I suppose that it is worth noting that this past season has been a challenging one, not only for BSTC but for many emerging theatre companies around the country who suddenly find themselves struggling to hold onto the small audiences they worked so hard to develop. Global socio-economic woes has kept the philanthropic institutions as well as the general public close to the tickers on CNBC and to their wallets. People are losing jobs, families are suffering, and artists are having to face the reality of programming to a public that is acutely and justifiably distracted.
The general whisper in the theatrical breeze sounds something like this: attendance is down, funding is way down and underpaid artists are having to focus their already overtaxed efforts on simply making ends meet. To complicate matters in a profoundly mindblowing Only-In-America fashion, the state of Texas apparently passed a bill that all but outlawed the profession of theatrical lighting design. All of this adds up to a massive loss of confidence, not only from the general public but from the normally resilient artistic crowd. The theatre-tech blog “Theatre For The Future” puts forth one of the most thought-provoking and eloquently angry examples of this growing feeling of helplessness.
And yet, like the blogger above, BSTC is not quite ready to give up the ghost. In the face of such widespread disenchantment and national distraction, we will continue to proffer the only gift that we know how to give. BSTC has re-committed itself to its distinctive mission and its transformative medium.
All great art attempts to remind us of our undeniable common humanity. I cannot think of a time in recent memory when we needed that reminder as much as we presently do. Theatre, with its uncommon ability to reach through the fourth wall, possesses the unique ability to unify a dark roomful of strangers. And by exploring the universal bonds of family in all its glory, glitter and gore, the BackStage mission endeavors to set the national trend of divisiveness aside, and examines instead the multitude of ways that human beings attempt to connect to one another.
In November of 2009, BackStage Theatre Company kicks off its 10th Anniversary Season. In this powerful triad of complex plays, BackStage invites you to step inside a thematic series of doors. Through the light that spills through the cracks of the family room, the bedroom and the nursery doors, we will afford our audiences intimate glimpses into the lives of three very recognizable, very complicated families. It is our ultimate hope that as the lights go down on the final show of our 10th season, you might be able look around you and feel a little less alone in the dark.
The 10th Anniversary Season:
Door one: the family room.
Aunt Dan and Lemon, by Wallace Shawn
Nov/Dec at the Chopin Studio Theatre
BackStage Theatre Company begins its 10th Anniversary Season by asking you to step inside the home of a woman called Lemon. Lemon has a story to tell. What begins as a deceptively simple coming-of-age yarn about her seemingly ordinary family soon becomes a complex meditation on the persuasive power of intimacy. Written by one of the more controversial playwrights of the contemporary American theatre, Aunt Dan and Lemon is a both a mordant comedy and a chilling cautionary tale about the subversive nature of influence.
Door Two: the bedroom.
Orange Flower Water, by Craig Wright
Early Spring at the Chopin Theatre
After years of maintaining a close, platonic friendship, David and Beth begin an inescapable love-affair with heartbreaking consequences. Through a series of theatrical, voyeuristic scenes which all take place on or around a single bed, we see the painfully intense unraveling of both troubled marriages and, eventually, the construction of a very fragile but authentic new beginning for everyone concerned. Written by one of the most promising young playwrights of this generation, Craig Wright’s “Orange Flower Water” is an unsparing but ultimately hopeful examination of the unremitting need that humans beings have for one another.
Door three: the nursery.
The Play About the Baby, by Edward Albee
Late Spring at the Chopin Studio Theatre
Two chairs stand in a private room inhabited by a gleefully naive couple whose youthful desire for each other is hardly interrupted by the coming of their first child. Soon, however, their playfully sexual exploits are bizarrely interrupted by a mysterious and nameless older couple who may (or may not) have sinister motives. Penned by one of America’s preeminent playwrights, The Play About the Baby is an absurdist black comedy, reminiscent of burlesque in it’s high spirits and banter, that grapples with such issues as reality and the games we play to define it, the ambiguity of existence, and the agonizing bonds between parents and children.
Hey Everyone,
Well, this is a first. My first blog entry! Yes, I’m very much a creature from the pre-Twitter era.
What IS Twitter? Can somebody explain it to me….using the same simple terms that I used while instructing my parents on the programming of their VCR?
What’s a VCR? Augh! See what I mean?!
Anyhow, I was reviewing our upcoming season…wonderful selections, Matthew!…and I realized there as a few degrees of separation happening to me this week. Some of you might know that I have been taking scene study and monologue classes with Susan Hart. – Rebekah, you told me about her classes while she was teaching at Chicago Shakespeare Company. – Anyhow, I am taking a monologue workshop this week with Susan, and her good friend, Jeffrey Carlson.
Jeffrey is an incredible actor and is considered one of the best Shakespearean actors in the country.
Although Jeffrey lives in NYC, he frequently has extended visits to Chicago….in fact he recently played the title role of EDWARD II at Chicago Shakes, which was directed by Sean Graney.
He also was in the original Broadway cast of Edward Albee’s THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA?
As BackStage starts preparing for Albee’s THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY, I’m wondering if some of the staff and ensemble might want to consider arranging a few workshops with him to discuss Albee’s specific use of punctuation, and how it applies to the interpretation and performance of the text. I’ve always found him to be extremely engaging and knowledgeable. It might be something to consider.
Any-hoo….just thought I might mention this!
Take Care!
Michael