Morning shows?

So, this idea is probably crazy and actors (not being morning people) would probably hate it, but...

Would it work for a professional theater to have a morning matinee on either Wednesdays or Thursdays? It would be a show that would be specifically targeted at seniors, though anyone would be welcome. It could either start at 10 a.m., or, if you need to be kind to your actors, at 11 am. with a 30-minute intermission in which a light lunch was served (and extra would be charged for it, of course).

Squeee!!!!

I have held in my hands the pre-publication copy of Spa: A Comprehensive Introduction.

We still have some work to do to prepare it for final publication next week, but I will soon be able to start writing about other things. There's certainly no lack of things to write about. I saw Julius Caesar and All's Well That Ends Well again last weekend at the Michigan Shakespeare Festival and will be going to see Talley's Folly at Williamston Theatre this weekend.

I've also been reading two great theater books that I'd like to write about along with an entry about a group called Oberon Shakespeare Group.

So tune in, I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and will soon begin writing again.

Package Idea

One of the things I love about this time of year is the chance to be in the audience for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival. While I see many shows throughout the year, rarely do I get a chance to see a single production more than once. This makes me doubly cherish the opportunity that I have at MSF to see the shows multiple times. It gives me a chance to see how they evolve and change--the way the actors grow into their parts. It also lets me get something different out of each show and absorb the different ways that different audiences respond to a show.

All of which got me thinking. I'm betting there are other people out there that would be interested in seeing how a show grows. I wonder whether a package deal could be put together that could further engage audiences--especially those audiences whose only theatrical participation is as an audience member.

The package deal I was thinking of would look something like:

• A ticket to attend the show's read-through at the beginning of the rehearsal process. Ideally the read-through would include presentations by the technical staff on the show concept.
• A ticket to opening night.
• A ticket to closing night.
• A roundtable with the actors and director following closing night where people could discuss how things changed from start to finish and why.

Likely this would have to be sold in limited quantities, but that in itself could increase its attractiveness.

Is she talking about spas again?

While I’ve wanted to write about Number the Stars and Ballyhoo, there simply hasn’t been the time to do so. It’s crunch time for the book that I’ve spent the past year working on. While I took off Independence Day to spend with friends, that and yesterday were the only days in the past 14 that I haven’t put in a 12-hour workday. I’ve even taken chapters to bed with me to try to squeeze in a little more editing before dropping off to sleep.

Thankfully, I have a husband who does insist on dragging me away from work after twelve hours, even when I plead that if I put in just one more hour I’ll be able to finish a chapter or sort out the endnotes.

So with all that, I must confess that I haven’t been thinking much about theater and thinking about theater is a prerequisite for writing about theater. There have been times, though, when my brain-weary mind has started to wander away from its work and indulge in silly fantasies to keep itself entertained. Some of those wanderings have attempted to drag the spa world into the realms of theater (or perhaps theater into the spa world--who knows?).

Two of those fantasies involved what sort of enterprise I would start if I had far more money than I do now. (Granted, I like what I do now, so it isn’t as though I’m actively searching for a new career. I consider myself quite blessed to do what I love doing.)

Here they are:

DramaSpa

In the ancient world, particularly in Greece and Rome, it was common for spas to have a theater. One would go to the baths and take in a theatrical performance while there. What would that look like today? The friend with whom I’m writing this book suggested that we could open a spa in which my son performed shiminyara (a form of pseudo-yoga/mind-body movement therapy he created while in third grade), my husband acted, and I managed/marketed.

So my brain began to play with the idea—not in any sort of practical terms, but purely as a flight of fancy.

The spa would contain a large wet lounge with a pool of warm water infused with sea salts or other minerals. It would be a crescent-shaped pool with benches in it. At the end of the room (opposite the benches) would be a stage on which there would be daily performances of shows that encouraged contemplation, laughter, healing, and esthetically pleasing thoughts. Audiences would probably have to be limited to 50 to 70 people.

During intermission, we could offer chromtherapy for the guests who wanted to stay put. Or guests could visit the sauna or steam room followed by a cold plunge (if they wished). For the second half of the show, they could wear plush robes and sit in lounge chairs with a rose petal foot bath. Spring water infused with cucumber and fresh fruit would be served.

Special VIP packages would be available for each show (for a higher cost, of course). Up to six people could receive pre-show chair massages, a mini-facial at intermission (possibly with a masque being left on during the second half of the show), and a spa service before or after the show.

While there could be daily shows, the spa would also have rooms for classes and spa treatments. There would be yoga and Alexander Technique classes and Rolfing services would be offered as well.

(Note: The Alexander Technique is used by musicians, singers, and actors to increase awareness of their posture and movement. It’s a form of movement education that teaches people to become more conscious of how they stand and move. Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian actor, developed it in response to coming down with chronic laryngitis while performing. He watched himself in the mirror and was able to see that he was tensing the muscles in his neck while speaking. He began teaching his technique around 1910 and his students included George Bernard Shaw. And yes, you can read about this and more in a soon-to-be published textbook on spas…)

We could create an indoor/outdoor garden where a chamber orchestra could play and people could meditate. There would be an art gallery in the lounge and check-out area. Retail products would include scripts and recordings.

We could create package deals named after playwrights and invite the living ones in for a free day of treatments and to give classes.

This has gotten long and somewhat silly. I’ll save my other enterprise fantasy for another day.

Instead, I’ll end with this quote from the book:

My background is in theater and I began working in a day spa right after college in order to save up money before moving on to New York to become a famous actress. After working in the spa for about a year at the desk, I realized how similar the spa employees were to the "theater people" I was used to working with. I had an easy, comfortable connection with them and also with the way that they could "communicate" to their guests through touch and movement. It all felt very similar to theater or art and I believe that is why I felt that connection.

–Sara Cruncleton, Ihloff Salon & Spa

Quote from the spa book

My life right now is filled with words and pages about spas. While editing the chapter on the history of spas and spa cultures, I was inspired by the following quote. I wonder how different our world would look today if we took the same approach to arts and aesthetics.

The general therapeutic assumption made in the art and science of healing in the Asclepieia was that active contemplation and reflection on the beauty and harmony found in masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting brought harmony and health to the individual. Enjoyment of the true, the good, the beautiful, and the divine are all important factors for elevating and enhancing human consciousness.

Love this lead

I'm a little late on much of my reading this week--primarily because I've had my nose buried in textbook writing and editing. So I just got around at lunch today to reading the City Pulse review of The Girls in 509.

I absolutely love the imagery in this lead:

“The Girls in 509,” the latest Summer Circle production from Michigan State University, reminds us how much American satire has changed through the decades. Howard Teichmann’s script, published in 1959, is political and ironic but lacks the sharp teeth to be biting. Teichmann cuts the political tomato with a butter knife, broadly mashing this juicy subject into mass-appealing ketchup instead of slicing to its seedy core.

That's some mighty fine writing. I applaud you, Paul Wozniak.

Theatre Ideas: Resource Review 1: Invitiation to the Party

One of the blogs I subscribe to is Theatre Ideas. The author has some fascinating ideas about building a new theater model based on the ideas of decentralization, localization, sustainability, mutuality, and education.

His current blog reviews a book by Donna Walker-Kuhne called "Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to the arts, culture and community." He brings out some fascinating ideas, primarily her "ten tools for building audiences."

He's convinced me that this is a book I want to read.

Theatre Ideas: Resource Review 1: Invitiation to the Party

The Girls in 509

A Chicago theater critic once said that the most difficult reviews are those of shows that are neither good nor bad but somewhere solidly in between.

It's easy to slam a show and easy to praise a show. What is far more difficult to write about are those shows which have their good points and have their bad points, but aren't all of either. That's pretty much how I would describe the Summer Circle production of "The Girls in 509." There was nothing about the performances that were wrong, but neither were they anything memorable or noteworthy. The play was entertaining, but not particularly thought-provoking or stimulating.

Michelle Meredith and Caitlin Inman both did fine jobs as the eccentric Republican hermits who had locked themselves in a hotel room so that they could isolate themselves from the influences of a Democratic president. Inman's Mumsie was particularly entertaining.

The character of the lawyer had the same problems that the coroner of the week before had. You paid so much attention to the device--in this case a strange voice and vocal manner--that you lost the story that was being told. It became annoying rather than amusing.

The David Lindsey-Abaire shows were, like most of his shows, rather bizarre. He's almost a playwright version of John Irving with the off-kilter ideas he conjures. Certainly they are memorable and vivid when it comes to bizarre. Both were skillfully presented.

Their final shows this week are Number the Stars based on the book by Lois Lowry and additional presentations of the late night shows Medea and Baby Food and The Other Person.

Red Herring

The Red Herring is a delightful opening to this year's Summer Circle season at MSU.

I continue to be impressed that they are able to solicit enough donations to be able to offer free outdoor theater while paying their actors. It's a great thing for both the students and the community.

Theater Professor Rob Roznowski directed The Red Herring, a show described as a comic film noir spoof. Written by Michael Hollinger, the play follows the antics of three couples as they struggle with loving each other. Every scene comes with its own plot twist and actors Kristen Barrett, Phil Ashbrook, Caitlin Inman, Hazen Cuyler Natzmer, Michelle Meredith, and Dave Wendelberger juggle multiple roles. All of them did a superior job.

I especially enjoyed Caitlin Inman as Joe McCarthy's daughter and Michelle Meredith as Mrs. Kravitz and multiple other parts. Inman was spot-on as the sweet Midwestern girl with too many secrets to keep. She was vibrant and handled well the intricacies of a role that required precise confusion (the actress had to be precise while the character was confused). Michelle Meredith had perfect comedic timing in the various roles that she played and each of them were completely different.

The only individual part I didn't care for was that of the coroner. He was too over-the-top in a style that didn't match the other characters.

I was also impressed with the ingeniousness of the set dressing and set piece. A single set piece on casters doubled as a dock, a bed, a couch, an autopsy slab, a boat, and everything else that was needed. It contributed to a quickly paced show and was highly effective. There was also an attractive backdrop painted in black and white with a jigsaw of scenes of varying relevance to the script. It was a very artistic piece of work.

I now look forward to the remaining shows!

A few bullets

• We returned from Indianapolis where we managed to miss both the storms here at home and the ones they had right before and after our arrival and departure..
• Richard auditioned for the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre.
• I met for lunch with the local classical music and theater critic, a colleague of mine from the NEA Arts Journalism Institute.
• My 30s are now officially over.
  
• We went to the Michigan Shakespeare Festival company picnic last night on our way home from the audition. It was great seeing everyone again including several faces familiar to Lansing: Tommy Gomez, Joel King, Jeremy Winchester, Mark Gmazel.
• The Thespies were published in today's newspaper.