This morning we met with Cynthia Rider, managing director of Kansas City Rep. It was exciting to get an inside look at the goals and inner workings of the company after having seen their compelling production of Venice the night before. For the past two years KCREP has been striving to become one of the top regional theatres in the country by earning a name in the production of new works. This has been a successful shift for them due mostly to the hiring of artistic director, Eric Rosen, who is only in his second season with KCREP. Eric has had a has been to export shows (creating new works in-house, that are then co-produced by other regional theatres) as well as import shows (producing 2nd and 3rd productions of new works). It was very informative to hear about their creative process as well as the way they go about choosing a season. It was also very promising to hear that the community is incredibly receptive with regards to new works and even in tough times, KCREP continues to receive a strong support from their audience base. Another cool program KCREP and other regional theatres are beginning to implement is the "sponsor an actor" program. With a donation that directly supports the work of the artists, patrons get to build more personal relationships with the artists, creating a greater sense of community for both parties. Many thanks to Cynthia and KCREP for the fabulous show and wonderful meeting!!!
After we departed KCREP, we jumped into our RVs and headed straight to Manhattan. (Manhattan, Kansas that is!) We have multiple meetings in Wichita this week, so it worked out perfectly that we were able to make a stop in "The Little Apple." Manhattan is the home of the adorable McCornack family. Heather and Amy are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their friendship! They met in the summer of 2000 when both of them were performance apprentices at The Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan. They share an intense love for theater and life and that summer undoubtedly changed their lives forever.
We spent the night with Heather and her adorable boys.... her hilarious husband Brian (The Funniest Man in Manhattan!) and her two beautiful sons; Jackson and Andrew. Junior also had a blast playing with their dog Roxy. (We're not sure if that feeling was reciprocated though! Sorry, Roxy!)
"Living Room A New Dream" was a smash hit in Manhattan! All of us had so much fun playing with the boys! We also spent the evening discussing the impact of our project in Mexico, the discoveries of our journey thus far, and our hopes and plans for the future.
In the morning, Jackson and Andrew got the chance to hop in our RVs. The RVs instantaneously became rocket ships that were traveling to the moon!!!!
When it came time for us to depart, it was very hard for all of us to say goodbye. After shedding some tears and taking in some long hugs, we headed off for our meeting with Wayne Bryan of Music Theatre of Wichita.
When it came time for us to depart, it was very hard for all of us to say goodbye. After shedding some tears and taking in some long hugs, we headed off for our meeting with Wayne Bryan of Music Theatre of Wichita.
Thank you McCornack family for making our lives so awesome. We miss you so much and cannot wait to be back together again.
No comments:
Post a Comment