CenterStage Brochure Announces New Initiatives

Posted by Bruce Miller
According to blogger.com, this is our 600th blog post. Considering all the articles that have been posted and then removed, it's probably the 700th post we've written, but ... for better or worse, it's the first time we've had 600 items actually posted at the same time.

When Barksdale was 31 years old, co-founder Muriel McAuley wrote her wonderful book, Moving On. Theatre IV turned 36 last May. Theatre IV doesn't have a book. But I've written a lot of posts on this blog.

One day I'll go back through the blog archives to proof and edit.

I was pleased to receive the beautiful new CenterStage brochure in my home mailbox last evening. I was particularly interested to learn about four news items. At least they were news to me.

1. Three of the four restaurants listed as CenterStage's Premiere Restaurant Partners are located in easy walking distance of the historic Empire Theatre. Bistro 27 (across the street), TJs and Lemaire (two blocks away) all offer a 10% discount to CenterStage ticket holders on the night of the show. CenterStage is clearly a step ahead of Barksdale in pulling this together. Good for them. We all learn from the competition. It's a great perq for ticket buyers. It's time for us to pay a visit on our friends at Bistro 27 and the Jefferson to try to catch up with CenterStage.

2. Young James Wasilewski, who I guess isn't all that young anymore (he will always be "Young James" to us), will be bringing his acclaimed improv troupe, West End Comedy, into Rhythm Hall, the multipurpose performance space at CenterStage. James (pictured to the right) interned with Barksdale his senior year at Randolph Macon, a little less than a decade ago. Now he'll be appearing downtown on four Fridays--Nov 4, Jan 13, Feb 3, and Mar 16.

James has been trying to lure me out to the West End for months, to see his show. Looks like I now will have no excuse not to go laugh at my buddy in his new downtown digs. Tickets are only $10, and the show is for "mature audiences." I don't know if I'm mature yet, but I'm marking my calendar nonetheless. I hope you will too. I think bringing comedy to Rhythm Hall on a regular basis is a great idea.

3. Kathy Halenda, who starred at Barksdale in Mame and Irving Berlin's White Christmas is one of the headliners in CenterStage's new Life Is A Cabaret series, sponsored by U. S. Trust. On Jan 26-29, Kathy will be bringing her Class & Brass: The Music of Judy Garland and Bette Midler show to Rhythm Hall. What a perfect way to heat up a cold winter's night. If Kathy's in town, you know the joint will be jumpin'.

Richmond needs more cabaret. We've made halting efforts at Barksdale, and Glen Allen and Triangle have lately picked up the ball with excellent cabaret acts and series of their own. Maybe one day soon, Richmond will have a flourishing cabaret scene at multiple venues.

4. The biggest newsflash for me (I know, everyone else has probably known for weeks) is that CenterStage is getting into the theatre producing business with a new program called CenterStage in The Community. This causes me to feel both nervous and relieved at the same time.

"Nervous" because this means there is now another producing theatre in town, a BIG one, one with resources several times greater than the resources available over here. New competition is good, but when you're trying to meet payroll and handle the financial obligations of a major downtown facility like the historic Empire, new competition is also scary. Time will tell how many producing theatres a community the size of Greater Richmond can support.

"Relieved" because Barksdale will no longer be the biggest producing theatre in town. I've spent 27 years of my career as artistic director of a tiny, then mid-sized theatre, leaving the "big house" responsibilities to other entities. We've been at the top of the heap (until now) for only nine years. There was a lot less pressure when we were small.

The first production to receive the benefits of this amazing opportunity will be Dessa Rose, co-produced by CenterStage and Firehouse, and directed by CenterStage's multi-talented Executive Director, Richard M. Parison, Jr. (pictured below and to the left).

Before moving to Richmond less than a year ago, Parison spent the previous two years as the producing director at Barrington Stage Company, which the Boston Globe has called "the pre-eminent place in Massachusetts for the production of musicals." Before that, he held producing positions at the Prince Music Theater and the Walnut Street Theatre (with a legendary subscriber base of over 20,000) in Philadelphia.

Here's what the CenterStage brochure has to say about Dessa Rose. "CenterStage and the Firehouse Theatre Project come together to present Dessa Rose, a musical full of love, laughter, hope and a pair of unlikely heroines. One is a fallen lady of society abandoned by her husband, the other a pregnant slave sentenced to death on the gallows. When circumstances thrust them together, they form an uneasy alliance in an attempt to secure them both their freedom and that of their infant children. Based on imagined details of real events, this dangerous adventure of a musical celebrates life in all its joys, triumphs and challenges."

Dessa Rose is written and composed by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the same talented team that created Seussical, which will be produced by Theatre IV at the same time that CenterStage and Firehouse will be co-producing Dessa Rose. Seussical runs April 27 through May 20. Dessa Rose runs May 2 through June 2. Perhaps Carol Piersol will forgive me for bowing out of the Tennessee Williams Festival, and she and Richard Parison will consider joining with us to mount a mini Flaherty/Ahrens Festival. It's at least worth talking about.

It remains to be seen whether CenterStage will continue its CenterStage in The Community program with Firehouse (a GREAT partner), or another theatre, or maybe another performing art form altogether. Perhaps next year they will choose to co-produce with Concert Ballet, the Richmond Philharmonic, or Peter Mark's new Lyric Opera Virginia.

After it's triumphant 2nd Anniversary celebration with Patti Labelle, it's good to see CenterStage coming on so strong. Long may she thrive!

--Bruce Miller

Great Family Fun This Weekend

Posted by Bruce Miller
Lights Up - Youth Open House at CenterStage is a free event for you and the children in your life. It takes place this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and everyone is invited! The mini-festival will occur, of course, at CenterStage, marking the public opening of the Genworth BrightLights Education Center.

Theatre IV and Barksdale are proud to be resident companies of CenterStage, and we're excited about helping to produce and present the free performances and workshops that are part of the weekend's festivities. Other resident companies that are participating include African American Repertory Theatre, Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Shakespeare, Richmond Symphony, SPARC and Virginia Opera.

The Jazz Society is also a resident company. They will not be joining in this weekend because all events are designed to involve children and teens, and the Jazz Society has no performers in and presents no workshops for this age group.

Theatre IV and Barksdale have invited two of our partnering companies to share our allotted time slots: The Latin Ballet of Virginia and the Richmond Boys Choir. African American Repertory Theatre has done the same with one of their partners, City Dance. The Richmond Symphony also will be working in one activity with a community partner, the Richmond Philharmonic.

I served on a steering committee of three that has been working hard for several months to pull the Open House together, with lots of leadership and help from CenterStage staff and volunteers. Area arts educators have also been key leaders in this effort.

To give credit where credit is due, the bulk of the work was done by the other two members of the steering committee--Aimee Halbruner, Director of Education and Community Engagement with the Richmond Symphony, and Brett Bonda, Director of Minds in Motion with the Richmond Ballet. These two outstanding artists are cornerstones of our community's arts leadership.

Events will begin on Saturday, Jan 23, with an afternoon of fun and informative arts workshops, master classes, lecture-demos and live performances for children and teens. Attendees must register for the activities of their choice. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Carpenter Theatre lobby. Everything is free, but on-site registration is required, on a first-come first-served basis.

The interactive fun will begin at noon and continue throughout the facility until 5 pm. Theatre IV and Barksdale will be offering the following:

I Have a Dream: The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - A live performance of one of Theatre IV's acclaimed touring productions, co-produced with the Virginia Historical Society. In the Gottwald Playhouse, Saturday, 1:30 pm. Most appreciated by audiences age 9 and up.

Let's Make a Hat! - A hands-on workshop conducted by our brilliant costume shop. Participants will use everyday materials to construct fun and festive hats. In room 3137, Saturday noon. Most appreciated by children of all ages.

Puppets on Parade - Using Theatre IV's extensive puppet collection, kids will learn about hand puppets, marionettes, rod puppets and body puppets. In room 3140, Saturday noon. Most appreciated by children of all ages.

Careful Combat - Produced in association with Richmond Shakespeare and co-led by Slade Billew, our fight coach extraordinaire, this workshop will teach kids how professional actors can appear to fight on stage, with nobody getting hurt. In room 3140, Saturday 3 p.m. Most appreciated by kids age 11 to 14.

Master Class: Musical Theatre Dance - Our brilliant director and choreographer, Leslie Owens Harrington (Crowns, Annie Get Your Gun, Peter Pan, Anything Goes, many others) will offer a 75-minute intensive class for experienced dancers ages 16 to 18, covering tap, jazz and myriad other musical theatre styles. Pre-registration required by this Friday. Interested participants should contact Christina Billew at (804) 783-1688 x 1132 or c.billew@theatreivrichmond.org. Non-participants can observe the class as well. On the stage of the Carpenter Theatre, Saturday 3:30 p.m.

In addition to the open house activities, a concert program featuring many of Richmond's most talented young performers (ages 6 to 21) will be presented in the Carpenter Theatre on Saturday night at 7 and Sunday afternoon at 3. Both performances are free. To obtain tickets or more information, visit the CenterStage website at http://www.richmondcenterstage.com/. Free tickets will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis.

The wonderful Sabrina Squire will be our host for both performances. Bo Wilson leant his impressive talents to the short script that will hold each performance together.

Young artists from Theatre IV will present the opening number from Seussical the Musical, accompanied by the Richmond Youth Symphony.

Theatre IV and Barksdale are proud to participate in the leadership of exciting arts education events like this one. Hope to see you at CenterStage this Saturday and Sunday!

--Bruce Miller

The Case for Confidence

Posted by Bruce Miller
(This is a re-posting of a previously published blog entry.)

"At Barksdale and Theatre IV we remain cautious but confident." That's what I said at the end of the previous blog posting, and that's how Phil and I respond to queries from national arts leaders who bring up the bad news from Wisconsin. With the demise of great colleague theatres such as TheatreVirginia, Madison Rep, Mill Mountain Playhouse in Roanoke, and Charlotte Rep, we expect to entertain questions about our financial health.

The good news is this. For years, our Boards of Trustees have been working intelligently and strategically to ensure that Barksdale and Theatre IV will not follow in the footsteps of these now defunct nonprofit companies. We have engaged in prudent and responsible business planning.

What follows are the five cornerstones that support our confidence, particularly as it relates to the recent closing of Madison Repertory Theatre.

1. The Greater Richmond metro area population as of 2008 is 1,225,626--more than twice the 555,626 people who comprise the metro area population of Madison, WI. This means our population should be two times more able to sustain both the for-profit "Broadway" series co-produced by CenterStage and a nonprofit major professional theatre like Barksdale.

2. According to IRS forms 990 for the year 2008 (the most recent year available):

Barksdale and Theatre IV had combined annual revenue of $5,049,376; Madison Rep had annual revenue of $2,023,579.

74% of Barksdale and Theatre IV's annual revenue was earned through ticket sales and tour fees, and only 26% came in through contributions. Only 53% of Madison Rep's annual revenue was earned through ticket sales, and 47% was dependent upon contributions.

Barksdale and Theatre IV ended fiscal 2008 with a positive fund balance of $1,761,395; Madison Rep ended fiscal 2008 with a negative fund balance of -$424,688.

3. Theatre IV fully owns and is able to borrow against the multi-million dollar historic Empire Theatre.

4. Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV have developed highly diverse revenue streams, earning significant funds from ticket sales at three major venues and extensive touring throughout Virginia and 32 surrounding states.

5. During all the years when Barksdale and Theatre IV were asked to assist with various efforts to develop Richmond CenterStage, the Richmond leaders of CenterStage pledged not to compete with Theatre IV with regard to our core business--story-based plays and musicals for children and their families. CenterStage pledged not to book in our competitors' productions of major titles in which Theatre IV has invested millions of dollars, the productions we regularly revive from our repertoire. These major titles include Annie, A Christmas Carol, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Disney's High School Musical, Peter Pan, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Seussical, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz.

Conversely, Barksdale and Theatre IV have acknowledged CenterStage's need to mount an annual "Broadway" series for adult audiences, and to book in non-competitive, television-based children's programs such as Sesame Street Live, Dora the Explorer, etc.

If CenterStage honors its promises, we believe that Barksdale Theatre, Theatre IV and CenterStage's "Broadway" series will all thrive in our mid-sized market. Surely that is the goal. If CenterStage's leaders are true to their word, we will have a win-win for the entire community.
As I said, we remain confident, but we are not throwing caution to the wind. We continue to do all we can to ensure the success of CenterStage, while working hard also to build up the financial health of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV, Richmond's major professional theatre.

--Bruce Miller

Sketchy Behavior Makes Merry Masterworks

Posted by Bruce Miller

Do you ever wonder what performers do while they’re waiting in the wings? Here are two answers from the closing night of Home for the Holidays.

While anticipating their entrances at tables off right, our meistersingers were apparently less than riveted by the performances of their fellow songbirds. It was their fifth performance after all, and they had limited view.

From all accounts our vocal Vulcans allowed their eyes and thoughts to wander from the stage, finally finding some errant piece of trash and deciding to draft upon it a graphic storyboard for All Those Christmas Clichés. This beautiful Lynn Ahrens / Stephen Flaherty classic-in-the-making (that's Lynn and Stephen pictured above and to the left) was masterfully performed each night by Janine Serresseque. The Ahrens / Flaherty duo also wrote music and lyrics for Ragtime, Once on this Island, Seussical the Musical, and A Man of No Importance--source of Audra's song, Princess. Last night during the show, the cast created a visual homage to the evocative lyrics of All Those Christmas Clichés. Their artwork is pictured below.

Janine warmly amused the house with her “local” rendition of the song: “I’ve spent Christmas in Mechanicsville, Christmas in Midlothian, Christmas in Varina and Luray.” I don’t believe those noble neighborhoods are depicted in our cast-created artwork, but many of the Christmas clichés mentioned in the song are.

For a fun party game, see if you can locate: “a tree full of toys and tinsel,” a “wreath on the red front door,” “elves in the yard,” a “sentimental card dripping glitter on the floor,” “plywood reindeer,” a “horse-drawn sleigh,” “a turkey with all the trimmings,” “Johnny Mathis,” “perfect skaters,” a “fruitcake with sugar glaze,” “snow,” a “choir,” “candles in the window,” “chestnuts roasting on the fire,” “a house filled with noise and laughter,” “a street bathed in twinkling light,” “bells,” “drums,” “mistletoe,” “sugar plums,” “kids to tuck in tight,” and last but not least, “that guy in the bright red outfit.” I think five or six may be missing, but then I've never been good at these games.

Vigorous debate arose during the closing party as to whether or not Santa was still wearing his fur-trimmed pants. Hmm.

The second masterpiece created by our Michelangelos of melody—actually I think it was a single Michelangelo (or Michelangelette)—is a pen and ink portrait on cocktail napkin entitled “Crabby in the Front Row.”

Yes, dear readers, if you don’t know by now that actors notice each and every facial expression in the audience, then you don’t know actors. Only the purest of artistes—the ones who swear they never read reviews—will deny noticing and reacting to misanthropic pusses spreading gloom and doom down front.

The estimable Robyn O’Neill has long stated that audience members should have to audition for Rows A, B and C. And here’s why. Each singer, one after the other, was literally abuzz last night with chat about the “grouch on the front row.” Unbeknownst to those of us sitting behind her, an apparently discontent woman sat not three feet from our singers, glaring up at them all night long doing her best impression of Grumpy of Seven Dwarfs fame. No wonder her anonymous visage prompted this cocktail napkin characterization.

Time to turn that frown upside down, dontcha think?

So if you’d prefer not to be immortalized on disposable paper by the cast of an upcoming theatrical production, then SMILE next time you’re sitting within fifteen feet of the stage, or anywhere else in the theatre for that matter. At the very least, look vaguely pleasant. I can’t tell you how much we ALL will appreciate it.

And here's a fun fact to recall when trying to summon up that requested good cheer. The preliminary results are in, and it appears that you audience members for Home for the Holidays (99.9% of whom weren’t ill-tempered or cross) swelled the coffers of the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund by approximately $3,400—we’re still doing the final tabulation. That’s enough to make anyone happy, and a wonderful holiday gift to Richmond's theatre community. Many, many thanks to all involved.

Merry Christmas and a belated Happy Hanukkah!

--Bruce Miller

In Sympathy

We are keeping Jason Marks and his family in our prayers. We learned this morning about the death of Jason’s father. Jason is currently preparing for his role as Mr. Mushnik in SPARC’s Little Shop of Horrors, which opens this Thursday.

Jason appeared as the stuffed shirt lawyer Babcock in the cast of Mame this winter at Barksdale's Signature Season at Willow Lawn. He sang a very memorable O Holy Night in Home for the Holidays, our annual cabaret benefit for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. Prior to that, Jason starred as Belle’s father in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and as the Grinch in Seussical the Musical, both at Theatre IV.

When I was 32, I lost my father unexpectedly. He was 74, which seemed old to me at the time, but seems young to me today. It was a very jarring event in my life, one that will always be with me. My theatre responsibilities at the time helped me tremendously to deal with the loss and move on. I hope the same proves to be the case for Jason.

I also hope that Jason knows with certainly that our community stands with him during this transition, providing a foundation of love and support that he can fall back on if and when he needs to. We offer our deepest sympathy. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do.

--Bruce Miller