Raconteur Theatre Company

I have a hard time talking about our last show without talking about the Board who brought everyone together. I came into this experience not really knowing what to expect. I only knew half the group of the founding members when we first got together. It was a strange place to be, this past November, when the eight of us met at Cup O’ Joe’s to discuss what was to become Raconteur Theatre – just as another theatre company many of us were a part of was closing its doors. I was incredibly sad to lose Bison and yet incredibly hopeful with what this new company would bring, not only to me but to the rest of the Board and Columbus Theatre. We wanted a company that would last – we didn’t want to go through the incredible sadness that comes with seeing yet another Columbus Theatre have to fold for any of the number of reasons that many Columbus Theatres do. And yet goodbyes are inevitable regardless. Whether they are the closing of a theatre or the closing of a show, the goodbyes give a little tug at your heartstrings. And yet at the same time, that is the nature of the business.

But our debut show was about hello’s. Our company was incredibly lucky to have 8 very different artists, whose talents run the gamut of the sphere of talents it takes to make a production possible - directors, actors, writers, techies, stage managers and businessmen. We spent several months working up to our first show and it was an incredible feeling seeing everyone’s hard work brought together. We were blessed with a fantastic cast and crew who came on board knowing that things were going to be a little bumpy on our first show, and they embraced it.

In terms of my own personal experience on the production, I would say stage managing this show was probably more demanding than most shows I’ve worked on in the past. The Flex Series was set up as 2 one-act plays that offered flexibility to the audience who could see one or both of the one-acts. The plays worked together as a whole and yet also demanded the attention as if they were independent beings. I was always trying to find a balance between the two shows, figuring what I should approach independently and what I should look at as a whole. I had worked with one-acts before, but not in the same way that these two came together. Both shows had very similar themes and yet were very different technically – Roulette had 7 scene changes where Aster had none. Roulette was about an hour and fifteen minutes while Aster was almost half that. Roulette had a film feel to it while Aster was very black box theatre. The theme united them and yet these two pieces came together in the end to offer two very different theatre experiences. Another challenge was working in a non-theatre space. Kafe Kerouac is an awesome coffee shop on High Street near OSU campus with a side room stage where poetry readings often take place on Wednesday nights. It’s not typically a theatre space and yet with the guidance of our Set Designer and Tech crew, we managed to convert that room into a theatre space and make it work. It took a little bit of time and patience, but the final transformation was a pretty cool to see. It goes to show that you don’t need an actual theatre space to do theatre.

Despite these challenges it was probably one of the coolest shows I have ever put on. We didn’t have the comforts of home that established companies have and yet we made it work. I learned so much about what it takes to make theatre possible, how to accept the challenges that arise and how do the best we can with what we have to work with. And even after our afterglow ends, there’s still another show on the other side waiting for us to embrace it. And I look forward to it.

-Suellen

I recently had the honor of being nominated by the Critics Circle as the Best Actress in Columbus. While I didn’t win, it was, as they say, an honor just to be nominated. It seems that my award ceremony invitation was, unfortunately, lost in the mail. However, I prepared this acceptance speech, and figuring that a good acceptance speech should never go to waste—despite losing—that I would share it here.

“Oh! Wow! I can’t believe I’m standing here right now. This is even more fantastic than I ever imagined. I want to thank everyone who has believed in me from day one for encouraging me to continue on as well as the people who didn’t believe in me, because it was those people who fueled my desire to prove them wrong. Thanks to my family and friends, and especially my husband who always pushes me to realize my dreams. I love you, Andrew. Finally, I wouldn’t be here without the wonderful direction of Tricia Jones and my inspiriting co-actor, JT Walker. Thank you all!”

And my time is up.

That was awesome. Thanks for going on that little journey with me. Seriously, finding out I was nominated was very exciting. One of my favorite things about this nomination is that it was for a role in Raconteur’s debut show. I think that makes it doubly awesome.

And since I didn’t know about this until the winners had already been picked, I didn’t have all that wondering to do; I could just enjoy the fact that I was considered among all the actresses in all the shows that took place over the last theatre season.

Still grinning,

Jill

Being the resident “business guy,” I look at After the Afterglow from a little bit of a different angle than the rest of the board. I don’t know how common it is in the theatre industry for an upstart, new theatre company to make money on its very first show, but Raconteur did it! Even after all expenses for the show were paid, including royalties, set, marketing (lots of marketing), paying for the use of the space, etc., etc., the company made nearly $1000 in net profit. We’re certainly not rolling in the dough, but that kind of money isn’t a pittance, either. Especially considering we were only charging $8 a ticket ($5 if you only saw one show).

Now, I’m not really a financial guy. I have an MBA in entrepreneurship, so I know the basics of an income statement (and the other important financial documents, like the balance statement and cash flow statement), but finance is really not my cup of tea - but I get strapped with it because I have an MBA. And I’m okay with that.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, though, I want to tell you that the best part of Raconteur Theatre Company’s premier show - for me - was watching the results of all the business planning and preparation we did to prepare for the show. We did things that the big theatre companies in Columbus, Ohio (and elsewhere) do, but that the small, little, community-theatre upstarts (including those companies that members of our board previously worked with) in Columbus never have - and most likely still won’t, even after our proof of success with them.

We sent letters of introduction to all the other theatres in Columbus, Ohio that we had (or could find) contact information for. We submitted our audition notice to all of the papers we thought might carry it. We submitted show times, dates, prices, and show synopses. We wrote press releases about both the show, and “Raconteur - Columbus’s Newest Theatre,” - the company in general. This last bit is one that most theatre companies - especially in Columbus - fail at. Press releases are rarely done, in my opinion - perhaps because people don’t know how to write one, perhaps because people are too lazy to do it (or learn it) - but ours scored us a review in Columbus’s most-read alternative paper, The Other Paper. The reviewer came out to our opening night - Raconteur’s first show ever - and gave us a great review. Press releases also scored us a small blurb the following week in The Other Paper’s Arts section, as well as a mention in The Other Paper’s “Cheap and Free” section - information about what you can do over the weekend for free, or nearly so. We also had two online reviews. The only thing better would have been for the Dispatch to come out and review us, but alas it wasn’t to be. I guess we’ll have to settle for nearly sold out crowds every night and a HUGE profit for a small house and way-too-cheap ticket prices. Bummer. </saracasm> We also sold advertising (email ads [AT] raconteurtheatre [DOT] com) in our program, which is not uncommon, but helps the profit margin go up.

All of this is in addition to the fundraising we did at the inception of the company (and that we continue to do). We have so far raised more than $4000 in support from family, friends, and businesses. I’m not even counting any of that money in the profit of the show… that’s for future shows and planning and scheming and company growth and fabulous future shows!

Anyway, to cut it short - if it’s not already too late for that - what was very satisfying for me to learn was that starting a theatre is just like starting any other business. Our product is entertainment and art. So long as we continue to provide quality art and entertainment, Raconteur Theatre Company will be Columbus’s next, newest indie art success story!

It’s amazing to see something emerge from what was previously nothing. I still remember my amazement during our first rehearsal for Roulette. We were in Jill & Andrew’s living room (generously made available to us for the duration of the rehearsal process) but instead of “just talking” about starting a theatre company, we were audaciously being a theatre company. Actors stood with scripts in hand, our stage manager sat ready to take notes and I was giving direction. We were all diving in with complete faith that our efforts in this improvised rehearsal space would evolve into a finished piece of theatre that would be worthy of an audience, legitimate enough to charge for tickets and meaningful enough to truly speak to people.

It’s true that nothing comes from nothing. In this case, Raconteur Theatre and its debut production came from the sustained outpouring of heart, soul and really hard work. I was exhausted by directing, co-producing, marketing, selling ads, writing to donors, telephoning theatre critics and doing a million other things required to start a theatre company. But it was worth it. I was SO PROUD of After the Afterglow. I felt like we lived up to our vision of producing the best show possible. My feelings were confirmed by the countless positive comments I received from friends, family and strangers who came to see the show.

It has been about a month since we closed our first show, After the Afterglow, and after all the reflection we have done as a company on our processes and what we can improve for next time, it’s finally time for me to reflect on it in a personal way.

It was awesome.

Opening night was the most thrilling theatrical experience I’ve ever had. Yes, it’s always exciting to open a new show and to perform in a play that I feel attached to. But selling out Raconteur’s first performance ever was more than I could have imagined. I think I wore myself out smiling from the accomplishment. That was a day I had envisioned for over ten years, and on May 29th, my stubborn dreams and goals got me there.

It was gratifying to see people walk out of the theatre having not only enjoyed themselves but also having shared in the emotions of those on stage and the collective audience. Even just today two typically non-theatre going people who attended the show commented on how they were drawn in to the emotion and taken on the roller coaster that the characters were on. For me, there is nothing quite as satisfying as knowing that theatre has made an impact on someone.

And this is what I need to remember when I’m drowning and drudging through administrative work for Ghosts. Already I have moments when I need to remind myself of how it felt to see people come to a theatre company that I was integral in building and to see the reviews of our first production reward our hard work. It’s worth it to see people enjoy theatre. Here’s to our future as a theatre!

Excited for what’s next,
Jill