Reflections

As our fall show draws to a close, I have been spending a lot of my down time reflecting on this production. “The Amazing, Unforgettable, Mixed-up Adventures of Hansel and Gretel” is my third production since starting this group, and in many ways, it has been my favorite so far.

I knew this was going to be a great season when Trey Hoel agreed to be the director and co-writer of this play. I have found very few people with whom I click creatively—Trey is that rare find. The man is full of ideas and inspiration and is just the sort of person one hopes will be leading and executing the creative vision of the play.

Together, we decided to include children in the production for the first time, and with this change, I believe we truly became a community theater. Our cast and crew ranged in age from 8-60 with every decade in between represented. How often does one have the opportunity to work, share, create and bond with people from such diverse age ranges? Every single member of this cast and crew brought a unique perspective and life experience to the group dynamic, and the result is a unique play in which everyone had a voice and hand in shaping. This, my friends, is true community theater. Created by the community and then, given back to the community through free public performance.

It has been a delight to watch people come together and dedicate so many hours of their time and resources to the creation of this play, and I look forward to further expanding this community in the future. Indeed, I am already researching the possibility of throwing together a spring production--so, stay posted. I’m hoping to chronicle the process step by step on this blog, so that the readers can see and appreciate all the hard work that people are putting into these productions.

On a final note, we are in desperate need of funding. I will probably write a separate post/plea shortly along those lines. But if you haven’t already done so, please consider donating to our group. I’m working on a Pay Pal donation option--which isn’t working at the moment—and we also have one more show at Laguna Gloria. Please help us to continue this community building movement.