In Memoriam - Andy McCutcheon

Posted by Bruce Miller
A dear friend of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV died on February 12, 2012, after a relatively short battle with cancer. He was 84 years young, and sharp as a tack. Although he's been very involved for at least 20 years, many of you may not know him. Not only did he not seek the limelight, when special recognition was offered to him, he frequently, respectfully declined.

His name was Andy McCutcheon, and he was an unusually active and committed Board spouse. His wife Charlotte served on the Theatre IV Board for a couple decades, and Andy was always there, by her side, at every Opening Night, every fundraiser, every Coffee & Conversations program, every trip to NYC or London ... you get the drift.

Andy and Charlotte have been subscribers and contributors for as long as I can remember. But as much as we valued that support, that's not what we loved. We loved the friendship, the genuine caring, the gazillion laughs we shared, the cards and prayers that were immediately forthcoming when one of us or one of them hit the proverbial rough patch.

Andy was a college football player, a WWII Navy veteran, and an award-winning sportswriter for the Richmond News Leader. His heartfelt, impassioned liberalism gave him an abiding interest in politics. He left his career in journalism to serve as executive assistant to two Congressmen. Catching the attention of the Kennedy family, he was hand-picked to be the special assistant to Sargent Shriver at the U. S. Office of Economic Opportunity, overseeing a vital jobs program. Then he was drafted to run for Congress himself, trying to unseat Republican incumbent William L. Scott. Believing that if you're going to do something you'd better do it all the way, Andy and Charlotte depleted their family savings to fight the good fight against their better funded opponent. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, Andy lost the election.

In the Times-Dispatch, Randy Hallman quoted Charlotte: "We knew it was coming, but it was a great experience. Andy said it was as good as getting a Ph.D."

After his brush with politics, Andy was hired by Reynolds Metals Co. as a marketing and recycling officer. He also headed their government relations department, rising to the rank of Vice President. When family scion J. Sargeant Reynolds Sr. ran successfully for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Andy took a year off from his corporate career to serve as Campaign Manager. The Reynolds family so embraced Andy's commitment, values and work that, after his retirement, he was one of the very few non-family members asked to serve on the Board of one of the Reynolds' family foundations. He also was on call as speech-writer whenever one or another of the Reynolds' clan was asked to deliver a public presentation about their family's business and political heritage.

Truth be told, we always thought Andy was all ours. His commitment and attention were so focused, he made you feel that way. It was nice to be reminded in his obituary that he had also served as President of the Metro Richmond YMCA, on the Boards of the Library of Virginia and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Foundation, on the Screening Committee of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, as an active alum of Washington and Lee, and as a Trustee at St. Matthew's Episcopal.

We will miss Andy more that I can express in this blog. For those of you who didn't know him, he was an exceptional man--smart, kind, well spoken, a big forceful man's man with a true compassion for those less fortunate. He also loved theatre, and we loved him back.

Our hearts go out to our dear Charlotte. We will dedicate our upcoming production of Scorched Earth to Andy's memory--a perfect fit. And we will try our best to honor the legacy that he left for us and for everyone else in our diverse community.

--Bruce Miller

Thanks to My Fair Cast

Posted by Bruce Miller
There's an old saw that goes "Nine tenths of directing is casting"--the point being that if a director is fortunate enough to be able to cast the right actors in the right roles, everything else sort of takes care of itself. Of course, this is overly simplistic crazy talk. Yeah. But it's also kinda true.

In my own experience, I'm reminded of Do Lord Remember Me, Crimes of the Heart, The Normal Heart, The Little Foxes, Boleros for the Disenchanted, and the Smoke on the Mountain trilogy. Somehow I wound up with perfect, surprising, wonderful casts in each of those shows, and my job in rehearsals became refreshingly joyful and easy.

The same is true with My Fair Lady. Will any theatre anywhere have a more perfect cast for this irreplacable classic? I don't think so. Of course, these are the words of a lovesick director so they cannot be trusted. Most of you already know to take this and everything I ever write with a grain of salt. If you didn't know that before, you now have been so advised.

Having admitted that, here's some gospel truth you can take to the bank. Any stage director who has the privilege to work with Stacey Cabaj, Joe Inscoe, Jason Marks, Suzanne Pollard, Matthew Costello, Lauren Leinhaas Cook and Ben Houghton should count him/herself blessed. And having a supporting cast that includes Brian Baez, Andy Boothby, Dawn Hall, Robin Harris, Michael Hawke, Maggie Horan, Christie Jackson, Paul Major, Mark Persinger, Russell Rowland, Ali Thibodeau, Alana Thomas, Durron Tyre and Ingrid Young ... well, that's just an embarrassment of riches.

Not only are these people talented, experienced and smart, they're fun to be around, they expect serious and focused work from each other, and they give every moment of rehearsal and performance everything they've got.

The show is going great guns, and prompting among the most enthusiastic audience feedback (phone calls, emails etc.) that I've ever encountered. These are the first people I need to thank. And I do so, now, with a full and happy heart.

--Bruce Miller

"A Year with Frog and Toad" Set to Open This Friday

Posted by Bruce Miller
Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV have been working in official strategic collaboration since July 1, 2001--just over ten years. While some may think of us as one company--both nonprofits have spent over a decade sharing a common staff--in several important ways our two theatres have maintained their individual identities throughout every day of the last 124 months. Barksdale and Theatre IV continue to operate with separate missions, Boards, seasons, budgets, assets, audits, development campaigns, and brands.

In some ways, it's hard to believe that our two theatres have been in courtship mode for over a decade and we've yet to bring our two theatres together. Chalk it up to devotion and commitment. In reality, the powers that be at Barksdale are so strongly in love with their legacy and mission to adult audiences, and the powers that be at Theatre IV are so completely dedicated to their legacy and mission to children, families and schools, everyone is still trying to find the right way and time to come together.

If and when the engagement is formally announced and the date of the wedding is set, "we" will be a new company with an unsurpassed commitment to adult audiences and an equally strong dedication to kids and education. If you look closely at nonprofit theatres around the nation, that profile is amazingly rare.

Our next demonstration of our belief in children, families and schools opens this Friday at Willow Lawn. A Year with Frog and Toad is itself unique, in that it was the first all-out children's theatre musical to be produced on Broadway, based of course on one of America's favorite series of children's books.

Arnold Lobel (1933 - 1987), creator of the Frog and Toad series, was one of our nation's greatest children's book authors and illustrators. He wrote and illustrated 30 books (two published posthumously), and illustrated an additional 42 books by other authors. His works include the beloved Frog and Toad series (1970 - 1979), plus Owl at Home (1975), Mouse Soup (1977), Fables (1980, Caldecott Medal winner), and Ming Lo Moves the Mountain (1982).

Willie Reale, who wrote the book and lyrics for the musical, is a playwright and lyricist who often works with his brother Robert. He is a major creative force behind the 2009 revival of The Electric Company on PBS. In 1981, he founded NYC's 52nd Street Project, a nonprofit that brought inner-city children together with professional theatre artists to create new work. In 1992, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship ("genius grant") for that accomplishment. In 2006, he was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) for his lyrics for Patience from the film of Dreamgirls.

Robert Reale, Willie's brother who created the music for A Year with Frog and Toad, is a composer with a long list of credits in film, TV and theatre, creating the original music heard on Good Morning America, Primetime, 20/20, and Inside Edition. In 2003, the Reale brothers received a Tony Award nomination for their score for A Year with Frog and Toad.

Arnold Lobel died when he was 54 years old, and his daughter, acclaimed scenic designer Adrianne Lobel, committed herself to extending the life of his work. She had graduated from the Yale School of Drama, where she studied with iconic designer Ming Cho Lee. While continuing her own career creating world-renowned sets for Arena Stage, the Guthrie Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, PBS Great Performances, and the Metropolitan Opera, she posthumously published the final two books in her father's beloved Frog and Toad series. She also commissioned the musical based on her father's characters. She designed the sets, basing her work on her father's original creations.

The musical was workshopped in 2000 at Vassar College, and later produced by the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. It transferred to Off-Broadway at the New Victory Theatre in 2002, playing to good reviews and sold-out houses.

A Year with Frog and Toad opened on Broadway on April 13, 2003. The show is credited with breaking new ground by bringing professional children's theatre to Broadway for the first time. It's success enabled the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis to become the first children's theatre in the nation to receive the prestigious regional theatre Tony Award in 2003.

We hope you'll join us for this delightful show--truly a holiday treat for the whole family.

Richmond is blessed to host visits from touring productions of family shows like Wicked, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. We are equally blessed, and I believe this with all my heart, to be the home town of a major professional theatre that cares just as much about children and education as we do about national caliber productions for adults.

Using any and all criteria for excellence, The Velveteen Rabbit was one of my favorite productions of the year last season. I'm really looking forward to spending some time this holiday season with some of the most lovable and cherished animals you'll find on any Virginia stage.

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Goodbye to "Becky" & "Kimberly"; Hello "Frog and Toad"

Posted by Bruce Miller
On Friday of this week, we'll open one of our two Broadway for the Holidays musicals, A Year with Frog and Toad, directed by Steve Perigard and choreographed by Leslie Owens Harrington. This is one of those times when we can shout out "Fun for the Whole Family" and really mean it. Please make plans today to treat your children and grandchildren to this joyous classic.

On Saturday evening, we will celebrate the final performance of Kimberly Akimbo, and on Sunday we'll bid a fond farewell to Becky's New Car. We hope you won't let either terrific show pass you by.
All week we'll be putting the final touches on our new lobby paint job at Willow Lawn. Many thanks to the terrific volunteers at Altria for choosing this as one of their community volunteer projects. After 15 years, our Willow Lawn lobby definitely needed a little sprucing up. In all sincerity, Altria, we couldn't have done it without you.

Olives on the Front Porch, our first Bifocals show of the season begins touring this week to senior centers and retirement living facilities throughout Greater Richmond. I'm so proud of the wonderful theatre artists who are pouring their hearts, souls and talents into this exceptional service initiative.

All told, we'll be presenting 68 live performances this week--our busiest week so far this season. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Monday, Oct 31
FIELD Arts Project - 2 classes Chesterfield Co VA
Olives on the Front Porch - 3 pm Beth Sholom
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Westmoreland Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Martinsville VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Harrisonburg VA

Tuesday, Nov 1
Kimberly Akimbo - 7 pm Theatre Gym
FIELD Arts Project - 1 class Henrico Co VA
Frog Prince - 2 shows Cedar Falls IA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Fairfax Co VA, 1 show Prince William Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Louisa Co VA, 1 show Hanover Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows York Co VA
Tales as Tall - 1 show Halifax Co VA, 1 show Mecklenburg Co VA

Wednesday, Nov 2
FIELD Arts Project - 2 classes Chesterfield Co VA
Olives on the Front Porch - 1 pm Lifelong Learning
Frog Prince - 2 shows Oelwein IA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Prince William Co VA, 1 show Fauquier Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Accomack Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Halifax Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Nottoway Co VA

Thursday, Nov 3
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Olives on the Front Porch - 7:30 pm Cedarfield
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Amherst Co VA, 1 show Bedford Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Vera Beach FL
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Hanover Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Richmond VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Chesterfield VA

Friday, Nov 4
A Year with Frog and Toad - 7 pm Willow Lawn (opening)
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
FIELD Arts Project - 2 classes Chesterfield Co VA
Olives on the Front Porch - 2:30 pm St. Francis
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Prince William Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Lecanto FL
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Loudoun Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Halifax Co VA
Tales as Tall - 1 show Richmond VA, 1 show Chesterfield Co VA

Saturday, Nov 5
A Year with Frog and Toad - 2 pm and 7 pm Willow Lawn
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym (closing)
Snow White - 1 show Dublin OH

Sunday, Nov 6
A Year with Frog and Toad - 2 pm Willow Lawn
Becky's New Car - 2 pm Hanover Tavern (closing)

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Spielberg Dolls Up the Empire for Her 100th Birthday

Posted by Bruce Miller
We're gavotte-ing into rehearsals for My Fair Lady this week, the 100th Anniversary production of the historic Empire Theatre. Our fair (and historic) theatre opened on Christmas Day, 1911! The consensus among those in attendance seemed to be that last night's read through/sing through went incredibly well. Tonight Leslie has her first choreography rehearsal. I'm excited and scared to be underway. The Empire herself must be pretty excited too. Steven Spielberg and his actors will be filming inside our landmark performance hall soon. They've completely transformed the inside of the theatre--removing seats, leveling the floor, constructing a full, beautiful period set on stage. I'm not allowed to say much more than that. But what I can say is that the design team for this film, led in part by Richmond-based art director David Crank (who also works, when we're lucky, as a Barksdale designer), is extraordinarily talented. What a nice pre-centennial birthday tribute for the magnificent Empire. Spielberg is going to make her a star!

What better way to celebrate Halloween than by going to the theatre, where people wear costumes all year long! We have two treats running this weekend: Becky's New Car at the Tavern and Kimberly Akimbo (special Wednesday matinee tomorrow at 2) at Theatre Gym. Call 282-2620 for your tickets today! Also, the restored art deco marquee is going up on the Empire this week, and we're repainting the lobby at Willow Lawn (with help from Altria volunteers!). And, we're presenting 51 live performances. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Monday, Oct 24
Frog Prince - 1 show Flint MI
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Richmond VA
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Topeka KS
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Tuesday, Oct 25
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Caroline Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Halifax Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Wednesday, Oct 26
Kimberly Akimbo - 2 pm Theatre Gym
Frog Prince - 2 shows in Albemarle Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Norfolk VA, 1 show Isle of Wight Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Rockbridge Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows in Roscommon MI
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Thursday, Oct 27
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Frog Prince - 1 show Dinwiddie Co VA, 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Suffolk VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Chesterfield Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Euclid OH
Snow White - 2 shows Louisa Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Friday, Oct 28
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
FIELD Arts Project - 2 classes Henrico Co VA
Frog Prince - 2 shows Chesterfield Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Isle of Wight Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Henrico Co VA, 1 show Richmond VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Fairfax Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Hanover Co VA, 1 show Richmond VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Saturday, Oct 29
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Snow White - 2 shows Phoebus VA

Sunday, Oct 30
Becky's New Car - 2 pm Hanover Tavern

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Tommy Mc, When Are Ya Comin' Back?

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our resident great guy, Tom McGranahan, showed up at work today. You just can't keep him away from the place. "I just wanted to see if any checks came in, so that I could get them to Tracy," he said. Tom does all the invoicing and check accepting for our playbill advertising. After determining that no checks had arrived, he headed home again. But all in all, I gotta say that he seemed no worse for the wear.

When I asked him if he remembered anything about passing out in the lobby, he confessed that three days of memory were completely wiped out. But he says he's looking forward to getting zapped by the gamma knife next week.

And he said to THANK EVERYONE for their cards and good wishes.

Gotta love that guy!

--Bruce Miller

Yeah, But What Are You Doing for Me This Week?

Posted by Bruce Miller
Considering the theatre work week to be Monday through Sunday, last week ended with a bang, with Central Virginia's talented theatre artists taking home 12 of the 20 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards for their work in Barksdale productions! Our favorite moment in this year's ceremonies was when our production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels tied with Triangle Players' production of [title of show]. You gotta love it when David and Goliath end in a draw...particularly if you're Goliath. Congratulations to all the nominees for their outstanding performances.

This week we begin rehearsals for our World Premiere of Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas, we open our first Bifocals production of the 2011-12 Season, Steven Spielberg and company move into our historic Empire Theatre, and we welcome Henley Street back to Willow Lawn for their annual Bootleg Shakespeare adventure--this year, a free showing of Troilus and Cressida! All told, we're offering 52 performances this week. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Monday, Oct 17
Frog Prince - 2 shows York Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Cumberland Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Culpeper Co VA

Tuesday, Oct 18
Hugs and Kisses - 1 shows Spotsylvania Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Harrisonburg VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Belle Glade FL
Snow White - 1 show Halifax Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Chesterfield Co VA

Wednesday, Oct 19
Frog Prince - 3 shows Aurora IN
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Richmond VA, 1 show Henrico Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 shows Fairfax Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Thursday, Oct 20
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Olives on the Front Porch - 1 pm Willow Lawn lobby
Frog Prince - 3 shows Aurora IN
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Roanoke VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Hanover Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Louisa Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Spotsylvania Co VA

Friday, Oct 21
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Olives on the Front Porch - 1 pm Willow Lawn lobby
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Prince William Co VA
Little Red Hen - 3 shows Wayne Co NC
Snow White - 1 show Hanover Co VA, 1 show Richmond VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Chesterfield Co VA

Saturday, Oct 22
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Bootleg Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida - 7:30 pm Willow Lawn
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Troy OH
Snow White - 2 shows Phoebus VA

Sunday, Oct 23
Becky's New Car - 2 pm Hanover Tavern
Kimberly Akimbo - 7 pm Theatre Gym

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Saturday Salmagundi

Posted by Bruce Miller
It's another week's end grab bag post, but since I didn't really want to use the words "grab bag" again, I searched for synonyms and found "salmagundi," a noun, meaning "a salad plate of chopped meats, anchovies, eggs, and vegetables arranged in rows for contrast and dressed with a salad dressing (sounds good), or a heterogeneous mixture of anything, a hodgepodge." So, this post is not a Weekend Grab Bag; it's a Saturday Salmagundi!

Many thanks to singers Robin Harris, Christie Jackson, Katrinah Lewis, and Anthony Smith (who also played piano); narrator Phil Whiteway; and staffers Derek Dumais, Chase Kniffen, Bruce Rennie, and Brittany Taylor for pulling together the movie music cabaret we presented on Thursday evening for the Metro Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau (under the title As Time Goes By) and on Friday for the Virginia State Rotary Convention (under the title Hooray for Hollywood). Both programs went very well, I thought, providing solid entertainment for their intended audiences.

Kimberly Akimbo, the inaugural production in our new Theatre Gym partnership with Cadence Theatre Company, previewed on Thursday and opened on Friday with two terrific performances. I'm going tonight (I was tied up with the cabaret on Thursday and Friday), and can't wait to see this fun, quirky, heartfelt comedy. Artistically, the show is a huge success, I'm told by people I trust, but ticket sales are sluggish. We had about 20 audience members on Thursday and 15 on Friday--five of whom were critics or their plus ones. The show runs in the Theatre Gym (81 seats) in the Empire complex now through Nov 5.

We know from lots of previous experience that reviving anything successful, like Theatre Gym, takes time. It's hard to sell tickets when three other shows (Lend Me a Tenor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Merchant of Venice) are in their closing week, and Wicked and the Richmond Folk Festival are working their magic at other venues.

My hopes for the Cadence/Theatre Gym partnership are strong as ever. All of you who would like to see Theatre Gym return, or would like to support Anna Johnson's terrific Cadence Theatre Company, or who just want to see a great new show--please buy your tickets today by calling the Barksdale box office at 282-2620. Or, if you want to buy them online, you can do so at www.BarksdaleRichmond.org.

All box office receipts go to pay the salaries of the theatre artists participating (Cast: Richard Koch, Matt Mitchell, Jill Bari Steinberg, Debra Wagoner, Irene Ziegler; Director and Designers: Anna Johnson, Lily Lamberta, Matthew Landwehr, Terrie Powers; Assistant Directors, Stage Manager, House Managers, Other Staff: Tomas Bell, Brian Baez, Jason Campbell, Jay Paul Photography, David Powers, Melissa Rayford, Jesse Senechal, Susan Senechal, Claire Yenson--some of whom may be working as volunteers).

Top ticket price is only $26, with $19 tickets for Barksdale/TIV subscribers or groups of 10 or more, and $10 tickets for students. I'm hoping that tonight, tomorrow, and next weekend will do land office business. There's a special 7 pm industry performance (open to anyone) on Tuesday, Nov 1.

The Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards will take place tomorrow (Sunday) in the Empire Theatre at 7 pm. The orchestra is sold out, but there are still plenty of good seats upstairs in the balcony. (That's where Phil and I will be!) Tickets are only $15 for a grandly entertaining evening, and 100% of all box office receipts goes to support TAF (the Theatre Artists Fund). You can purchase tickets by calling the Barksdale box office at 282-2620, or online at www.BarksdaleRichmond.org. Click "Special Events & Programs" in the menu to the left of the home page, then click "RTCC on Oct 16" in the drop down menu.

Phil and I debated again this year whether or not to reserve a block of tickets for the theatre artists with whom we were privileged to work last season, and decided again not to do so. I've been told that Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, Henley Street Theatre (Jacquie O'Connor), Richmond Shakespeare (Grant Mudge), and Richmond Triangle Players all purchased blocks of seats to resell and/or distribute to their home teams, and some people have wondered aloud why we haven't. It appears that AART, Barksdale/TIV, Firehouse, and Swift Creek have all chosen not to try to seat their casts together.

Our rationale is this: virtually every theatre artist who works at Barksdale and Theatre IV also works at other theatres in town. We really don't have and don't seek a "home team"; we think our "home team" includes everybody. We wouldn't want any artists to be put in a position where they had to decide which theatre's section they wanted to join for this community-wide celebration. Tomorrow night, the Barksdale/TIV family will be spread out throughout the audience, just as during the season they spread themselves out amongst all of Richmond's theatres. That seems appropriate to us. We mean no insult to anyone in the Barksdale/TIV "family," each of whom we respect enormously.

We're VERY excited that two of our nominees this year are coming to the awards event from out of town--and they're both competing in the same category! Best Actress - Musicals nominees Rachel Abrams and Michelle Lookadoo have their tickets reserved. Rachel flew in from St. Louis, and Michelle took time off from her current Broadway gig (Anything Goes with Sutton Foster; Michelle is pictured to the right, backstage with the beutiful women of Anything Goes, and onstage as Hope Harcourt) to come to Richmond with her husband for the event and some fall foliage hiking in the Virginia mountains. It will be WONDERFUL to see both of these talented women with us for all the fun!

Hope to see all of you at tomorrow's festivities! Good luck and congratulations to ALL nominees! Please remember, designated drivers can get their hands stamped and receive free sodas throughout the evening.

--Bruce Miller

Theatre Gym Returns with Cadence's "Kimberly Akimbo"

Posted by Bruce Miller
With Thursday's preview and Friday's opening night performances of Kimberly Akimbo, our fabled Theatre Gym series will rise again like a phoenix from the ashes. Kimberly Akimbo is produced by Cadence Theatre Company in partnership with Barksdale's Theatre Gym. Directed by Anna Senechal Johnson, this quirky comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire stars four of Richmond's favorite actors: Irene Ziegler, Debra Wagoner, Richard Koch, and Jill Bari Steinberg, joined by recent Theatre VCU grad Matt Mitchell.

Theatre Gym began in 1991 as an indie initiative of Theatre IV. Through our Theatre Gym program, independent theatre artists were given the opportunity to produce edgy work of their own choosing for adult audiences. Theatre IV provided free-of-charge use of the Little Theatre, box office services, and access to our set, costume and prop inventories. One hundred percent of ticket revenues went to the independent producer, and artists were paid a percentage of those revenues rather than a set fee.

Outstanding Theatre Gym productions included My Children! My Africa! by Athol Fugard, The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh, Jails, Hospitals and Hip Hop by Danny Hoch, Oleanna by David Mamet, How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien (pictured with Jill Bari Steinberg to left), Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, Italian American Reconciliation by John Patrick Shanley, Heathen Valley by Romulus Linney, Life Under Water by Richard Greenberg, Lobby Hero by Kenneth Lonergan, Keely and Du and Jack and Jill by Jane Martin, Rules of the Lake by Irene Ziegler, Boom Town by Jeff Daniels, SubUrbia by Eric Bogosian, Jesus Hopped the A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Dead Monkey by Nick Darke, Abundance by Beth Henley, and Raised in Captivity by Nicky Silver, and many others.

One of our 1990s Theatre Gym productions was A Devil Inside, an early work by then novice playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Anna Senechal in her pre-Johnson years. Anna was and is friends with Lindsay-Abaire's wife, Chris, and Theatre IV's Theatre Gym was one of the first companies in the nation to produce his work. Twenty years later, Lindsay-Abaire would win the Pulitzer for Rabbit Hole. Now, once again, Anna Senechal Johnson (pictured to the right with Cadence's cast of Fool for Love) will be directing another of his plays, Kimberly Akimbo, in partnership with Theatre Gym.

There are two major changes in Theatre Gym now vs Theatre Gym then.
1) It used to be that the initiative was named Theatre Gym, but the performance facility was named the Little Theatre. Now, both the initiative and the facility are named Theatre Gym.
2) It used to be that each Theatre Gym production was co-produced by a different independent producer. In 2011-12, and we hope beyond, all Theatre Gym productions will be produced by Cadence Theatre Company in partnership with Barksdale's Theatre Gym.

Barksdale still provides the performance venue, box office services, and access to set/costume/prop inventories free of charge. We also provide limited PR and lots of producing advice. All ticket revenues are still used to pay the artists involved with the production.

Theatre Gym has been on hiatus for the last several years, initially because of interior damage caused by a leaking roof, and then because we were just too busy with other projects to add anything else to our plates. By partnering full-time with Cadence Theatre, we hope to be able to keep the program going without over-burdening our already ridiculous workloads.

If you would like to be a part of history re-making itself, please join us for Kimberly Akimbo, opening this Friday evening. It's going to be a great show, and herald the long-awaited return of an important and innovative Richmond theatre initiative.

--Bruce Miller

Good News for Tom + Latest Reports as They Come In

Posted by Bruce Miller
Latest news as of Thursday 2 pm, Oct 13 - Marie McGranahan, Tom's daughter, reports that Tom will be going home from the hospital in a day or two. In about two weeks, the doctors plan to perform non-invasive surgery on his brain tumor. Basically, they're going to zap it with a gamma knife, keeping that thick skull of his intact. The hope is that the tumor is still small enough that this treatment option should eliminate it completely. It will be out-patient surgery. Visitation is still "family only," please. Tom is tired, and talking is difficult, mainly due to a raspy, sore throat caused by his recent aspiration.

Latest news as of Wednesday 5:30 pm, Oct 12 - Jackie Jones reports that Tom's son-in-law Gayle Turner says that Tom has begun talking. I know he's glad to have that ability back again!

Latest news as of Wednesday afternoon, Oct 12 - Marie McG, Tom's daughter, reports that Tom was taken off the ventilator this afternoon. He is breathing on his own, feisty and smiling at the family! Visitation is still family only, please.

Latest news as of Wednesday noon, Oct 12 - Tom's family would like Tom's friends to know that his doctors have determined that his collapse was due to a previously undetected brain tumor. Tom lost a kidney earlier this year to cancer. He is still in intensive care at St. Mary's, under heavy sedation. He is still not talking, but Kevin is unsure whether this is due to the sedation or the continuing effects of the brain tumor. Tom's doctors are doing tests to learn more about the tumor, and will provide care options to Tom and his family when those tests are completed. To the best of our knowledge, visitation is still family only.

Thank you for keeping Tom and his family in your prayers. We will continue to add updates to this post as they are provided by Tom's family.

Latest news as of Tuesday afternoon, Oct 11 - Tom has been stabilized at St. Mary's. His son Kevin reports that Tom was sitting up in bed (with some difficulty), mostly alert, attempting some give and take with the nurses (that's our Tom!), still not talking. Doctors have yet to determine exactly what is transpiring. I have no word regarding visitation.

Now here's the original post from Tuesday morning.

A million things are going on at Barksdale and Theatre IV this week, but none is more important than taking a moment to offer up a prayer for Tom McGranahan and his family.

Tom collapsed yesterday afternoon in the lobby at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn around 3:50 pm. He had just finished setting up the chairs and tables for Coffee & Conversations. After a call to 911, the emergency medical technicians were there in about five minutes and Tom was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, where he is being cared for now. I don't know his status regarding visitors.

There is not a more generous, caring and kind man in the world than Tom, who celebrated his 80th birthday just a few months ago. When anything happens, he never thinks "what can I get out of this?" He always asks "what can I do to help?"

When I last heard from Tom's family, the doctors still were trying to determine what was happening.

If ever there were a good Irish Catholic who believed in the power of prayer, Tom is that man. I hope and trust that all of us will hold Tom and his family in our hearts during this difficult time.

Thanks.

--Bruce Miller

Working Hard to Earn Your Support

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our exciting new partnership with Cadence Theatre kicks off this week in our intimate Theatre Gym space with Kimberly Akimbo, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay Abaire. This quirky, poignant comedy stars Irene Ziegler, Debra Wagoner, Richard Koch, Jill Bari Steinberg, and Matt Mitchell. As that show opens, it's hard to believe that the first show of our Signature Season is about to close. Lend Me a Tenor has six performances this week (including a Wednesday matinee and evening) before wrapping up its hugely successful six-week run on Sunday. If you haven't joined in the laughter yet, you have this week only to catch the comedy hit of the year. Finally, our first special offering of the year, a movie-themed cabaret entitled As Time Goes By, will be presented this week for the Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau on Thursday, and the Virginia Rotary Convention on Friday. And of course, on Sunday, the RTCC Awards will return to the Empire Theatre. All told, we're offering 56 performances this week. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Monday, Oct 10
Frog Prince - 1 show York Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Fairfax Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Chesterfield Co VA

Tuesday, Oct 11
Coffee & Conversations - 9:30 am Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Prince William Co VA
Snow White - 1 show VA Beach VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Spencer Wisconsin

Wednesday, Oct 12
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 2 pm and 8 pm Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 1 show Dinwiddie Co VA, 1 show Prince George Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Powhatan Co VA, 1 show New Kent Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Towson MD
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Mamaroneck NY
Snow White - 1 show Lancaster Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Wautoma Wisconsin

Thursday, Oct 13
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
As Time Goes By - 8 pm RCVB
Frog Prince - 1 show Bedford Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Albemarle Co VA, 1 show Madison Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Hartford CT

Friday, Oct 14
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
As Time Goes By - 8:30 pm VA Rotary Convention
Frog Prince - 1 show Hanover Co VA, 1 show Powhatan Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Prince William Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Hartford CT
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Henrico Co VA, 1 show Goochland Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Loudoun Co VA

Saturday, Oct 15
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Snow White - 1 show Westhampton Beach NY

Sunday, Oct 16
Becky's New Car - 2 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 2 pm Hanover Tavern
Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards - 7 pm Empire Theatre

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Learn More About "Lend Me" Over Coffee and Danish

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our first regularly scheduled Coffee & Conversations event is tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11, in the Barksdale Willow Lawn lobby. I hope you'll join us for this fun and informative program. Doors will open at 9 a.m., and the continental breakfast buffet will be set up by 9:10. The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last one hour.

Tomorrow's program will be Behind the Scenes of Lend Me a Tenor. Jill Bari Steinberg will moderate a panel comprised of three members from the Lend Me a Tenor cast: Nick Ciavarella, Frank Creasy, and Susan Sanford.

Nick (pictured to right) plays Max, the young, eager beaver assistant to the general manager of the Cleveland Opera. Nick himself is a dashing, NYC-based newcomer to Richmond theatre. He earned his Equity card with this production. Acting and other theatrical pursuits are his only job. His perspective will be a little different from the local professionals we all know well and love.

Frank (pictured below and to left) plays Saunders, the general manager, father of the beautiful young woman whom Nick's character would like to wed. Frank himself has been working in Richmond theatre for the last 30 years, and is one of our most respected and reliable character actors. He is not a member of Actors Equity. Frank is married, owns a home here, and is employed full-time by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Susan (pictured below and to right) plays Maria, the passionate Italian wife of the world renowned operatic tenor of the title. Susan herself is, in terms of her life's commitments, somewhere between Nick and Frank. She's one of the finest comic actresses you'll find anywhere. She is married to another theatre artist, Foster Solomon, and they are the proud parents of two sons. She earned her Actors Equity card a few years ago, I think, in either a Barksdale or Theatre IV production. She is Richmond-based. She tries, and mostly succeeds, to earn her living exclusively with work in the theatre. As she'll tell you, it ain't easy.

One of the defining features of professional theatre in Central Virginia is that we're sort of betwixt and between. Ever since the collapse of TheatreVirginia, we haven't had a LORT theatre that uses full-time professional theatre artists almost exclusively. In my opinion, and I think I can be trusted on this one, Richmond doesn't have a LORT theatre today because Richmond cannot support a LORT theatre under current realities. When you add up the resources available in terms of contributions and ticket sales, and divide those resources among ten professionally-striving theatres, there simply is not enough money to elevate any one theatre to LORT status. If you want a #1 reason why TheatreVirginia went belly up, in my opinion, that's it.

So at Barksdale and Theatre IV you'll see a mix of AEA artists and non-union theatre professionals who earn their living working 9 to 5 somewhere else. Out of town professionals who come here to work are frequently stunned that we rehearse only in the evenings. Personally, I LOVE the mix, and think it's a strong part of what makes our theatre community so rich. The majority of theatre artists you'll meet in a Richmond theatre are REALLY invested in our community.

One of the reasons we have programs like Coffee & Conversations is so that we can talk about the unique aspects of Richmond theatre, and the impact these realities will have on the future of our artists, audiences and institutions. Everyone I know who comes to Coffee & Conversations has a REALLY good time. I hope you'll join us for this and subsequent programs, so that you can see what really goes on behind the scenes. We hope to see you there, sometime before 9:30 a.m. I know you'll be glad you came.

--Bruce Miller

Emergency Escape Routes Shut Down to Keep Casts Cool

Posted by Bruce Miller
If you happened to be driving down Broad Street not too many days ago, and you noticed it was blocked off to traffic, and you wondered why, here's your answer.

Theatre IV finally replaced the giant air conditioning unit that sits atop what historically was the Little Theatre and then the Maggie Walker Theatre. This is the unit that provides cooling to our dressing rooms, costume shop and rehearsal hall. Fortunately, it was this unit, not the one that sits atop the Empire and provides cooling to the theatre itself, that went on the fritz just prior to the final two weeks of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

There were a couple of cast members who would not agree with me about the "fortunately" part. When the cooling suddenly stopped in the dog days of August, our initial plan was to repair the unit and immediately restore a livable environment backstage. We tried, but were quickly told that repair was no longer possible. The unit was dead; no one of this world was going to be able to bring it back to life.

So we rented a portable air conditioning system that had giant plastic tubes that I could crawl through running down all the hallways, and enormous fans creating gale force winds that were capable of cooling the backstage spaces while at the same time blowing your wig into Kentucky. It was not an ideal situation. But it was manageable, and we thanked our hard-working cast profusely for putting up with it all.

There were a couple folks who wondered aloud why we didn't just replace the unit that had died, as if it were something you could just pop out of a window and toss into the dumpster. The reasons it took us several weeks were:

1 - money (it cost $22,000 and we didn't have that amount just sitting in a drawer),

2 - finding a final resting place for the old unit which was about the size and weight of a '68 Buick, and

3 - getting the necessary permits to close off Broad Street so that we could hire a crane to take down our old deceased buddy and hoist up our new one.

If you've ever tried to close off Broad Street, you know it's not the easiest thing to do. Probably since the Civil War, Broad Street has been THE legally designated emergency escape route that will allow hundreds of thousands of Richmonders to flee whatever and head to Charlottesville. Look out UVA, we're comin'. It takes practically an act of Congress to shut it down. Well, more accurately, it takes about seven weeks.

But finally all the pieces and parts were put into place, including the giant crane pictured above.

So now, all that ominous tubing that looked like something pulled from where IT lived in A Wrinkle in Time has been removed. And if you'd like to come cool down in our rehearsal hall, dressing rooms or costume shop, please, as Lumière and all his kitchen companions would say, be our guest.

--Bruce Miller

"Scoundrel"'s McCarthy Takes on Challenge in New Tuner

Posted by Bruce Miller
At least two reviews are in as of this writing (Saturday morning), and it looks like Jeff McCarthy, the dashing Broadway-leading-man star of Barksdale's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, has created another critically acclaimed character. In the New York premiere of the new musical, Southern Comfort, which opened last night, McCarthy stars as Lola Cola, a real life, transgender woman currently living in rural Georgia.

McCarthy is no stranger to playing dynamic leading roles on Broadway. Before earning his Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Actor in last summer's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Barksdale, Jeff created memorable leading man roles in the Broadway productions of Urinetown, Side Show, The Pirate Queen, and Smile. He also replaced male leads on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Zorba, and The Pirates of Penzance.

This is the first time that Jeff, with all his athletic baritone masculinity, has played a woman.

Jeff co-stars with Annette O'Toole (pictured with Jeff to the right), who received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance in the ABC miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts. She is best known for her co-starring role as Clark Kent's mother in the hit CW series Smallville, and has had a recurring role on Nash Bridges, in addition to numerous TV guest appearances. With her husband, Michael McKean, she received an Oscar nomination for co-writing the song A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, featured in A Mighty Wind. Her Off-Broadway credits include Kindness at Playwrights Horizons and The Seagull at the Classic Stage Company.

Here's what this morning's critics have to say:

"As touching as it is idiosyncratic, Southern Comfort effectively redefines the term 'family musical.' Based on a 2001 Sundance award-winning documentary, it features perhaps the strongest family to be seen on a New York stage. The show movingly depicts the characters’ constant struggle for respect and tolerance from both family members and the community. The patriarch of the clan is the 50-something Robert (Annette O’Toole), who’s dying, ironically enough, of cervical cancer. His partner is Lola (Jeff McCarthy), a hulking figure who struggles to wear blouses that downplay her massive shoulders. The gentle country/bluegrass-flavored score, performed by a four-piece band whose members also play minor roles, is filled with a few too many emotive ballads of self-empowerment. But some of the songs, such as Bird, Lola’s lament about “the cruel sound of my own voice,” are very touching. If there was ever a show with its heart in the right place, it’s this one. The comforts it provides are far more than just the Southern variety." - Frank Scheck, New York Post

" The strapping, deep-voiced McCarthy strikes a resonant chord in Bird as Lola bemoans the disparity between the "pretty little thing" she knows herself to be "when I see behind my eyes" and her actual, physical being, which will never come close." - Sandy McDonald, TheatreMania.com

The new musical is based on Kate Davis's 2001 documentary, also named Southern Comfort. Davis's film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Subsequent awards included First Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and Special Audience Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Southern Comfort tells a true story about transgender friends living life openly, honestly and courageously in rural Georgia. After an initial reading at Playwright's Horizon, this is a limited run AEA Approved Showcase produced by CAP 21 Theatre Company, which bills itself as "America's Musical Theatre Conservatory." The showcase is supported in part by the National Fund for New Musicals (a program of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre) and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Also in the cast is Richmond theatre alum Allison Briner. Since her work here at TheatreVirginia and the Haymarket, Allison has appeared on Broadway as Rosie in Mamma Mia!, and in the national tours of Mamma Mia!, Titanic, and Les Miserables. Off Broadway, Allison starred in Forbidden Broadway, Listen to my Heart, Pete 'n' Keely, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Song of Singapore, and Return to the Forbidden Planet.

Jeff seems to be having a grand time in this terrific new role. He checked in to say that rehearsals were going well, and he was excited for Opening Night. We're really proud of him for taking on this challenge. We wish both Jeff and Allison all the best.

--Bruce Miller

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Posted by Bruce Miller
A bit of a grab bag today.

If you want to know the best diner in the city of your choice, or the best auto repair shop in Richmond, go to Gordon Bass (pictured to the right in our current production of Becky's New Car). In addition to his acting assignments, Gordon is the full-time Tour Manager at Theatre IV. If you ask him for restaurant and mechanic tips, he won't send you to the fancy schmancy places, usually, but he'll give you the names of reliable and affordable places. He toured with us for something like twelve years, eating a gazillion meals on the road, and during the ten or so years since, he's been managing our fleet of nine tour vans.

Anyway, on Saturday, 15 minutes before auditions, one of our actors called to tell me that my daughter's Buick, which he was driving during his stay in Richmond, was making a terrible noise. Chase was just about to start his pre-audition instructions, so I called Phil to ask him to take care of it.

Phil made arrangements for our actor to take the car to a Merchants on Broad. Phil then went to Merchants, gave the actor his own car, learned from the Merchant's mechanic that my daughter's car was dead. Fugetaboutit. It was all over accept for the weeping.

Phil then remembered Gordon's car guy, Abe's Auto Service on Chamberlayne Ave. Phil paid the Merchant guy, drove the car (very slowly and noisily) to Abe's, and Abe just called me this morning to tell me that he thinks he can fix it good as new for $320.

You gotta love Gordon. And Phil. And Abe.

Today's the first day of the big GiveRichmond campaign at the Community Foundation. I hope it worked for other people. I decided I'd make my $50 contributions to the three theatres that emailed me (plus Barksdale and Theatre IV), and used the link provided in the email from Firehouse to connect with the GiveRichmond website. I registered. I clicked Find, found the theatres I was looking to support, I clicked Give, and nothing happened. I spent 40 minutes trying to make contributions, and never made it past first base.

Granted, I'm a computer dunce. But I was really trying, and there are a lot of people a lot worse than me. I hope the rest of you were more successful than I was.

Today is our first student matinee of the year--Lend Me a Tenor. I LOVE seeing shows with students. Couldn't go today, but I'm excited that we offer these. Student matinee sales in early October are never any good, but throughout the rest of the year, we should have a full crop of highschoolers coming to see our shows. Hopefully I'll be able to join them for My Fair Lady ... and beyond.

Today is also the annual trade show for one of our sponsors, The Supply Room. Terrie Powers and David Powers have been creating lots of painted cardboard displays and design elements for the trade show. We get free office supplies during the year, and they get free scenery for their biggest annual business event. It's a win/win.

Tomorrow the Whiteways and the Millers make it out to the Firehouse for Hot Tin. Can't wait.

Hope to see you at a theatre!

--Bruce Miller

PS - I tried again today to log onto GiveRichmond, this time using the Triangle link, and had no problems. Perhaps there was a glitch yesterday morning during heavy traffic. Whatever happened, it appears today that Triangle and Henley Street made it into the first group to bring in 50 contributors and therefore receive bonuses of $2,500. Congratulations!

Audition Report

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our first Open Call was a good learning experience for us. All in all, we were pleased and thought that the auditions went well. Many thanks to all who participated.

Our only significant problem, on the day itself, was that from the first auditionee we began to run late. Saturday was supposed to end at 4 pm. It ended at 6:15. There were a few actors (two or three, I think) who registered, arrived, waited for 60 to 90 minutes, and then had to leave to be on time for another commitment. We are very sorry.

A record-breaking 302 actors registered for the auditions. We saw 281. Most of the 21 we didn't see were no shows, due to illness or some other unanticipated complication. We know from past experience that 5% to 7% of all registrants won't show up. Most contact us with their explanations and regrets.

Directors in attendance were Anna Senechal Johnson (Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas, Cadence Theatre), Chase Kniffen (Seussical, Spring Awakening), Billy Christopher Maupin (The Stinky Cheese Man [that's his show, not his nickname]), Joe Pabst (Always ... Patsy Cline), Steve Perigard (A Year with Frog and Toad, Scorched Earth), Bo Wilson (God of Carnage), and Keri Wormald (August: Osage County).

Sandy Dacus played piano for almost everyone, with Kim Fox filling in when Saturday afternoon ran long. Kate Belleman, Katie Monfet, Caron Sinnenberg, Brittany Taylor and others whom, please forgive me, I'm overlooking provided invaluable support. I was there also, and Phil Whiteway was in and out as his schedule allowed. Again, many thanks to all.

We learned that it takes, at a minimum, 3 1/2 minutes per actor when actors are asked to prepare a 2-minute audition. For our next Open Call in January 2012 we will schedule 15 actors per hour, which should allow us a 7 minute 30 second break at the end of each hour. If we go 9 to 5, that should allow us to see 110 actors and still take a half hour break at lunchtime. Since we suggest that Richmond-based actors attend at least one audition per year, we do not anticipate more than 110 actors registering in January.

There were several of Richmond's leading players whose work we know very well who came to the auditions: Ronnie Brown, Larry Cook, Matthew Costello, Frank Creasy, Ford Flannagan, Jan Guarino, Michael Hawke, Audra Honaker, Tamara Johnson, Jackie Jones, Jennie Meharg, Adrian Rieder, Susan Sanford, Ali Thibodeau, Aly Wepplo and many others. We greatly appreciate their attendance. As we've stated before, we're trying to level the playing field, and we're asking all Richmond-based actors who'd like to work with us to come to at least one of our three Open Calls during the year.

The most popular playwright for monologues seemed to be Neil Labute, and the most popular musicals from which songs were selected were American Idiot, The Last Five Years, Next to Normal and Spring Awakening. We were auditioning for Spring Awakening, so none of this came as a surprise.

Of the 281 actors we saw, the majority were fairly or completely unknown to us. Virtually everyone presented a respectable audition, and quite a few people impressed us greatly. There were only a couple auditions that could be described as bizarre. That's sort of a record low, percentage-wise, and we were grateful.

We invite any and all comments regarding how we can make our audition practices and policies more effective. We thank everyone who joined us for last weekend's Open Call.

--Bruce Miller

Why "Becky's New Car" Made It onto our Tavern Season

Posted by Bruce Miller
With millions of plays out there, each one yearning for production, how and why do I pick the plays that wind up on one of our Barksdale and Theatre IV seasons? That is our #2 FAQ. #1 is, "Why did you guys name it Theatre IV?"

Beginning with Why "Lend Me a Tenor" Made It onto our Signature Season (9/08/2011), I'm starting a new blog series to address that #2 question. Each post in the series will be tagged with the label "Why," so if you ever want to go back and read previous posts in the same series, you'll be able to do so by clicking on the "Why" label that will follow each article.

Barksdale's mission is to produce in Central Virginia national caliber productions of the GREAT comedies, dramas and musicals--past, present and future. In other words, we seek to produce plays that have significance and import, plays that leave a lasting impact on the field.

If the assessed "greatness" is in the arena of literature or art, we tend to present the play in our Signature Season at Willow Lawn and the historic Empire. If the assessed "greatness" is in the arena of entertainment or popularity, we tend to schedule the play at Hanover Tavern.

Re-reading, them sounds like fightin' words--and I'm in no way seeking a dispute. Yes, I think Becky's seeks and achieves "greatness" as literature and art. I also know for a fact that it clearly has achieved already "greatness" as popular entertainment. It is one of the most frequently produced new American plays created between 2000 and 2009. Securing 24 regional productions in three short years is a feat of which most playwrights could only dream.

Only time will tell whether Becky's New Car will earn its place as one of the artistically great American comedies of the aught decade of the 21st Century. I think it might.

There is another rationale that led to our selection of Becky's New Car.

Our goal at Barksdale Theatre is to establish in Central Virginia a major, nonprofit, professional theatre of national standing. Three years ago, during strategic planning sessions, our Board of Trustees asked various stakeholders what new initiatives were needed to grow the national reputation of our company. Our audience, our artists, our funders and our colleague organizations suggested that there were four things Barksdale should do to participate more fully in the American professional theatre community, thereby enhancing Richmond's profile among the nation's great theatre cities.

1. We should create on a regular basis world premieres of new comedies, dramas and musicals that originate here and then earn productions at other professional theatres around the country.

2. We should further support new work by being an early producer of new plays created at other regional theatres, relying less on plays that have already been successful on and off Broadway.

3. We should recruit theatre artists of national standing to come to Richmond to work side-by-side with our outstanding local professionals.

4. We should mount national caliber productions here and then seek to transfer the best of those productions to New York or other major national markets.

Following in the footsteps of our productions of Boleros for the Disenchanted by Jose Rivera (2009-2010) and Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarias (2010-2011), Becky's New Car by Steven Dietz (2011-12) is our third effort to fulfill the second objective noted above. In the coming months, we will address the first objective with our world premieres of Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas and Scorched Earth.

This is an exciting time for Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV. We're taking seriously our goal of increasing the national impact and prominence of our theatre. We're choosing not to rest comfortably on the status quo. If we (and that "we" involves a LOT of people) are able to create a theatre of national prominence here in Central Virginia, I believe it will benefit greatly every theatre, theatre artist, and theatre lover in town.

I hope you'll buy tickets to both of our current comedies: Lend Me a Tenor at Willow Lawn and Becky's New Car at Hanover Tavern. They are fun and exciting shows. We need and are working hard to earn your support.

--Bruce Miller

Barksdale Theatre / Theatre IV - Next Week's Schedule

Posted by Bruce Miller
Fall is here! This is the week our touring operation begins to run on all cylinders, with in-school performances of The Frog Prince, Hugs and Kisses, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tales as Tall as the Sky, and The Little Red Hen. More on each of those productions later. We'll be presenting 49 performances next week. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Sunday, Oct 2
Becky's New Car - 2 pm matinee - Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 2 pm matinee - Willow Lawn
Open Call Auditions - 6 pm to 11 pm - Empire

Monday, Oct 3
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Brunswick Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Manassas VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Tuesday, Oct 4
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Tales as Tall - 1 show Bedford Co VA, 1 show Lynchburg VA

Wednesday, Oct 5
Becky's New Car - 2 pm matinee - Hanover Tavern
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Richmond VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Wilkesboro NC
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Dinwiddie Co VA

Thursday, Oct 6
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 2 shows Newport News VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Powhatan Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Baltimore MD
Snow White - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA, 1 show Richmond VA
Tales as Tall - 3 shows Vevay IN

Friday, Oct 7
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA, 1 show Hanover Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Prince William Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Pittsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Bedford Co VA
Tales as Tall - 3 shows Vevay IN

Saturday, Oct 8
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Snow White - 1 show McLean VA

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Sorry-Grateful, Regretful-Happy

Posted by Bruce Miller
We are both excited and overwhelmed by the huge response we've received to this Saturday's (October 1) Open Call. Over 290 adult actors have called to register for auditions. Our previous record, or at least the largest number of adult actors any of us can remember at a previous Barksdale audition, was 110. The norm is 40 to 60.

We were prepared for about 120 interested actors. We were not prepared for this wonderful response. WE APOLOGIZE. This will be our first Open Call in our new audition process. We will learn from this experience. We will do better next time.

As of yesterday morning, Katie Monfet, our WONDERFUL intern who is handling all registration requests, had registered 136 auditionees (representing about 400 phone conversations), and was still in the process of registering the remaining 155 actors who had called and left a message, but had yet to connect person-to-person with Katie.

It remains our intention to see ALL actors who are interested in auditioning. We will schedule additional auditions to ensure that we meet that goal.

We have heard from tens of actors who are growing increasingly angry and frustrated, who have called back repeatedly to schedule a time for their audition, only to be sent to voicemail because Katie is on the phone with another actor. We understand, appreciate and regret your negative reactions. We are doing, and will continue to do, all we can to address and correct the situation.

Please know that Katie is working very hard to keep up with the calls. She is in no way at fault. It is my inadequate planning that has caused these problems. Please direct all your frustration at me. In the future, after our three-open-calls per year system is fully in place, I anticipate we will not face numbers this large.

If you are registered, you have been given a one-hour time slot during which your audition will take place. We are registering 30 actors in each hour. We know there will be some no shows. Your prepared audition should not exceed 120 seconds total.

Please arrive at the Empire no later than 15 minutes prior to your appointed hour. If you are able, please bring seven resumes and headshots. If you don't have seven copies (if you don't have one copy), don't panic. It's not a deal breaker.

Some of you will undoubtedly feel swept in and swept out. It is not our intention to disrespect anyone. It is our intention to keep things moving efficiently so as to be able to see all interested actors. Casting will happen principally in callbacks.

We will be feeding directors both breakfast and lunch, and you may notice directors eating during your audition. Again, we mean no disrespect to either actor or director.

If a director is in the restroom during your audition, Chase Kniffen and I will take special notice of all auditionees who demonstrate talent and meet the needs of the play. For example, if Bo Wilson is in the restroom during your audition, and you fit the character descriptions for God of Carnage (which Bo is directing), and you're talented, we will be sure that Bo includes you in his callbacks for God of Carnage.

In 2012 and beyond, we will have Open Calls in January, May and September. It is our intention to cast all roles approximately six months in advance. We ask all locally-based actors to participate in at least one open call each year.

Thank you for your interest. Thank you for your understanding as we embark on a new way of doing things. I apologize for planning poorly for this Open Call. I will do my utmost to make things better in the future. In January and May, we will include fewer shows in each audition, assign more staff members to man the phones to take your calls, schedule only 15 actors per hour (our original plan) instead of 30, and build in breaks for the directors.

I invite and will welcome your additional suggestions and comments as we try to strengthen our audition practices as Greater Richmond's resident, nonprofit, professional theatre.

--Bruce Miller

Coffee & Conversations - Fun, Free, Starts Friday

Posted by Bruce Miller
Today I'm excited to announce our 2011-12 Season of Rostov's Coffee & Conversations. If you've never been to one of these free, fun and informative events, you don't know what you're missing. We hope you'll mark your calendars now and plan to join us. It's a great way to start your day and connect with your theatre.

To kick off the series, we're having a Special Event this Friday, Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. in the Barksdale Willow Lawn lobby. Melissa Johnston Price, star of Becky's New Car, will join in a panel with Charlie and Benita Staadecker, the amazing couple who originally commissioned this vibrant new play by Steven Dietz. They are visiting us this weekend from Seattle. I will moderate the discussion, and our director, Billy Christopher Maupin, will be on hand to offer additional insight. It's free. No reservations required. Please join us.

Now--back to the rest of our Coffee & Conversations season. Each program will focus on a fresh and lively panel discussion, providing a fun behind-the-scenes look into the shows and operations of Barksdale/Theatre IV--Central Virginia's nonprofit, resident professional theatre.

Following our Special Event this Friday, the Rostov's Coffee & Conversations series will take place on the second Tuesday of each month, October through July (excluding June). There will be no programs in August and September.

Rostov's coffee, tea and pastries will be provided free-of-charge at each event, with the continental buffet opening at 9:15 a.m. Moderated panel discussions will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and last one hour, with lots of opportunity for audience Q & A.

Events are normally held in the lobby of Barksdale Willow Lawn. If attendance approaches 70 or more, the program may be moved into our comfortable 204-seat theatre. Average attendance has been around 35, but we're hoping to grow the program this year. Please note that the July event will be held on the set of Spring Awakening at the historic Empire Theatre, located at 114 W Broad Street, downtown.

All Rostov's Coffee & Conversations programs are free and open to everyone. A $3 free-will donation is gratefully accepted from those who have the means. Donations are welcomed in the glass urn that sits on the pastry buffet table.

No reservations are required.

The 2011-12 Season is as follows. Panelists and moderators will be announced on this blog and elsewhere on our website about two weeks prior to each program.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Behind the Scenes of Lend Me a Tenor
Moderator - Jill Bari Steinberg
Panelists - Cast members Nick Ciavarella, Frank Creasy, Susan Sanford

Tuesday, November 14, 2011
Working Out - Our Theatre Gym Partnership with Cadence Theatre Company

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Behind the Scenes of My Fair Lady

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Build It and They Will Come - Barksdale's Set Construction Team

Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Behind the Scenes of God of Carnage

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Public Funding for the Arts - Where Do Greater Richmond and Virginia Stand?

Tuesday, April 10, 2012
All in the Planning - The Future of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Behind the Scenes of our World Premiere Production of Scorched Earth

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 ***This program will be held in the historic Empire Theatre
Behind the Scenes of Spring Awakening

For more information, or more timely information, please visit www.BarksdaleRichmond.org. We hope you'll join us for each of these fun and informative programs.

--Bruce Miller