Raconteur Theatre Company

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

Just a quick shout to those of you who are reading this who weren’t currently aware - but we’re getting ready to cast our next show.

We’re putting up Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, translation done by Lanford Wilson, directed by none other than our own Tricia Jones.

(She directed the Roulette half of After the Afterglow, ya know.)

Now, if you’re reading this blog, I know you want to be a part of this production. So, you’re probably saying “Tell me the details.”

Gladly!

Auditions are Sunday, August 3 from 3-5 and Monday, August 4 from 7-9 at the Main Library’s auditorium. (96 S. Grant Avenue)
The show dates are from October 2-18, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. the first two weeks of the run.

You want to know more? Of course you do! And fortunately, you can find out more at our website.

Now, we want to see all of you there with bells on. (Bells optional).
-Aaron

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

Check out this from The Other Paper and our other review at  Ohio News Network. And come out for the show- this is the FINAL WEEKEND!

~Jill

“Two short plays about love on its last legs”
BY RICHARD ADES
The Other Paper, June 5, 2008

If it weren’t for the buzz of conversation filtering in from the next room, you might think you were back at 2Co’s Cabaret.

The Raconteur Theatre Company is making its debut with a double bill that includes Douglas Hill’s Roulette, the kind of relationship play that often kept viewers entertained at the now-defunct cabaret. Adding to the illusion is the presence of J.T. Walker, a ponytailed actor who was sometimes seen at the Short North venue.

Walker plays Matt, a Tucson resident who has been no more successful at marriage than he has been at finding a career.  When wife Janine (Jill Ceneskie) pushes his buttons once too often, he decides to hit the road for Las Vegas.

Only one problem: Matt doesn’t have enough money to get there. After some arguing, Janine decides to take him, if only to get him out her life once and for all.  

So the two drive off, which is when things start to get weird. Matt begins finding wads of dollar bills in his formerly empty wallet, while their junky car seems to sip gas at a rate that would make a Prius jealous. These and other unexplained occurrences make Janine suspect the universe is trying to tell them something,  but Matt, for reasons he keeps to himself, is in no mood to listen.

Working under Tricia T. Jones’s skilled direction, Walker isn’t bad as a man who has trouble expressing himself, though his craft was sometimes too obvious on opening night. Ceneskie is more natural as Janine, a woman whose attitude toward her difficult husband can change from anger to protectiveness to affection within a span of seconds.
Marital tug of war: Jill Ceneskie and J.T. Walker in the Raconteur Theatre Company’s production of Roulette.  Photo by Sam Blythe
The same can’t be said for the other play on the After the Afterglow double bill, Justin Toomey’s Aster, Holger Gunn. An original work by a Raconteur board member, the one-act begins promisingly enough but eventually falls apart.  

Like Roulette, Aster looks at romance past its prime. It’s a credit to Toomey’s dialogue- writing skill that the play initially captures viewers’ interest despite relying on that most self-conscious of gimmicks author who has a conversation with his own characters.

Andrew Cronacher is good as the writer who tries to come to terms with a failed romance by creating a stand-in for his former lover. Molly St. Cyr is nearly as good as the vaguely mocking stand-in, except that her soft voice is sometimes hard to hear above the scraps of conversation drifting over from the other side of the host coffeehouse.

Though a mixture of psychology and philosophy makes the pair’s early conversation interesting, Toomey then commits the error I of introducing a third character (Sam Blythe) who seems totally superfluous. The play goes downhill from there.

The work’s saving grace is that it doesn’t take long to see it-if you decide to see it at all. One nice thing about Raconteur’s freshman effort is that it doesn’t force viewers to attend both halves of the double bill. Pay $5 (rather than $8) and you can leave early after seeing Roulette - or arrive late and see only the briefly interesting Aster.

Either way, you get the chance to sample Columbus’s newest theater company for a minimal outlay of time and money. If you’re like me, the experience will leave you eager to spend more time with the group in the coming months.
The Raconteur Theatre Company will present the After the Afterglow double bill through June 14 at Kafe Kerouac, 2250 N. High St.  Roulette will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; Aster, Holger Gunn, at 9:15 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (both plays, plus intermission). Tickets are $5 for one play, $8 for both.  614-804-1695 or http://raconteurthetre.com