LONG TIME TRAVELLING closed this past Sunday, which officially wrapped up AGL's 25th Anniversary Season. We are going to be remounting our hit production of BAD DATES starring Leslie Beatty June 18-27 but that is a remount.LONG TIME TRAVELLING was the best selling non-musical we have done since THE SANTALAND DIARIES in 2004 and it got me reflecting on my tenure as the Artistic Director of Actors Guild of Lexington. To quote Dickens, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!" I was hired by the Board of Directors in November 2003 and officially started in Lexington in February 2004. During that time I have produced over 30 shows and directed 11 of them. I
have had my battles, my defeats and my successes and most importantly, I believe I have learned how to be an Artistic Director...I came here having served as an Associate Artistic Director at two other theatres, but until you actually sit in the AD chair, you really have no idea how it plays out. My friend and mentor Benny Ambush onc
e told me that when you become an AD, you almost cease being an artist and you in effect become a platform whereby other artists do their work. To an extent, I believe that to be true. I feel like I do my best directing work when I am freelancing at another theatre, where I can concentrate solely on the production at hand and not be as concerned about the administrative responsibilities of running an organization.That being said, I have loved my time in Lexington, my son was born here, my daughter has started and thrived in elementary school here, my wife has done a remarkable job as the drama director at the Sayre School, has given first rate performances in a number of shows at AGL, is a terrific singer in the band The City AND has held our family together
when I have been off in Italy, in England, directing in Raleigh or Cincinnati or where ever else I have gone. Another friend and mentor of mine, Naum Panovski, once dedicated a book he wrote to his wife and children, whom he called "the victims of my ambition." I wholeheartedly subscribe to his description...my own wife and children have been the victims of my ambition...There are a ton of people I would thank who have made my life easier here in Lexington: Albert Pennybacker, Steve Koehler (I wouldn't have survived without him), Jim Dickinson, Tammy Farley, Eric Seale, Scott Sherman, Kim Shaw, Brenda Psotka, Chuck and Julieanne Pogue, Laurie Keller, Jennifer Miller, Ramona Woods, Jim Clark, Adam Luckey, Bob Singleton, Jack Parrish, Walter May and Ann Render, Tim X Davis, Hayley Williams, Carmen Geraci, Shayne Brakefield, Laura Blake, Sidney Shaw, Tony Hardin, Cathy Rawlings, Linda Granacher, John Morgan and Linda Carroll, Tom Hayward, the generous sponsors and supporters as well as all of our subscribers and audience members...each and every one of you constitutes a major reason for AGL's continuing operations and our willingness to dream bigger each year.
I am proud of the far ranging and eclectic shows we have produced under my leadership:
2004
Side Man (already in rehearsal when I arrived and brilliantly directed by Tim Davis)
Art
My Way
2004-2005
a.m. S
undayStop Kiss*
The SantaLand Diaries*
Quilters
Checking In* (World Premiere/To be produced this summer in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York, a first for AGL)
All My Sons*
2005-2006
Crowns
Vincent in Brixton
Fully Committed*
The Story
The Importance of Being Earnest
Rounding Third*
2006-2007
Ain't Misbehavin'
The Underpants
Holiday Memories
Exits and Entrances
Tartuffe* (New adaptation by Charles Edward Pogue, subsequently produced by the African American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco)
Anton In Show Business
Love's Labour's Lost at Equus Run Vineyard
Kiss Me, Kate (c0-production with Paragon Music Theatre)
2007-2008
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Hamlet* (Featured in American Theatre Magazine, January 2008)
She Loves Me (co-production with Paragon Music Theatre)
Boston Marriage
Arcadia
Moonlight and Magnolias*
The Merry Wives of Windsor at Equus Run Vineyard
2008-2009
Constant Star
The Pillowman
The Fantasticks
Rabbit Hole*
Bad Dates
Long Time Travelling*(World Premiere by Silas House)
*Directed by me
So, after taking a m
oment to look back on my years here at AGL, I turn excitedly to the future. I am excited to have an artist as talented as Eric Seale developing here, I love the fact that Kim Shaw is our Managing Director and Brend Psotka is on board as our first full time development director in the 25 year history of AGL...Julieanne has so many education ideas it is hard to keep them all in a row!! We have an exciting season lined up featuring some very talented guest directors returning to AGL: Broadway veteran and Temple Theatre AD Peggy Taphorn will direct and choreograph Beguiled Again: The Songs of Rodgers and Hart and the exceptionally talented Bo List will be back home to direct Paul Rudnick's hilarious new play THE NEW CENTURY...We also have major news coming soon, which I believe will make Lexington theatre history...we are actually calling season 26: MAKING HISTORY, both onstage and off...
Beyond that, we have writers and directors already pitching ideas for season 27 that I am every excited about...the future is bright at AGL...
In the meantime, as I reflect on the past and present, I thank you (yes you) for staying with us, for coming along with the ride, for acknowledging and encouraging our growing pains, and for continuing to support this theatre. Without you, there is no us!
I will see you at the theatre!!
Peace and Love
Rick St. Peter
5 comments:
But does it answer the eternal question, "Why do we do it, Paul?"
Congrats, Mr. St. Peter, you're a better man than I am.
Pogue
Son, that is very well written and the reflections should make you proud of the achievements. The support of Lara and the enjoyment of the children hopefullly have made the 5 years better than they would have been without them. Keep working at your trade, you contiue to make me proud and keep that love and bond with the family, they give you strength to continue. Congrats on the 5 years and continue to strive for more years. Love and with Pride, Pops
ummm.....nice blog.....
Thanks "Jason"...don't run over my kid... "ha ha"
Rick,
Great comments and I am proud to have supported AGL during your tenure years.
You are being contacted because of your leadership in bringing to the Lexington community innovative programming in contemporary theatre. Now I wish to propose to you an idea that germinated at the University of California San Diego over 30 years ago and has blossomed ever since under the guidance of my former undergraduate classmate Dr. Jorge Huerta.
While in CA I attended the retirement of Dr. Jorge Huerta, Professor of Latino Theatre at UCSD. Jorge and I were classmates at Cal-State Los Angeles during the 1960's. His bio reads: JORGE HUERTA (PhD, University of California Santa Barbara) PhD Faculty. Prof. Huerta held the Chancellor's Associate's Endowed Chair III. He is a leading authority on contemporary Chicana/o and US Latina/o Theatre as well as a professional director. He has published a number of articles, edited three anthologies of plays and written the landmark books: Chicano Theatre: Themes and Forms (Bilingual Press, 1982) and Chicano Drama: Performance, Society, and Myth (Cambridge 2000). Dr. Huerta has also directed in theatres across the country, including the San Diego Repertory, Seattle’s' Group Theatre, Washington D.C.’s Gala Hispanic Theatre, La Compañía de Teatro de Albuquerque and New York's Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre. Huerta has lectured and conducted workshops in Chicana/o theatre throughout the U.S. Latin America and Western Europe. In 2007 Huerta was honored by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education for “Lifetime Achievement in Educational Theater.”
During the program there were several speakers who had professional relationships with Dr. Huerta and each spoke eloquently about him and his contributions to Latino Theatre and community, but the Master of Ceremonies, Emeritus Professor Arthur Wagner mentioned what I felt was the most important comment of the event. Mr. Wagner stated that he was glad that he hired Jorge Huerta because it opened up for UCSD an entirely new audience that lay dormant in San Diego: Latinos. In addition, he said that UCSD needed Jorge Huerta to broaden it mission of multiculturalism and diversity.
You know that in Lexington there is a strong Latino community that could become a NEW AUDIENCE of the Actors Guild of Lexington if someone like Dr. Jorge Huerta would be invited to Lexington as a guest director for Latino Theatre who could bring to Lexington innovative ideas for the potential recruitment and growth of a Latino theatre audience. The Latino organizations in town have organized themselves and received permission to put on special events for National Hispanic month and for Cinco de Mayo from the Lexington Urban County Government (LFUCG) the Parks and Recreation Program financed through various sponsorships. If you have attended any of these events you can see that there are hundreds of Latino locals, Latino immigrants, and other Lexington locals of mixed races in the crowd. The next event, Festival Latina de Lexington, is scheduled for October 2009. This month may be a good time to have a Latino Theatre event from AGL as well.
The time is ripe for AGL to push the boundaries once again by bringing in an innovator as Dr. Jorge Huerta to draw on his knowledge and expertise about expanding the AGL artistic mission to include Latino Theatre. Dr. Huerta and his wife are both being copied this email so you can pursue this idea further and make it a real possibility. AGL should consider applying for a community arts grant from LexArts to bring in Dr. Jorge Huerta as a consultant/director of Latino Theatre in Lexington in the near future. perhaps the venue may correspond to the festival site in October.
Your response is very important to me regarding this Latino Theatre proposal. As a continued AGL subscriber and supporter I send all my best for a successful upcoming 2009-20010 theatre season.
Sincerely,
Arturo
Make a great day!
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