It is not a privilege.

Dear Baltimore Sun,

I am not privileged to have you cover the work that I do. I am a theatre artist, I survive with or without you. I will do my art whether or not you cover me. You can't survive without people reading you, well guess what, you lost one more.

Until the Baltimore Sun starts to give the Baltimore Theatre Community the respect that it deserves, I want nothing to do with it.

What sparked this new influx of hatred of the Baltimore Sun?

I submitted a letter (via email) to the editor last night of the Baltimore Sun. You can find it here. Today I got an email back from the Letters Editor asking me to contact them to verify the letter was indeed real and what the "nature of your involvement with this issue". Called, left a message. Got a call back and it all when down hill from there.

He asked me my involvement, I told him I'm working with one of the actors of Take Me Out in my current show and that I direct in town. I also act, produce, do make-up, etc. He then said it was odd that they had just got a letter the other day talking about how angry they were with the Sun about the nudity and how I was praising them (don't remember the exact wording). I was like "What?!?" Apparently he missed the first part where I said I was outraged and angered by the article.

As I made my position on the play clear and how they obviously missed the boat on the opportunity to discuss the plays ever-relevant themes, he actually said to me "shouldn't I be happy that the Sun featured a community theatre piece?" I told him no, because of the way that they did it. I once again said all they focused on was the nudity, not the themes that are playing out in American politics right this second.

Well needless to say I don't think they are going to run it. Oh well. Fuck the Sun Papers, they aren't worth all this heartache. Time to make some art!

8/30/08 - As of today they have not run the letter.

My Letter to the Baltimore Sun

"Outrage by the Sun's obsession with nudity"

Dear Editor,

I want to express my anger and revulsion towards the article that Ms. McCauley wrote on August 24, 2008 entitled “A diamond in the buff”.

As a local theatre artist in Baltimore, I was outraged, I was appalled and most of all I was disappointed that the Sun would discredit a play that was nominated for a Pulitzer and is Tony award winning. It was made clear by the Sun that it does not have the time to cover "community" theatre productions. I was excited and hopeful that such a wonderful play had caught the attention of the Sun, at least until I read the article. The play is not about nudity, yet Ms. McCauley's article made that the main focus. The nudity is not gratuitous; it makes sense in the action of the play. If they were in the locker room and did not change, then you mess with the world of the play and would disconnect you with your audience.

By sensationalizing the small amount of nudity (only 10 minutes in Ms. McCauley's words), you discredit the work that these actors do. You do a disservice to the courage that these actors have to take on such themes and portray them with vigor and vulnerability. You cast a shadow on the Baltimore Theatre Community.

I appreciate that the Sun took the time to examine a "community" theatre piece, but I am also shocked that during an election year and right before the Democratic National Convention, that your writer would completely pass over the metaphor for American Democracy. You missed the chance to explore how theatre is a reflection society's feelings and how the racism and bigotry that are rampant in this piece play a role in American politics. We are on the verge of a new era in politics and this play discusses themes that will play out in this election more than they ever have before. America has the chance to have its first African American president and you brush over a play that uses the game of baseball to discuss those issues. In the future when you choose to grace community theatre with your presence, make it about the work we do, not about basic human anatomy.

From Take Me Out:
"Baseball is better than democracy -- or at least democracy as it's practiced in this country -- because, unlike democracy, baseball acknowledges loss" and "Democracy is lovely, but baseball is more mature."

Lynn Morton
Baltimore, MD

Commitment

So working on Helena Troy has been fantastic. The cast has been really amazing and super fun to work with. I've learned a lot about myself and how people work together.

So we have the honor of performing at the Page-to-Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center this Labor Day and now one of the actors has told us today that they will not be able to make it. WTF?

I really don't want to talk shit about anyone, but I'm a little peeved, especially since earlier in the week they had me find out our time slot because this person wanted to attend a Labor Day barbecue with friends. I don't want to get into anymore specifics, but this does prompt me to talk about commitment.

Commitment is defined as an act of committing to a charge or trust. To commit is to obligate or pledge oneself.

To commit yourself to a production means that you are there for the duration. I understand that this is a group of volunteers that are doing this for the pure love of theatre, but that does not mean that your commitment should not be just as strong as someone who is getting paid to be there. You accepted the role, now follow-thru on what you said you were going to do. You disrespect the production and your fellow cast and crew by backing out of something that had been planned since the process started. You disrespect yourself and violate your own integrity. It is not okay to give last minute notice saying that you will not be able to make a performance that had been previously scheduled.

If there is one thing that Rich's play taught me it is "no matter how much you love the theatre, it will never love you back." Let me just say, he totally nailed that one.

8/28/08 - Update before I'm off to rehearsal. The lovely actor who had conflict problems has rearranged their schedule to join us at the Kennedy Center. I appreciate this actor living up to their commitment that they made. It shows true integrity to follow-through.

Watch, A Haunting - First Read-Thru

So tonight was the first read-thru for the show I'm directing at The Strand - Watch, A Haunting by Molly Rice. I've mentioned it before, but thought I'd say it again in case you forgot (or for my own vanity, who knows?).

I'm super happy with the casting choices I've made AND the girl that I cast as Jenny read the part of Granny. She did really wonderfully tonight and I think she's talented enough to handle the dual roles. So I'm pleased to say... I'M DONE WITH CASTING! :)

Casting done, check. Figuring out how to pull this all off, up next.

Also, super exciting! If you live in Baltimore, or within a reasonable distance, I invite you to make your Halloween plans now and attend the Free for Baltimore night at the Strand on October 31st (Yes, that's Halloween!). We will be putting on a free show of Watch at the Strand and will be having an old skool Halloween party. Think bobbing for apples, peeled grapes and wet spaghetti! Super fun and what better than a ghost story at a haunted theatre with fun festivities afterwards?

P.S. The Strand has a blog as well. Visit it, comment and keep up with whats going on at the Strand. So far it seems like a really great theater with a strong purpose and a strong mission, which I totally respect.

BTAd - Baltimore Theatre Advocates

Okay, so I'm still fired up about the article. Which I guess is good in that artistic, inspiring me to change things kind of a way; but I'm still pissy and bitter about it.

So as a way to "rally the troops" I created a Facebook Group called Baltimore Theatre Advocates (BTAd). The mission is to create a clear and concise viewpoint from the Baltimore Theatre Community on issues that affect the work that we do. I hope that people will help me speak out and gain back the respect that the Baltimore Theatre Community deserves.

Baltimore Theatre Advocates (BTAd) Facebook Group

If you have a facebook account I encourage you to join. I'm hoping that as a community of artists we can create a clear and collective voice that Baltimore will be proud of.

More importantly though... If you have read "the" article, comment about how you feel, whether you agree with me or not. I just think the focus of nudity is absurd and disrespectful. If you disagree with me, please say so.

I want the community at large to have a voice as a collective. What I don't want is to have everyone just rally behind what I say, I want the voice to be that of the community, spawned from the community.

I'm a little insulted.

I almost don't want to write on this topic because I don't want to bring anymore attention (or website hits) to her article, but I feel I have something to say.

"A diamond in the buff" By Mary Carole McCauley (I have not been given official permission to link to the article yet)
Baltimore Sun, 8/24/08

A clever title for an article that really isn't smart enough to go beyond the superficial, 5th grade health class mentality of "oh my god, that a boy has a penis." I hate to break it to her, but that is basic anatomy that my boyfriend's 7-year old son has known for years.

26 direct references to nudity in an article that is smaller than the picture printed.

Is it just me or is this a little immature of the Sun's writer? As a director newer to Baltimore, is this the kind of press I can look forward to reading about the shows I direct? (if it gets any coverage at all)

Why is there such a focus on nudity? Is that really what's important to this story? It barely mentions the themes of homophobia and racial bigotry that are rife throughout. It is a critique of American Democracy and how our hatred runs through it. Or are those topics just too intense for Sun readers? (I don't think so, but hey, in theatre we believe that are audiences are smarter than that. We trust them.)

Are men changing in a locker room and baring all really more important than the purpose of theatre?

You may ask what I mean by that... I fully believe the purpose of theatre is to hold up a mirror to society and reflect the ugliness and hatred that runs so rampant in our world. We kill, we rape, we maim. The theatre gives us a chance to sit in a quiet place and reflect on what we do. How we harm others and ourselves. It gives us the chance to say I'm sorry. It gives us the chance for redemption.

Ms. McCauley's article does nothing but play against the puritanical roots that still infect the way people think today to grab the reader's attention and trivialize the commitment that actors, directors and designers make to the local Baltimore theatre scene. Let me remind her, that not all actors that pound the boards of theaters other than Centerstage and Everyman are "average joes with day jobs", some are working actors that choose to stay non-union and volunteer their time and their skill because of their pure love for the craft. Not to say that being an average joe with a day job isn't just as admirable, because it is. Baltimore theatre can't survive without the commitment that the entire community makes.

Working in the local theatres, I feel trivialized; like what I do doesn't matter because I don't do it on a Equity stage. But I shouldn't feel that way because the community/fringe world does things that equity would never do. We take risks, we take chances. You don't have to be established or a known quantity to work in B-more theatre. You just have to have a passion for what you do and the talent to back it up. In a town with 2 Equity stages and (at last I heard) about 75 local theatre companies, you'd think the Baltimore Sun and Ms. McCauley would respect the passion that our community has for what we do. We dedicate our lives to the art we make and we want to be respected for that. At a time when movies and TV are killing theatre audiences, the theatre community in Baltimore gives the masses at large an alternative to the mind-numbing b.s. we see everyday on TV and like I said before, it gives people the chance for redemption.

I'm severely disappointed that the Baltimore press treats the community that I have quickly come to embrace as my own in such a disgraceful way. Next time they finally decide to do an article on a "community" theatre in Baltimore, I hope the actually discuss the plays themes and don't get blinded by basic human anatomy.


P.S. Ms. McCauley should take a hint from some other reviewers around the country...

NY Times, a classy way to handle the subject of nudity on Broadway.
The Pittsburgh Tribune did it right as well.
The Seattle PI saw the nudity as normal to the story and therefore didn't even mention it.

And a big break a leg to the Eight Men Out cast! I applaud you for your courage to take on such vulnerable roles and do it with grace and maturity.

After show rituals...

So last night was the beginning of the second week of Helena Troy by Rich Espey at Spotlighters Theatre. The cast will normally go out after the show for a few drinks, but I don't drink so I don't normally go with them. Though last night I felt like getting out for a little bit before heading home.

Honestly, I missed going out with theatre people after rehearsal. It's almost like a ritualistic bonding that happens between casts where we talk and converse, being ourselves, instead of focusing on what character choices we are making. It can actually be about us, it doesn't have to be about the work. Though as when any group that has something in common, the talk eventually came around to the show and which Wizard of Oz character their Helena Troy character was most like. Being the stage manager I was dubbed the wizard, and of course the lead was Dorothy.

It reminded me of when I always used to go out with my friends from school when we were done with rehearsal. I've always seemed to have separate groups of friends that never really crossed over at all. My theatre friends were spectacular, but unless I was working on a show, I didn't see them.

What actors do after shows is crucial in the ensemble building. We read the only review on the show to date over cocktails, soda and appetizers. We laughed, commented and shared how we felt about the review. What we thought the reviewer got right, what he didn't and what we felt we wished he had covered.

It was a good night and though the cast and I are close, I feel that brought us together even more. I appreciate those times where you can really just connect with a group of people you respect.

P.S. Even though I have an amazing job, I applied for the Marketing Director position at Everyman. Wish me luck!

Casting Woes

So this is the inaugural season at The Strand Theater in Baltimore and I was chosen to direct the 2nd show in the season, Watch, A Haunting by Molly Rice. It is the very interesting and innovative script. Here is the description from The Strand's website:

Watch, A Haunting, centers around a young girl named VI living with her neurotic mother and elderly grandmother. Never fitting in, VI spends most of her time in her room or supplementing her lack of friends with food. VI does have a special talent, a talent of seeing people that others cannot. When she befriends a girl that no one else can see, her mother quickly makes an appointment with a PHD who may be after a Pulitzer, rather than providing any real help. Is VI crazy? Or is she simply able to “see dead people…?”

So we held auditions this past Sunday. There was a pretty good turn out, we even had a 10-year old show up (which I really wasn't expecting). I found my lead and found a bunch of talented actresses and one actor that I think would round out the cast nicely.

On a side note - when auditioning, please remove your purse, especially if it has keys that jingle during the entire audition. It does nothing for you or the person you are auditioning with.

Well the Artistic Director sent out notices asking the people I cast if they would like to do the show, sent them a script, etc. I believe pretty much everyone accepted, except there are a few scheduling conflicts which made people have to drop out. Well with the age ranges I have in the show, I have now had to skew all the casting younger. Luckily the woman I cast as the 10-year old girl can look super super young, so I think I can get away with having a 30-year old mom. Then there is the issue of the grandmother. I have someone that is in the next age bracket up from the woman I cast as the mom, but 1. I don't want to insult her by casting her as the grandmother (she really is more of a mom age) and 2. I'm going to have to age her a bit to help make the age gap look wider than it is.

We'll see what happens, if everyone accepts and what not. If not, back to the drawing board...

P.S. I also signed up for the Actor's Center conference in D.C. in mid-late September. I'm kind of excited to get back on my feet and awaken some of those skills that are collecting dust on the shelf. I start the day with a yoga session (always a must have for me), then an improv class (much needed), voice-over, stage combat and then finally a chekov class. I'll let you know how it goes.