“T
he biggest revelation for me teams. Ross Kline assures the actor porwas the combination of seri- traying Diana, a mother suffering from ousness and fun that I saw at bipolar disorder in Next To Normal, that every rehearsal I witnessed at Kelsey the character’s pain is coming across. FerTheatre,” says Princeton University pro- rara helps the actor playing Seymour — fessor Stacy Wolf, author of Beyond the mild-mannered protagonist of Little Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Shop of Horrors — understand that his Musical Theatre Across America (Oxford character is actually the villain of the University Press, 2020). “I loved witness- piece. ing those emotions sitting together.” Keenan Westcott re-choreographs the Kelsey is the focus of “Community choral finale to the first act of Into the Theatre,” the fourth chapter of Beyond Woods during a difficult rehearsal, after Broadway. As its title suggests, the book watching the members of the ensemble examines productions by organizations repeatedly collide. The revised, simpler throughout the country. Wolf’s research steps solve the problem. Wolf remembers included visits to Wor thington High that the director “was frustrated, but he School in Minnesota; the Zilker Summer didn’t show it at all! He just fixed it.” Theatre in Texas; and the Candlelight A key difference between community Dinner Playhouse in Colorado. theatre and its professional counterpart is Although Wolf lives fairly close to that the actors are volunteers, who juggle Kelsey, which is on the campus of Mercer their families and day jobs with their pasCounty Community College in West Wind- sion for performing. So the directors have sor, she did not always intend for it to be to be particularly understanding about isthe focus of the chapter about commu- sues such as scheduling conflicts. nity theatre. “Originally, I assumed that “It was always clear to me, at every step I would write about a number of different of the process, that people were chooscommunity theatres across the country, ing to be there,” Wolf says. “The phrase and examine how they operate differ- ‘labor of love’ captures what I found so ently,” Wolf says. inspiring; people were working and workThat approach would have resembled ing hard, but it was not their day job. that of the following chapter, “The Sound They were doing this out of love.” of Music at Outdoor Summer Musical Kelsey increases the accessibility of muTheatres,” which includes the Open Air sicals, both to patrons and practitioners. Theatre in Washington Audiences pay far less to Crossing, Pa., plus outsee recent shows such as door theatres in Austin, Next to Normal than they Texas, and Marin, Calif. would to see the BroadHowever, once Wolf way production, and more started spending time at diverse actors are getting Kelsey she discovered opportunities to perform. that it is “a consortium of Keenan Westcott was 12 different companies,” determined to bring In whose productions are the Heights, a musical scheduled and overseen that calls for Latinx acby Kitty Getlik, Kelsey’s tors, to Kelsey; the theartistic director and manatre presented the show in ager. “Each show runs for 2016. For that production six performances over two at least one actor traveled weekends,” Wolf writes. over an hour for the op“After the curtain falls on por t u n it y to p er for m. the second Sunday afterMost productions, such noon, the cast and crew as Ross Kline’s 2019 The immediately strike the set Sound of Music, tend to … then, by early evening, c as t p er for m er s f rom the next show loads in.” Hamilton, Lawrenceville, Replacing one show or Princeton Junction — with another on consecuthough participants have tive weekends means that come from places as far “Kelsey as a theatrical inas Bucks County. stitution does a remarkDespite the financial able amount of work, bedevastation that social cause there are all these distancing requirements d i f fe r e nt c om p a n i e s,” are imposing on theatres Wolf says. “A t ypical, such as Kelsey, Wolf bebusy community theatre lieves that “people will would do maybe four to come back with a hunsix shows a year.” dred times more passion, The “Community Thecommitment, and desire atre” chapter follows proto make theatre together. Stacy Wolf (Photo by Justin Goldberg) ductions by three of the This current situation will 12 companies, and observes the work of in no way diminish the creative energy.” the directors. Frank Ferrara directs PlayWolf reflects, “I think that we see the ful Theatre Productions’ Little Shop of value of being in the same space at the Horrors; Kyrus Keenan Westcott helms same time, more than we ever did before, Into the Woods for the Pennington Play- and the importance of what theatre can ers; and Kat Ross Kline directs Pierrot do.” She hopes that Beyond Broadway Productions’ Next to Normal. gives readers “a newfound appreciation “I decided that I wanted to center the of the pleasures of musical theatre, and chapter on the directors’ work and the dif- of artistic activity where they live.” ferent kinds of theoretical and conceptual Kelsey Theatre has hosted the Kelsey issues that come up around directing at a Awards, an annual event honoring the community theatre,” Wolf says. “So I fo- casts and creative teams from each of cused on the idea of community, the idea the 12 companies. As Beyond Broadof professionalism, and the idea of labor way notes, the awards have included Outand leisure. Once I found that framework, standing Lighting Designer, Outstanding I saw that I had more than enough mate- Ensemble Performer, and Outstanding rial — too much, really — so I decided to Villainous Performance. (Keenan Westfocus on Kelsey.” cott exuberantly emceed the first presenWith the immediacy of a reality TV tation that Wolf attended.) show, readers are taken behind the scenes ccording to Kelsey’s website, the to observe the three companies as they 2020 Kelsey Awards have been rework through every phase of production: scheduled for August 8. Whether show selection, auditions, rehearsals, and or not this year’s presentation is able to returning rented props after the final per- take place, Beyond Broadway offers temformance. “One of the goals of the book porarily homebound theatre aficionados was to share with non-theatre people how a chance to learn about Kelsey’s past theatre is made,” Wolf says. “I wanted to accomplishments, and to appreciate the highlight the labor, the repetition, and the crucial role live theatre plays in building pleasure of making a show.” and maintaining communities. Each musical brings its own idiosyncra—Donald H. Sanborn III sies and challenges for the directors to finesse with their casts and production
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