Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Why The Playhouse Hates Me

Apparently a once mutually adoring relationship between me and the management of Playhouse on Park has been replaced with a deep-seeded, burns when you pee animosity. This is news to me, because until just recently, I thought we had a Kumbaya, funny groin feeling you got climbing the rope in gym class relationship.

***Song break***
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Oh Lord, kumbaya.

Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya.
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya.
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya.
Oh Lord, kumbaya.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, some one's laughing, crying, praying and sleeping, Oh Lord, kumbaya.
***End song break***

The news surrounding the demise of our storied relationship was first delivered by a cruel and unforgiving internet, specifically the calendar section of the Playhouse on Park website. (http://www.playhouseonpark.org/)

There you can access the complete calendar of upcoming events, as I did last Monday afternoon, while sitting alone in the box office. I stared at the calendar in shock. "How is this possible?" I wondered, as I simmered in disbelief. "How am I going to get all this information to the masses?" I said to myself as my simmering turned to a slow boil. It's obviously a mistake, there's no way all that information can fit on our marquee.

Striding confidently from the box office out to the marquee, secure in the knowledge that the plethora of events was an innocent mistake. Standing outside the theatre, looking up, I shook my head and laughed off the apparent over-booking.

Seconds later the animosity presented itself as Artistic Director Darlene Zoller delivered the decisive blow, as she walked up behind me, obviously aware of my conundrum, and said "Next time I'm going to schedule six events." she snarled, knowing full well that the marquee can only promote four events.

I was dumbfounded as Darlene gleefully swooped into the Playhouse, laughing at me all the way. Then suddenly I envisioned Artistic Director Sean Harris and Executive Director Tracy Flater, also laughing at me in a "You'll shoot your eye out, you'll shoot your eye out" manner, just like they did to poor Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

Fine, game on playhouse. I accept your challenge. You want to schedule multiple events, appealing to a wide range of customers, in an effort to promote the playhouse and increase sales, I'm in. Not only will I display the perfect marquee, but I'll incorporate all that information in to a concise blog post.

Entrain: World Rhythm Band. Saturday, February 3rd at 8:00pm

Fire & Ice: Mad Science Stage Spectacular Saturday, Feb. 4th 2:00pm

Comedy Night: Saturday, February 4th at 8:00pm

The Amanda Carr Quintet: Saturday, February 11th at 8:00pm.

Entrain brings their eclectic mix of infectious, upbeat world rhythms and melodic catchy songs back to Playhouse on Park, after a succesful performance in Blue Back Square last June.

Fire & Ice, a children's show that deals with fire and the properties of combustion and ice, using dry ice to demonstrate the different states of matter.

Comedy night features the return of Peaches Rodriguez, our headliner. She is a veteran stand-up comic for over 12 years working in New York City. Some of her touring credits include; The Rivera Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and the Jack Daniels Latino Comedy Festival.

Amanda Carr performs songs from the Great American songbook. She is a multi-styled vocalist/pianist that began professionally in her teens in the rock and pop genre, but in recent years has focused on fresh interpretations of the Great American Songbook.

Take that Playhouse on Park, you got served.