October 23, 2011

The house is too cold if I set the thermostat at 67, too hot if I set it at 68. Perils of autumn . . . .

Tiny houses continue for Our Town. I don’t wonder why going to our own theater is not part of university culture, but I do wonder what can be done about it now. Faculty and administration have not been in evidence at all. Backstage culture here is fascinating. There are clear currents, clear processes of exclusion and inclusion, but my immersion has been too brief to have much of a handle on it. It is to some degree a meritocracy. Jake’s maturity and advanced skills are respected, and there are no divas, or if there are they are not shrill enough for me to have sensed them. The atmosphere is unprofessional, though not in a charmless way. Certain customs are presented as theater etiquette which a professional theater would find risible. I suppose that has come from the faculty, but perhaps not; perhaps it is sui generis. One group or another (among the crew) is always reminding us to show respect to them. I have not witnessed disrespectful behavior, so I don’t know exactly what that’s about. Usually reminding people to show respect indicates that respect has not been earned, but perhaps there is a history to this I have not understood. I remember this respect anxiety from my tenure there a generation ago, though from no other theater where I have worked. Some kind of local sensitivity– The kids are cheerful and clearly having a good time. A good time for cast and crew does not always translate into a good time for the audience, but a bad time backstage would surely affect an audience’s pleasure, so we’re ahead there, if slightly. I will miss the kids if we don’t meet again after the run is ended.

B remarked that his father and his girlfriend’s father were sitting together in the house. “It’s so cute. It’s like a dad date.”

Jake reveals some things about the production of Vance which I did not know, namely that the director dropped out for the most part and the show was directed essentially by cast and crew. This means I have to end my resentment of the quality of direction and turn it to gratitude that it came out as well as it did.

Evening. Our Town matinee again sparse, but a good performance, I think. I felt more into the atmosphere than I have before. I had friends in the audience, and as things were set up, I didn’t even have to try not to look at them. The girls in their makeup look like movie stars.