Some REAL "playing" with plays

There hasn't been much chance to post lately. In addition to cramming in some shows, Kathy and I have been up to our ears preparing, with a lot of others, for the KLT production of "Don't Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell" at historic Korner's Folly. It's a very funny show that we've been tied into for some time. We first saw the show at Barter Theatre and highly recommended the script to the KLT playreading group, which also liked it. We had a need for a Folly show in this time slot, and were fortunate not only that others agreed, but we tied down the rights to the show quickly enough to be able to host the North Carolina premiere of the comedy. Neat stuff for KLT!

Then, when it finally came along in time, Kathy volunteered to stage manage -- and eventually we worked together to create the lighting design, and I am operating the board for most of the shows. Last night was the by-invitation preview, a nearly full house -- and by the audience's response, they "got" the show just fine. After all the rehearsal and programming and tech issues, it was a blast to hear people laughing out loud.

Tonight's the opening night, and we already have three of the 10 shows sold out. Seems like the right show at the right time (we all need a laugh!), and having a state premiere is pretty cool, too!

In the (little bit of) spare time during the past few weeks, we also managed to catch "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" at Theatre Alliance -- definitely a hoot and a half, or maybe even three-quarters -- and a thoroughly pleasing production of "Picnic" at Triad Stage. We won't see much OTHER theater before mid-October, but I would guess that we will know most of the lines from "... Margaret Mitchell" by October 4th when it closes!