theatre as ministry

something that's been on my to-do list every week for two months?  this blog post!

(to which, shalt thou indulge me, i shall also add a bit about the 75-minute all-female cast-of-six romeo & juliet adaptation i saw earlier this month while we're on the topic of live theatre!)

at the end of august, i went to an author signing event at my beloved downtown indie bookstore when michael kostroff was in town guest directing the musical something rotten at the greenville theatre. michael was gracious enough to pop in to m. judson booksellers the night before dress rehearsal to share endearing life lessons and honed philosophies about the acting life..

getting my book (purchased in NYC) personalized by michael kostroff (in greenville, sc!)

"do you need me to monologue for a minute? i have a monologue prepared." ~ michael kostroff, m. judson booksellers, august 29, 2022

you can find much of his well-earned wisdom in the recently-published book he co-wrote with julie garnyé:  the stage actor's handbook.

(yes, i'd already bought my signed copy at the drama bookshop in nyc the last time i was in the city, but i got it personalized at my own local indie! who knew he was coming to my little town?!)  :D

was one of my favorite reads of the year, and i heartily recommends it to all current and aspiring theatre (or screen) nerds.

michael kostroff (l.) & fellow scad alum, bookseller, & theatre gal savannah emory (r.) moderating the panel at m. judson booksellers.

what i loved most about meeting michael is how he views theatre as an act of service. it's a ministry to the audience. evolved from the ancient roots of storytelling around a campfire, what is more life-giving than sitting in a room with our neighbors to communally laugh (or cry?)

"i know very few actors who are superstitious, but we act as if we are: it's tradition!" ~ michael kostroff, m. judson booksellers, august 29, 2022

and while i looooooove all the behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his book, mostly things "[we] otherwise have to learn by embarrassment" (did i mention you must read it?!?), getting to speak with or ask questions of people we view as "more successful" than us comes with its own benefits.

one question i tend to always ask in these situations, is "how do you define success for yourself?" (we all need to figure this out, btw; and i am addicted to hearing other people's replies.)

michael's kind reply was that that there are still all kinds of things he hasn't done. and he acknowledged the fact that "anywhere you are, it's very easy to minimize what you have done... if someone has committed themselves to the life of being an actor: that has got to be called a success!" the success is the act of signing on "for this bizarre life."

considering himself a late-bloomer, michael always felt like an actor by calling, but was in his mid-to-late 30's before seriously working at it full-time. he kept at it without feedback, doing it in one form or another for money (or not) his whole life. (my take-away moral: it's never too late to do the thing you know you were meant to do; find the opportunities and start now—wherever you are!)

what comes next for michael? (or any and all actors facing the end of a gig?)

well, "[i'm] unemployed. and wait for the next thing that'll happen. i'll go back to LA and hope someone hires me again. that's become the norm. and it's good to be okay with that."

michael: thank you for writing the stage actor's handbook. your "legacy piece!" the book all future (and current) actors wish existed now does—thanks to you! (he was hoping someone else would write it as writing a book is neither "fun nor lucrative," but we're blessed with this nifty tome thanks to a "pandemic project" being pulled off the shelf.

the stage actor's handbook is "what to expect and how to behave" in the variety of situations one may find themselves in during auditions, rehearsals, performance, and beyond. purchase from your favorite indie bookstore, or on bookshop.org HERE.

"happily met!"

the south carolina children’s theatre stage ready for the six-woman production of romeo & juliet.

okay, in other theatre-event news, you guys & gals know i'm a total shakespeare nerd. (yes, the middle grade novel i'm querying is a loose shakespeare re-telling at a theatre kid middle school; more about that on my patreon...)

so in october (not quite as long ago as i met michael kostroff!) i attended romeo & juliet at the south carolina children's theatre. i hadn't been to their gorgeous new building on augusta street yet, but i am kinda ready to move in. (in the less-creepy-than-the-phantom way, of course!)

the production was from "this wooden o" the in-school educational arm of the warehouse theatre. (yes, the same local theatre where i was a audience participant in the 25th annual putnam counting spelling bee, blog on THAT experience here!)

flipping the script on the all-male productions of shakespeare's day (much too scandalous for a woman to appear on stage, of course), this was an all-female cast. of SIX. telling the entire story of romeo & juliet.

the actors changed posture, capes, masks, cadence of words, etc. to make their character changes on stage and it was fabulous!

"happiness courts thee in her best array." ~romeo & juliet

i sat upstairs in the side balcony where i could see a bit to the wings. and from where i could observe the high school and middle school audience below as they took in the drama and asked questions of the cast afterwards. (yes, "this wooden o" does school visits! this happened to be an open-to-the-public performance at the children's theatre so i got to go! yay theatre-for-kids research!)

as the the fairy chimes and choral voices cued the lights to come up on the opening scene, the wiggling and gossiping student audience silenced. quiet enough to hear the boot squeaks saunter onto stage. (live theatre as a ministry! but really: what is more magical than the gift of a live performance?!)

clad in corsets and vests, the ladies of the stage played two to three characters each—and in this abridged version, were able to tell the entire tale in 75 minutes. the actors' characterizations were full of energy, urgency, and distinct physicality for the multiple personalities each portrayed.

"can i go forward when my heart is here?" ~romeo & juliet

the beautiful, so shiny and new auditorium of the sc children’s theatre

one of the things i love most about shakespeare is that even if you're unfamiliar with the exact meaning of the text (*unashamedly raises hand* who can understand it all unless you have multiple advanced degrees in the bard?!), the actors' cadence communicates the meaning and the feeling behind the enchanting metered speech.

if the acting is good, you can follow the story even if you don't understand the language.

most of the students' post-performance questions after were about memorizing shakespeare's unfamiliar-to-our-modern-ears text. particularly as the cast only had two weeks (!!) to memorize all their lines and on-stage costume changes and blocking and all the things that go into live theatre.

one cast member encouraged future actors to paraphrase the text. to figure out how your character's thoughts are linked. and to treat the text as a friend—and not as your enemy.

another actor relied more on linking kinetic movement to the words she was speaking as her memorization technique. the gestures and key physical elements of the character helped keep her lines straight for whichever character she was playing at the time.

and i as audience member?

"farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget." ~romeo & juliet

the love of words. the love of performance.

the gratitude for those who have claimed their calling in the creative and performing arts.

go be successful.

the real-live world needs you.