From Girls in Green to the Great White Way

Posted by Bruce Miller
Those who may wonder why Barksdale and Theatre IV are so pleased to partner with the Girl Scouts (see Curtain Up, Lights Out, Fun’s ON! [Sat Oct 31, 2009] and How We Help … Girl Scouts [Wed June 18, 2008] should consider the case of Toni-Leslie James (pictured to the right).

Who? Toni-Leslie James. Start getting used to hearing that name, even here in little old Richmond. In fact, especially here in Richmond. Toni-Leslie James, you see, is beginning her third year as Director of Costume for Theatre VCU. Simultaneously, she is earning rave reviews as the Costume Designer of Finian’s Rainbow (pictured below), which opened on Broadway last week to some of the most glowing reviews I've read in years.
VCU Communications and Public Relations issued a press release about Ms James last spring that reads as follows: “The seed for (her) illustrious career was planted years ago on a fateful field trip to see Jack and the Bean Stalk with her Girl Scout troop. From that moment, she was hooked.”

So as our historic Empire filled last weekend with a hundred or so young ladies in green, who knows what super-star of the future was in our midst.

If you’d like to catch a videotaped interview with Toni-Leslie James, you can watch her in a 1992 edition of American Theatre Wing Seminar - Working in the Theatre: Design. Before taping this show, she had just won the American Theatre Wing Design Award for the costumes she created for her Broadway debut, Jelly's Last Jam. She was also nominated for a Tony for the same show. http://americantheatrewing.org/wit/detail/design_09_92

Since that auspicious beginning, Ms James has won great acclaim for her costumes for 14 Broadway productions, including both parts of Tony Kushner’s landmark drama, Angels in America (1993), and Michael John LaChiusa’s two Broadway musicals, Marie Christine (1999) and The Wild Party (2000). Ms James has also dressed many of Off-Broadway’s most memorable plays and musicals.

All told, in addition to her Tony nomination, she has earned three Drama Desk nominations and an Obie Award for Sustained Design Excellence last spring.

Ms James lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Australian lighting designer David Higham, and divides her time between NYC and Richmond. After the opening of Finian’s last week, she may once again be the toast of Broadway, but she’s also a Richmond treasure!

And it all started with a Girl Scout field trip to a local children’s theatre.

That’s the kind of story I LOVE to tell.

I hope to see YOU at the theatre, real soon! And when you come, look around. Maybe you’ll be sitting down the row from Richmond’s newest Tony nominee—Toni-Leslie James.

--Bruce Miller

Curtain Up, Lights Out, Fun's ON!

Written by Tracy Coogle
Last Friday night was anything but quiet. Sixty-five Girl Scouts, 20 or so chaperones and scout leaders, plus about 15 volunteers and theatre teachers all packed into the historic Empire Theatre for Theatre IV’s first ever professional children’s theatre camp-in.

Barksdale has worked in strategic partnership with Theatre IV, the Children's Theatre of Virginia, since 2001. As a general rule, Barksdale works with teens, adults and seniors; Theatre IV works with children, families and schools. And now scout troops too.

This theatre camp-in was designed as a fun way to introduce young girls and boys to the wonderful world of theatre. The program meets Girl Scout and Boy Scout badge requirements, and (shhhhh….don’t tell the kids it was educational) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (the performance presented at the camp-in) also address several SOLs.

Friday night was all girls and all scouts. The evening began with all the kids checking in and getting their sleeping assignments. Many brought bag dinners and giggled and chatted excitedly, waiting to enter the theatre.

At 6:45, all 100 of us were seated in the beautiful, 98-year-old Empire for our own private performance of the creepy October classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This is the same show Theatre IV takes on tour around the country. Did you know Theatre IV tours to 32 states?!

Following the performance, the cast answered a barrage of questions from the excited girls, ranging from the theatrical—“How do you change costumes so quickly?”—to the personal—“What’s your favorite food?” I think the cast enjoyed it as much as the Brownies and Girl Scouts..

Following the Q&A, the kids were sent out to the first of five workshop stations: Stage Combat, Lights and Sound, Acting, Mask Making, and Stage Makeup. The teachers at each station were theatre professionals—actors, teachers, technicians and designers. Since Theatre IV is the Children’s Theatre of Virginia, we have a LOT of outstanding resources at our disposal.

After the first three busy, fun-filled stations, the girls all went to their assigned sleeping spaces, rolled out their sleeping bags on the floors, and went to bed. Bedtime was 11, lights-out 11:30. So that I could “keep an eye and ear” on the lobby (I’m a light sleeper when I’m working with kids), I decided the Box Office would be the best place for me to sleep…WRONG!!! City buses come by every five minutes!

We repeat the program tonight, and I’ve already staked out a cozy, out-of-the-way spot in the balcony. Bring on the ghosts and spiders; I don’t care as long as they’re quiet.

This morning (Saturday), my fellow volunteer Stephanie and I set up breakfast tables at 6:00 am. Christina and Slade Billew picked up the coffee (hallelujah), milk, juice and bagels (yum) from Panera, a generous sponsor of our sleep over program.

The girls ate between 7 and 7:45, packed their bedrolls, and then went on to the two final stations.

Two girls were nearly in tears and threatened to quit their soccer teams when they had to leave the theatre early to attend soccer games. One leader said it was “the best overnight camp-in we’ve ever attended!” I responded, “Great…since this is our first, we welcome any constructive comments that we can apply to future camp-ins.” The scout leader stared in disbelief. “No,” she said, “you must be wrong. This can’t be your first. It’s so well run and organized!”

I assured her that this sleep over was indeed our first, and it began as just a fleeting suggestion on a train ride home from New York last March. (Thanks, Bruce & Phil, for humoring my crazy idea!!)

But trying to be objective, I have to say I agree with her. As an observer and “extra pair of hands” volunteer, it was the best-run camp-in I had ever seen. I lead two Girl Scout troops, and co-lead a third—so I have 7+ years of kid camp-in experience!

All the well-deserved kudos go to Christina Billew, our head teacher and organizer. Her children’s education background, acting experience, and the fact that she grew up with Theatre IV made her the perfect staff choice to run this event. None of us realized HOW perfect. I was very impressed with her level of detail, organizing every little aspect of the evening.

We have our second camp-in tonight, and this time, MY troops and three daughters get to attend. I’m really excited to be returning. I love my job!

--Tracy Coogle, CPA and Controller of Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre, recipient of 40 Under 40 recognition from STYLE Weekly, 2009

How We Help ... Girl Scouts

Posted by Bruce Miller
I walked into Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern yesterday (Tuesday) morning to help Terrie and David Powers map out the all-but-completed set design for Shirley Valentine. This was our one chance to envision on-site exactly where the complex set would sit on the stage. This is the final design step before building begins.

"Help" is probably the wrong word for what I do. I sit there while Terrie and David are working, saying “Don’t forget about this” or “Have you considered trying it this way” or “Where are you ever going to find a (fill in an impossible-to-find prop here)” or “Are you sure the people in these seats over here will have decent sight lines?”

I walked in ready to begin the process, only to find a group of what appeared to be fourth and fifth grade girls playing theatre games on the bare stage, laughing their heads off. David had cleared out the set for Greater Tuna on Monday, so all that remained were a row of toupee and hairdo-sporting wig stands lined up against the upstage wall, looking down at the girls. From all appearances, the wig stands were smiling.

I panicked. “Oh great,” I thought. “The Tavern has rented out the space for some sort of summer camp, and they forgot to tell us.” Thankfully, such was not the case. When I looked more closely, there on the third row sat Brad Tuggle, Assistant to the Managing Director of Barksdale and Theatre IV, directing the girls through their paces. He seemed to be having as much fun as the young ladies in his charge.
Turns out that what I walked in on was the tail end of one of Brad’s scout sessions. Brad manages Barksdale and Theatre IV’s Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Cub Scout and Brownie enrichment programs. This particular group came from the Pamunkey Ridge Girl Scout Camp in Hanover, and they were there to work with Barksdale on earning their try-it in theatre.

Throughout the year, Barksdale and Theatre IV work for free with scout troops of all shapes and sizes (and both genders) as they earn their various badges and patches in theatre and the dramatic arts. This is one of our many community service initiatives, and any scout troop that is interested in working with us can contact Brad at b.tuggle@barksdalerichmond.org, or 804 783-1688 ext 12. If you would be interested in helping with our scout program, please let Brad know that too. We love to work with volunteers.

Turns out this is the third year in a row that we’ve welcomed our young friends from Pamunkey Ridge onto our stage. As you’re considering why Barksdale is important to you and/or the community-at-large, please remember to add “working with scout troops” to your list. It’s fun for us and the scouts, and an excellent way to meet the needs of the community in non-traditional ways.

--Bruce Miller