Raconteur Theatre Company

I spent a good part of the summer worrying about casting Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts. It features one of the greatest roles written for a woman, Mrs. Helen Alving.  By “greatest” I mean challenging, complex, on stage almost the entire show and responsible for the play’s success.  Who would be capable, available and interested in acting this role - or any of the others in the play for that matter - for a brand new theatre company that offers minuscule monetary compensation and a short track record of success?

Not knowing what else I could do, I decided to place my faith in God, the Universe or perhaps Dionysus himself to take care of that which was beyond my control.  I focused on my part: reading the script, researching Ibsen, and sending emails to every actor I know to invite them to audition.  I am grateful to say that tactic worked.  I now have a dream cast in whom I have complete confidence to bring Ghosts to life.

The cast of Raconteur Theatre’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts translated by Lanford Wilson is:

• Regina: Sarah Willis
• Engstrand: Richard Wilson
• Mrs. Helen Alving: Carolyn Harding
• Reverend Manders:Stephen Woosley
• Oswald: Brennan Hunter

Our next show, Ghosts, deals with long held secrets, family legacies, and how people either accept or try to change the circumstances of their life. It also happens that the opening weekend of Ghosts coincides with the Columbus Walk For Autism, which is put on by Autism Speaks.

Raconteur Theatre has dedicated itself to being not just a “community theatre” but being a theatre that is part of the community. To this end, we are going to try to assist Autism Speaks in their mission. At all performances of Ghosts, we will have a donation jar at the box office and concession stand, with 100% of all donations going to Autism Speaks. Additionally, you can make a donation to Autism Speaks through the following donation site. (It doesn’t matter which name you click to make the donation through.)

This marks only the first step in Raconteur’s giving back to the community. All future productions will have a tip jar available, with the proceeds going to charity. The charity will be determined by the Board of Directors on a per-show basis, but we will make every effort to keep our audiences well-informed.

Excited to be able to give back to the community,
Aaron

(In the interests of full disclosure, we have a personal stake in this charity. One of my children has autism, which is what drew me to this particular charity.)

I must admit on the eve of the 1^st Rehearsal, I’m really looking forward to moving into production. It’s been a long few weeks leading up to this. We had such a short amount of time after the Flex Series ended and our projected Audition Date, that we had much to do and little time to do it. We’ve been through a series of mishaps: pushing back of the production calendar, loss of one and then two of the actors originally cast, and even a change in performance dates.

Somehow, as is always the case, it all works out. It’s been a real experience for me, as Raconteur has never had a Producer in the past. During the Flex Series, the entire Board of Directors co-produced the production. After the show, we realized that there really needed to be one person that everyone could go to if there were any problems.

It’s been a fun transition for me coming from stage managing to a position where I still get to experience the overall view of the production and organize various parts of the process but without the daily commitment of rehearsals. At the same time, it’s a position we’re definitely still figuring out. My duties started out pretty basic and continue to grow as we move forward. Originally, I was only responsible for the production calendar, following up on deadlines and dealing with any difficulties that could arise from the process. Since the original discussion, I have also taken on production team/actor/copyright/rental contracts and the hiring of individuals to the production. It’s such a cool thing to see everyone come together from their various backgrounds and talents, and I can’t wait to meet the cast that’s going to bring Ghosts to life.

Excited for the future,
Suellen Kasiara
Producer, Ghosts

I’ve never been a huge fan of Comfest. I don’t like mud, random naked people, random naked people covered in mud (or painted!) so this should come as a shock. Given this I had mixed feelings when I was told we would be performing Aster, Holger Gunn at Comfest but I convinced myself it would be fun.

But here’s the thing – it was fun! Sure, the lapel microphones we were supposed to be wearing to combat the ambient noise didn’t work out, leaving us screaming the show into stand microphones. Sure, the stage was awkward with the microphones placed willy nilly. Sure, I was so disgustingly hot and sweaty that I was grossed out that poor Andrew (Holger) had to kiss me…

But in spite of these things I could scarcely had enjoyed myself more. The outdoor atmosphere, the screaming, the staging, the different audience all changed the show in ways I couldn’t have imagined. This was not the Aster, Holger Gun I had come to know and love, no this was a different story entirely and yet also not.

So it turns out I don’t hate Comfest at all.

For Raconteur Theatre’s debut production After the Afterglow, we relied upon Board Members and personal friends to design the set, lights, costumes and sound. Each of the designers brought experience, creativity and expertise to the table and our final product was great. Not all of those designers were available for our second production so we have had to widen our circle of participants. Luckily two new designers have teamed up with the Raconteur production team for Ghosts and my experience with them has been nothing but positive.

I was delighted when Scenic Designer Richard May sent me photos of a “white model” a couple days after joining the Ghosts design team. This 3D scaled model gave me a clear picture of his concept so we could have a detailed discussion about what would work and what would need to change.

I was equally pleased and impressed during my first meeting with Costume Designer Jaylene Henderson. Instead of just asking what I wanted, she presented me a colorful array of sketches, fabric swatches and printouts of period costumes. We discussed details of fabric colors, dress lines and shoes. I came away from the meeting excited about the beautiful costumes I could actually envision. Then, after just a week, Jaylene sent me photos of the skirt she had already started sewing!

It feels greatto have designs before we’ve even started rehearsals. Richard and Jaylene are raising the bar of our design standards, setting a wonderful example for the rest of us. This is how we should be designing shows. Drawings, renderings, models, fabric swatches - visual representations of any kind are essential to a successful design process!

-Tricia Jones
Director, Ghosts
Running October 9 - 25, 2008 in Columbus, OH. Details at http://raconteurtheatre.com