to director Cody Tumlin and his cast, including Phil Tytanic, Justin Tate, Beau Dameron.

AACT Festival

This past weekend, I was one of three adjudicators for the Region I festival for the 2009 AACT Festival competition. This event took place in the greater Boston area, and I flew in on Friday, worked Saturday and Sunday, and flew back all day on Monday - thus, no report (from me) on this past weekend's Les Miserables or the opening weekend of Moonlight and Magnolias performances.

There were six productions in this region, including several original or new shows. I saw one hour versions of Vital Signs, Dinner with Friends, World's Afire, Morning's at Seven, How I Learned to Drive and The Mistress Cycle. The Region I volunteers and organizers should be very proud of their hard work and dedication, as the festival was well run and the volunteers worked hard to make this a great weekend of theatre. In addition, the cast and crews of these production were extremely talented and hard working. In the end, the production of How I Learned to Drive by the Arlington Friends of the Drama (MA) advanced to the national competition, which will take place in Tacoma, Washington in late June. Many thanks to the organizers for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful weekend of theatre.

So, there's nothing going on at your community theatre...

Right now, we have the following events, productions and activities happening at MCT:

Les Miserables has two performances this weekend

Moonlight and Magnolias opens on Friday and has two performances this weekend

Pinocchio is currently in rehearsals for its opening in April

Rent is currently in rehearsals for its opening in late April at the Yucca Theatre

Half a Lifetime is currently preparing for its performance at the Texas Non-profit Theatre (TNT) festival in Ft. Worth next week

Fine Arts Camp starts on Monday - Spring Break - there are 90 campers and 40 Pickwicks involved in this week long camp

Join the fun and be a part of our community theatre - attend a show or volunteer to participate onstage, backstage or in the front-of-house for one of our upcoming shows or activities! Contact Tracy Alexander (tracy@mctmidland.org) for more information on how to become involved in MCT!

Moonlight and Magnolias

This Friday, we open the second production in our 2009 membership season - Moonlight and Magnolias in Mabee Theatre II. When working on Play Selection for 2009, this comedy was brought to our attention and the committee fell in love with the script. Since then, we have discovered that many other community theatres across the USA are planning to produce this show. The story is about David O. Selznick, the Hollywood producer, who stopped production on Gone With the Wind and brought in a new writer and director to improve the screenplay and thus the movie. All of the action takes place in Selznick's office where writer Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming are locked for five days with the producer in order to finish the revised screenplay. Eating only bananas and peanuts, the "creative process" is a source of great humor for the audience. Director Jane Moore and the cast - David Theobald, Michael Fields, James McNew, and Jennifer Oliver - are working hard to get ready for their opening night this weekend.

Moonlight and Magnolias runs March 13 - April 4 in Mabee Theatre II. Performances are every Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. those four weekends - we also have a public Thursday performance (March 19th at 7:30 p.m.) and a ReachOut Sunday matinee (March 22nd at 2:00 p.m.). For tickets or more information, contact the Box Office at 570-4111 or get you tickets on our website.

Les Miserables - Fourth Weekend

This was our fourth weekend of Les Miserables - our 2009 opening musical. Due to the complexity of the show - and the potential strain of three hours of singing on our volunteer actor voices - we have limited ourselves to three show weekends (in other words, a maximum of three shows in any weekend). This past weekend, we had Thursday, Friday and Saturday night performances. The Thursday night show was our only public Thursday night show, and will probably be the only performance that did not sell-out. However, it was a very good audience - more than 75% full - for a non-weekend in Midland. Friday and Saturday night were sold-out with a solid walk up audience - we managed to squeeze in over 40 extra people on Saturday night. If you want to see the show but hear that it's "sold out" - come on down and we'll find you a seat!

The performances are very consistent - we've not had a "bad" show. Certainly, we've had some shows that those of us who have seen it for 20+ times notice problems or issues. However, our cast and crew have been very professional, and I strongly feel that our audience has been treated to a great show every night.

Here are some comments from e-mails that I have received on the show:

"It is my favorite Broadway musical and I would think it would be fairly difficult to tackle for a community theater. Everyone's performance was very moving and the excellence of the sets, the lighting, the voices and the orchestra made it hard to believe it wasn't being performed in New York! I was very moved by everyone's performance and the musical talent was fabulous!! Kudos to everyone and thank you for a wonderful evening."

"The show was great! The music, sets, costumes... everything was fabulous. I do believe it is one of the best community theatre productions I've ever seen. Congratulations to you, the cast, and MCT."

"I have to say that I do believe it is one of if not the finest MCT production I have ever seen and I have been involved in a number of the musicals over the years. The voices and acting were by far the best I have ever heard/seen at MCT...my friend and I were moved to tears many times during the show and we have both seen it multiple times by Broadway touring troupes. So BRAVO ... a truly splendid show!"

Remember, we added two performances on Friday, March 20th at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 21st at 8 p.m. - we will close on March 21st. Call the Box Office (432) 570-4111 or visit the website for tickets.

Premier Productions at MCT

Over the past several years, MCT has been fortunate to produce shows for the first time as a community theatre. Of course, we have a history of original productions - for many years, we have conducted the McLaren comedy competition and have annually produced a finalists in the next season. For the past 15 years, Midland audiences had the chance to see the very first production of these original comedies.

Over the past two years, we have been lucky enough to produce some Broadway musicals right when they became available. In 2008, we were the first community theatre to produce Mel Brooks' The Producers, which was our 2008 opening musical. This spring, we were not the first to produce Les Miserables - it was produced at a community theatre in Hawaii last fall - but we are the first to produce it in the Continental USA. Now, we are the first community theatre to produce Rent.

Auditions for Rent happened on Sunday and Monday, and the cast list was posted on Tuesday - you can find it under "cast lists" on the MCT website. Director Carl Moore, Musical Director Bert Bostic and Choreographer Misti Tytanic will begin working with this talented cast on Sunday to get ready for our opening at the Yucca Theatre in late April. Performances will take place April 24, 25 and May 1,2 - watch for more information on tickets.

If you would like to get involved in an original production, auditions for the 2008 McLaren winner Knock Knock will take place on Sunday and Monday, March 29th and 30th at 6:30 p.m. Scripts are available in the Business Office to read prior to auditions.

Les Miserables - Added Shows

This morning (Monday, March 2, 2009), MCT added an additional weekend of performances to the run of our 2009 opening musical Les Miserables. We now have tickets available for Friday and Saturday, March 20th and 21st - call the Box Office (570-4111) or visit the website.

Here are a couple of e-mails I received on the show from this past weekend:

"...the cast, orchestra, and those behind the scenes outdid yourselves on this production! The performances were great and I loved the new faces. Kudos to you and your crew!"

"Thank you and the cast of Les Mis for a most enjoyable Sunday afternoon. I have been impressed before at our theater, but this production was by far the best in every area. Never have I heard so many excellent singers on our stage. The ensembles were excellent and the soloists unbelievably good."

Busy Times at MCT

Ever wonder what's happening at your community theatre right now?

Les Miserables - our 2009 opening musical - is in the midst of its six week run. We are adding performances on March 20th and 21st to the run of the show.

Moonlight and Magnolias - the second production in our 2009 season - is in the midst of rehearsals in Mabee Theatre II in preparation for their opening on Friday, March 13th

Half a Lifetime - MCT's entry into the 2009 AACT festival competition - has been rehearsing at the Yucca Theatre and will have public performances this weekend prior to their performance at the TNT festival in Ft. Worth on March 19-21

Theatre School Session III ended this week as parents attended classes and saw the work of the past five weeks, and auditions for Session IV - which is a production for our youth - will take place on Saturday and Monday

Registration for Fine Arts Camp continues - Fine Arts Camp will take place during Spring Break (March 16-20)

The Pickwick Players held auditions for Pinocchio and will begin rehearsals next week - this is the third production in our 2009 membership season

Auditions for Rent - our spring Yucca musical - will take place on Sunday and Monday, March 1st and 2nd

The Board of Governors had an orientation session on Tuesday for new Board members and a full board meeting on Thursday evening

Finally, it was Gilbert Gutierrez's birthday this week - if you see him at the theatre, wish him a Happy Birthday!

Les Miserables - Second Weekend

We had a great second weekend. We started off with the CoProducer performance on Thursday night - a private show for a small audience, and the cast performed well. This was a good "warm-up" for the weekend - it was also the first time they had performed with some time off. Friday and Saturday night audience were strong, full and receptive. Both nights, we had a waiting list of people at the door in case there were available tickets - this is a good reminder that even if the show is "sold out" you should still come on down and try to get in. The cast was very upbeat and positive this weekend, and did a great job with their performances. Many singers had the vocal rest they needed after the long tech rehearsal week, but we also had some other health issues - an actor with pneumonia who toughed out the weekend, and Javert was hurt at the barricade on Friday night and performed Saturday with a split lip. However, in both of these cases, the actors understood the importance of the big picture and performed professionally. My strongest memory of the weekend will be intermission of Saturday night. I was backstage and heard the audience's applause when the curtain came down - it was an amazing sound. Small moments like that make all the effort worthwhile...

We have a slightly longer layoff this week - our last show was Saturday night, and our next show is Friday night. This means five full days away from the show. This upcoming weekend, we have our regular Friday and Saturday night shows, along with a Sunday afternoon matinee - this will be our first afternoon performance. It's also ReachOut and Pay-What-You-Can: ReachOut is a program geared toward groups of the mentally, physically and economically challenged, and Pay-What-You-Can allows people to pay at the door (no advance reservations) whatever they want (minimum $1) for a ticket - hopefully, opening the door to some people who might not otherwise visit our theatre.

Community Theatre - what does it mean?

I have now been in charge of the Midland Community Theatre for 12 years - prior to working here, I ran the Salina (KS) Community Theatre for 2 years and the Mansfield (OH) Playhouse for 3 years. Thus, I have been working in a leadership role in community theatre for 17 of my 42 years. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to run a small (Mansfield - 1 full-time employee, 1 part-time), a medium (Salina - 4 full-time and 2 part-time) and now a larger community theatre (MCT - 12 full-time and 10 part-time). Although I am still learning, I also feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on many different levels in community theatre and gain the experience I can put into practice on a daily basis.

I remember in my early days at MCT reading a letter to the editor about our production of Das Barbecu asking whether the "community theatre" was meeting the standards of the community. After all, who do we (Midland Community Theatre) serve - especially with the word "community" in our title? I have always believed that community theatre has a unique position in the theatre world. In professional theatre, they serve the audience - they can hire the directors, actors and technicians to do the shows, and only need to convince the audience to attend their shows. In academic theatre, they serve the participants - the student actors, directors, technicians - and an audience attending their shows is a bonus. In community theatre, we serve both worlds - we must convince the volunteers to participate in the shows (actors, technicians, front-of-house) and we must also convince the audience to attend (and support) our shows. In other words, the decisions we make must serve two groups who sometimes have different agendas.

Play selection is one area where the diversity of needs of these two groups often comes into conflict. At MCT, we have a committee of five people who work on the slate of plays for the next season - the Executive Director, a staff member, a Board member and two members-at-large. Over the last couple of seasons, we have taken a "risk" with the opening musical - The Producers in 2008 and Les Miserables in 2009. In both cases, we knew that there was not the broad appeal to the non-theatre audience with each of these musicals. With The Producers, we knew that this was a more "adult" musical and this reduced the overall appeal of this musical last year - this was reflected in ticket sales. This year, we knew that many of the non-traditional theatre crowd had at least heard of Les Miserables - maybe they read the book in high school or at least had heard about the musical version. However, we also knew that there were some negatives associated with the show (it's long, what's it about?, it's depressing and everyone dies).

From a volunteer point of view, Les Miserables has been a great success. We had a tremendous turnout at auditions, and cast many new people in the show. In addition, we have had many people step forward to work on the show backstage, and I could not be prouder of the people working on this show. They have all poured their heart and soul into the show, and anyone attending can see their talent and dedication.

From an audience perspective, we knew that word of mouth would be important to sell-out future performances of Les Miserables. Opening weekend was full - we expected that with the demands of our biggest supporters and the friends and family of the cast we would fill up this opening weekend. This week, the Box Office has been busy, indicating good word of mouth from the opening weekend crowd. Unfortunately, the Midland Reporter-Telegram review on Friday was not positive - the reviewer complained about the length of the show and was not enamored with several volunteer performances as well as the work of the Musical Director and myself. Certainly, it is the reviewer's right to have their opinion and to share this opinion with their audience (newspaper readers). However, I find it strange that this particular reviewer - who has complained in the past about MCT only doing "safe" shows and not doing any serious work like O'Neill and Shakespeare - would then write a review about the show with information that has nothing to do with our production (after all, the original novel is long, the original musical production was long, and our production is no longer) and in general tear down the efforts of volunteers and staff at a community theatre to produce serious work. Again, reviewers are entitled to their opinion, but can you have it both ways - criticize us for not doing serious work, and then criticize us for doing serious work that is long and melodramatic?

In the end, you learn one important lesson in community theatre - ignore all of the other issues and ask yourself the most essential question - are you doing what's best for the theatre? In the end, I strongly believe that the volunteers and audience in Midland will say that it was important for us to produce Les Miserables. You understand that there are going to be detractors at every step of the process - people who simply want to criticize the theatre for not selecting the show they wanted, for not casting them in the show - whatever the reason. Fortunately, the cast and crew of Les Miserables has responded very positively in the face of this review, and are looking forward to this weekend's slate of performances.

I will update you on Monday with a report on the Friday and Saturday night performance. If you have not seen the show, please attend over the next three weekends - contact the Box Office (432-570-4111) or visit our website.

Les Miserables - First Weekend

Now that opening weekend has been completed, the cast can finally get some rest. Musicals are especially tough on the cast because of the demands of singing for 10-12 days in a row (tech rehearsals followed by dress rehearsals followed by opening weekend without a day off). Due to the intense vocal demands of this particular show, we have decided to limit ourselves to a maximum of three shows in a weekend. Therefore, this upcoming weekend will include shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, and the next weekend will be Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. It will be very interesting to see how the cast responds after some time off. I think that some people will actually improve with vocal rest and the confidence of opening weekend knowing that we have a good show.

The Box Office has been busy this week - the word of mouth is spreading. However, we need to keep "pushing" the show through the media and trying to fill all the remaining performances. Overall, I think that the cast, crew, staff and audience members all walked away from last weekend on a positive note. Thus, we want to keep the ball rolling this upcoming weekend.

On a personal note, I got through the surgery on my knee just fine. The recovery will be shorter than expected, but I can expect more problems down the road with my left knee. Joy!

Fine Arts Camp

Right now, we are signing kids up to participate in Fine Arts Camp. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is the annual fundraiser for the Pickwick Players. Pickwicks plan and organize a week of activities (Spring Break) for kids K-6. Under the leadership and guidance of staff members Bill Williams and Judith Giebler, Pickwicks plan classes in acting, dance, music, fine arts and games. At the end of the week, parents attend a presentation that demonstrates everything that the youth worked on during the week. It's amazing to see all the kids who are participating (usually around 80 kids) along with 30 Pickwicks in the building at the same time. The amound of energy and excitement is contagious. If you're interested in having a youth particiapate, you can sign up in the Business Office (M-F from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or contact Bill (bill@mctmidland.org) or Judith (judith@mctmidland.org) with questions.

Les Miserables - Opening

There's a superstition in the theatre world - a bad final dress rehearsal means a good opening night. I think we tried to test that theory with this show.

On Thursday night, we started off on the wrong foot - an actor missed his entrance (and his solo line) in the Prologue and everyone was on eggshells from that moment on. Then we had actors forget lyrics they had never forgotten, set pieces that moved too early or did not move when they were supposed to, family members taking flash photos and babies crying in the audience. Combine that with the fact that there were only about 15 people in the audience and no applause and it made for a very frustrating evening. I normally don't give a full notes session after the final dress, and I wasn't going to change this pattern - frankly, I didn't have any notes other than "please do everything on opening night (Friday) the way you did it on Wednesday night". I gathered the cast onstage after curtain call and told them to get some sleep, drink lots of water and come to the theatre with lots of energy and a positive attitude. The Stage Manager, Set Crew chief and I stayed at the theatre for another hour reviewing our mistakes and discussion strategies for correcting them, and then I spent some time working on the ASM (Assistant Stage Manager) book so that all the correct scene changes were properly marked.

Well, Friday night was mission accomplished - the actors and crew arrived ready to perform and with a positive attitude. Last year, MCT created the Legacy Society - these are donors who not only support the current season but also make a contribution to the endowment. Opening night included all of the usual anxiety regarding the opening of the show along with the need to clean and prepare the Moody Conference room and prepare for a reception for our best donors. As a result, you want to make sure that the show goes well so that these donors enjoy the experience and understand the importance of their support of our community theatre.

Overall, it was a very good night. For those of us involved in the show, there were some small items to work on - a bad microphone, a set piece that ran into something, an actor that left out a small line but picked it right up on the beat - these are things that we notice but others might not. At the end of the night, the cast and crew were very happy - the audience applauded throughout the show (and stayed despite the fact that it let out at 11 p.m.) and we had a positive reception with family and friends after the show.

It was interesting to talk to a board member after the show - she was so proud and said "aren't you proud of your work on the show" and I said that I was so far. Theatre can not be boxed and wrapped up like a present and simply "opened" for each performance - every night is a new night with new challenges and opportunities. The cast has been singing for 14 consecutive days and needs some rest, there is always the chance of a microphone failing, a set piece breaking, a costume piece ripping or other issues - that is the joy and challenge of live theatre. As a result, we must come back every night with the same energy and excitement to put on a this wonderful musical.

REMINDER - the next update is a week away due to knee surgery on Monday

Les Miserables - Final Dress

Tonight is the final dress rehearsal for Les Miserables. This is our last chance to put the entire show together before the paid audience comes on Friday night. Overall, the cast and crew are ready to perform the show right now, but tonight will be a good test of our abilities. Live theatre is a tricky business - you have to be able to bring your best performance to the theatre every night despite the other things happening in your life. As a community theatre, all of our actors are volunteers, and they have other concerns - work, school, family - that can affect their attitude and emotions when they enter the building. It's our job to help them to transition out of the real world and into the world of our current production and then perform at a high level. We are extremely fortunate to have many experienced performers in our cast - people who are "professional" in their approach to community theatre. This sets an example for the newer actors to follow, and I think we will have good energy for tonight's dress.

My next update will be after opening night (Friday), and then there will be a little break in the blog. For those not aware, I am have surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus on my left knee, and won't be back in the office (or at the computer) until around the time of our second weekend of performances (February 19-21)...

Les Miserables - Dress Rehearsals

In the big scheme of things, the transition into dress rehearsals has been smooth. Rebecca Crow (Costume Designer) and her crew have built and created wonderful costumes, and the dressers have planned out the quick changes and made everything work smoothly in rehearsal. MCT is lucky to have great staff members and volunteers working in this area, and the results of their hard work and dedication show up on the stage.

Dress rehearsals are all about moving the show from solid rehearsals to good performances. Our cast is prepared for the show - they know their parts, they know what to do, and now they need to do it with confidence. I have always been a big fan of repetition - the more times you do something, the better prepared you are to do it. This is true for the actors as well as the set and prop crew, the Stage Management team and the light and sound operators. Everyone is working hard to produce the best show possible, and we are very excited about our opening on Friday. I will update again on Friday prior to the opening night.

Les Miserables - Weekend Report

The weekend was a success from a technical standpoint - there's still a lot of work to be done, but now everyone knows what works or how we have to fix it. Light cues will be changed and fine tuned, the microphones and sound cues will be adjusted, and there's a lot of painting and finishing of the set and props that still needs to be done. However, the staff and volunteers have a good handle on the workload and are tackling all of the challenges. We are so lucky to have hard working staff members and dedicated volunteers.

Normally, I would run the show twice on a Sunday afternoon before opening - once in the afternoon to review any blocking, music and choreography notes, and once at night for the tech work. However, this show is too long - and the vocal demands are too difficult - to ask the cast to perform twice in one day. Thus, we did a run through of Act One starting at 3 p.m., and broke for dinner around 5:15 p.m. and then started up with Act Two at 6:30 p.m. Everyone was out the door by 9 p.m. - this will be the only night that we get out at a decent hour. Tonight (Monday) is first dress rehearsal...

Les Miserables - Tech Saturday

Yesterday (Saturday) was tech Saturday for Les Miserables. For those not familiar with our process, we worked through the entire show starting at 1 p.m. and added all scenic moves (which we roughed in on Thursday and Friday night), all lighting and sound issues (microphones) and props. This process will be repeated today (Sunday) - hopefully more smoothly - and then we will add costumes on Monday and hair and makeup on Tuesday. Then, we should be ready for an audience on Friday. More updates on Monday...

Les Miserables - Working for the weekend

We started technical rehearsals last night (Thursday). For this show, we're doing it a little different than past opening musicals. On Thursday night, the cast went back downstairs and ran Act One with Charles while I was working with the tech crew on all of the tech moves for scenery in the show. Around 8:30 p.m., the cast moved upstairs and we worked cue-to-cue on the scenic moves - reviewing when actors were moving pieces, when technicians were moving pieces, where pieces should be placed, etc. Rehearsal ended last night at 10:40 p.m. - later than I would have liked to have a non-dress rehearsal end but earlier than I thought it might end due to the length of Act One in Les Miserables. Tonight, we will work on Act Two with the same plan. However, it should be a little easier as Act Two is shorter than Act One.

This weekend is tech weekend - a long weekend for eveyone involved in the show. We will be working on some technical elements on Saturday morning, and then actors will come in around Noon to put on wireless microphones. We'll run the show starting at 1 p.m. with lots of stopping for light cues, sound issues, set changes and prop issues - no costumes until Monday night. The Saturday afternoon tech is draining on everyone involved but it must be done in order for the show to move forward. On Sunday afternoon/evening, we'll run it again, and be ready to add costumes on Monday night.

While the show is getting ready to open, there are lots of other people getting ready for our new season. The Box Office is busing selling 2009 memberships along with tickets to Les Miserables. Marketing is preparing the Prompter - our program - and the first one of the year is the hardest with all the new ads and all of the information for the opening musical (cast bios, musical numbers, letters, etc.). We're also cleaning the theatre and dressing rooms and getting ready to open the theatre to our patrons on February 13th for the opening of the show.