PARADE at the Mark Taper

A very well done production of PARADE at the Mark Taper. J.R. Knight is terrific as Leo Frank and the supporting cast delivers as well.

This production makes you think and is a "serious" musical. It reminded me of a production of RICHARD CORY that I produced at NYMF back in 2005 - and the struggle to get something "serious" to be produced on a large scale. Even though we won the NYMF Best Musical Award and sold out our limited engagement we have been unable to give it a life it deserves on Broadway. Launching "serious" musicals can be very difficult for many reasons: 1) Not many folks in this economic climate want to spend $80-$150 bucks to be depressed; 2) No commercial producer wants to risk millions of dollars on a "serious" show that will not appeal to the younger market (the ones who ask their parents to buy them tickets over and over again, i.e. Wicked) 3) No not-for-profit theater has any money at all to risk right now - they are just trying to make payroll if they haven't already closed their doors. Just those reasons alone make me depressed and in need of an entertaining "forget your troubles" musical!

But thoughtful pieces must continue to be done, and we have to continue to find a way to make it happen. If this economic climate is indeed about to change, and I hope it is, perhaps we will all want to start "thinking" again - and not just get through the day whistling happy tunes to distract us through our 60 hour work week!

dreampeddler

ANITA BRYANT DIED FOR YOUR SINS - West Coast Ensemble

Was at the opening night of Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins at the West Coast Ensemble Theater. It was my favorite play I've seen this year, and probably the best play I've seen since August, Osage County. I simply can't recommend this show enough. It is pure joy - funny, touching, smart and did I say funny?

Written by Brian Christopher Williams, he takes you through the coming of age of Horace Poore from 1969 - 1977 in lightening speed while sprinkling in the backdrop of the nation's political upheaval of the time. His writing is funny, economical and smart. But by the time you reach the end of the play you are fully invested in the characters he has carefully developed and you can't help but root for them all.

The center of the action and the heart of this play is the character of Horace. It requires an actor of extraordinary talents to drive this show and Wyatt Fenner is more than up to the task. A fellow graduate of the University of Southern California BFA program he draws you in with his charm and disarms you with his ability to deliver a sophisticated barb disguised in naivete.

The rest of the cast is equally sharp and delivers a true ensemble performance. There really is not a misstep in any performance. A nod also goes out the the director, Richard Israel. The show moves so quickly through time that it requires a very sure hand at the helm. Mr. Israel keeps the pace moving and never lets the action get stuck or linger in caricature.

The show is scheduled to go through Oct. 4th, but go see it as soon as you can. It certainly bears repeated watching.

Dreampeddler

Light in the Piazza - El Portal

Saw an absolutely wonderful production of Light in the Piazza last night. Run and go see it if you can as they only have 4 more shows this weekend before it closes. Stephanie Wall as Clara is just terrific as the slightly off daughter. Her demeanor is just perfect for the challenge of portraying an emotionally underdeveloped girl in a woman's body. Mary Donnelly Haskel who plays the mother is also a terrific actress. You can see her heartfelt struggle to stop protecting her fragile daughter and let her go into the world of the unknown. Blake McIver Ewing is also very charming as Fabrizio and the rest of the cast delivers as well.

As I sat there watching, I kept thinking, just look at what talented performers can do with rich material. After seeing so many shows where the talent is on stage but the material is just not very good - it was refreshing to see such a wonderfully crafted show embodied by a talented cast. You simply could not help but get drawn into the storytelling. That is what great theatre is all about.

Link to buy tickets to the show is here. Use the code FACEBOOK for discounts.

Dreampeddler

Email Marketing - Do It

I have been doing quite a lot of email marketing for various theaters out here in LA - and it works. It is cheap (check out Constant Contact as one source) and it is direct to the folks who are interested in your theater. Let's face it, it is getting harder and harder to find sources for funding and the first thing in the budget that gets cut is advertising. Big mistake. You have to get the word out, you just have to be more creative in doing so.

There are more options out there in the social marketing arena (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) but at the very least, get out those emails to your list. And if you don't have a list, start creating one now. Ask people to sign up after one of your shows or load up your personal contacts to get started. If you use Constant Contact, you can add a feature to your current website just to sign up for your email list - and they provide templates to start with that are easily adaptable to include your logo, colors and integrate great production shots of your shows.

If you don't have the time, hire someone to help. That's what we're here for.

The Apple Tree - Stephanie Fredricks

Hey everybody,

So Steph is getting incredible reviews out here in The Apple Tree. She is doing it at the Crown City Theatre in the Valley. They broke up the 3 act piece so that each act has its own director and leads. Steph stars in act 3 as Ella/Passionella. If you are out here in LA, definitely go see the show. Truly a lot of fun.

Check out her reveiews at:

Backstage

TolucanTimes

NoHoArtsDistrict

StageSceneLA

DonGrigware

To tweet or not to tweet - that is the question.

Okay, so I'm jumping on the Twitter bandwagon for 2 reasons. 1 - it seems kinda cool and you've got to stay with the communication times and 2 - if Twitter dies out, something like it will replace it. Let's face it, communication has been changed forever with this Internet thing. Heck, right now I'm posting this to my blogsite right from my blackberry while riding into the office where I'll check in on the redesign of my new project www.2MinutesWith.com which we are putting up using wordpress, an open source blogging software available for anyone to use for FREE. It's crazy out there just trying to keep up with it all. So my new goal is this - use my east coast mentality of jumping on mass transit to utilize the west coast problem of hours stuck in traffic to spend more time on the little screen to investigate all things digital. This is nuts. Gotta go get the iPhone so at least I can rock out while I break my thumbs!

Dreampedlr

No Way to Treat a Lady

Things have been quiet on the producing front for many producers out there. The economic climate is still pretty tight. However, every producer I'm talking to these days is open to partnerships and figuring out way to get things done. It hasn't always been this way. It used to be very difficult to get partnerships formed because everyone was trying to make the best deal or preserve their negotiating position. The dialogue now is much more open with most everyone sharing budget information and a real effort to make deals that help everyone involved. It is encouraging to see.

Off to see No Way to Treat a Lady at the Colony Theater in Burbank. I'll let you know how it is...

dreampeddler