What I've Been Up To

Blogging has been down lately, I know. Other things have kept me away.

Militant Language started loading-in yesterday. The first read through for the Other Shore is last night as well. Jenn is directing that one, and the schedule is a little atypical. They are going to rehearse for a while, take a break over the holidays (also while Jenn is giving birth to our second child.) Then they come back in January, rehearse some more and open it up.

For a while I wasn't sure if Militant would open. Everything is a little harder than it was before we were parents. Less time, more responsibilities, less money. That one came up really quick with this show and the current economy.

The real time effects of the economy will only start being felt in the coming weeks, but it is cause for concern. For most businesses, non-profit theatres included, the perennial problem is that all of the expenses are due before the revenue comes in. And space and other costs are rising just like everything else.

In the past Jenn and I were able to float the company some money until opening, and then pay ourselves back. We're not trust-funders by any stretch of the imagination (when I hear of a new company spending ten's of thousands of dollars on ads in their first couple of seasons, I'm always astounded.) Anyway, we would scrimp and save for a while and things came through. This time that wasn't an option. With children we can't just go without for a week. Diapers can't wait like a movie can. (Of course I can't remember the last movie I watched in a theatre. Maybe House of Flying Daggers.)

Most of my little free time has been spent trying to figure out how in the hell we'd open the show. The current economy was not super helpful to fundraising. The writing was on the wall, and we called a series of meetings so we could meet with everyone in the company. We had to raise $5000 in a month or we would have to cancel the show. That may not seem like a lot of money for a huge institution but that's a pretty good chunk of change for us.

We called a series of meetings so we could meet with everyone in the company and let them know the situation. I let the cast know, so there'd be no surprises. Most of them know me and could tell I wasn't bullshitting them. It was not something Jenn or I could do alone. Most everyone pitched in and we raised the money in time. Most of it came in donations of less than $20. Ads in the program and subscriptions made a pretty good chunk as well.

We're not on easy street, and won't be in the foreseeable future. But we're on track and moving forward. Show's gonna open on time, cast is in good shape and good hands. We were able to raise more in a month in donations than we did last year.

There's a lot of reasons for this but the biggest one was the amount of people working on it. Jenn and I have done the bulk of the heavy lifting so far. Both of us tend to pick up any slack so things keep moving along. But now we can't pick up as much slack, and I think it was clear to the company that that was the case, so we put it in their capable hands and they stepped up big time.

So we will be able to open the show thanks to all of the support. And I can breathe a small breath of relief.

So one show's in tech, another's starting rehearsals, have a couple-hundred odd scripts to read (luckily some are one acts) and sometime in the next month and a half we'll have another child. Which will make everything easier. And by easier I mean the most joyful hazing period ever devised by any god.

It's shaping up to be one hell of a fall.

Finally saw Wicked two weeks ago, and Caroline or Change last weekend. I'll try to write about that tomorrow. But a quick take, Wicked was fun, forgettable. Glad I saw it, can't imagine why people would spend that kind of money to see it over and over.

On the other hand, the Courts' Caroline might be the best musical production I've seen. Holy fuck is E. Faye Butler good. Jenn bawled through most of the second act. Granted she's pregnant, but still . . .

It was the first thing at down there I've seen. It's not an easy place for us to get to without a car. I had written that originally we were going to opening night, but were bumped. Adam went out of his way to get us seats for another performance (the one we saw.)

Now the cynic in me could say that was because of the blog, but I don't get that sense. We got there early thanks to a borrowed car and I watched the staff interacting with the audience as folks arrived. If more organizations were that helpful, I think a lot of institutions would have a different reputation. Then again if more folks were doing that caliber of work, theatre would have a different reputation.

Before the show Jenn and I were talking to an older couple in town from St. Louis. They drive up for a weekend and see as many shows in town as possible. I had to use the restroom, while Jenn and her talked a little more and turns out they had subscriptions at the Lyric, and decided a while ago that while here they should take advantage of the amount of theatre Chicago has to offer. So they drive up for a weekend and see as much as possible.

Jenn said at one point, "man that must be a difficult drive in the winter."

The lady quickly responded, "well, we've been doing it since 1967."

On a side note I did get one wish last week. Last week went unsoiled. Little things, can feel like such monumental accomplishments. . .