Two Surprises: simple stuff makes Memories & Friends!

A few weeks ago, really on a whim, I bought several boxes of cookies from Trader Joes. After arranging them on a plate, I put on my namebadge (Scott Nolte, Producing Artistic Director) and welcomed our audiences to that evening’s performance of The Christmas Foundling at Taproot Theatre Company. It was so much fun, we continued it through the run of the show, alternating between me, our general manager, development associate and associate artistic director.

A week or so later I went to Big John’s PFI, a local Mediteranean food store that I’d read about. I walked in – it’s a lower level wide open space – and walked by two huge deli cases of cheeses and meats, and there on the left was a folding table with a nice lady with platters of cheeses, salami, prosciutt0, crackers and cookies. And Big John, smiling and with samples of his homemade Zinfandel.

Three lessons from cookies and zinfandel:

1. People love genuine surprises. People were coming to see a great show just like I was stopping by a great store with Italian and Greeks foods. The theatre patrons loved my cookies every bit as much as I gleefully enjoyed my cheese, prosciutto and zin!

2. Surprises multiply the pleasure of the intended experience. The experience grew to include the play and the groceries AND the delight of cookes and the zin. The experience became much more sensory! (For my patrons and for me!)

3. People are truly surprised when “the boss” greets them. Sheesh: I met the real Big John and he seemed like a generous, warm and big-hearted guy! For my patrons, who were met four key people in the theatre, saw the leaders caring enough to serve cookies to strangers and wish them well.

4. We, leaders of theatres (and great grocery stores!), need face-time with the people who choose to spend their time and money at our theatre. With a simple plate of cookies I got to say Hi, Thanks and Merry Christmas personally to a lot of people!! Big John has my shopping-loyalty and admiration because he grinned at me and offered me some of his own, handmade wine (and the cheeses and prosciutto were amazing too). I greeted both first-time attendees and long-term generous donors. Big John no doubt greeted long time customers and friends — and me, a first-time visitor and Italian-wannabe!

Take a chance on creating moments of surprise, hospitality and connection with your people and  communities. Make memories, make long term friends and patrons.

On Stage: The Christmas Foundling

We’re having a lot of fun with this year’s Christmas production, adapted from the short stories of Bret Harte. “The California Gold Rush is on and rough-and-tumble miners fill their days chasing fortunes and their nights with story and song. When an orphaned infant appears on their doorstep on Christmas Eve, their carefree existence is turned topsy-turvy and they discover that the greatest wealth sometimes comes in surprising packages.” The show features a friend of Taproot Theatre Company, Grant Goodeve (of “Eight is Enough”, and our local “Northwest Backroads” program and much more) plus an all around great cast. The designers’ rustic cabin and costumes are tops, and the musical direction is grand too.

(What’s more, the initial reviews from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Teen-Tix are great.)

On opening night I found myself having a fun chat with a critic about Christmas plays in general, and some of our interests in selecting plays for the Season.  Let’s face it, you can see several versions of “A Christmas Carol”, a send-up of a Judy Garland Christmas TV Special, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, “The Santaland Diaries” even “You Can’t Take It With You” within a 15 minute drive of Taproot Theatre’s front door.  In contrast to the wild, vulgar, maybe cycnical tendency to create new holiday plays, we’ve looked for plays that embrace the heritage of Christmas (even including its biblical origins where it fits), plays that celebrate the season and we’ve recognized that we serve hundreds of patrons who bring along their families for a special night of theatre.  For some, this is the first time at a play, if not at TTC. This is their entrance to the wonder and relevance of theatre.

The Christmas Foundling, lt to rt: Jason Adkins (Hoke), Danny Helms (Tom) and Casi Wilkerson (Sarah).

And so, opposite to “Bah Humbug!”, we quite happily know that the entertainment element is running high and the audience is going to walk away happy. And in the case of “The Christmas Foundling” they’ll be thankful for their own families and friends, the people who contribute to making their life richer than “the stuff” that  we substitute for love.

Post-election: still doing and seeing plays, living in Hope.

the quieter corner of my desk

With the election behind us, we can return to the issues of the day (running a theatre, serving the public, creating wonder) and even enjoy television a little better (enough with the nasty ads already, I’m looking forward to the good old days of Budweizer, Hot Pocket and Preparation H ads).

For those of us in the not-for-profit arts arena, these are still very crazy and uncertain times. In our hearts we know that our patrons will desperately need hope, wonder, insight and community in this period of anxiety and fear. It’s our calling! But then my brain interrupts the reverie with cat-calls about How!?? – or rather how to pay the costs of serving the public. In the best of times, we scramble to raise the funds to cover nearly 40% of our annual budget (hovering around $1.6 m). Now, with uncertainty in the air, and retailers fearing the worst Christmas shopping season in decades, what’s around the corner for us performing arts organizations?

For now, I’d like to counter fear, the kind that would paralyze our calling, with a full immersion in Hope and the God-given belief in our calling. That in itself isn’t legal tender at the bank, but it puts us in a stable place of certainty and trust from which we can work diligently. It will inform our choices, or the prioritizing, if our funds don’t match our full vision. It will remind us of the reason we faithfully serve audiences, and do everything we can to honor the work of our actors, teachers, technicians, designers and staff.  And it will keep our eyes on the prize, running the good race to completion…since these days will pass and we’ll need to have not sold our soul or lost hope. Hope, Joy and Courage will be in demand!

On the other hand, this past week: I attended the annual meeting of ArtsFund with a co-worker and caught up with a lot of arts organization and corporate friends (while sampling cheeses, sliders, sashimi and wine at the beautiful, new Seattle Four Seasons Hotel!)…Pam and I attended a wonderful Image Journal event featuring Kathleen Norris speaking, with a reception and presentation of her new book, God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas (the book features many contributors including Luci Shaw and Eugene Peterson) … Peter and I attended a rousing HENRY IV at Seattle Shakespeare Company, an adaptation that combined Parts I & II into a single 3 1/4 hour event…and I spent Friday morning at the Fremont Abbey, an arts center in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, with its program director Nathan Marion. And I’m still reading “Tribes” by Seth Godin (almost done), The Art of the Turnaround by Michael Kaiser (nearly done) and Everything Must Change by Brain McLaren (hmm, ’bout halfway). And I’m watching Season Two of EUReKA and Season One of TORCHWOOD.

And I’m working on – as is every non-profit manager in November – yearend budgets and fundraising. Much to do!

Back to Matters at Hand

After a very fine dinner...

‘Tis been quite a while since I’ve set down the matters at hand. Quickly:

1. Susan and God had a great run with a great deal more positive email and random lobby “thanks” than normal. We are feeling thankful for all the great audience responses, strong reviews and resonance with the audience.

2a. The economy’s twists and turns are certainly of concern to those of us in the Arts, and especially when we’re dependant on a person or family’s discretionary funds for buying tickets. AND, when we’re needing to raise 34%-40% of our budgets from donations and grants.

2b. Taproot Theatre Company’s resubscription campaign for 2009 is significantly ahead of last year at this time. For the time being, that’s exceptionally good news – but where it ends, how close to the goal or how far beyond, no one knows. Yet. At the moment, you just keep working the plan.

2c. But as for setting the 2009 Budget. The Mainstage season, Road Company repertoire and Acting Studio plans are in motion, so the process of setting income goals and expense limits becomes a dance of faith, smarts and commitment. No one knows the trail ahead, or the ups and downs of this economy’s uniquenesses.

3. But, our time is Now. In a period of anxiety, change and panic, a Theatre of Hope should feel a strong sense of “calling” when its Constituency and City are challenged and maybe even feeling lost in the social, political and economic storm. In midst of a storm my staff is feeling the call and the assurance that we need to be committed and prayerful.

Scott, punching the cap of Cabernet grapes.

4. And, remember don’t lose hope or the connections we have to our families, friends, churches and other circles of friends. We – Pam, Peter, Lisa and I – had a terrific fall dinner at the Mt. Baker Winery. A five course dinner, with a selected wine for each course, plus another tour of the winery while they were crushing Pinot Noir grapes and had three vats of Cabernet grapes in stages of early fermentation.  Really, a very fun and delightful experience of a great dinner and the art & craft of wine-making. And, it was a respite to remind me of God’s gifts of my family and the beautiful bounty of the world around us.

A TTC fansite on Facebook…set-up by a fan, not us!

Over the weekend I got an email from a subscriber announcing that she’d set up a fan site for us on Facebook. Wow – a genuine, non-employee (!!) set up a place for our Facebook-connected friends to access and be part of the TTC family!!?  I was thrilled, and a little amzed by her initiative — especially since we’d been wanting to start one for a long time.  And I’ll admit that we did write to her and ask if we could have co-administrator privileges to quickly add photos, updates, cast lists, et al.

The staff sent a quick series of invitations from their own Facebook pages inviting friends, local actorsand theatre buddies, and even former staff now spread across the country. It essentially went from one member on Monday morning to over a hundred by Wednesday. Of course the challenge is to keep it engaging, and a meeting place for our community of stakeholders’s enthusiasm, requests, opinions and challenges — not a PR-lingo, perfect grammar, company-drivel site. Check it out.

“Susan and God” – nearing tech rehearsals

Susan and God, Lisa Peretti, playing Susan Trexel

Actually we’ve just finished the third week of rehearsals, and the tech and dress rehearsals start Wednesday.

Susan and God is social satire by Rachel Crothers, a playwright who wrote and directed most of her 31 plays on Broadway from the late 1910s-into the late 1940s. The play is about Susan, a socialite who returns from Europe with a new found religious fervor who sets about straightening the lives of her other wealthy friends. Over the course of few months one summer, she dabbles in the lives of others…and loses sight of the goodness of her husband and teenage daughter. In practise, she invokes her beliefs as license to ignore those who love her. It’s a funny play, really (!!), with a Noel Coward banter that turns warm hearted as Susan discovers things about her friends, husband and daughter.

Rehearsals are going very well, with Lisa Peretti, Don Brady, Ryan Childers, Kevin Brady, Nikki Visel, Heather Hawkins, Alicia Anderson and Austin Case. We having a lot of fun with these characters…who wear tennis togs and riding gear then change into tuxes and gowns for dinner! No one seems to actually have a job, except the actor amongst them! Lots of fun for all.

Why this play? I’m enjoying the balance of social satire, several love stories at risk of imploding, and the mixed up invocation of faith as the free ticket out of responsibility. The cloak of religion for selfishness isn’t new territory, but Crothers has done an intriguing job of exposing sham religion and bringing about a series of personal revelations that bring Susan around to reconciling relationships and recognizing her own need for humility and love. And it’s funny too.  Should be great theatre too!

PS: We open Friday, September 26th — pretty soon!

Theatre vs. The Olympics

Big River cast, "Do You Wanna Go To Heaven?"

We’re in the first week of a two-week extension of BIG RIVER (which has garnered raves from audiences and critics alike, and will run through August 23rd).  Last summer and fall, when we were finalizing the production schedule and budgeting for a highly hoped-for extension, the Beijing Olympics were not on our mind – at all. So it’s a very intriguing exercise to watch the ebb and flow of ticket sales. It’s selling very well, but are people checking out the TV listings and the nightly competition line-up before deciding to see a show? Last minute and walk-up sales were still very good by showtime last night, but it drives us a little crazy!!

Huck (Robbie Fowler) and Jim

The on-going question for us in the live performing arts: Where is everybody and where are they looking for what to do?

Balance & Crab

Fresh crab, a nice wine, friends - oh my.

Fine – it’s been a month since I blogged. Balance won out, if that includes chosing < not > to do some things. But on the other hand, I’ve repainted three rooms, retiled a bathroom, begun the pre-rehearsal efforts for my next production (SUSAN AND GOD), worked on yearend fundraising issues and begun planning for 2009. And my daughter and I went to see THE DARK KNIGHT and THE X-FILES on the opening nights.  And I’ve watched the first three episodes of DEADWOOD (an HBO series).

Last Thursday Pam and I answered the call  . . .  from Cannon Beach to join old friends (and their kids and grandkids) for a long weekend at one of our most favorite places on Earth! It’s not warm – but the ocean is always beautiful here, and our friends rented a huge house on the hill overlooking Haystack Rock. A world-class view for sure. And then The Crab Dinner.

10 Dungeness crab (4 guys cleaning and setting aside the meat). 2 wines (Mt. Bakery Winery’s Muller-Thurgau and another winery’s superb Vouvray). Smoked salmon, terriyaki salmon and pepper-smoked salmon. Fresh greens, and home-made 1000-Island Dressing. Then, dinner for 8 adults and two kids.

Host John reminded us before blessing the food that feasting is a grand opportunity to be celebrated – but done with friends and “community” and it rises even further. I’m learning to define the balance I need in order to keep work, home and recreation in check. (presuming that my faith filters through all of them) But, a communal celebration, cheered by fresh crab, great wine and longtime friends strikes a chord. It’s a reminder of what transcends success, talent and health: being a part of others’ lives.

Balance: life, work & art

We’re at Snowater, by Mt. Baker. I’ve been sitting and reading.(Alan Furst’s Night Soldiers and Dark Star, Fast Company magazine, Henri Nouwen’s Sabbatical Journey and  more). Taken a few short hikes along rivers, in the woods and in the snow. We’ve had some great dinners, mostly ones we cooked, with the “finest wine” (from Trader Joes). Taken lots of photos! And even took a nap or two, not to mention getting a full 8 hours of sleep each night. Is this Life?

Back home I get to work with sharp people and create theatre. We help people celebrate and reflect on their lives. I drove back to Seattle on Sunday – 2 ½ hours each way, on the second day of our 1 week vacation – for the Over the River and Through the Woods cast party: great fun and cast! I get to think about, and work toward extending the impact of Taproot Theatre Company with many of the same sharp, fun and adventurous and prayerful people. Is this Life?

At the house, we’re fixing up our upstairs bedroom (improving the closet) and bathroom (replacing ancient pipes, replacing a sink and adding a bathtub). Our kids are young adults, and it’s good to affirm their efforts, listen to their frustrations (Peter and theatre; Lisa and bad-tippers – she’s waiting tables and going to school), and guide or ask questions where needed. I have a vegetable garden with 6 tomato plants, cucumbers, 4 blueberry bushes, a lot of raspberry canes, oregano, rosemary and basil. Is this Life?

What does a Life in BALANCE look like when you enjoy work, family and play? When your work (in the arts, like mine) is seldom on a fixed schedule, 9-5 affair, and you read and see things – even on vacation – that feed ideas for projects. At what point does that underlying thrill or satisfaction actually become stress and a distraction?

My context for questioning . . . Tim Russert passed away two weeks ago of a heart attack. A good friend reflected in his blog on 2 months of ignored chest pains and the stern warning from his wife, doctor…and his body. Another good buddy, a managing director of a peer-theatre and 4 or 5 years younger than me, had a heart attack last Thursday and will need a triple bypass. Hmm, and I’ve had high blood pressure since 2005…

So Balance is of interest to me, or at least up for major review. From the points of view of mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health – how should I rank, or re-rank the things that make me happy and busy? Vacations with no worries about work, the next project, TTC finances, etc. are rare. No answers today…but I’m finally asking the question and it’s worthy of more thought, prayer and correction.

Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, mid-season cliffhanger….

I’m a huge BSG fan. We don’t have cable, so Kudos to the 1st friend who lent me the mini-series and Season 1 on DVD, to the corner video store that got Season 2.0 and 2.5 just in time, and to the 2nd friend who gave me a gift subscription to Season 3 via iTunes. By now, I own Seasons 1, 2 and 3 + Razor, the stand-alone SciFi Channel film. I keep up on the SciFi channel’s online broadcasts now.

But – if you’re afraid of science fiction, you’ll like this series. Trust me. If you’re interested in stories that plumb the nature of humanness, religion, society, loyalty, compassion … you’ll like this series! Okay, there are ships in space and there are some robots – but it ain’t the mylar coated robots and tacky costumes of the BSG series from the 80s, or the lame-brain attempts in the recent Star Wars films. And I recently stumbled on this blog that has a lot of good thinking on the series. (Warning: the blog assumes that readers have been keeping up with the series so there are plenty of spoilers.)

So. Go to the video store and get started. Rent the mini-series and then go methodically through the show. This is its fourth and final season, and you’ll not be pleased that it’s ending!