And that's a wrap.

After six weeks of rehearsals and two well-received performances Crimes of the Heart has wrapped production.  As with the close of all shows, I'm left feeling bitter/sweet. CotH was great to work on (which you'll know if you've already read my last gushy post).  Even so, putting a show together is a burden even in the best of times.  So while I miss the people and the sense of satisfaction theatre gives me, it's nice to have some free nights.  My DVR isn't going to clear itself off.  Still, the end of this play had more significance than I realized.  As Hilary and I were walking home after the set strike she said something along the lines of "It's sad because this is the end of an era." It was the end of an era.  I was just so consumed with bringing the show together that I never had the chance to think of that.  She was absolutely right... 

I started directing for the college back in the fall of 2009.  For my first show I wanted something small and simple.  I wasn't sure what kind of turnout I'd get for auditions, though I knew I'd be low on men.  George Batson's House on the Cliff was exactly what I was looking for.  The script was fun and surprising, there was just one setting and only six characters (2 guys, 4 girls).  After an extra audition and a fateful 11th-hour cast change (Thanks Michael) I ended up with Eric, Rachel, Carly, Michael, Alice and Amy P. plus Hilary and Kara in the tech booth (a tradition that would continue through all of my college plays and even some of my Valley Theatre shows).  I've certainly done better shows in my life, but nothing will ever be able to kick House on the Cliff out of my heart.  I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.  The final cast was great. The show was cool and original.  It was a success.  I loved that set.

For spring of 2010 I took on Rachel as a student director and eventually settled on Jake's Women.  HotC was retro and classic, so I wanted something modern and unique for my spring endeavor.  I've always been a fan of Neil Simon, so when we stumbled on this lesser-known gem, I was hooked.  Jake's women was trippy and unlike anything I've ever done.  The cast was made up of 7 women and one guy.  The Jake character is the driving force of the show.  He never leaves the stage (except for a quick potty break).  A role like that requires a very strong actor.  It was a gamble.  I'm just going to go ahead and say it:  Eric shocked me.  It never crossed my mind that he could pull out a performance like that.  But he did, and the show was great.  In fact I was convinced I could never top it, and I was okay with that, because it was that good.  Carly and and Amy P. came along for the ride as Jake's therapist and sister, respectively, plus a new gaggle of talented actresses.  The DVD of this show is good (again, thanks Michael), but I would love to see this live one more time. 

That brings us to fall of 2010.  I wanted to work on a classic cops-&-robbers type.  HotC had mystery elements, but it's a thriller at heart.  I wanted something a little more straight-forward.  Somehow I stumbled on Dragnet, a forgotten stage adaptation of Jack Webb's classic radio & TV show.  Dragnet was an old-school favorite of mine from Nick-at-Night.  Its quirky pacing and setup really puts it in its own genre.  This involved a cast of 10 (5 & 5).  Unlike the previous shows this had the action divided between the Hamlin residence and the Police Station.  Rather than having big scene changes I made the decision to stage it like a TV set with the Hamlin residence using most of the space and setting aside a portion to be the police station.  It worked very well.  Once again this boasted a great cast with some familiar faces including Michael as Joe Friday, Eric as Frank Smith and Carly as Nora Hamlin.  Dragnet also introduced me to Ben and Amy C.  Despite a hoarse voice due to illness Michael was a pitch-perfect Friday.  This was his last production as a student and he went out with a bang.  The show was cool, off-beat and exactly what I wanted.

After the larger cast of Dragnet I wanted to go back to a small cast show for spring '11.  Instead, I went bigger.  Father of the Bride had a cast of 15! I had been in a professional production of Father of the Bride ten years earlier, playing the role of Ben Banks.  For the first time I was directing a show that I had once been in.  It made for an interesting experience.  The production I was in cut out most of the supporting cast, for this production every role was cast.  It was both daunting and challenging.  The cast included Eric and Rachel together again as the father & mother of the bride.  Amy and a few of the Dragnet cast returned, but this was primarily made up of all new people, including Tricia and Chris as the happy couple.  Both had been around Houghton for years and finally decided to try out for FotB.  Tricia was a fun and wacky Kay, maybe not the obvious choice but definitely the right one.  Her energy made the character more believable and likable than a traditional straight-laced Kay.  Eric & Rachel handled the chaos of the large cast like pros and deftly managed the curve balls and responsibility I threw their way.  Though we didn't know it at the time, this would be their last run in a Houghton College production.

My next production was Cinderella with Valley Theatre in September of 2011.  Though not a college production nor part of this narrative, I mention it because Ben, Eric and Michael stepped in to make up for my lack of guys. Having them on board was a big help to me.  They were steady, reliable and made good use of the minor roles they were given.  Little did they know they would be returning to Valley Theatre in a handful of months.

Fall of 2011 saw what may go down as the best production of my career, The Glass Menagerie.  Like Jake's Women before, if this is my peak then so be it.  It was an amazing experience and an even better production.  I was hesitant to do GM. It isn't the type of show I'd normally consider, and I was concerned that the audience turnout would take a hit.  But, I liked the script and it was more in line with what the college was looking for in terms of notoriety. It is a show of 4 characters; an intense show, where each character has to give a gut-wrenching performance.  The cast was set with Carly and Ben as mother & son with two new-comers (Amber and Dan) as the daughter and her gentleman-caller.  Rehearsing with that small of a cast was a wonderful experience.  It was a true collaboration.  I couldn't be more proud of the cast.  I absolutely loved the atypical set design.  The show managed to be fresh, modern and emotionally raw.  Though the turnout was predictably low the people who were there had an unforgettable experience.  Despite the aftermath, I would change nothing about this show.  It was great.  Though I didn't know until after, this would be my final production directing for Houghton College.  Had I known, I probably would have gone for a bigger show to give more people a chance to participate.  The abrupt cancellation of college productions was jarring... and personally upsetting, but in the end I look back with fondness and pride on those three years.  I could do worse than having The Glass Menagerie as a swan song.  At least we went out with a bang.  But, I couldn't let it end there.  With the Spring of 2012 quickly approaching, I felt an obligation to, both those students who had grown to depend on the play, as well as the community who had made it a tradition to attend.  Thus, Valley Theatre's production of Crimes of the Heart was born.

While I couldn't go out and do a giant show with every student I've ever worked with, Crimes of the Heart gave me a chance to have a proper goodbye with those students I'd worked with the most... Eric, Rachel, Carly, Amy & Ben (plus Michael and Kara as crew).  Having those who founded Valley Theatre with me along for the ride made it that much better (Amanda in the cast, plus Mike and Hilary as crew).  Our final performance of Crimes of the Heart was a sell-out success and made for a great epilogue to this story.  What started back in 2009 with House on the Cliff at Houghton College was brought to a proper close in Valley Theatre's 2012 production of Crimes of the Heart.  And while I know we'll still see each other and most likely work together again we are now taking our first steps into a new era.

In all honesty, I wouldn't change a thing.

Press Release: Crimes of the Heart

This March The Valley Theatre presents Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize winning dramedy Crimes of the Heart directed by Nic Gunning.

Lenny MaGrath’s (Rachel Stowe) life consists of taking care of her ailing Granddaddy and being henpecked by her pushy cousin Chick (Amanda Cox).  As her 30^th birthday goes largely unnoticed Lenny worries that her spiral into spinsterhood is inevitable.  When Granddaddy takes a turn for the worse Lenny calls her sisters home to say their goodbyes only to discover that her unreliable middle sister Meg (Carly Trask) is nowhere to be found and her youngest sister Babe (Amy Coon) is behind bars for attempted murder!  Luckily for the MaGrath sisters Barnette Lloyd (Ben Layman) is fresh out of law school and eager to take on Babe’s hopeless case.  Meanwhile, Meg’s return after a long absence brings tension among the sisters and potential disaster for her happily married high school sweetheart Doc Porter (Eric Mikols).  As the sisters struggle to deal with their troubled past and complicated present they grow to realize that they need each other now more than ever.

The show will run at the Houghton Fire Hall Thursday March 9 and Friday March 10 at 7pm.  All tickets are just $5 and will be available at the door or by reservation.  With questions or tickets requests please contact TheValleyTheatre@gmail.com or find us online at www.facebook.com/ValleyTheatre.

Show Time!

Well, it's show time. Crimes of the Heart is go for launch! Our final dress rehearsal is tonight and the shows run Friday and Saturday at 7:00pm. This is exactly the kind of show I like to work on. It has it's light moments and plenty of good humor, but it also has real emotional depth. It provides a lot for me as a director to explore and work with. Another point in it's favor is the cast size, just 6 people.
Lenny (Rachel Stowe), as the oldest sister, has the weight of the world on her shoulders. With a deadbeat dad and the death of both her mother & grandmother, she basically became the den mother to her younger sisters and was forced to sacrifice her dreams and desires. She slowly let herself become a spinster. Meg (Carly Trask), the middle sis, was probably the smartest. She got out of there and did her own thing. She's smart, but her destructive selfish streak didn't do her any favors. Then there's little Babe (Amy Coon). As the youngest, she was caught in the struggle between her older sisters which made her take on the role of peace keeper and ultimately, people pleaser. All three of take the baggage of their absent father and memories of their mother's odd suicide with them through life.

While the focus is primarily on the MaGrath sisters, the three supporting characters play pivotal roles. First we have Chick Boyle (Amanda Cox), cousin to the MaGrath sisters. Chick is caddy and bitter and serves as a reminder of what Lenny could turn into. Their relationship is good on the surface, but she harbors a deep resentment for all 3 sisters... Meg in particular. Then there's Barnette Lloyd (Ben Layman), Babe's eager young defense attorney. When Babe finally snaps and attempts to solve her unhappiness with a gun, Barnette is there to save her. His unrequited crush on Babe only makes him more determined to keep her out of prison. In Barnette, Babe sees the kind of man that could have made her happy if she hadn't been so preoccupied with making others happy. Finally we have Doc Porter (Eric Mikols). Doc and Meg were high school sweethearts whose romance ended when Meg abruptly left town without explanation. In the wake of a terrible hurricane and Meg's subsequent departure Doc is left with nothing but a limp and a broken heart. In the years since, Doc has married and tried to move on, something that a mature person would accept. Meg is not mature.

There isn't a bad role in the show. There isn't a bad actor either. Rachel, Carly & Amy as the MaGraths demonstrate a sisterly bond that can't be faked. They make even the extremes of these characters believable. Rachel pulls out Lenny's pitiful side to heartbreaking levels, all the while exuding a quiet strength underneath. Carly plays Meg as selfish and a little cruel but somehow manages to show that this is a character who is also caring and kind. Amy plays Babe with a childlike innocence making her raw, deeply-unhappy sides that much more powerful. Amanda makes good use of Chick's unlikability in a way that makes you love to hate her. Ben's green and eager portrayal of Barnette makes you really root for this lovestruck little lawyer. Eric plays Doc's conflicting emotion with subtlety and believability. You see the happy family man and you see the teenager who never got over his first love.
We've reached a point where the only way to make improvements is to put it in front of an audience. The kind of laughs and tear-jerking moments Crimes of the Heart has will really take the audience for a ride. The energy and urgency a live audience brings always takes the performance up a notch. I think crowds will really respond to this. It isn't at all what you'd expect.

Music Review: Ringo 2012

Well, I do like it more than Paul's Kisses on the Bottom. However, it is a bit of a mixed bag. I think the most obvious problem is the length. It's way too short. 9 songs, and only lasts about a half hour. Of those 9 songs, two are covers from past albums. "Step Lightly" is a forgotten track from the album Ringo. I usually skipped it on that LP. Needless to say I'm not thrilled with it's inclusion. It's basically the same song, just sped up. The second cover is "Wings" off of Ringo the 4th. I'll forgive that one because no one has ever listened to that disco train wreck of an album. It's actually a pretty good track, but again very similar to the original version. Ringo's cover of Buddy Holly's Think it Over is great. Unfortunately I already had that exact track from a Buddy Holly tribute album that came out a year ago. So really we are talking about 6 new tracks. Let's move on them them. The first is "Anthem." Spoiler alert: it's an anthem. I figured that out by the frequently repeated phrase "This is an anthem." If you have to tell them what it is then you have a problem. It's not one of my favorites, but it's solid. Next we have "Samba." Hold on to your hats, it's a samba. It's a bit of a call back to the track "Pasadobles" from his superior Liverpool 8 from 2007. It's a decent song, but doesn't really grab me. Moving on to "Rock Island Line." This a cover of an old blues song and is one of my favorite tracks. It's got a great feel and Ringo's vocals are energetic and really effective. That takes us in to "Wonderful." I find myself singing this one so I guess it's catchy. It's a little on the cutesy side though. The second to last track is "In Liverpool." My first reaction to seeing that was, "please Ringo, tell us more about Liverpool. You haven't done that to death." But once I listened to the track it quickly became my favorite of the album. It's got a great feeling and is fun to sing along to. (Hopefully this completes his trilogy of Liverpool songs.) Finally we have "Slow Down." The song I always forget. It's average at best.
So all in all, I'd say this is a good album. I'd put it above Y Not but below Liverpool 8. For my money the top tracks are "Rock Island Line," "In Liverpool" and "Think it Over." If you aren't a Ringo fan, this probably won't convert you. If you're like me and have an appreciation for Ringo's laid back, casual approach then I think this will make a good addition to your music library.