Santa Barbara Theatre 2014 in Review; 2015 Preview

Cheers, Slainte, Prosit!

Here's to a great year in theatre. Beyond working backstage for Out of the Box (Bonnie and Clyde and Bare) and having the good fortune to experience several shows in Las Vegas and New York City (Hedwig with Michael C. Hall, Cirque de Soleil's Love, and Evil Dead: The Musical among them), 2014 was the year I secured a more in-depth familiarity with the Santa Barbara theatre scene. This town is small, but it boasts an outstanding creative community and an impressive range of theatrical education possibilities, from youth theatre to high school programs to college-level and post-graduate enrichment.

Admittedly, I fell pretty far down the rabbit hole this year. Seeing, analyzing, and discussing productions has become a fairly consuming aspect of my identity. I'm now one of those people who can only speak intelligently about one subject-and unfortunately, "local theatre" is not a topic as commonly relatable as, say, having kids or "House of Cards." I spend most dinner parties praying that someone will bring up recent or upcoming shows so I'll have something to say.

There's talent in town, and it's invigorating to be involved in various processes of theatrical production for a diverse assortment of creative groups. Every show I see is an occasion to ruminate on storytelling strategies and appreciate novel ideas and impressive artistic execution. Great shows are inspiring, but shows that are confusing, awkward, or plodding are equally important to examine; what better way to avoid these pitfalls in your own work than to recognize and comprehend problematic production elements? The aptitude to invent solutions to these issues is invaluable. In my particular niche, it is the challenge of developing a more efficient rhetoric for discussing these ideas that I find constantly stimulating. I look forward to the upcoming year's productions.

What happened this year in SB theatre? Here's 2014 in review:

1. Out of the Box produces Bonnie and Clyde. I learn to create make-up bruises that, sadly, never make it into the final show. We do, however, have gallons of stage blood left over from Carrie, so we smear that all over the place. Less elegant than carefully painted bruises... but probably more effective from a distance.

2. Lit Moon does Hamlet-twice. It's really effing cool. Twice. I become whatever the theatre-equivalent of a "groupie" is for Lit Moon.

3. SOPA produces Rent with teenagers-and it's really good. The performers are, for the most part, impressive; it actually does FEEL LIKE RENT.

4. Genesis West does Thom Paine by Brian Eno. Thom Paine stars Mitchell Thomas, who, along with Eno, are my 2014 theatre crushes. I see the show, which is intense, and then have a spicy martini. It's a good day.

5. Chris Turner rips something like ten million feet of crown molding for the set of The Heiress. I'm not all that into the play, but I live for the set. I'll probably never live anywhere even remotely as nice as the Victorian living rooms Chris keeps building on the SBCC stage. Hey Chris-come over sometime and make my flat look like that!

6. Elements Theatre Collective produces Orlando, which is weird and lovely. Mary Plant-Thomas (of Elements) moves to the Bay Area, and I'm sorry to see her go. I like perpetuators of weird, lovely theatre.

7. I become acquainted with Circle Bar B. It's a fairly bizarre operation. They provide beans and margaritas for your theatrical experience. Everyone is always having fun and the shows are lively, but the theatre smells like a horse (possibly a cow-I'm not very knowledgeable about livestock). CBB gets shut down in December, and I'm sorry to see them go. I like perpetuators of fun and bizarre and beans and margaritas (the horse/cow smell I'll take or leave).

8. Out of the Box produces Bare. One of my friends shows up to the show in my clothing (no idea). I manage to spill water on the piano and be completely incompetent at fixing the mics. It's more obvious than usual that I should never touch anything I find in the theatre, and stick to writing and costuming.

9. UCSB does Middletown by Brian Eno. Blythe Foster is in the show and I'm like, "HEY GIRL!" Blythe and I did Macbeth in Berkeley when I worked for The Shotgun Players. She was Lady M. I ran sound and briefly dated the guy who played Banquo. The theatre community in California is crazy tiny.

10. I realize that my level of investment in the local theatre community is verging on obsession. I subsequently realize that I'm fine with that.

So THANKS! to everyone-actors, performers, musicians, designers, writers, stagehands, teachers, directors, producers, and audience members-for a great year. Let's all do it again, sometime.

Here's what's coming up in the first few months of 2015:

January:

Brooklyn Boy (Dijo)

Camelot (Theatre League @ the Granada)
(You know you want to.)

154 and Paradise (The Producing Unit)

One-Act Operas (Westmont Theatre Department)

February:

Nixon's Nixon (Elements Theatre Collective)
(A conversation between Nixon and Kissinger before Nixon's resignation. Draaaamaaaaa...)

The Nina Variations (Westmont Theatre Department)
(Using characters from The Seagull, The Nina Variations explores 42 alternate versions of Nina and Treplev's story. Great concept for an entertaining examination of Chekhov's work. Obviously, I'm pumped on this show.)

Intimate Apparel (Ensemble)

Tales of Woo and Woe (Drama Dogs)

The Importance of Being Earnest (UCSB Theatre Department)
(Good. I frequently feel like an inadequate human being for having never seen this show. Finally, absolution from ignorance.)

Guys and Dolls (Theatre League @ The Granada)

Red and Brown Water (UCSB Theatre Department)

The Insect Comedy (Westmont Theatre Department)

March:

L'Italiana in Algeri (SB Opera)

Light up the Sky (SBCC Theatre Group)

April:

Chicago (Theatre League @ The Granada)

The Wild Party (Out of the Box)
(My next backstage haunt! The 1920s meets fashionable ennui. Characters throw a party, which is the entire musical. I'll be backstage [really], avoiding drama [not really].)

Dead Man's Cell Phone (SBCC Theatre Group)
(I like Sarah Ruhl's work, and I like the idea of this show. A cell phone is ringing in a café. It doesn't seem to belong to anyone-when a stranger picks it up, she's immediately integrated into the life of the phone's previous owner. This will be fun.)

Woyzeck (Ensemble)
(The Tom Waits musical. Enough said.)

Streetcar Named Desire (SB Opera)

The Great War (Arts and Lectures)

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