Welcome back! It's been awhile. A lot has happened since the last time I had the opportunity to sit down and write. Our production of A Christmas Carol could not have turned out better. We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to perform our dear friend David Bell’s adaptation. One of the beautiful things about David’s script is how he was able to transfer his generosity of spirit and loving heart to every page. I owe a lot of my career, directing style, and approach to theatre from our years of working together (which deserves its very own post). I am beyond thankful to have been able to bring his adaptation to Central Louisiana.
We had the privilege to work with River Oaks Square Arts Center in bringing our very first free event to Alexandria. It is so great to be surrounded by other artists and arts organizations that say YES to things. Even when that thing is a Staged Reading of RED, a play about Mark Rothko and the famous Seagram Murals in their main art gallery… for free. Rachel Dauzat and Aubrey Bolen, the Executive and Artistic Directors of River Oaks, didn’t hesitate. “Yes, of course! What do we need to do?” “Yes” people are the people who make art possible. We are so thankful for all of them.
We recently met for our first read through of To Kill A Mockingbird, which is Play On Theatre’s 2020 Season opener. That was by far one of the most intense, heartfelt, and loving first reads I have ever been a part of. As a Director/Producer of the show it was a huge relief to see how passionate every person involved is to tell this important story. At one of our first production meetings for this show, we kept finding ourselves discussing the importance of the show and straying from the production elements. I think this speaks to the honesty and spirit of this story. A story that I am excited and a little bit scared to tell the truth. It is so easy to let the popularity and sheer enormity of this show weigh you down. As an artist putting your stamp on something that is so beloved by so many can be daunting. I couldn’t have asked for a better team of people to work on this show. Our production staff from the top to the bottom is a pure dream team. We begin staging this production that will take the stage April 30 - May 3rd at Coughlin Saunders Performing Arts Center next week!
We were sad to wake up today and learn of shows closing from Regional theatres all the way to Broadway because of the global pandemic. Our hearts go out to these artists that are, for the time being, without work. We are hopeful and ever vigilant that we will be able to fully produce To Kill A Mockingbird. We are sure that by the time we are slated to perform this masterpiece all will be well in the world once again. Thank you for checking back in with us. Tune in soon for more blog posts and other exciting things happening with Play On.