Wednesday, December 10, 2008

It Was a Very Good Run

It's already 3 days since The Relevant Stage's production of The Christmas Carol closed. It was a good run with sizable audiences after the opening night. Once again, it was a pleasure to perform on the stage of the Warner Grand Theatre; it's a marvelous old house in which to work.



The Ancient One has just about recovered from the 5 performances in 4 days. Even though Jacob Marley's chains were made of plastic, they still added about 10 extra pounds to drag around the stage (and up and down the stairs to the dressing room). Yes, it was a "ponderous chain" that left me mighty tired for 2 days following the closing. There is one more small picture of Marley to share; it was taken by fellow cast member Alicia Wells.



When this project started, The Ancient One was concerned that there would only be 4 weeks of rehearsals (that was really 3½ when you count the time off for Thanksgiving. Was that enough time to prepare well. The cast was made up of actors of varying experience. As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about. Anchored by Rusty Vance, an amazing actor, as Ebenezer Scrooge, we emerged on stage as a very tight ensemble. Throughout the whole process I don't recall a single instance of the "drama" that often envelops cast and crew as they work toward opening night.


Thanks to Ray Buffer for both his direction of The Christmas Carol and his dedicated leadership of The Relevant Stage. Now it's on to year 2 for this fledgling theatre company and the bigger and better results that come with experience. Bravo!

3 comments:

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

I love performing on the stage - there's a connection with the audience that you just don't feel behind the camera.

Betty said...

I'm glad your play was a success. I attended a community theater production of "The Christmas Carol" in Omaha, Nebraska a couple of years ago. Two of the cast members had been playing the same parts for over 30 years. It was a marvelous performance. I hope your group stays together for a long time, too.

Leon said...

ARCHAVIST - Thanks for the visit. I hope you will continue to stop by even now and then.

BETTY - Thanks for comment. This was my 2nd run as Marley. The 1st was 13 years ago. Who knows what's next?