Raconteur Theatre Company

“The audience is the most revered member of the theater. Without an audience, there is no theater. Everything done is ultimately for the enjoyment of the audience. They are our guests, fellow players, and the last spoke in the wheel which can then begin to roll. They make the performance meaningful.” - Viola Spolin

Ghosts closes tomorrow night and I find myself thinking back through the process of how we got here. As Marketing Rep I was concerned with getting people to the show. It is easy for devout theatre-lovers to forget that although every theatre student knows the role Ibsen has played in shaping theatre over the past century, often audiences may not even recognize his name. This is frustrating and surprising given the fact that he is the second most performed playwright in the world.

So as the days grow cold and dark, we found ourselves in the perpetual gamble of theatre companies everywhere. We made our calls, sent our emails, hung our posters and even tromped around in the streets at a couple local events to raise awareness. But it came down to this: every night at half past seven, we opened our doors, crossed our fingers and hoped.

Now, on the eve of our penultimate performance of Ghosts, I would like to extend my thanks. Thank you for venturing out in sunshine and in rain, on nights when you had to get up early the next day, and in the middle of sunny Sunday afternoons. Thank you for taking a chance on us. Thank you for spending your money in a time when cash is tight and for coming to a show which is challenging and unnerving during the tension of an elevated presidential election season. Thank you for sharing your kind words, your thoughts and insights with each of us every night. But mostly, simply, thank you. You are the reason we are here.

Thanks!
Molly St.Cyr-Reid

So, when we started this little endeavor we call Raconteur Theatre, we made it a point that we didn’t want to become an incestuous, inbred theatre group. Of course there’d be a core group of people who we worked with, and we (the board) would be involved in some way with every production, but we wanted to make sure that A) we didn’t just use the same group of actors in show after show, and B) we didn’t lock ourselves in a theatrical box and only do work with Raconteur from here on out.

Well, Tricia put us on track for the first part of that equation with her casting for Ghosts (as she explains here). And the rest of us are working towards the rest of it as well. Jill auditioned for Bread & Circus Theatre Company, and will be in their February show (more on that later), and I recently took a role in Rosebriar Shakespeare’s production of King Lear.

What role, do you ask? Why, that of Edmund the Bastard. I tend to get cast as the “foil” character a lot. I’m not quite sure why, but that seems to be my lot in life. We’re only one week into rehearsals, but it’s going well so far. I look forward to moving away from contemporary drama and digging back into my Shakespearean roots (the first show I ever did in Columbus was Hamlet, with Rosebriar).

Of course, while being involved with Lear, I still have responsibilities to Raconteur. I’m the Props Designer for Ghosts, and I’ll be doing the program and running the house as well. It’s a fun and intense juggling job, but if we didn’t like challenges, why would be doing theatre?

-Aaron

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.)

This was one of the many thoughts running through my head the first time I read Justin Toomey’s Aster, Holger Gunn after being cast as Aster. Little did I know I was headed for a turbulent process involving a change in actors leaving us less time than originally planned for rehearsals. By the time we got around to rehearsing that kiss, it had become bigger than necessary and as someone who hadn’t been on-stage recently I was nervous.

I should have known better. I should have realized that this was a very natural and realistic emotion given the scene at hand. What I did know what that I needed to just get it over with. And what I came to realize is that both that kiss and the last kiss are such pivotal moments in the story that they were truly enjoyable.

Things I Learned During After the Afterglow:
* Sam Blythe (Duck from Aster, Holger Gunn) is the biggest goofball ever.
* Kafe Kerouac has delicious coffee.
* If you park illegally on North Campus they will tow your car astonishingly quickly!
* RTC is perhaps the nicest group of people ever (who else would bring you a birthday cake to tech week?)
* I am very hard on myself.
* It is unenjoyable to wait in the rain for intermission when there is no backstage available!
* There was a strange man across the alley. Every night he showered while the cast of Aster, Holger Gunn ran lines, he either never noticed us or didn’t care that we could see him.
* A smile on-stage can change the entire show.
* Operation and Apples to Apples are the best games in known existence.
* Sometimes a mid-performance line flub can be a confidence booster.
* Huzzah is not as annoying of a word as I originally thought.
-Molly

Raconteur’s After the Afterglow Makes it Easy to See a Show!

Columbus’s new Raconteur Theatre Company theorizes that one reason people don’t go out to see local theatre is because of its total inflexibility! That’s why they are premiering with After the Afterglow, a show in a flexible format.

After the Afterglow allows patrons to choose from viewing one of two one-acts or enjoying both for a discounted price. Board member Jill C. Hartley explains, “In an increasingly hectic world, this gives our patrons options. If they’re booked until 8 o’clock, no biggie- they can catch the second piece. We want people to see theatre as a real option for their weekend.”

After the Afterglow consists of Roulette by Douglas Hill and Aster, Holger Gunn by Columbus’s own Justin Toomey. Roulette follows Janine (Jill Ceneskie) and Matt (JT Walker) as they decide to divorce after four years of a painful marriage. But when the couple embarks on a final road trip to drop off Matt in Las Vegas, they start to question their decision as strange, inexplicable things start happening. In Aster, Holger Gunn, Holger (Andrew Cronacher) is unable to let go of his love for Aster (Molly St. Cyr), and turns to writing a dialogue between the two of them in the hopes of working through his attachment to an obviously dead relationship. Despite having complete control over every move Aster makes and every word she says, Holger cannot change the ultimate destiny of their relationship.

After the Afterglow runs May 29-June 14 at Kafe Karouac (2250 N. High St., Columbus). Shows are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 & 9:15pm and Sundays at 2 & 3:15pm. Roulette will start at 8pm Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 pm Sundays. Aster, Holger Gunn is at 9:15pm Thursdays through Saturdays and 3:15pm Sundays. Tickets are $5 for a single one-act or $8 for both. Local singer songwriter Andy Ceneskie will provide music before each one act and Kafe Kerouac will sell beverages and snacks from their menu.

For additional information visit www.raconteurtheatre.com/currentshow.html.