Final Thoughts on the Word "Ass"

Posted by Bruce Miller
As I and others have mentioned previously on this blog, the word "ass" and its appearance in Peter Pan seem to be causing increasing consternation these days. On Monday of this week I received what I hope will be my last letter from a disappointed patron. I responded (it is my practice to respond to every communication) with this iteration of the letter I wrote to address the controversy.

It's about the 50th response, so I might as well share it with the world.

"Dear xxxxx,

Thank you for your support of Theatre IV, for purchasing tickets to Peter Pan, and for writing to express your concern. I appreciate your bringing your grandson to our shows. We work very hard on behalf of the children, families and schools of Central Virginia. I hope you and your grandson have enjoyed our work and will continue to attend. We want and need you both in the Theatre IV family.

I value and respect your concern, and appreciate your sharing it with me. In your letter, you state that you are “very disappointed” in Theatre IV and in me because the word “ass” was spoken during Peter Pan. It was not my intention to disappoint or offend you and your family. I apologize for having done so. I offer the following to explain my thinking. I’m not trying to change your mind. I’m offering another point of view.

You are correct in noting that the word “ass” occurred in our production of Peter Pan two times. I didn’t cut the word for three reasons.

1. The word “ass” is not inherently vulgar. I do not deny that some people, perhaps many people, hear it and use it in a vulgar way. But children, throughout their lifetimes, will hear it also in its correct usage. I believe I would be betraying the trust of countless parents and educators if I were to treat a generally acceptable word as vulgar only because it is sometimes used in a vulgar manner.

2. It’s inappropriate and ill advised for me to rewrite the words of great writers. Again, I believe I would be betraying the trust of parents and educators if I were to presume to do so. Perceptions of some words do change over time. I believe this makes it all the more important to preserve the words of the great writers, so that students of all ages can know and understand the true meanings of words that are going through periods of transition.

3. It is illegal for me to rewrite or omit this word, or any other word, from the play. Had I done so, the good people at Music Theatre International who represent the estate of J. M. Barrie would be legally entitled to shut down our production of Peter Pan, and sue Theatre IV for breach of contract.

In support of the above three points, I offer the following.

I don’t mean to overstate the obvious, but it’s good to remember that the word “ass” is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “any of several hardy gregarious African or Asian perissodactyl mammals (genus Equus) smaller than the horse and having long ears; especially an African mammal (East asinus) that is the ancestor of the donkey.” That is the first and only proper definition of the word. All subsequent definitions are preceded by the phrase “sometimes vulgar.”

Being a man of great character and conscience, J. M. Barrie was not writing a vulgarity in 1904 when he created Peter Pan. When Peter translates Tinkerbell to Wendy, after Tinkerbell has called Wendy “a silly ass,” both Peter and Tinkerbell were referring to the donkey-like animal.

The same can be said for the authors of the Bible. The word “ass” appears in the King James translation of the Bible as follows:

GENESIS 22:3, GENESIS 22:5, GENESIS 42:27, GENESIS 44:13, GENESIS 49:11, GENESIS 49:14, EXODUS 4:20, EXODUS 13:13, EXODUS 20:17, EXODUS 21:33, EXODUS 22:4, EXODUS 22:9, EXODUS 22:10, EXODUS 23:4, EXODUS 23:5, EXODUS 23:12, EXODUS 34:20, NUMBERS 16:15, NUMBERS 22:21, NUMBERS 22:22, NUMBERS 22:23, NUMBERS 22:23, NUMBERS 22:23, NUMBERS 22:25, NUMBERS 22:27, NUMBERS 22:27, NUMBERS 22:28, NUMBERS 22:29, NUMBERS 22:30, NUMBERS 22:30, NUMBERS 22:32, DEUTERONOMY 5:21, DEUTERONOMY 22:3, DEUTERONOMY 22:4, DEUTERONOMY 22:10, DEUTERONOMY 28:31, JOSHUA 6:21, JOSHUA 15:18, JUDGES 1:14, JUDGES 6:4, JUDGES 10:4, JUDGES 12:14, JUDGES 15:15, JUDGES 15:16, JUDGES 15:16, JUDGES 19:28, 1 SAMUEL 12:3, 1 SAMUEL 15:3, 1 SAMUEL 16:20, 1 SAMUEL 25:20, 1 SAMUEL 25:23, 1 SAMUEL 25:42, 2 SAMUEL 17:23, 2 SAMUEL 19:26, 1 KINGS 2:40, 1 KINGS 13:13, 1 KINGS 13:13, 1 KINGS 13:23, 1 KINGS 13:24, 1 KINGS 13:27, 1 KINGS 13:28, 1 KINGS 13:28, 1 KINGS 13:29, 2 KINGS 4:24, JOB 6:5, JOB 24:3, JOB 39:5, JOB 39:5, PROVERBS 26:3, ISAIAH 1:3, ISAIAH 32:20, JEREMIAH 2:24, JEREMIAH 22:19, HOSEA 8:9, ZECHARIAH 9:9, ZECHARIAH 9:9, ZECHARIAH 14:15, MATTHEW 21:2, MATTHEW 21:5, MATTHEW 21:5, MATTHEW 21:7, LUKE 13:15, LUKE 14:5, JOHN 12:14, JOHN 12:15, and 2 PETER 2:16.

None of these Biblical references are meant to be vulgar. As children encounter the word “ass” in the Bible, in classic literature, or in timeless Christmas carols like The Little Drummer Boy and Good Christian Men, Rejoice, I believe it is important for them to know that the word has a proper usage as well as a vulgar one.

Regarding legal issues, I offer this explanation. U. S. Copyright Law and all international copyright laws require theatres to produce plays exactly as written. We (and every other theatre and publisher) have no legal right to rewrite the great (as in the case of Peter Pan) or the not-so-great works of stage literature. When I signed our contract to produce the musical Peter Pan, I signed a legally binding document and promised that Theatre IV would “not alter any line of dialogue or omit any words or phrases” from the script as written by the author.

Copyright laws are written in this way to ensure that producers will respect the language that was purposefully selected by the author. It is illegal for producers to amend the language as they see fit. Every professional production of Peter Pan, including the Mary Martin productions broadcast nationally on television in the 1950s, used the lines as written.

When we first produced Peter Pan in the 1990s, we received only one or two comments about the word “ass.” When we produced it again just after the turn of this century, we received maybe ten comments. Today, in 2008, we probably received 50 or more complaints.

The “zero tolerance” language police are in full force today, and I respect their (and your) motivations. None of us like for children to be exposed to vulgar language. The tricky part with the word “ass” is that it is not a vulgar word. Are we therefore well advised to join with those who would like to turn it into one? Or should we continue to respect the word as it has been properly used in classic literature, in beloved Christmas carols, and throughout the Bible?

When I took my children to Peter Pan in the ‘90s, it presented a wonderful teachable moment. My wife and I had the chance to talk with our son and daughter about the word “ass,” about what it meant when we heard it spoken from the pulpit or the stage or sung by Julie Andrews on our Christmas albums. We also had the chance to talk about how some words can mean one thing to people who use them correctly, and something else entirely to people who use the words incorrectly. Unless that is explained to them, how are children to understand?

Again, I thank you for writing. I honestly mean it when I say that I value and respect your opinion. I take my responsibilities seriously, and try hard to contribute positively to the cultural life of our community. It’s not always easy.

Thanks for your consideration of my thoughts, and for your support of Theatre IV.

Sincerely,

Bruce Miller
Artistic Director"

Language - Part II: Copyright ... the Religious Right ... It's Your Right to be Offended ... etc

Posted by Bruce Miller
Warning: To add clarity to this discussion of "offensive language," a few words are used that you may find "offensive." Continue at your own risk. Thanks.

Under U. S. copyright law, it’s illegal for any theatre to rewrite or edit a single word in any play published after 1923 without first receiving written permission from the author or his/her agents. It’s not only a legal issue; it’s an ethical issue. If you’re going to tell people that you’re producing a play written by, say, Tennessee Williams, then the only honest thing to do is present the play as Williams wrote it. Williams no doubt chose his words carefully and with purpose, and it’s unethical to “sanitize” his language and then market the play as the authentic original. That’s why Barksdale, along with every other professional theatre worth its salt, presents plays as they were originally written.

Our 2004 production of The Man Who Came to Dinner starred Jill Bari Steinberg and Joseph Pabst (pictured to the right), and was written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart in 1939. During the run I received several letters from audience members complaining that I’d “added” profanity to the play. Of course I hadn’t. The few mildly profane words that were spoken from our stage all came from the minds and pens of those beloved, iconic American playwrights, Kaufman and Hart (pictured below and to the left). In the popular culture of 1939, their language caused nary a ripple. In today’s cultural climate, heavily influenced by the rise of the religious right, these same words prompted a small parade of conservative audience members to march to the exits in a huff.

When I assured the complainers that I had not added profanity to this cherished American script, they told me I was lying. They had “seen the movie,” they said (and perhaps a couple high school or community productions), and “those words were not spoken." What they may have failed to consider is that the film codes of the ‘40s were more Puritanical than the Broadway codes, and so Kaufman and Hart apparently chose to cut a few words from the movie version while keeping the original stage version in tact. The high school and community producers who had removed the words on their own accord most likely did so illegally.

Yes, I know this happens all the time and I'm making no judgements about high school and community theatres. They face their own challenges and I applaud their work. I also believe that professional theatres are held to a different standard.

As we engage in Part II of this discussion about “offensive language,” I’m using “profanity” as the catch-all word. At its root, “profane” means “worldly,” as in the opposite of “spiritual.” Profane language—profanity—can be sub-divided into four categories:
· blasphemy (taking the name of a diety in vain),
· obscenity ("crude" words for sex acts or private body parts),
· scatology (having a fascination with excrement or urine), and
· cursing (“damn you,” “go to hell” etc. and their abreviations and euphemisms).
There are other offensive words having to do with race, but we’re going to discuss race in a separate blog entry. Slurs and profanity are not really the same thing.

By far the most objections I hear relate to blasphemy and stem from offense to religious principles. (If you like, you can read my thoughts on “offensive language” and Christian faith in Language – Part I: From Potter to Shakespeare to Jesus and Beyond, Jan 12, 2008.)

Sometimes it almost seems ludicrous. We produced The Lark in 2006, written by Jean Anouilh and adapted by Lillian Hellman, and the central character of the play was Joan of Arc (pictured to the left in a painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti). This is, of course, the same Joan who was at first persecuted and later sainted by the Catholic Church. A couple audience members were offended when Joan cried out to God in her moments of greatest spiritual despair. “Why did you have to make Joan of Arc use the Lord’s name in vain?” one chastiser wrote. IN VAIN!!?? What on earth led any audience member to think that Joan’s cry to God was in vain?

When we produced The 1940's Radio Hour in 2002, one congregant really let me have it over the telephone for performing “Satanic music.” “That old black magic has me in its spell,” she eerily chanted into the phone. “That old black magic that you weave so well. Those icy fingers up and down my spine…” Finally the images became too much for her to continue.

Sometimes religious concerns cross over into moral situations. When we produced Winnie the Pooh at Theatre IV, a very sweet grandmother called me to ask if we couldn’t rewrite A. A. Milne to make it clearer that Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit were married. “I mean they keep talking about having all those babies, and you never really make it crystal clear that they’re married.” When I reminded her that Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit were, in fact, rabbits, and that rabbits didn’t get married, even in the days of A. A. Milne, she simply said, “Oh, you know what I mean.”

I did know what she meant. But still...

Another animal that never ceases to rile the religious right at Theatre IV is the ass referred to in Peter Pan—come see it this spring; my mailbox is ready and waiting. When Tinkerbell becomes frustrated with Peter’s attentions to Wendy, she calls Wendy “a silly ass.” Of course, Tinkerbell “speaks” only through the tinkling piano (or is it a flute?) that represents her fairy voice. Peter giggles when Tink calls Wendy the name. When Wendy inquires as to what funny thing Tinkerbell just said, Peter translates, and you can often hear the gasps.

I’m frequently told that language is so much more coarse in popular culture now than it used to be—and in many ways that’s true. But what’s also true is that there’s a growing group that becomes offended far more easily than people used to. When Mary Martin (pictured to the left) said “a silly ass” on the national airwaves in 1954's TV version of Peter Pan, no one batted an eye. Everybody accepted the word “ass” as another word for donkey. Today, some people hear “ass” and all they can think of is someone’s buttocks.

So is the problem with the word or the person hearing the word?

Thousands of audience members have loved our current production of Moonlight and Magnolias (pictured to the right, starring Dave Bridgewater, Scott Wichmann and Joe Pabst). And 20 or 40 audience members have been really offended by the language. A group of well-meaning folks from Good Samaritan Ministries called and asked for comps to one of our shows. They do amazing rehabilitation work with indigent men dealing with addiction in Richmond's South Side, and we were eager to help them out. We gave them comp tickets to the show of their choice, and they selected Moonlight.

The woman who set up the group called the box office to double-check the language. “No, the language isn’t bad,” our box office representative assured her. “They say the d-word once…I’m a little embarrassed to say it over the phone…but other than that, the language is fine.”

The woman thought, well, they only say “damn” once, and I think we can handle that, so we’ll accept the 15 free tickets and have a lovely evening out. What she didn’t know—what we didn’t make clear—is that “the d-word” was not “damn” but “dick,” as in Selznick’s graphic line about Hollywood pandering, “We suck the collective dicks" of our audience.

In fact, the actors in Moonlight say “damn”—and the far more controversial “God damn”—several times long before they get to the “collective dicks.” Our box office representative never even noticed that language when he saw the show. It simply rolled by him without calling any attention to itself. I'm not faulting him for this. He is pure of heart and more power to him. I'm just telling the story the way it happened.

When our urban missionaries arrived at the theatre and took their seats, they lasted only about 10 minutes before they couldn’t take it anymore. They stood up en masse and beat a hasty retreat to the lobby. Others in the audience looked at them and hadn’t a clue as to what was the problem. I called them on the following Monday, after hearing about their departure, and learned the whole story.

One of the challenges we face is finding the correct way to communicate with our audience about the language they can expect in any particular production. It is never our intention to surprise or offend. It is also not our intention to bowdlerize the language of the great playwrights to meet the particularly sensibilities of our times.

Coming soon – Language Part III: a history of censorship

--Bruce Miller

Three Theatres - Three Times the Fun

Posted by John Steils

I'm just getting used to my new Barksdale and Theatre IV home. Or I guess I should say "homes." I arrived in September after a year-long internship with a single-theatre company in the mid-West, and I was glad to discover that I now had three theatres to explore.

My first exposure was to the historic Empire and it was love at first sight. What a magnificent performance facility. One step inside the door and you feel like you're in a Broadway house that's been transported to Broad Street. As Virginia's oldest theatre, the Empire is one of Richmond's greatest treasures. I loved Stuart Little (I've never seen an actor and puppet become "one" more than David Janeski and young Stuart), and I can't wait for A Christmas Story, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter, Peter Pan and Guys and Dolls!

I'm reading all the hoopla in the Times-Dispatch about restoring the Carpenter Center. I won't pretend to understand it all, but apparently it's been a crazy ride. That makes me all the more impressed that throughout the last 20 years Theatre IV has owned, restored and maintained the landmark Empire without, I'm told, so much as a paragraph of controversy.

As much as the Empire is a treasure, Barksdale's Willow Lawn home is a jewel. Tom McGranahan--a treasure himself--told me that he used to work in that exact area when he was a Procter & Gamble sales rep and the vast second-floor space that is now an attractive theatre was then a storeroom for the five-and-dime.

The Barksdalians (Barksdalers?) who were responsible for the design and execution of this transformation did an amazing job. I went to see The Member of the Wedding and couldn't have loved it more. It's a perfect, intimate theatre. From the outside, you think it's going to be this tiny shoebox of a space. But then you go up the stairs and enter this huge lobby and fully equipped 204-seat theatre. It's an ideal home for those of us who like to see every expression and hear every word.

I was picking up some fliers from the development office two days ago, and walked into the theatre expecting to revisit the beautiful set for The Member of the Wedding. Instead, it was like entering a jungle. Bruce Rennie, Matt Landwehr, Derek Dumais and Joe Bock were in the middle of the new light hang for Moonlight and Magnolias, and they had disconnected all the lights so that they could re-position and re-connect them to match Lynne Hartman's light design for M & M. Light cables--I think they called them "pigtails"--were dangling down from hundreds of unconnected instruments, making it seem like a small battalion of carnivorous vines (or snakes, being the day before Halloween) was getting ready to attack from the ceiling above the stage.

My first visit to Hanover Tavern was for Deathtrap, so I think I'll always be a little frightened if I have to go out there by myself. When the lighting flashed at the end of Act II, revealing that freaky cigar store Indian that stood at the foot of the stairs, I thought I was seeing a ghost. Jeannie Kilgore told me that Muriel used to swear there was a ghost in the Tavern. Now that Halloween has come and gone, I'll be brave enough to find out more.

If you haven't purchased your tickets yet for A Christmas Story at the Empire (you remember that movie with the leg lamp?), Moonlight and Magnolias at Willow Lawn (a hilarious backstage story about the making of Gone with the Wind), or Swingtime Canteen at the Tavern (a recreation of an actual USO show from the early 40s), please call today.

Whichever show and whichever theatre you choose, you're sure to have a great time! And you'll be doing your part to keep professional theatre in Richmond alive and well.

--John Steils

JB Takes the Stage, and her place in STYLE Weekly's Top 40 Under 40, and the Questionnaire

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

The incomparable Jill Bari Steinberg, currently appearing in our production of Carson McCuller's stunning play The Member of the Wedding, was just named one of STYLE Weekly's Top 40 Under 40- the young men and women who are transforming Richmond! Which means it's high time for me to get on the ball and get Jill Bari's answers to Pivot/Lipton's questionnaire.

JB has also appeared in Barksdale's productions of Brooklyn Boy, The Constant Wife, The Syringa Tree (after a Phoebe-award winning turn in Theatre Gym's production), Fifth of July, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and The Laramie Project (in association with Richmond Triangle Players). AND she appeared in Theatre Gym's productions of My Children! My Africa!, A Devil Inside (by Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright David-Lindsay Abaire), Heathen Valley, The Cripple of Inishmaan, and How I Learned to Drive. AND at Theatre IV in Peter Pan and Babes in Toyland. AND at the Firehouse Theatre Project in As Bees In Honey Drown, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Bat Boy: the Musical.

Where have I been? It is so past time! So here goes:

1. What is your favorite word?
Such a hard question. Words are amazing. I love them all. But one of my favorites is Life.

2. What is your least favorite word?
I really love all the bad words too but Extermination is a bad thing.

3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
Humor, wit, humility, vulnerability

4. What turns you off?
Arrogance, conceit and when somebody THINKS they are funny.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
My Father's Voice

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Gun shots

7. What is your favorite curse word? (have it at it. I obviously won't post it for real, but in some approved somewhat censored fashion) !@#$%^ &*()_+ is hilarious but it is so hard to pick just one. I am also learning some interesting lingo from the kids in the cast of MOTW such as “What the Krunk?” and “That is so sketch!”

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
OK – This is seriously the hardest question to answer. The list is long but to narrow it down as much as possible I will say food critic, art curator or art historian, wine maker, photographer, children’s talent agent, judge on Top Chef.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Knife throwers assistant or anything involving Clowns. (please do not post a clown pic here or it will scare me)

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome Jill Bari, meet your Grandfather Bernard. We have been waiting for you for a long time.

--Billy Christopher Maupin

Theatre Calendar - Sept 23 - 30, 2007

Posted by Bruce Miller

Here are the highlights of what’s happening at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV this week.

Sunday, Sept 23:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (Empire - 5 pm)

Monday, Sept 24:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
class -
St. Andrew’s School
meetings -
Barksdale Theatre Board of Trustees
Training for Hugs actors with Prevent Child Abuse Virginia
Beulah Elementary after-school program
event -
Meet the Stars of The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 6:30 pm)

Tuesday, Sept 25:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Richmond Magazine Hugs and Kisses interview
event -
Volunteer Recognition Event (Willow Lawn - 6:30 pm)

Wednesday, Sept 26:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Chesterfield schools)
auditions -
Adults in A Christmas Story (Empire - 7 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)

Thursday, Sept 27:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Henrico schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Hampton schools)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)

Friday, Sept 28:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Loudoun schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Henrico schools)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
event -
Bifocals - Sept program and lunch (Willow Lawn - 11 am)

Saturday, Sept 29:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm and 8 pm)
The True Story of Pocahontas (American Theatre, Phoebus)

Sunday, Sept 30:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Theatre Calendar - Sept 16 - 23, 2007

Posted by Bruce Miller

Here are the highlights of what’s happening at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV this week.

Sunday, Sept 16:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
auditions -
Moonlight and Magnolias
in rehearsal -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)

Monday, Sept 17:
in rehearsal -
A Christmas Carol - red (tour)
A Christmas Carol - green (tour)
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
class -
St. Andrew’s School
meeting -
Theatre IV Board

Tuesday, Sept 18:
in rehearsal -
A Christmas Carol - green (tour)
Hugs and Kisses (tour),
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire – Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Bright Lights High School Internship Program

Wednesday, Sept 19:
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Ettrick and Beulah Elementary After-School Program

Thursday, Sept 20:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn)
Santa's Enchanted Workshop (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)
meeting -
Virginia Arts & Letters Live
event -
Touring Actor Kick-Off Party

Friday, Sept 21:
Opening Night -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn - 8 pm)
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
in rehearsal -
Hugs and Kisses (tour)
Jack and the Beanstalk (tour)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (tour)
The Song of Mulan (tour)
Stuart Little (Empire - Family Playhouse)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (tour)
The True Story of Pocahontas (tour)

Saturday, Sept 22:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 8 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (2 - 6 pm)

Sunday, Sept 23:
in performance -
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern – 2 pm),
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 2 pm)
auditions -
Children in A Christmas Story and Peter Pan (evening)

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Happy Half-Birthday to the Buzz

Posted by Bruce Miller

Tomorrow marks the sixth month anniversary of the Barksdale Blog--although I suspect you can't have an "anni" anything until you've reached at least a year. But as all parents know, up to the second birthday you always count by months.

So here we are. It will be six months ago tomorrow, on March 15, that we began this cyber adventure. You can click into our archives to revisit that first blog entry and almost every posting since.

I say “almost” because a few articles that found their way onto our blog for brief periods of time are no longer with us. For example, there was some blog editing (purging?) late at night on July 23, the “most read” day in our brief blog lifetime. During the course of that day we experienced a riot of anonymous comments, a few of which were fairly intense about our theatre or one or another of our respected colleague theatres.

As word of the riot spread around town—and wouldn’t you know I was the last to hear—a record 315 people logged on to view the carnage. When I discovered what was happening, I shut down the blog, temporarily, removed the posts that somehow prompted the blood bath and scrubbed them of all incendiary comments before reposting them the next day.

In another instance—I believe it was on August 6—I wrote what I considered to be an affectionate and respectful (but also satirical) post in homage to Robin Arthur. A few days before I had written some favorable comments about Henry IV, Part I at Richmond Shakespeare. Jacquie O’Connor, who was in IV/I, quite naturally wanted people to come see it. So she was encouraging friends to read my blog entry. Robin Arthur, it turns out, is blog averse, so she finally turned to Jacquie and said, “Jacquie, I wouldn’t read Bruce Miller’s blog if he wrote about my #&*@* !”

Now, I’ve learned my lesson and therefore substituted all those punctuation marks for the word Robin used, a word that is synonymous with “burro.” And "buttocks."

Robin told me this story herself so that I would get a good laugh out of her blog aversion, rather than hear the story through the grapevine and assume that she was intending to speak ill of me. I thought the story was a hoot. I also thought that the gauntlet had been thrown down.

I was determined to write a blog post about Robin’s … “burro.”

So I did. Just for fun. It was titled ROBIN ARTHUR’S ASS in big bold letters. And let me remind you all that “ass” is a perfectly acceptable word that I’ve read from the pulpit of my church. It’s a word that’s included in the script of Peter Pan, which Theatre IV will be producing this spring. It’s the moniker that Peter tells us Tinker Bell has assigned to Wendy. If you play the old Mary Martin tape from the Peter Pan TV special of the 1950s, you’ll hear it loud and clear ... with no one objecting.

But the language police are a lot pickier now than they were in the 50s, more’s the pity. So when my blog post told the tender story of Robin’s pet donkey, recounting it’s many adventures and including quite a few fun photos I found on line, the ladies in our Marketing Department, who are far more wise than I, reminded me that the Barksdale blog reaches out to all kinds of people who may be somewhat less “accepting” than we crazy theatre types. They suggested that perhaps I should disseminate my satire in a less public forum. They were of course right; the post went down.

But I saved it as a word document. So, if anyone really wants to read it and see the photos, just drop me a line and I’ll send it to you in a plain brown email.

Are all such blog purges the equivalent of censorship and therefore inherently evil? Yes. Do we do it anyway? Yes. Hey, business is business.

Basically, we’re learning the blog business as we go along. We're making some mistakes, and we're certainly not pleasing everybody. I know I still tend to be too long winded and formal (BORING is the word one commenter chose to put in all caps). Others on our blog tend to write far more whimsically and/or shorter. Hopefully we find a balance.

I know we sometimes post content too frequently for some (my pal Mr. Timberline comes to mind), too sparingly for others. Some want our blog to be more "educational," some want a good deal less of that. We appreciate all opinions and points of view. The business studies we're reading suggest that daily postings and multiple perspectives increase blog readership. Readership is what we're after.

Our prodigal Heifetz ("giving in abundance") has brilliantly suggested some 15-second video blog posts that we're going to be trying soon to promote our various productions.

And here’s where you come in. Now that we’ve established critical mass (138 blog posts; 719 people, shows, companies and places etc. indexed in our labels), we want to invite any and all of you to submit blog posts to us. Just write whatever you want to put out there, and email it to j.daugherty@barksdalerichmond.org with the word BLOG in the subject line. If the posts you submit contain content related to professional theatre in Metro Richmond or beyond, and/or if we think your post will be of interest to the Richmond theatre community, we’ll likely publish it. The exceptions will be blog posts that we consider to be mean spirited about our theatre, our artists, or any of our respected colleagues, be they individuals or organizations.

We cordially invite you to join us in the merry mayhem of blog land. Tell us your stories about theatres and productions of days gone by. Tell us what your life is like after moving from Richmond into a larger or smaller market. Tell us how you’re doing in college, or what it felt like to perform with that company in Idaho. Or Poughkeepsie. Tell us your opinion of what we could or should be doing better. We’re open to any and all voices; we welcome your input.

Six months from now, when we hit our One Year Anniversary, we hope you’ll consider the Barksdale Buzz to be YOUR blog too, not just ours.

--Bruce Miller

PS - Should you venture into the archives and discover that many of the pictures are still down, be assured that we know this and will be working, over time, on their restoration. Thanks.

Staff Spotlight - Amy Gethins Sullivan

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin
At Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV we are very fortunate to have an incredibly talented and dedicated production staff. One of the wonderful individuals who works on this staff is Amy Gethins Sullivan. She is our Master Scenic Artist and has been since 2005, when this Richmond native returned to accept the call from Barksdale/TIV. She began her tour of duty with the dual setting of Barksdale's The Drawer Boy and Theatre IV's Bunnicula--on the same stage--AT THE SAME TIME! Now that is a task!

This is after Amy was "overhire" as a scenic painter for TIV's 1999 production of The Wizard of Oz and the 2001 production of Peter Pan. Greig Leach was Scenic Designer. Even after working on those ginormous shows, she came back!

Going back in time a bit (think of the Wayne's World doodle oodle time warp-not to be confused with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, mind you), Amy graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (sotto voce) in 1984 in Painting and Printmaking. She then did what any college graduate with an art degree would do: waited tables (at Strawberry Street Cafe), worked at the Video Fan, and took classes at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Incidentally, the owner of the Video Fan while Amy was the store manager there, is now a co-owner of Artworks, where Amy just had a nice, month-long run displaying her children's portraits. That show ended this past Sunday. A large part of Amy's work outside of the theatre is painting these strikingly beautiful children's portraits (see one to the right). It kinda makes me want to run out and adopt a kid right now, just so Amy can paint a portrait of him being he or her being she.

OK, so back on the timeline (think again of Wayne's World doodle oodle time warp, still not to be confused with The Rocky Horror Show, mind you): after doing these "jobby-job" things moved to Northern Virginia, where she heard about Scena Studios needing a painter. So she hopped into her red Volkswagen Bug with paintings in tow, not even having a proper portfolio at this point (I love this image...actually...I love it so much, I think I'll say it again:) She hopped into her red Volkswagen Bug with paintings in tow, not even having a proper portfolio at this point and landed herself a job painting with a brilliant group of artists ("the best," Amy calls them), led by Diane Hackler. With Scena she painted for the Boston Ballet, the Washington Opera, and Disney on Ice (among others)! Oh, and my favorite: she painted the King Kong ride/exhibit for Universal Studios in 1990 that retired just last year. It was up for 15 years! It was a 3/4 scale set that was built and painted in NOVA and then shipped down to Florida. How cool is that!

Then Amy decided to be a stay-at-home mom with her four children until that call from Barksdale/Theatre IV! And we are so glad she came back!!!

So come on down for First Friday's next week where you can see Amy's artwork on display in the lobby of the Empire Theatre!

--Billy Christopher Maupin