Opening the floodgates

Most of my family is asleep by 10:30 so that leaves me about 2 hours to fold laundry, watch Rachel Maddow take someone out to the woodshed, and attempt to untangle the myriad of theatre thoughts running through my head at breakneck speed. I get my best work done at night. If I didn't have three incredibly cute little pixies waking me up at 6am I'd stay up even later. Most of m late night brainstorms don't make it past my fried-egg-sandwich-time with my wife Kimberly, a few make it to an impromptu staff meeting with Lizzy and Joanie and only a couple even survive long enough to see that first Sunday of the month when our whole posse meets for a company meeting to plot and plan and break it down. That's fine with me. I'm fascinated - obsessed with the process and challenge of making theatre. How do we organize a Berkeley tour of Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lots)? How do we create a play about our neighborhood? How do we fill our stage with water? sand? 30 actors? And ultimately and most important - what's the most magical way to tell this story? The more impossible the better. Telling me we "can't" do something is the surest damn way to make me try. Our managing director Liz Lisle has been needling me for the better part of a year to start a blog so I could share my thoughts with our audience. I've resisted all this time. Not sure why. Maybe it's something to do with not wanting to show what's "behind the curtain" or that I'll say something embarrassing. It's probably too late for that.

The audience is foremost on our mind when we're making a piece of theatre. How can we make the experience more immediate, visceral, relevant to the folks sitting or dancing and hopefully not sleeping in the pews? How can we bring you closer to the work - not just with what happens on stage but with the building, the program, the drinks we pour in the lobby? You know what I mean? Hopefully my rantings will be another portal into the Shotgun Experience. I'm going to do my best to keep them frank and open as possible. I welcome your feedback and suggestions - not just on the postings but on your experience with our work.

Coming will be a post about how we select the plays we're going to stage.

I think that's good now starters, yes? Ok? Good.

Patrick