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The mission of the Intentional Theatre is to provide a space free of "complication", allowing the artist to explore acting, playwriting, etc.; to explore some uncharted territory, or perhaps to experience for the first time what is involved in the development of a stage play. By complication we mean many things, for a typical stage production has many people to answer to, and often aspires to high expectations. And with good reason, mostly. However, these can sometimes sap the enjoyment out of the process, making it more like work than it needs to be. It's what often changes the-a-ter into the-a-tuhh. In our workshops, it's more about the process, working on the parts of the whole, in an effort to generate improvements in our abilities that we can later apply to our working endeavors. Often times, when you're involved in a show, you don't have the luxury of exploration and experimentation: trying out some crazy new idea just to see if it works or what it looks like or sounds like; scene study; character analysis. So, you sit around your living room and read lines to yourself and imagine how other characters/actors would respond. But what if you could get together with other like-minded people, working with each other in a nurturing, exploratory, instructional environment where anything goes? Perhaps you'd simply like to get together with some others and read through some plays out loud, maybe as part of a reading committee or just for (dare we say it?) fun?!? Maybe you'd like to take part in some short scene work followed by insightful discussion and occasional revelation? If any of this sounds interesting, and you'd like to join in or find out more, click on the Member Sign Up link right over there <-- (well, actually left over there) and we'll be in touch with you to let you know what's coming up. If there were to be anything resembling a mission statement, which should always have as few words as possible, it would be this: Giving theater back to the actor. Read about us, and if you'd like, join the fun. It is always that, if nothing else. We do more productions lately, but the workshops are comin' back! Look out!! ##################################################################### Well, that was then (ca. 2003), this is now. Today, Nov 22 2008, as I reflect back on what got this all started, I must admit I've strayed a little bit. My thinking in the beginning was to not do any shows. I wanted to work on the process, where I myself found enjoyment and hoped others would as well. Many did. But it became apparent that, when dealing with actors, you have to give them stage time, particularly in front of an audience. The pay-off. And so we did. But in keeping with my thought-line that I wanted to strip it down, take the spectacle out of the equation, and get the focus onto the characters and the story, I developed a new mantra: "two chairs and a table." With that simple setting, you can be anywhere. A doctor's office, a cafe, the family dining room, a classroom, the boss's office, and so on. And with out the setting stealing the show, with all its glitz and glamour, the actors keep the focus, and the playwright's story takes center stage. Full disclosure: I didn't make up that saying, and I've seen it used frequently lately not only in theaters around our area, but in promotional copy for theaters across the country. It's nothing worthy of the Pulitzer Prize for Pith, and I wasn't aiming for that. I just wanted to state the idea as succinctly as possible, which is a challenge for me and always has been. Furthermore, I have never actually achieved that goal, although we got close with 'ART'. I haven't given up, but our most recent production, with a full living room set including Laz-Y-Boy recliner and six working house lamps, certainly tested the theory. As we go forward, I'm planning to get back to the roots of Intentional Theatre. We have one more full production planned, and then ..... well, we'll see. And so will you, I hope. If you aren't on the e-mailing list yet, sign up now, and we'll be in touch soon. Thanks, and break a leg!
Intentional Theatre Ministry of Thought.
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