Thursday, January 7, 2016

To Be or Not to Be a Producer

It looks like I will see 3 of the plays on my list of plays I'd like to see, and 4 if I travel a bit.  I generally don't travel too much, since reviewing plays is not my day job for sure.  That said, I do like combining travel with seeing plays if possible.

On our upcoming trip to Chicago, I am now regretting not taking one more day, since it looks like there are three plays I would like to see: Brecht's Galileo, Dreams of the Penny Gods at Halcyon, and Annie Baker's* The Flick at Steppenwolf.  The Flick in particular seems like a play that I would either just love or just hate.  It is also fairly long, so I am particularly hesitant to sign up for it on a vacation trip.  (After a bit of going back and forth and checking websites, it does appear that I could make it to The Flick at 3 pm on Sat., so with a bit of juggling, I think I can do it all.  That is a lot of theatre to squeeze into one weekend, so maybe it is just as well that Yankee Tavern will just have closed.)

While several, and perhaps many, even most of the newer plays on my list will eventually hit Toronto, I often wonder and wish there was more I could do to push these things along.  In this particular case, I think The Flick might work really well at the Aztec Theatre over on Gerrard, since that was a movie theatre and seems to work out for concentrated short runs.  Obviously, Coal Mine or Red One might also tackle it, particularly if given a bit of encouragement.  I just don't really have the connections yet to try to stage a show like that, and I also am not willing to bankroll the entire thing, though I could pony up some funds to help make it happen.  I have to admit it is a bit annoying that not one of the people I left cards with has ever gotten in touch.  Anyway, if anyone out there is interested, leave me your details in the comments, and perhaps we can make it happen.

I'd also like to see Yankee Tavern by Steven Dietz, which I seem to keep missing.  It was actually up in Milwaukee while we were in Chicago, but not advertised at all.  I'm just going to miss a particularly strong production in Chicago by a week.**  I actually did suggest that Red One look at this seriously, but they seem to be going in a different direction (and certainly prefer Canadian plays to American ones).  Indeed, this is such a particularly American play (about 9/11 conspiracies and so on) that I'll probably just have to catch it in the States one of these days. In fact, there was supposed to be a production in Vancouver, but that appears to have fallen through.  Still I'd be willing to try to produce this in Toronto as well if the right opportunity came along.  I have far too much on my plate at the moment, but I may well end up fronting a theatre company one of these days to put on some of my material as well as these plays I just really want to see (or see again).  Maybe that will be my hobby in retirement...


*  Oddly enough Toronto's Company Theatre has picked up the Toronto rights for Baker's The Aliens, and they were supposed to do a production this spring, but it doesn't appear to be on their schedule.  Nonetheless, they received a grant related to this, so I suspect they will get around to it sooner or later.

** It's not supposed to be extended, but you just never know.  If that happens, then my decisions get even tougher, but I'd probably go see Galileo and Yankee Tavern.

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