"You can either chose to be bored, or you can chose to do something about it." -Luke Vercamp
The sky is overcast and the weather is breezy and chilly for an early June afternoon. There are curvy highway roads interupting what would be nothing but hills covered with trees going back as far as the eye can see. Inside the car the air conditioner in on low and Bruce Dickinson is singing about The Nomad, a legendary warrior knows ancient secrets of the land a speaks a dozen languages. For the next couple of hours, as I drive west of I-84 heading to a small town in New York's Sullivan County, I am that Nomad, heading to a distance and remote world that many of my friends have heard of and only few have seen, the Forestburgh Playhouse. This has been the first summer where I didn't pack up my belongings the moment I finished my last final and drove down to spend a summer building/running shows and getting a little rowdy in the process, so I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a few days to take in the rural atmosphere and see old friends in the process.
After spending so much time on I-84, I turn to rt. 17 to get me to Monticello. A left turn onto a side street takes me away from away from Monticello's downtown and on to a road that helps me understand what Paul McCarthney was refering to on "The Long & Winding Road"; this road, with it's curves and dips, takes me to 39 Forestburgh Rd, The Forestburgh Playhouse. I make the trip in four hours, a new personal record.
The moment I step out of the car I am greeted by Sarah Norris, this year's Associate Managing Director, last year's Company Manager, and all around amazing director. Seeing her bright smile is the warmest welcome back to the Playhouse I could've asked for. After my reunion with Sarah I make my way to her office, where I know I will find the forever sassy Larry Smiglewski, who for the last year I have cited as the best stage manager I've had the the pleasure of working with. After I savor my reunion with Larry I lay eyes on the man-the myth-the Norman who greets me with open arms after doing a double take on seeing me standing around (to him, and many others including myself, me walking around the Playhouse seemed natural).
After Norman and I play catch up with each other I head to the back deck, the place that served as my living room for two summer, and made my way into the backstage area (this really does feel like I never left!). Inside I meet the people who I proudly called my co-workers and even more proudly called my friends. Familiar faces such as Erin, Darcy, Michael Bert, Darrin, and Pappa Bear himself, Luke. All of them glad to see me, and my feelings are mutual. I take in every moment of all of our conversations together, for my time at the Playhouse is short but I want to savor my time with them- my summer wouldn't be complete without chilling with my fellow tech staff backstage before the show starts. And the closer it got to showtime I got to reunite with some of my good friends on the acting side of the stage. I was thrilled to reunite with Laura Beth Wells and Jess Wagner: two actresses with wonderful stage presence and terrific vocal chords- I couldn't help but fall in love with both of them when I met them in '08. And of course, it was great to see Ed again, a man who can always make me laugh with the drop of a hat on and off stage. It was also a thrill to see some familiar faces in the ResCo like Marrick, Zoe, and Georgia, all exactly as I remember them from last year- always smiling and full of energy. And of course, Mr. Steven Cuevas, the Playhouse's very own violong playing/ivory tickling rockstar. It's been a pleasure to see him move up over the years from ResCo member to one of the theatre's musical directors.
The show- I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change- was wonderful to watch, from the moment Norman pronounced "I have spoken far long enough" to the closing number sung by my three friends plus Scott Evans, an actor with wonderful chops and physical mannerisms that made him a joy to watch through out the show. The show featured laughs from start to finish and great scenes for all the cast to display their wide range of talent. The post-show cabaret, consisting of modern boradway songs, was also a joy to witness. Sitting in the back with Luke & Stacey I took in the scene of seeing the ResCo serving coffee and food one minute and performing their hearts out onstage. apparently they made a musical out of music from the Four Seasons. I was unaware of this, but sounds like something I need to look into. Seeing Jim Bray, the director of this cabaret, was a pleasure; I didn't know he was going to be back this season and i'm happy I got to see him again.The after hours of the night was spent watching the tech staff and tavern manager partake in a poker game. This gave me a chance to chill with old friends and meet some of the new tech staff.
Thursday was a day well spent in the forest. In the morning I gave Darcy and Luke a hand finding some drift wood for Darcy to use in Seusical at The Dam, followed by helping out Luke with painting the Avenue Q set. Lunch was had with Luke, Darcy, Darrin, and Crystal at Buona Fortuna in Monticello- good food and great company, the perfect recipe for luncheon.
I sat in on a rehearsal of this year's childrens show, Seusical. I've heard a lot of the show's music through the years, and this was my first time seeing the songs in context. The show itself looked great, even though it was still in the rehearsal process. The show was energetic and entertaining. I took great joy in watching Marrick as the Cat- his mannerisms and physical actions were hilarious and perfect for the role; I thoroughly enjoyed watching him in the spotlight again. I also enjoyed seeing the familiar local actors that are always involed in the childrens shows. Some of them have been herel onger than me, and in three years I've seen huge improvements in their acting since I started working there. Darcy's sets were also beautiful and helped paint me a great picture for the show, especially since the cast wasn't in their costumes yet. It saddens me I won't get to see the finished product, because I'm very positive that this childrens show will blows High School Musical out of the water!
The rest of the afternoon consisted of a drive over to Bethel Woods to go to the Woodstock museum. It was a well put together museum, lots of movies and memorabilia from the time period, starting with the beginning of the 1960s and ending with the music festival itself. Through out the museum clips of music from Janis Joplin, Hendrix, The Who, and Ravi Shankar kept me company as I explored what the museum had to offer. The whole vibe of putting on the festival and how everyone acted suring the festival was inspiring- everyone coming together to enjoy all different kinds of music and each other. I feel like something like that can't happen today, but I can still dream. After the museum I wandered around the fields they held the concert in. There's not much there now, they pretty much left the field as is, which I liked. It was nice to walk around the field and take in the view. I then walked around the Bethel Woods stage (or as close to it as I could get) before heading back to the Forestburgh area and taking in the many scenic views the town has to offer.
The night was spent chatting with Luke as he worked his painting magic on the Avenue Q set, watching the cabaret with Darcy, and partaking in a night at Vinos before heading home the following morning. It was a great end to my short but definately memorable visit to the Forestburgh Playhouse. Seeing everyone there made my summer all the better- my summer wouldn't have been anywhere near complete if I didn't spand at least some time at the Playhouse. Everyone made me feel like I never left and reminded me what I consuder the playhouse one of my second homes. i wish I could have stayed longer, but I must go where the wind blows, and can only hope that every rowdy sunday is rowdier than one before it, Vinos is without it's dull moments, the shop party is a success like always, and Norman will have "spoken far long enough" before every show.
On my way home I drove past a man walking his two sheep down the road. Was I suprised? Not entirely.
After spending so much time on I-84, I turn to rt. 17 to get me to Monticello. A left turn onto a side street takes me away from away from Monticello's downtown and on to a road that helps me understand what Paul McCarthney was refering to on "The Long & Winding Road"; this road, with it's curves and dips, takes me to 39 Forestburgh Rd, The Forestburgh Playhouse. I make the trip in four hours, a new personal record.
The moment I step out of the car I am greeted by Sarah Norris, this year's Associate Managing Director, last year's Company Manager, and all around amazing director. Seeing her bright smile is the warmest welcome back to the Playhouse I could've asked for. After my reunion with Sarah I make my way to her office, where I know I will find the forever sassy Larry Smiglewski, who for the last year I have cited as the best stage manager I've had the the pleasure of working with. After I savor my reunion with Larry I lay eyes on the man-the myth-the Norman who greets me with open arms after doing a double take on seeing me standing around (to him, and many others including myself, me walking around the Playhouse seemed natural).
After Norman and I play catch up with each other I head to the back deck, the place that served as my living room for two summer, and made my way into the backstage area (this really does feel like I never left!). Inside I meet the people who I proudly called my co-workers and even more proudly called my friends. Familiar faces such as Erin, Darcy, Michael Bert, Darrin, and Pappa Bear himself, Luke. All of them glad to see me, and my feelings are mutual. I take in every moment of all of our conversations together, for my time at the Playhouse is short but I want to savor my time with them- my summer wouldn't be complete without chilling with my fellow tech staff backstage before the show starts. And the closer it got to showtime I got to reunite with some of my good friends on the acting side of the stage. I was thrilled to reunite with Laura Beth Wells and Jess Wagner: two actresses with wonderful stage presence and terrific vocal chords- I couldn't help but fall in love with both of them when I met them in '08. And of course, it was great to see Ed again, a man who can always make me laugh with the drop of a hat on and off stage. It was also a thrill to see some familiar faces in the ResCo like Marrick, Zoe, and Georgia, all exactly as I remember them from last year- always smiling and full of energy. And of course, Mr. Steven Cuevas, the Playhouse's very own violong playing/ivory tickling rockstar. It's been a pleasure to see him move up over the years from ResCo member to one of the theatre's musical directors.
The show- I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change- was wonderful to watch, from the moment Norman pronounced "I have spoken far long enough" to the closing number sung by my three friends plus Scott Evans, an actor with wonderful chops and physical mannerisms that made him a joy to watch through out the show. The show featured laughs from start to finish and great scenes for all the cast to display their wide range of talent. The post-show cabaret, consisting of modern boradway songs, was also a joy to witness. Sitting in the back with Luke & Stacey I took in the scene of seeing the ResCo serving coffee and food one minute and performing their hearts out onstage. apparently they made a musical out of music from the Four Seasons. I was unaware of this, but sounds like something I need to look into. Seeing Jim Bray, the director of this cabaret, was a pleasure; I didn't know he was going to be back this season and i'm happy I got to see him again.The after hours of the night was spent watching the tech staff and tavern manager partake in a poker game. This gave me a chance to chill with old friends and meet some of the new tech staff.
Thursday was a day well spent in the forest. In the morning I gave Darcy and Luke a hand finding some drift wood for Darcy to use in Seusical at The Dam, followed by helping out Luke with painting the Avenue Q set. Lunch was had with Luke, Darcy, Darrin, and Crystal at Buona Fortuna in Monticello- good food and great company, the perfect recipe for luncheon.
I sat in on a rehearsal of this year's childrens show, Seusical. I've heard a lot of the show's music through the years, and this was my first time seeing the songs in context. The show itself looked great, even though it was still in the rehearsal process. The show was energetic and entertaining. I took great joy in watching Marrick as the Cat- his mannerisms and physical actions were hilarious and perfect for the role; I thoroughly enjoyed watching him in the spotlight again. I also enjoyed seeing the familiar local actors that are always involed in the childrens shows. Some of them have been herel onger than me, and in three years I've seen huge improvements in their acting since I started working there. Darcy's sets were also beautiful and helped paint me a great picture for the show, especially since the cast wasn't in their costumes yet. It saddens me I won't get to see the finished product, because I'm very positive that this childrens show will blows High School Musical out of the water!
The rest of the afternoon consisted of a drive over to Bethel Woods to go to the Woodstock museum. It was a well put together museum, lots of movies and memorabilia from the time period, starting with the beginning of the 1960s and ending with the music festival itself. Through out the museum clips of music from Janis Joplin, Hendrix, The Who, and Ravi Shankar kept me company as I explored what the museum had to offer. The whole vibe of putting on the festival and how everyone acted suring the festival was inspiring- everyone coming together to enjoy all different kinds of music and each other. I feel like something like that can't happen today, but I can still dream. After the museum I wandered around the fields they held the concert in. There's not much there now, they pretty much left the field as is, which I liked. It was nice to walk around the field and take in the view. I then walked around the Bethel Woods stage (or as close to it as I could get) before heading back to the Forestburgh area and taking in the many scenic views the town has to offer.
The night was spent chatting with Luke as he worked his painting magic on the Avenue Q set, watching the cabaret with Darcy, and partaking in a night at Vinos before heading home the following morning. It was a great end to my short but definately memorable visit to the Forestburgh Playhouse. Seeing everyone there made my summer all the better- my summer wouldn't have been anywhere near complete if I didn't spand at least some time at the Playhouse. Everyone made me feel like I never left and reminded me what I consuder the playhouse one of my second homes. i wish I could have stayed longer, but I must go where the wind blows, and can only hope that every rowdy sunday is rowdier than one before it, Vinos is without it's dull moments, the shop party is a success like always, and Norman will have "spoken far long enough" before every show.
On my way home I drove past a man walking his two sheep down the road. Was I suprised? Not entirely.