Raconteur Theatre Company

In our short existence as a company, we have come upon and overcome many obstacles already.  Why should today be any different?

We are nearing the opening of our production of Ibsen’s Ghosts and at the same time we are preparing to start the production process for our next show (Mom and Pop by local playwright Sarah Tobin).  This is our first experience with overlapping production calendars, and it presents some new…er…learning opportunities.  Although we are continuing to slowly grow our company by bringing in more new and terrific people (we have really great people on board for Ghosts!), there is still a lot for the core founding company members to handle.  So, at a time when we are all maxed out with preparations for this production, we need to be focusing a lot of energy on the next one right now!  For example, we have auditions for Mom and Pop on the Sunday and Monday of tech week for Ghosts, and the Monday immediately following the tear-down of Ghosts will be the first rehearsal of Mom and Pop.  It’s truly non-stop.  On top of that, we are all, of course, working full time outside of the theatre.

This is my cue to get overwhelmed.

So, I tell myself to breathe.  I tell myself that all this work is worth it.  I tell myself that the passion I have for theatre has its outlet here– in a place I can call my own, and in a place I can be surrounded by other hard-working theatre lovers.

We can do this.

Jill

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

Piece by piece everything is coming together. Recent tasks completed by the board:

Letters out to area theatres introducing ourselves and reaching out for mutual support of our collective endeavors. (Thank you John Kuhn from Actor’s Theatre and Alan Saunders from Center Stage Players for your supportive responses!)

Press Kits out to major publications.

Audition notices out in various ways (coming up this weekend!).

Lots of chatting and gaining insight from folks at Madlab. Looking forward to an ongoing relationship with you all!

Just today we received approval for fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas.

Looking into having a presence at Comfest in June.

The real website created by Litter Design is almost ready to have a partial release. I’ve been working closely with Chris Browning and am so excited to get this up and running soon!

Letters to friends and families coming out soon.

So things are getting done, but we have so much more to do! We’re still getting artwork for the Flex Series, still finalizing the rest of the season, et cetera. We have had a few production meetings to get Flex Series underway and are getting the creative juices flowing!

Feeling the mounting excitement,

Jill