Spinoff Debrief

     Back in 2009, right on the heels of House on the Cliff, I came across a play called The Second Lady by Jack Sharkey.  I was looking for a simple, small-cast comedy for my second show with Houghton College.  Second Lady had a lot of good, but the ending was just too ridiculous.  I toyed with rewriting the ending a bit, but ultimately I passed on it in favor of Jake’s Women. 

     Cut to 2011, after the ordeal that was Father of the Bride, I wanted something light and fun.  Second Lady popped into my head, but that stupid ending was still a problem.  The humor was right, so I decided to see what else old Mr. Sharkey had up his sleeve.  That’s when I found Spinoff.  Here’s my review from my first dry reading of Spinoff:

Looks like I've found a strong candidate for the Spring play. Its brisk pace and quick dialogue give Spinoff a fresh comedic feel. It's the story of an inside bank robbery gone wrong. The six characters that make up the cast each play a part in making this initially contained scenario spin out of control. It's quirky and it's very funny. It's the kind of play I'd go to... it's the kind of play I'd be in!

November 2011

     Now as the story goes, I did not do Spinoff because it was requested I do a classic. That led to my selection of The Glass Menagerie, which in turn, ended up being my last show with Houghton College.  It’s a long story.  You probably know it already. 

So now it’s 2015, and I just finished a production of Spinoff as director and cast member.  It had been in the back of my mind for a long time and when the opportunity came up to do a show as part of the Summer Reading Program at the library, I knew it was finally time for Spinoff.

     Turns out, my old review ended up being both accurate and prophetic.   I didn’t start out planning to direct and act in Spinoff.  In fact, I asked five other guys to play Peter before I reluctantly took it myself.  Because we were partnering with the David A.Howe Public Library, we didn’t have much flexibility with the show dates and it just wouldn’t work for the fellas I knew.   On the bright side, I got to work with Eric and Ben again not just as their director, but as a cast member too.  That was a great experience.  I was dead certain that Crimes of the Heart, would be my last show with Eric and thought surely Wise Women would be my last with Ben.  I’m glad I was wrong on those counts.

      Rounding out the cast was Kendra (whom I only directed once, Allegro), Anna (Plucky Pipsqueak, Allegro and The Odd Couple) and Meg (#steelymags).  It was good cast and fun to work with.  We had a lot of good times… ice cream, taco parties, Chinese buffets, Anna and Meg’s lack of cultural knowledge. The show was as funny and as fun as I’d hope it would be.  I had my doubts here and there, but we rallied and the audience roared.

     Over the years, I considered trying the actor/director thing, especially considering how difficult it can be to get men to participate sometimes.  I was always curious how it worked. I wondered if I’d enjoy it.  Well, I have my answer now.  I don’t think I’ll ever do it again.  Maybe some small one-scene role, but never a full-fledged lead.  I felt like I could never really focus on being the director or on my performance as an actor.  It all worked out in the end and ended up being a good experience overall.

I’m already excited about our next production.  We are diving into the murder mystery genre, with what will be the large casts we’ve ever had.  I’ll be glad to be back in the director’s chair for that one.