Ah, the art of theatre. Actors appear on stage before an audience to tell a story. Described as such, it seems real simple.
Earlier in civilization, theatre was manifestedas an elaborate method of telling a story. The story wasn't merely recited, it was acted out- enhancing the story for the people watching. Allowing them to feel as though they were there.
The roots of western theatre are traced back to religious ceremonies celebrating love, wine and music.
Over time, the craft has evolved. It became more than ceremonial, but entertaining or educational or philisophical.
As it evolved, it challenged the ways that humans looked at the very world they lived in.
Theatre presented stories told in a myriad of styles. They were religious, secular, dramatic, comedic, classical, neoclassical, romantic, revolutionary, critical, liturgical, mysterious, miraculous, moral, Elizabethan, Jacobean, stormy, stress[y], realistic, naturalistic, surealistic, symbolic, expressionist, dadaist, cruel, epic, commercial, regional, existential, absurd, environmental, multi-media, musical, experimental, alternative, government-subsidized, poor, good and bad.....and every single culture around the world, in one form or another has done it!
Theatre has been around since man woke up with an imagination and had to express an idea to another man.
The year was 1997. I was living in Bridgewater, NJ where I attended high school. My guidance counselor had an unrelenting, obsessive desire to get me to go to New York City and see a Broadway play. I never did. But my mother did get me to attend the Crossroads Theater in the nearby town of New Brunswick. She had me get all dressed up in a suit and tie; I had to wonder to myself "what is the point of all of this?"
I was never really into theatre. Sure, I was in a high school play three years earlier (my freshman year) and had taken two drama classes, but it was a means to an end. I wanted to be in film. Idid theatre because there was no such thing as a film class in high school. It was the only thing I could do in order to act. As far as my sixteen-year-old mind was concerned, theatre was only for homosexuals and...
It's only halfway done and 2008 has proven to be a big year. A lot of progress has been made thus far. Sure the world around me is in a state of disarray: presidential elections going through their usual song and dance, gas prices still rising (although that barely affects me as I commute via public transportation), floods in Iowa, celebrities facing jail time (as if I cared). But my career is finally up and moving.
From January through the end of May, I've been busier than ever. The year opened with me snagging a light board operator position with the brand new Uncorked Productions and their inaugural production of Closer. What a dynamic experience that was. Working with director Brenda Cook ["Curious New Voices"]; actors Ed Cord [Curious Theatre company's For Better], Trina Magness [Listen Productions' Macbeth], L. Corwin Christie [Germinal Stage's A Touch of the Poet]and Todd Webster (with whom I previously worked with on Right On, America!- an interesting show that crashed and burned, but he did well with Curious Theatre Company's The Dead Guy); designers Brian Freeland (sound & projections), Jen Orf (lights) and Tina Anderson (set). It was a Denver...
I never liked Colorado. I'm here because I' sort of stuck here at the moment. Soon, that shall change.
Ironically, as a member of the Colorado Theatre Guild, I'm able to see what's going on in theatre all across the state. I check season listings from time to time, just to see what's going on. It hit me today that something is remarkably amiss.
I'm not a big fan of Colorado Theatre. I've viewed it as highly limited over the last couple of years. When I was in college (here) I was unaware that Colorado even had theatre beyond DCPA (Denver Center for Performing Arts). I gradually saw that Colorado had more to offer: Curious Theatre Company, The Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Creede Repertory Theatre, Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, Denver Civic Theatre, The Aurora Fox, Country Dinner Playhouse, The Bug Theatre, The Avenue Theatre; those are the biggest we have across the state. All but two of those are in the Denver Metro area.
I've followed reviews of shows since then; motivated primarily by wanting to see the reviews of whatever show I happen to be working on at the time. Following Denver Post...
