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.

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!

A CPA friend pointed out that moving targets are harder to shoot. A small gem of wisdom for those of us on the move and trying to get something done. No comment on the “shooters” I’m avoiding.

What I find interesting and compelling in a very kooky way, is the challenge of building a community that values the work we’re trying to do. While avoiding the shooters (could be the task of proofing a grant, writing copy for a subscriber newsletter, or filing the 6 inches of stacked rehearsal/finance/box office reports spread across my desk) I’m drawn to a variety of thinkers ranging from Seth Godin (writer/speaker) to ArtsJournal bloggers to the NY Times. While I’m drawn like a moth to the flame when they invoke new technologies, it’s really about 2 changes: the tastes, impulses and interests of Gen & Y (our next wave of attendees) and the sheer chaos in strategies/tools to keep the public informed and engaged.

Do you Twitter? Do you have Picasa or Flickr accounts?  Presumably you do Facebook or Myspace and texting is something you can do without looking at your phone’s keyboard, right?  Did you write a review for Yelp on your favorite theatre in Seattle (hint) …or Washington, DC, LA, Chicago or Philadelphia? What blogs do you subscribe to?

The rules of engagement have changed - again. Or maybe it’s the definition of social interaction. For those of us who remember gas costing less than a dollar (or how about under 30 cents?!), our protocols of meeting friends for dinner and a show have changed and there’s no going back. The newspaper is an irrelevant source of information; heck, I get a morning paper on the West Coast and the East and Europe have been awake and working for hours and hours. So I go online for a restaurant’s review and address, buy theatre or movie tickets, and get driving directions — all from my smartphone. Does this energize you or give you a headache? (I could probably guess your “generation” by your reaction.)

Back to the Theatre. As theatre artists we move somewhat slowly and methodically - I can’t download the script and staging into the actors’ brains. But behind the scenes in the world of marketing, press releases, websites and audience services we do move at 100 mph so that we can get audiences in the door to sit for for two hours in the dark –> and to slow down, laugh, ponder, cry and celebrate the frail and humble live performance of a story. And somehow, amidst the clatter of a wired world, we find the souls who want to stay. The ones who want to be part of the Taproot Theatre audience and family, returning to be filled like a thirsty traveller needing a cool drink on a hot journey. I like them.

This link goes to Teen Tix’s review of Over the River and Through the Woods, on-stage now (just opened last week). My point is, not to only hype or praise the show, but to express my pleasure that the teenage reviewer enjoyed herself so much! And that the primary characters she enjoyed and found herself moved by were the grandparents. I think that’s cool. Very cool.

The death of Theatre was proclaimed at the birth of Film, which was supposed to die with Television. VCRs were going to kill Film (again) and TV (again); now Tivo? What happens - next - as the Internet is more common and pervasive? I, as a theatre artist and audience member, attend theatre (or a concert) at a time fixed by someone else . . . but I can watch LOST (a normal broadcast show) or Battlestar Galactica (a cable show, and I don’t have cable) on-line virtually anytime of the day or night. I can even pause it and converse, go to the bathroom or get something to eat - and actors will never know. So, the viewing/consuming habits and access choices are changing, and as a theatre producer I need to understand what’s happening.

This is a video of a speaker, Clay Shirky, who wrote Here Comes Everybody, speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo conference in April 2008. He lays out a scenario that places a high value on people doing things online (blogs, gaming, projects, etc.) as infinitely better than their previous use of the free time: watching TV. This is the Good News: people are doing more cognitive work whether blogging, writing a wiki or volunteering. He also articulates 3 desires of the participant, namely to Consume, Produce and Share. The consume part we have down: just watch TV. But the scene is shifting to more user choice or control of what and when to consume. The desire to produce content (wikis, blogs, et al) and to share it is where the playing ground for Big Media is shifting in a massive way. According to the trend that Shirky forecasts, it’s no longer sufficient to deliver entertainment as a one-way communication.

Back to my world. Where does that lead Theatre, the event…the text…the live social setting? With the exception of Improvisation, I can’t quite picture a production without a story (pre-written by someone, even a team), and collection of specifically skilled individuals who can portray Life on stage (the actors) or those who created the physical setting, costumes, lighting and sound, (designers). And the role of the director who tries to lead and integrate the contributions of so many artists and technicians? Watch the video.

Also. I attended a forum hosted by the Wallace Foundation and heard a speaker that had conducted a focus group with a university’s students who didn’t attend live performances of world class theatres, orchestras, etc. on campus - even when the underwritten tickets were dirt cheap. They basically said that they didn’t attend because 1) they had no control of the event and 2) they couldn’t talk with their friends during the show. (At rock concerts they can chat on cell phones or text to a friend sitting elsewhere.) Again, for us in the “tradition-bound arts”, with a copyrighted script/score and some performance protocols (the audience needs to be quiet and pay attention) . . . how do we serve them? It’s not be enough to impose manners - especially if we seem to be irrelevant and they won’t attend to start with. Perhaps the living nature of a performance gives us an angle, but we (i.e. Me) need to think about the social engagement with story unfolding onstage and with friends after. Hmm: is it now essential to have a large lobby, coffee shop or pub alongside to facilitate friendship and pre/post-show hang-out time?

My hope is that Taproot Theatre Company’s next theatre space has a separate coffee shop/wine bar so audiences can linger, unaffected by house managers needing to clear the lobby and lock up after a show. If we can’t offer to let audiences control the show, at least we can get pro-active to serve curious, hospitable, advent people afterwards.

We’ve been working on Over the River and Through the Woods since, oh, mid-April, and Opening Night is tonight (May 16). Along the way it’s been a real pleasure to work with these actors (Kevin, Gretchen, Nolan, Kim, Charity and Bill); way too much laughter in the rehearsal room!!! And snacks: this is the munchiest group of actors ever! (Okay, I’m the one who brought cannolis to rehearsal). And plenty of chat about our families, the craziness and the love. Now, it’s ready to hand over to an audience and hope that our work resonates with them. And, personally speaking, that it creates a surge of respect and love for the legacy we carry because of our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ investment in us. The barriers between the generations, especially between family members, are pretty flimsy and trivial when we pause to recognize many of the same desires for Life…whether the age of adulthood was 1920, 1970 or 2008.

Comments at the previews were very affirming, made with kleenex close by, and blending the big smiles and the tears. The play worked with older adult crowd and the college students “forced” to attend (a theatre class, with reviews to be written and submitted ASAP). Lots of people wanting to return with more family members and friends too.

I’m back in rehearsals, in fact tech and dress rehearsals begin tonight for Over the River and Through the Woods! It’s by the same playwright, Joe DiPietro, who wrote I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. (Both shows have been Off-Broadway hits!!!)  Above is an advance press photo: not the real thing (costumes, hair, the table, & set) taken, maybe, the second day of rehearsals?! So the show and characters look a little different. But when you have press and web deadlines you have to do with what you have!

Very fun show. Really heartwarming and hilarious. We alternate between big laughs and grabbing kleenex. Hmm. A concessions item: little packs of kleenex? Or $1.00 a tissue?

As a member of a very large, extended, three generations of family at every Christmas gathering — the play is a beautiful tribute to the love that crosses the generations, and the blessings we receive from our elders. Likewise, what blessings the elders receive from the from the younger ones’ energy and dreams. Really good stuff.

I’m outta here — to rehearsal…

When my production staff and I are choosing a season, we’re very conscious of who our subscribers are, the issues facing them (and us) and even a sense of where we’ll be in a year. No crystal ball or navel gazing - just lots of reading and reflecting on more than scripts and budgets. There’s a real sense of needing to be connected and committed to our patrons’ lives, the community and, in this case, the greater Seattle region.

So it drives me a bit crazy when theatre boards of directors look nationwide for talented artistic directors - with little apparent focus on whether the new artistic director has a heart and vision for being locally-committed. Or whether it’s a revolving door to a better gig. Or a stable gig while working elsewhere too. How do you relate to your community … if it’s not yours? How do you listen to them . . . if you’re not here? Is there a contracted requirement to be a local citizen and participate in the life of your new artistic homeland?

I’m addressing the role of artistic leadership, not the functions of guest directors. The latter are freelancers hired for a particular production, maybe precisely because they’d bring a new perspective to a theatre’s audience, even shake things up. They fly in and out, maybe to work with actors who are also not from the theatre’s home town too.

This isn’t a rag on artistic directors who are moving targets. John Longenbaugh’s article in The Seattle Weekly pays tribute to two ADs and their departures, well at least one of them. The other doesn’t live here. But what’s next for these two theatres? What questions are their boards asking about their theatres’ expectations for artistic leadership and how these leaders are accessible to their constituents?

I’ve tipped my hat, and believe strongly that nearly all arts organizations need to be deeply committed to their city / region. Perhaps in an area with a strong tourist economy (like NYC) you can speak more generically to a broad audience. Otherwise, do you know who you’re talking to? Even as a matter of survival in the present economic strain (!!), we need patrons who know and trust the artistic and management leaders at “their theatre” (or symphony, dance company, etc). The tickets they buy and financial support they send are affirmation that we - theatre and arts leaders - have made their needs primary, and that our missions, visions, budgets and pursuit of vital art are indeed, local.

I’m thankful for people who are subscribers and donors at Taproot Theatre. It’s pretty astounding to have their loyal support, humbling really. There’s not much better than standing in the lobby and chatting with patrons about the show, answering questions, and knowing we play a role in their daily life. And they play a big role in mine too.

I’ve been racing since leaving town for NYC last week — and getting back, going - almost - straight to rehearsals. What a week. So, quickly —

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. On Broadway now, Steppenwolf’s production is funny, amazing to watch (a 3-story home for the set!) and painful. Reminded me of what I like about a lot of Irish theatre, like being able to enter the dark side of life and confront pain, while laughing too. Brilliant stuff. In some ways, it’s universal if can handle the coarser language: for everyone who’s experienced the joys, hidden motives, lies, hopes and disappointments of being Family.

NATIONAL THEATRE FOR ARTS AND EDUCATION. Our son Peter has been touring with them since September, most recently in a production of “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry“. A very important story (a Newberry Award winner) adapted for the stage concerning racism in the 1930s. I enjoyed Peter’s work and his cast-mates too. Peter was also the troupe’s stage manager (sort of a player/coach model), and did a great job holding the show together - earning the thanks and appreciation of the company’s artistic director.

THREADS PRODUCTIONS. Met up with Kim and Misti to touch base on their efforts to found a theatre in NYC, with similar core values to Taproot Theatre. They remain committed after a year+ of planning, replanning, responding to board directives, reading/debating scripts … and essentially feeling like they’re not making any progress at all. Very sharp people though! They will get through this period, but not without the lessons of building an arts org with divergent views on their aesthetic, business plan, roles of artist/staff vs. board of directors and raising funds.

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS. Rehearsals are going great. Way too fun - we’re barely on schedule given the general mayhem of the comedy and the cast’s ability to distract themselves. Great vibe in the room. It’s just like herding cats though.

DOUBT. Continues to rack up critical acclaim while attendance also continue below our goal (and budget). Very odd. Terrific work by the cast. The designs are excellent. And more than half the audience stays for the post-play Q&As. Can’t decide if we mis-marketed it or if we have a core audience less willing to take on tough plays or if we can’t rally a crossover audience … or a little of “all”. Anyway, we are all proud of the show.

TTC ANNUAL GALA. This weekend, Saturday at The Triple Door, “Light Up the Night” has about 250 guests and a considerable financial goal. Great food from Wild Ginger restaurant. A parody of TV’s “Northwest Backroads” with host Grant Goodeve exploring Washington State and finding TTC performers all over! A vision speech from me (which I need to finalize), and a 14 minute video we commissioned on TTC’s mission and impact. Interviews with actors, staff, supporters, and volunteers. Footage of touring performances, kids performing their play from the Acting Studio, and “As You Like It“. Should be a great night. (please, Lord!)

Tonight is first rehearsal for “Over the River and Through the Woods” by Joe DiPietro. It’s a funny, very funny, comedy about a young man moving from the NYC to Seattle (to work with a high tech company, ya think?), but the scenario revolves around needing to inform, explain and justify it to his four, deeply Italian grandparents. Tengo famiglia! Some key elements of the production - other than the comedy and characters who deeply love each other - Food! Lots thereof! The scenic, props, stage management and costumers are already thinking: what’s prop-food looks like, how much is going to be eaten each show and, most importantly, will it stain?!

I’m looking forward to the show. Very light-weight on the brain, but the heart of the play, it’s affection for Family is tremendous. And its portrayal of the love that criss-crosses through the generations is quite grand! Makes me miss my grandparents who’ve all passed on, but I also place a renewed high-value on the relationship of my parents to our kids. I’ll let you know how funny the first-read-through goes!

Also. Heading east to see our son Peter in Milford CT, and his touring shows with National Theatre for Arts and Education. I’ll see them do “Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry” twice on Friday. And then down to NYC to see a couple of shows: RENT and August Osage County are our picks so far. We’ll see!