The Imagination Blog

The show is over. It was a huge success, a fabulous collaboration that got rave reviews from all who came.  My actors surpassed my wildest wishes, in short, it was great!  The King and I has just completed a record breaking sold out run and I’m going to Disneyworld!  Well maybe not today… today I’m sleeping and eating and writing thank you notes; and missing everybody.

What do you do when a show is over?  Well if you’re like me you realize that you are suddenly faced with empty evenings and it feels very strange.  The making of a performance fills your life.  When I am directing I am either at the theatre or thinking about being at the theatre, creating lists in my head, reviewing what happened the evening before….any number of things related to the current love of my life…the show I’m working on. And then it’s over… you and your great love just broke up.  Your family moved and left no forwarding address……

Anyone who lives this will tell you that this is the actor’s life- ephemeral- which makes it all the more precious.   When a group of people come together to create a performance something magical happens for a time, but the magic has to end and we have to go on to the next show, our day job or whatever our day to day lives brings.  Luckily we go back enriched, and this is why we return again and again to create this thing we call theatre.

I warned the parents of the children in our show about this – I figured the adults already know.  I cautioned them to remember that their children will feel especially lonely for each other.  At the cast party one of our tiniest little girls demonstrated it at the end of the evening.  An older child who had often played with her came up and announced “I’m leaving now”.  Our little Katie had been dancing up and down beaming- suddenly she burst into tears.  Great sobs shook her little body and tears streamed down her face.  The masks of comedy and tragedy played out before my very eyes.  And there it was- this little girl showing all of us what we have been doing- giving our all, sharing our emotions, throwing ourselves into the mix in order to create something together that has meaning- something important that we love- and it’s over!!

Beginnings and endings (dare I quote another King) are part of the circle of life.  I’ve already started work on a fall show, getting the details in place…but I have to admit that I spend part of each day looking at King and I pictures, talking to King and I cast on Facebook and doing any number of things that allows me to gently put down the work I’ve just finished and move on.  I know that this show, like every show I’ve done, will always be a part of me.  I learned and grew doing it, made wonderful friendships, laughed and cried together with folks I really treasure.  Thank you all for supporting me, challenging me and changing me.

I close with heartfelt thanks to the incredible cast and crew of the King and I who gave up their lives for a time to become something more…

Cory

I’ve named this post kaleidoscope- because that is what my life as a director feels like right now- a kaleidoscope of images, impressions, memories and emotions that keeps shifting into beautiful patterns.  Preview night is the first pattern- and it includes nervous jitters, panic moments and moments of laughing out loud.  Vivid pictures slide through my kaleidoscope view screen – the beauty of the ballet- a painting in gold and light thanks to our talented lighting designer Theresa Ridge- the joy of the children thanks to our dear neighbors from Country Meadows who came bearing gifts- small gold wrapped packages for our young actors.  (When I told the children they literally jumped for joy) And then the children accepting their gifts- even our littlest three year olds accepted the presents with a perfect bow of respect.  Then there is our Anna(Patty Cole) and the King (Roger Lentz) - a joy to watch together.  They pull me into the kaleidoscope and I fall in love with this story all over again.   Another image slides into view- our preview night audience spontaneously on their feet applauding the show- a standing ovation at preview night?  Wow!  That’s a memory I will never forget.

Next my kaleidoscope shows our opening night- a swirl of nervous energy. More jitters for my cast, exhaustion from the final polish times, sheer joy from the energy of the crowd and beautiful images from the show.  What entertainment!  Even our stage crew is costumed and changes the scenery in character as royal slaves.

The kaleidoscope of a musical - I see an image of the sign that says “sold out” yippee!  Then I see backstage- folks lined up at makeup tables coloring their hair, chatting about their day.  Funny image as well- my assistant director Megan and myself trying to paint out dark circles under our eyes so we can do our curtain speech looking bright and chipper – a steady stream of our male actors coming to us to ask “how can I get this eye liner off when I get out of here tonight?”  Our fantastic stage manager Jen Feldser carrying around her emergency bag of candy….  I’m convinced our light and sound equipment runs on gummi bears- not electricity!

Then there are the joyous images again. Cast members giving each other little gifts to celebrate, laughter, hugs,  and through it all our costumer Drenda and assistant Barb calmly sewing, sewing, sewing…making the endless repairs and refinements our hundreds of costumes require. All of us are busy avoiding saying what is on everyone’s mind  “do you think they’ll like us?”  and then the response of the crowd- they laughed, applauded, shed a tear- and lept to their feet at the end when Anna and the King bowed.  They liked us!!!

Sometimes people ask me why I do this…now you know.

Life is definitely heating up with King and I in it’s final rehearsals, so I have had little time to write.  My husband is a saint.. but that’s another story.  Although I have few breathing spaces at the moment in which to reflect,  today is one of them, so here goes…

As I think about the show and where we are I can’t stop a big smile from spreading across my face.  What a fantastic show we have!  A living breathing Siam has come to life peopled with wonderful characters.  I know a show is good when the production staff begin to watch it more than comment on it.  I find myself drawn in to this show in that way.  I forget to think about the acting and enjoy the story.  That is the acid test- and the goal of all theatre.  Theatre works best when people can lay aside their own thoughts  for just a few moments and suspend disbelief to be drawn up in another’s life.   When this happens the actors have been successful in creating someone so real that we forget for just a moment they are pretending.

Often as a director I am asked “So how’s the show?”  For this show I can easily answer “Great!” but it is not enough.  I would need to say “enchanting” or “transporting” or more… it has become a work of art.   When I held the first parent/full cast meeting I told the gathered people that this was our goal.  To go beyond rehearsing a play into the realm of making art.  And we have done it!

What is art?  Art to me is about beauty and about expression.  It is about capturing a truth about the human experience.  It is about something that becomes more than the sum of it’s parts.  Art is about creation and sometimes co-creation.

Our King and I has become art.  A true co-creation of many, many kinds of artists.  During the entire process of the show we have made decisions about the characters, the set, the costumes, the lights,  the meaning of the play- through collaboration.  The actors have had full voice in what happens to them and my staff has had full voice as well.  I am very proud that this show  has steered through the delicate task of blending many people’s best work to grow into something beautiful that belongs to all of us:  Cory, Megan, Bill, Jon, Eric, Jen, Drenda, Carlton, Roger, Theresa, Baron AND all 60 cast members created this beautiful art.

If you are reading this and you are one of my wonderful staff thank you!  If you are reading this and you are a parent, spouse or significant other of a cast member thank you!  And if you are reading this and are new to Hershey Area Playhouse- run, don’t walk to get your tickets to a wonderful experience!