Here's an "easter egg" for anyone who is looking for dirt on a certain little "drama" unfolding in my life.
Early last year I was asked to be on the board of directors for this theatre company. I thought it might be an interesting project, but what the position entailed was never really defined, so it became frustrating.
I decided to leave when offered a part in one of the productions that happened to be written by the artistic director. This was a show that had not been shown to the board, mostly because it hadn't been written yet. I read the working draft of the show and to put it nicely, "it needed a LOT of work." It was 4 hours long and still unfinished. Plotting and characters were hard to follow and undefined. Lots of women naked and brutalized for "edginess" out of sheer misogyny and not to make a statement or more importantly, move the plot forward. I also couldn't tell who his target audience was or even what the story was really about. It was a mess.
I got "into dialogue" with the artistic director, and apparently it didn't matter what anyone said to him, it was "all going to work itself out in rehearsal." He "didn't believe" in staged readings or "feedback" before going into full production.
Being a veteran actor of one too many plays that were half finished at the beginning of the rehearsal period, I knew this was a recipe for disaster. I didn't want to be viewed as responsible for allowing it to commence (though it had in truth, never been offered for review before production, nor had we approved it as a group anyway as a new show.)
So, I quit. Wrote a friendly, tactful resignation letter. I feel sometimes people have to be allowed to make their own mistakes, and it isn't up to me help them find money or support to pay for it.
About a month ago, the artistic director must have thought that my quitting would make a great publicity angle. I'm not really sure why. I was asked for a statement, and I made a very bland, boring one; that I felt producing the show that I was shown as a mistake, my concerns were not listened to, so as a volunteer, I quit. It's one thing to have a strong difference with someone, it's quite another let him use you for some bullshit PR move. Pressed for more details, I declined.
The article came out this past week, and since I was declined to elaborate, the artistic director decided to give the magazine my resignation letter for fodder. UPDATE: This was a misguided but apparently not malicious move on the part of the assistant artistic director. Resignation letters are internal communication, and not for broadcast. They did not ask my permission. It doesn't make me look bad, it makes them look questionable for giving it over after I refused to comment. I had phrased everything in that letter pretty kindly though, so the article still didn't have much "controversy" to it.
The show opens this weekend. With the weirdo publicity angle, he has already cast doubt on his own show. This is not a good thing to do. It's still over 3 hours long. The publicity stills popping up on Facebook make everyone look lost. The set is relentlessly orange and brown, and so are the costumes. I have little hope that this is going to turn out well.
So, that has been my ordeal of "swirling controversy." Stay tuned for more "drama" as it happens.
5 comments:
Hi Debbie,
I just wanted to clarify one or two things about your post- It was actually me that gave your resignation letter to Benno. It came up in the interview since ONE of the things that was of interest to them was your resignation, and when I mentioned the letter, Benno said, "Can I get a copy of that letter?" I thought for a minute, and said that I would check with Tony but that I didn't see that it would be a problem. Which I don't. The letter is a matter of public record if anyone wanted to see it, I believe, and one of Halcyon's core values is transparency and openness. It would have been hypocritical of me NOT to give it to him. I asked Tony, of course, but it was my decision. I was the one who brought it up.
Tony has been part of the Chicago, national and international theatre conversation for a long time now. Critics and other professionals, as well as friends, follow both of our blogs and other social media efforts. We have posted about the theatre company highs and lows for a long time. For what it's worth, in my opinion, it wasn't a publicity stunt for him to say that a board member's resignation over Trickster had loosened his Writer's Block.
The feedback you gave Tony wasn't ever disregarded. It just wasn't taken the second you threatened to leave the board. He and I gave you the same response that everyone was given. "I/he need(s) to see it in rehearsal. I/he need(s) to finish writing the 2nd act before major edits to the first act can happen." Everyone from the company and board were invited to as many rehearsals as you wanted to attend. People who were more skeptical of the production were especially invited to attend and give feedback. The show changed immensely before opening. The female characters were rounded out, given more substance; scenes were edited, added and cut. It may not be a show you like, but it was never going to be exactly the show you read. The pictures you speak of are rehearsal pictures, never meant to be publicity stills... in fact we have been praised for the production values.
Tony doesn't believe in staged readings... but the play was workshopped over a period of around 8 months. It had readings. It had several incarnations. And it will have more, I am sure. But there are certain things that it would have been impossible for him to see with this show without seeing it run full force. Just suggesting "You need to cut this." doesn't give a playwright the information he/she needs to see and hear in order to make those suggestions and his/her vision of the play take the same path. I don't think I know any playwrights who would rather have a staged reading of their play than a full production.
We gave Tony our faith. We gave him our feedback. I am INCREDIBLY proud of this show- I am proud of his work, of the risk that the script and the artists involved have taken, and for Halcyon's belief in Tony to see it through to production. You are entitled to your opinion, but I just don't think you are justified in calling his personal character into play... over a play.
Sorry for posting twice... it told me it hadn't posted the first time but I see that it did...
Resignation letters are not public documents. It was poor form, but I see not done with malicious intent.
I did a lot more than just tell Tony to "cut this." I was rather explicit. All of my concerns are echoed by the critics. All of them. Which without seeing the play, tells me that Tony did not value my input enough to address any of them. I too have many years as an actor, performer and director. I have been teaching writing to high school students for 9 years. I have the basics down. My opinion was sound, and your play is not what it could have been and is now going to be an huge loss maker for the company. Basically, it's a really expensive staged reading, an unnecessary public flogging by critics for Tony and the company, and it's doing things the really, really hard way.
I couldn't agree more Debbie. WBEZ's Dueling Critic, Jonathan Abarbanel sums it up perfectly: http://www.wbez.org/blog/onstagebackstage/dueling-critics-trickster
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