Raconteur Theatre Company

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

“Jacob Adler said that unless you give the audience something that makes them bigger - better - do not act… [Acting should] open up the vastness in you as a human being, to understand your place more than you do - not to be led by the Bible or anything else but the truth of modern life as given to you by certain genius-authors in the theatre who can make you into something tremendous”  -Stella Adler, Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekov

As soon as I agreed to direct Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, I realized I was terrified.  Sure, I have directing experience but how do you compare a middle school production of Aesop’s (Oh So Slightly Updated) Fables with a play written by “genius-author” Henrik Ibsen,  the father modern theatre?  The opportunity to direct Ghosts is certainly a privilege but I questioned whether I’d be able to live up to such great responsibility.

Well, the question has yet to be answered but I’m gaining confidence.  And the confidence is not coming so much from belief in my directorial skills but rather from discovering first hand the brilliance of Henrik Ibsen’s playwriting.  I read and reread the script and discover new, wonderful insights each time - each character and plot twist has so many layers.  I’ve read several essays that expound upon the near perfection of Ibsen’s dramatic form and “ah ha!” lights go on in my head like fireworks.

 I am being reminded that a director’s job is not to hatch the perfect “concept” and cram the play into her perception of what it should be.  Rather, by staying intimately in tune with the script, the text and the subtext, the play will lead me and in turn lead the actors.  This is the path that will lead us to creating theatre that “gives the audience something that makes them bigger.”  I’m a little less afraid of Ghosts now.  In fact, Ghosts inspires me.  

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

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

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.