Happy New Year!
One of the greatest joys for me in 2014 is the success of the College Collaboration Project. I am grateful for all of the artists' contributions. I am grateful for friends that I have known for decades that I have been able to work with and introduce to one another. I am grateful to the artists and collaborators I met though this project that have fully shared themselves on this journey.
As we turn the page toward a new year we are also half way through with the process of developing the play. Here are a few things I have learned:
- It is a privilege to be able to focus on one play for 15 months.
- Other people's passion and interest keeps the process exciting.
- More time in the rehearsal room with the writer is valuable for everyone involved.
- The play is a tool for growth.
- The production of a play is only part of the product of a play.
- Partnerships/collaborations outside of the 'theater' increase the impact of the play tenfold.
- Personal investment is the most valuable contribution.
- Everyone has other projects.
- "I have to fix the end" means something earlier isn't adding up to what was the desired impact of the whole.
- There is always more to learn.
Grateful for the rehearsals and production at Centre College to kick off 2015. Lindsay and I received a thorough and thoughtful email from director Patrick Kagen-Moore. The email was investigative, inquisitive, and personal. The ensemble, like Ashland, identify with the characters and are all committed to bringing them to life as fully as possible. They also share a commitment to taking the play to the next level and asking the difficult questions.
Set designer Matt Hallock shared a rendering of the set. It captures the familial/lived in feeling of the house as well as having a feeling of emptiness and neglect. I am also excited to see how the design for the second production matches the maturation of the text.
I am grateful that we were able to have Lindsay go out to Centre College in January for part of the rehearsal process. I look forward to sharing the discoveries during her visit and throughout the process.
We wish you the best in 2015.
Talk with you soon.
Padraic
