Curtain Up!

Recently, I've been advising a friend on dinner theatre logistics. It's rekindled an idea that's been on the back burner for awhile. Oh, it's still there, but it'll be a bit more polished when it's time to move it to the front.

It's one of those "When I Win the Lottery" notions. Ok, first, I'll take a Holland-America cruise, but in the top five is start a theatre company.

As I've written a few posts on the Kirksville Arts Center, for the sake of this post, and perhaps subsequent posts, I shall place my company there. Monies would be used to renovate the third floor into a performance space, which I will name The Attic. And the name of my company will be ACME Theatreworks.

I've thought about the command structure, and it's quite boring when one sees it in print, so I'll just focus on the product, because after all, "the play is the thing."

These are just a few of the shows on my Must Do List.

For Gorey Stories, I included Edward Gorey's name with the main title graphic. I was shooting for a skull-like image. (I may have missed.) Gorey did the main titles for PBS' Mystery! series. I love his drawing style and macabre sense of humor.

While not opposed to the holiday season, I do get tired of traditional Christmas fare. (That said, I must admit to always catching the first broadcast of the cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and watch as much of the 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story as those around me can stand. And I'm a sucker for the original Miracle on 34th Street.)

Mixed Couples would be an alternative choice for the holidays. It's about two couples who meet at an airport. Some years before, these couples had switched partners. They start wondering and bickering about the what ifs, which I guess could be part of the holiday season. A lot of reflection takes place towards the end of the year.

I've posted about The Lion in Winter before. I. Love. This. Show. The characters are an actor's dream. While not a big fan of revivals, this is a show I could see myself doing every five years or so.

It was purely accidental to place the comic melodrama Die! Mommie! Die! right before Mother's Day. (Honest.) It's a tribute of sorts to the actresses of the studio system: Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Rosalind Russell; those actresses who were larger than life. Also, the lead, Angela Arden, is always to be played by a man. It's a campy treat.

The Best Laid Plans is a neat little ensemble comedy that would be fun for all ages. As you may or may not have noticed, there's not much in terms of "family friendly" fare.

What? No musicals? I checked my notes and Gorey Stories is technically a play with music. But it's not a full-blown musical. There are also a few more names to add to the author's section, so that may help me achieve my skull look for the graphic.

I played with the design quite a bit before settling on this format. I'm also working on the season brochure, where I noticed minor flaws in some of my logo designs and in a future post, I'll point those out. (They're not dealbreakers, but they could be just a smidge better.) I'll also talk about the method of my madness in the aspects of the these posters, and maybe a little into the philosophy of ACME. And, of course, I'll post more dream shows as I work them up.