As you'll see in these pages, I attended five theatrical productions between Thursday and Sunday, and after writing some 4,200 words on my experiences, my editor asked if I wouldn't mind writing a couple hundred more as an introduction.
That bastard.
I'm kidding, of course. Although writing is always a grind (to paraphrase a great quote, "Writing is painful; having written is fun"), being able to expound on area theatre for the River Cities' Reader isn't just a pleasure; it's a privilege. I mean, come on - look at what they let me do!
In addition to covering Quad Cities theatre, I get the chance to see and critique productions in Eldridge and Clinton, Iowa, and Geneseo and Mt. Carroll, Illinois. (Not for nothing, but we're the only area paper currently covering Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse.) I get to compose online reviews - some of which occasionally see print - for shows that run only one weekend. I get to review collegiate productions, because I've never met a college student who didn't appreciate feedback, and because oftentimes college and university shows are more enjoyable than anything you'll find elsewhere. I get to write at length about area actors and directors and technicians whose names people should know, because they're expanding our appreciation of this great art form.
All right, I'll just say it: I get to see theatre all the time and they pay me for it!
As someone for whom theatre has always been less a pastime than a passion, I couldn't be prouder of the Reader's commitment to news and reviews of area stage works. And I couldn't be more overwhelmed by the proliferation of theatrical options in the area; over a recent four-day period, I traveled from Ancient Greece to 1930s New York to Nazi-era Austria to modern-day New Jersey to the Clinton Showboat ... which promptly sent me back to the age of Elizabeth. Sort of.
So if you're not doing so already, take in a play once in a while. You'll be glad you did. I mean, I love movies, but this past Friday my only options were Get Smart and The Love Guru, and those who frequent area theatre had their choice of the debuting You Can't Take It with You, The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shakspr {abridged}, The Sound of Music, Kimberly Akimbo, and The Comedy of Errors, to say nothing of the still-running My Fair Lady, Three Viewings, Snowderella, and Empty Nest. Who's getting the better deal?
Here endeth the editorial.
And now, on to the preaching.
Grandfather Knows Best: You Can't Take It with You, at the Timber Lake Playhouse through June 28
Shakes, the Clown: The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shakspr {abridged}, at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through June 29
Adventures in Babysitting: The Sound of Music, at North Scott High School through June 28
Someone Old, Someone New, Someone Borrowed Something Blue: Kimberly Akimbo, at the Village Theatre through June 28
Twin City: The Comedy of Errors, at Lincoln Park through June 29
