I last left you, gentle reader, at
the end of the Orlando Fringe Festival, and am happy to report that the final
two performances of that run sold out!
 |
| Pre-show Selfie with Brian Sikorski and Orlando Audience |
I was sad to see that some of the
high school students who’d come out specially to see my show were not able to
get in, particularly as the capacity of the theatre was understated, with
always a few empty seats, even in the “sell-outs.” And yet, all in all, I was
grateful for a successful premiere.
Keeping the show under the 60-minute
limit was always a challenge, and I think I averaged 58:30 for most of the run,
though one performance started off with a screw up of the slide show, which set
me back about 45 seconds before I even started!
I got to hang out with lots of old
and new friends, staying with the Pergande’s once again; this year, they were
also putting up Winnie and Brittney from Denver’s “Dangerous Theatre,” (photo, left) and Winnie even set up an engagement for performances in Denver this
September!  |
| Young Sam's interpretation of my show... |
One of the youngest attendees at the show drew his own interpretive description of his weekend at the theatre, which quotes me at some length… (that's my sword, leaning up against the chair...)
 |
| Hanging out with DE Guys...! |
I was going “radio silent,” not even
posting stuff on Facebook, while exploring a new version of “The Servant of Two
Masters,” a play by the great Italian Commedia author, Carlo Goldoni. Given
that Goldoni is about as close as we can get to the style of Moliere, I have
long dreamed of doing a “Mooneyized” variation of this script in my usual
rhymed iambic pentameter. The folks at the Annapolis Shakespeare Company had
indicated an interest in the play, and I wanted to see to see if the rhyming
magic would still effectively “cross over” from Moliere to Goldoni.
 |
| Michael Windsor & Jackie Madejski in ASC's "Scapin" Photo by Joshua McKerrow |
You may recall that Annapolis
Shakespeare did a terrific presentation of my “Tartuffe” last summer, and that
they have been working on both my “Scapin” and my “Imaginary Invalid” this
year. And while I grappled with my new project, a 5-star review of the Annapolis
production of my “Scapin” appeared on the DCMetroArts website:
Returning for their second annual "Comedy in the Courtyard" series, Annapolis Shakespeare Company is back and bringing the laughter to theatergoers of Annapolis. Right in the back courtyard of Reynolds Tavern, The Schemings of Scapin, a Moliere classic comedy, has all the hallmarks of hilarity -- mistaken identities, schemes, high end physical farce and enough 'private' jokes to flood the whole of Annapolis Harbor. An excellent evening out, this production will have you in stitches as the adaptation by Timothy Mooney brings modern rhyming couplets loaded with innuendo into the mix. Directed by the company's Founding Artistic Director, Sally Boyett, the show is high-end hilarity for all who stumble into this zany show... A great production, a fanciful fun evening of laughing all around, this is a brilliant performance to attend when trying to get a giggle from theatre this summer.
 |
| Lauren Turchin & Tim Torre in "Scapin" Photo by Phillip Greenwood |
With the wind of this success at my heels, I plugged away, only barely hinting to Sally (the director) that I was putting
some work in on the project… not wanting to promise, without knowing that the words
would once again achieve their fanciful heights. I set ten-pages-a-day as my
goal and forced myself to grind it out, only occasionally running off for
groceries or pushing away from the desk to exercise. I occasionally managed to
trade e-mails with my good friend, Marcus, from Croatia, who has done a number
of the “collage” promos for “Lot o’ Shakespeare” and “The Greatest Speech of
All Time.” He was working with the latest pictures from Tisse Mallon, taken at
the Orlando Fringe, and ultimately came up with the photo at the top of this
blog, as well as this varation:
 |
| Photos by Tisse Mallon; Treatment by Marcus Fernando Presumed author in background... |
Gradually, the mass of the project grew.
Five days into the writing, the first act of the play had been completed, and
the second and third acts fell in another four, and three days respectively. Pushing
the limits of my tolerance to sit and sit for hours on end (pun intended), I
was eager to finish the play before a trip northward to see “Scapin.” I even
managed a quick proofread of the play, catching lots of uncoupled rhymes, and
unrythmic lines.
A message came through from the
folks at the American Association of Community Theatres. Four years ago, with
their “WorldFest” coming up in Venice, Florida, they’d asked me to replace a
theatre group from Zimbabwe that was unable to make it to United States to
attend the festival, and I’d stepped in with last-minute performances of “Moliere
than Thou” to fill the slot.
It seemed that lightning was about
to strike twice, as they were asking if I might have a show to present this
year as well…?
I sent them my recent reviews for
“Shakespeare’s Histories.”
I printed up copies of “Servant of
Two Masters” and hit the road, dropping in on my buddy, Jon Tuttle, in South
Carolina, and pushing on up to Annapolis. With a performance of “Scapin” slated
for that night, I popped in on Sally at the ASC office, where I more-or-less
dropped the “Servant” script into her lap.
 |
| The Cast of Annapolis Shakespeare Co's "Schemings of Scapin" Photo by Joshua McKerrow |
I don’t know if Sally was entirely
surprised, but she did jump into action rather quickly, running off copies of
the script, organizing an impromptu reading for that night, following “Scapin.”
Meanwhile, I was getting the royal
treatment in Annapolis, with a huge room at a lovely hotel (the O’Callaghan) ,
just a few blocks from the Reynolds Tavern, where the performance was happening.
The hotel owner/manager was an enthusiastic theatre supporter, and was sending
his employees out to see performances of the show. When I went to check in at
the front desk, the clerk, who had seen the show the week before, was already
singing the praises of the show, not even knowing that I was involved.
The show, itself, was a blast. My
only disappointment was that, having played Scapin just a few months before, I
didn’t get to play along with this terrific cast, myself.
 |
| First ever reading of the new "Servant of Two Masters"! |
It was lots of fun, with enough
laughs to assure me that the “magic” was still there, but by the time we’d
finished off the first act, many of the actors were drifting off, and so the
following day, Sally and I ended up finishing off the reading with just the two
of us trading off between all of the roles.
Next stop: Charlotte, North
Carolina, where Shakespeare Carolina was producing my verion of “The
Misanthrope.” My previous drop-in on their rehearsal also included an interview
which by now had shown up on YouTube:
The take on “Misanthope” was quite
different, a contemporary setting, with lots of texting and social media in
place of the intercepted missives that cause so much trouble in Moliere’s
original. The fellow playing the central character, Alceste (which I’ve played
twice, now), gave a brilliant performance, supported by another dozen or so
committed and devoted actors. The critics liked it too.
 |
| Celebrating with Heather Busch, director of "The Misanthrope" |
The Breakthrough Theatre of Winter
Park had offered me the opportunity to do three more performances of
“Shakespeare’s Histories” in their venue, as an “extension” of my Orlando
Fringe performances. The owner, Wade Hair, was a warm theatre devotee, who
really seemed to enjoy my show all three nights of the run. While the
attendance was minimal, I could always spot his grin and sense his appreciation
from the back of the house, where he was running the lights. He seemed
particularly appreciative when I occasionally improvised a spontaneous use of
the odd configuration of the platforms that had been set up in the space for
their next show.
My last day in Orlando, my friend,
and favorite photographer, Tisse, managed to pry me away from work long enough
to go for a boat tour of Winter Park. It was a perfect day for it, and we
passed a tree, on what seems to be the worlds tiniest island, just as a bird
was just taking off, and Tisse snapped a perfect picture. |
| Photo by Tisse Mallon |
In Venice, Florida, the American
Association of Community Theatre’s “WorldFest” was getting underway. This time
I’d been put on alert that it looked like the troupe from Togo (in Africa) was
unable to get visa clearance, and that I’d be going in for them. And yet, the
festival folks wanted to play it close to the chest, not announcing the
replacement untl the last possible moment.
Out in the theatre lobby, I was
maintaining my vendor booth, this time promoting my books almost exclusively
(given that I wasn’t planning to maintain the tour as actively), and quite a
number of folks who’d remembered “Moliere Than Thou” four years prior, were
coming up to ask if I was going to perform again this year. Caught between
wanting to celebrate the good news, and the need to hold back on any actual
announcement, I was left teasing them with a vague “could be...!”
 |
| With the Venice Theatre's Bartender... We have a similar colorist... |
It wasn’t until the day before my
first performance that we made the official announcement, as the genial
pre-show host of the events announced that “Shakespeare’s Histories” would be
replacing the group from Togo for three performances, and I paraded onto the
stage wearing my Shakespearean jester hat, waving to the crowd.
My show was the partner show to a
group from Canada, and after they struck their large set, I would proceed to
set up my chair, my projector and broadsword. I was performing in the theatre’s
small 100-seat studio, and the shows were pretty much “sold out” for the run.
That sell-out, however, was for the “block” of performances, featuring the
Canadian show and my own. By the time I took the stage for the first
performance, the attendance seemed to have dropped to below half. It seems that
the audience, originally sold on the notion of going to a performance by those
Togolese, were not entirely convinced that “Shakespeare’s Histories” would be
that fun.
This trend lessened as the week
progressed, and word circulated, but I was always chagrined to see empty seats.
On the upside, however, I was happy
to note that my books were selling quite well. There was a time, in fact, that
I may have been outselling the Dramatic Publishing booth, right next door to
mine.
A portion of these sales stemmed
from the “breakneck pace” of my performance. Given that I’d prepped the show to
squeeze into a single hour, many of the facts and dates zipped past faster than
the average audience could absorb them and, should they want to actually retain
these details, the book would be a helpful guide.
 |
| Ben Vereen with some guy in a hat |
Alas, he never did, actually, show
up to my show, but I did, at least, catch a photo with him (above).
One of the adjudicators at this
festival, by the way, was a fellow from Denmark, who was quite impressed with
“Shakespeare’s Histories.” His only critique was that he wanted to see me focus
on a single Shakespeare play (rather than ten in a single hour), so that I
might dive further into the emotional content of the characters. “Well, which
did he have in mind?” I asked.
“You know, being from Denmark, of
course, I’m rather partial to ‘Hamlet.’”
“Hm. Actually, I had been thinking
of King Lear…”
“That’s a good one, too.”
 |
| Becky, Ron & I recreate a pose from 4 years ago |
The festival in Venice was lots of
fun, with many late-night parties, though my need to rehearse the show
repeatedly kept me from getting too carried away after dark. The organizers of
the festival expressed much gratitude for my willingness to step in at the
last second, though I have to admit being quite disappointed that there was no
recognition of my contribution to the festival at the closing night ceremony.
From Venice, my friend Lisa and I
swung down to Sanibel Island for a bit of fun at the beach, but the lack of
functional wi-fi at the hotel, and my own obsession over the workload I was
facing kept me from being able to enjoy the holiday, and the next day I raced
back up Interstate 75, on a long two-day drive to Chicago.
 |
| Sanibel Island |
I’d had just a couple of “nibbles”
for faculty positions in the course of my applications, and one of these
nibbles led me to question just how much I might actually want to land the
position in question. The option that I was anticipating was a good school which
had the unfortunate downside of being “in the middle of nowhere.” Given that
such a commitment would likely run up to mid-May, 2015, I realized that it
would be impossible for me to take an acting job that might go into rehearsal
in April. I was awash in ambivalence.
A teaching gig would, of course,
have a certain amount of security to it, but was this simply a way of putting
off the career move that I actively wanted to throw all of my energy behind?
Was I delaying the inevitable risk of surviving on my wits (and my art) alone?
Of course, I’ve mostly been
surviving on that alone (with the assistance of colleagues, friends and family
across the country), for the last thirteen years… but now I was cutting way
back on the one solution that had gotten me as far as it had.
I drew up a new plan.
 |
| Sunset over Jimmy Johns |
I plotted out one final tour for the
fall, which, in my head, I had begun to think of as the “First and Last-Month’s
Rent Tour.” (The schedule is below, if you want to book me!) All empty portions
of my summer were now filling up with a last second e-mail campaign, offering
my shows at a low, low price that I haven’t offered in about ten years! (Again, the
schedule is below, if you want to book me!)
I already had some requests on hand
for performances and workshops for the coming fall (The Georgia Theatre
Conference and Valparaiso and DePaul Universities), but just one more lap out
west could bolster my ability to maintain a home wherever I ultimately landed.
And where THAT would be remains an
open question. For the moment, the pros and cons have had me leaning toward
Chicago and occasionally toward the Baltimore/DC/Annapolis area. (Of course,
this last lap could find me falling in love with a whole new place…!)
Meanwhile, I was playing around with
Hamlet… current working title: “Something about Hamlet.”
Taking a cue from my favorite TV
series, “Slings and Arrows,” I decided to start with the six major
soliloquies. (As Geoffrey Tennant says, “You nail those, everybody goes home
happy.”)
We generally assume that the
soliloquies are the most honest moments of any character, and Hamlet is a
particularly difficult nut to crack, given his “antic disposition,” and his
tendency to hide his true thoughts from those around him. I might well be able
to build an understanding of the character, and eventually, the play, from the
inside, out.
I didn’t know where this exploration
would take me, or what this might eventually look like as a one-man show, (if
it would even be a one-man show), but
as I began to absorb the soliloquies, they grew in depth and texture and dynamics.
I began to notice trends, understand how they held together, and how individual
words contributed to the through-line, or reveal glimmers of character. And, what surprises me almost every
time, is that speeches that have bewildered me for years, as they are absorbed
into my being, begin to develop a theatrical power, a climax, or even a goofy
idea that strikes me as being just right for the moment.
For instance: Hamlet is famously
reticent about avenging his father’s death, or even expressing his anger about
it, but given the opportunity to articulate his perspective on the theatre, he goes
way beyond the bounds of dispassionate aesthetic criticism, and may even “split
the ears of the groundlings” and “saw the air with his hand” as he complains
about the tendency of the clowns to improvise material that is not “set down
for them.” By the end of the speech, I find myself almost roaring out “That’s villainous
and shows a most pitiful ambition in he that uses it!”
 |
| I'm taller than her, now... |
Just a couple days before hitting
the road once more, I found myself back at my old grade school, St. James, in
Arlington Heights, to attend their production of “Oliver!”, one of the very
first shows I ever appeared in, also at St. James, back when I was in 6th
grade! Through a series of coincidences, it also happened that my First Grade
Teacher (yipes!) was attending this same show! I was reunited with Sister John
Marie, perhaps 48 years later!
Back to the tour! Kansas City was
next up! Early signs were good, as “Shakespeare’s Histories” was listed in a feature
article in the Kansas City Star as “a hit at the Orlando International Fringe
Festival in Florida this year.” (Of course, the only way that they knew that
was because I’d stressed that fact in my recent press release!) ((Fortunately,
they took my word for it.))
From the first performance, ticket
sales in Kansas City were brisk. Pitch Magazine, which had given me a very nice
review last year, was back again with a summary of the festival which included
a review of my show that fit into a single parenthetical remark:
(Speaking of Shakespeare, are you Shakespeare-phobic or lacking background on England's royal past or maybe just forever hungry for the Bard? In Timothy Mooney's Shakespeare's Histories: Ten Epic Plays at a Breakneck Pace, seen Monday, his colorful and concise monologues on the historical plays combine famous Shakespeare text with an animated CliffsNotes take on English royal lineage that transfix, leaving you entertained and feeling smarter.) Liz Cook & Deborah Hirsch, The Pitch.com
And one of the most enthusiastic
responders to last year’s “Greatest Speech of All Time” was back to review
“Histories” for KCMetropolis.org.
Is it possible to experience five centuries of history, literature, and drama in less than an hour? Turns out it’s not only possible, but entertaining and educational to boot. Mooney connects the dots between the plays, reveals the author’s liberties with factual events, and his penchant for having his reality-based characters wildly prophesying on anything and everything. Pillar of the English language and renowned dramatist, yes. Reliable historian? Not so much, but Mooney helps make it clear Shakespeare was trying to provide entertainment and social commentary with his English history plays more than an accurate telling. Mooney [points] out ironies and discrepancies with enthusiasm and determination… delivered with confidence and personality. He slips between narrator and character without missing a beat... There is a staggering amount of material packed into this mere 60 minutes—war, murder, deception, banishment, conquests, family drama, and much more. Mooney respects the audience in that he doesn’t dumb down Shakespeare, but makes it accessible, enjoyable, and fun. – Kristin Shafel Omiccioli, KCMetropolis.org
And, an old friend, and fellow
fringer, Robert Hubbard, provided one of my favorite reviews on KCStage.com:
“I have seen a medicine/That's able to breathe life into a stone” [Although] this Shakespeare quotation would be more appropriate if it came from a history play, it effectively captures the magical alchemy taking place at the Westport Coffee House… Tim Mooney prescribes a sweet-tasting medicine that resuscitates some majestic old stones… breathing new life into some of the best set speeches in the history of theatre…. One of the most experienced solo performers around, Mooney’s performance soars along at an engaging and thrilling pace… It’s a great show. See it. Robert Hubbard, KCStage.com
As always, I had loads of fun at the
KC Fringe, where my good friends, Allan and Sandy, put me up for the course of
the fringe. My friend, Cat, a lighting designer, donated some fabric to cover
the “throne” for my show (a wing-backed chair). I enjoyed the late-night arts
bar gatherings, and was asked to host the late-night show for a couple of
nights, the prospect of which used to intimidate me somewhat, but now I just
recruit a few performers and sit back and enjoy the conversation.
All in all, my show averaged about
45 in attendance for each performance, which was a definite step up for the KC
Fringe Festival, due, perhaps equally, to this being my fourth return to the festival
(with good publicity and reviews) as to the festival taking a significant step
up in exposure this year.
On to Minnesota! The Minnesota
Fringe has likewise been a favorite of mine, and once again I was back at the
Bryant-Lake Bowl.
While the atmosphere of the “BLB” is
really fun, with the audience able to bring their beer (or their dinner) in to
the theatre, there’s a funny shape to the auditorium, which places some of the
audience perhaps as far as 30 feet away from the stage, while the bulk of floor-level
seats are all within about 15 feet. Every once in a while, the loud air
conditioning unit will kick on, or a bus or motorcycle can be heard passing by
(the street is immediately behind the back wall of the stage). And, every now
and then you can, of course, hear a pin drop… from the adjacent bowling alley.
This was the one venue which, all
summer long, has had me concerned about timing. Between the distance of the
audience, the audio interference, and the anticipated crowd reaction, I was apprehensive
about being able to bring the show in under the required 60 minutes. After the
KC shows were done, I combed back over the script once more, finding new cuts
that I might make into the dialogue: removing twenty seconds of material from
two speeches, and another ten seconds out of another… beautiful language, but perhaps
repeating or reframing points that had already been made.
I was caught off-guard when my first
performance, a 7:00 show on the opening night of the festival, was met by a
small audience of only about 15 or so. (Even my opening night Kansas City show
had over 40.)
It was hard to get the “pulse” of
this particular crowd. Their scattered placement made them less unified in
their reaction as the Orlando or Kansas City audiences had been. The one fellow
that I was pretty sure was a reviewer seemed to be in a dour mood, and the
laughs felt fewer and further between. Having amped myself up to perform to a
packed house of perhaps 80, I was “pushing” in ways to which the crowd was not
responding.
And yet, the first two reviews that
showed up almost immediately, with the Pioneer Press, and with Aisle Say, were
extremely good:
If only cramming for an exam were as enjoyable as Timothy Mooney's rapid-fire tour through five centuries of English history. It's an epic in an hour as the Chicago-based actor squeezes together 10 plays about seven kings and creates 23 distinct characters, each employing Shakespeare's sumptuously poetic words. PowerPoint helps with succession charts, but it's best when the exhaustingly energetic Mooney introduces you to rich, complex characters like the existentially conflicted Richard II or Joan of Arc as seen through Elizabethan eyes (the little witch). Mooney brings welcome clarity to what all those wars and words were about. -- Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press (An entirely different Rob Hubbard from the one who reviewed my show in Kansas City!)
Timothy Mooney is a joy to watch in this one-man show, as he flies through the history of the English monarchy from 1066-1533 AD as explained through Shakespeare. It is an awesome thing to see, in the sense that it will fill you with awe -- awe that one person can not only remember all those names, dates, and details, but that he can also remember all those Shakespearean speeches, the different mannerisms and voices for each character, and make it all interesting... Timothy Mooney makes some sharp, witty insights into Shakespeare's choices in writing up his version of English history, and he truly brings the stories to life... If history and Shakespeare are two of your least favourite things, this obviously isn't the thing for you, but if you're even a little bit into either or both, do yourself a favour and go see this show, if only to marvel at Mooney's outstanding performance. -- Liz Byron, Aisle Say, Twin Cities
Audience reviews were just as good, all four and five stars, with only one 2-star (“A derivitave
Reduced Shakespeare Company-esque romp”) and one 3-star review (“There wasn’t
enough difference in the presentation of the different characters.”).
My favorite comments:
- “Cliff Notes on Steroids,”
- “I’ve never come away disappointed from a Tim Mooney performance, and I surely did not from this one.”
- “Definitely will be in my top 5 (of the 52 I’ll see…),”
- “The history teacher you wish you had had in school”
- “The consummate theater nerd.”
To top things off, I just now noticed that Matthew Everett, who
I’ve been promoting my material to since my very first time out to the
Minnesota Fringe (in 2004?), did a quick review of the show on his Facebook
page:
Shakespeare's Histories - finally saw a Tim Mooney show, and I might finally understand the context of the history plays, 5 stars. -- Matthew Everett
 |
| With Doug and Beth Rusk! |
 |
| Tim & Bill |
When I wasn’t running lines during
the day, I was promoting my late-announced tour.
The very last performance of the run
in Minnesota may have been the best. Though not a packed house by any means,
they were responding very actively. My opening speech from King John found me
speaking to a “Hubert” perhaps two rows into the audience, shaking his hand
while making it clear that he is to assassinate the 15 year-old Prince Arthur. And
while I usually pick some helpless victim out of the audience to nod towards as
the target of this intended murder, there were two boys, perhaps 10 and 12 years
old in the front row, and, nodding in their direction, the horrifying weight of
King John’s cruel intentions resonated through the audience, a shock which gave
way to a macabre laugh.
Toward the end of the play, when
Richard III informs Queen Elizabeth that he intends to wed her young daughter,
and that she should “Make bold her bashful years with your… experience,” the
woman that I directed the speech towards in the front row got so creeped out
that she was writhing in disgust. In fact, she tried to squirm her way behind
the pole that she was sitting next to.
Somewhere in there, the Annapolis
Shakespeare Company production of my “Imaginary Invalid” opened, and got 4 ½
stars in DCMetrotheaterarts.com 
Back in Chicago, I was delighted to see that my friend and mentor Sue Paige had finally released her terrific "self-help" book, "Paiges of Wisdom." I'm a little prejudiced on this one, since I helped Sue design the cover and wrote a blub for the back of the book, but I highly recommend picking up a copy! Sue is the founder of Pathways, the group that has given me so much inspiration over the years. If you want a taste of what Pathways is about, this is a great place to start.
With the vast
e-mail campaign now largely behind me (and at least ten bookings on the
schedule for the coming fall), my point-of-focus shifted, in what felt like a
subtle, but profound manner.
As ever, I have about a dozen
projects either in immediate development, or planned for some time in the
future, but rather than envisioning the endless chase of bookings as my
immediate challenge (a black hole that never seems to fill to any
satisfaction), I was starting to see my creative work as the end-in-and-of-itself.
These days, I find myself waking up
in the morning and asking myself (or the voices in my head), “What do you want
to work on today?”
 |
| In the audience at "The Schemings of Scapin" |
And while much of most days is still
filled with memorization (I’ve scheduled six entirely different one-man shows
over the course of the coming fall!), I find myself challenged in other
directions every day.
Projects currently on my itinerary (some of which I have
yet to get into gear on), include:
- Improving my voiceover production quality, reading “The Encyclopedia of Voiceover” by Kate McClanahan, and “ivoiceover” by Erik J. Martin.
- Creating a mini-voiceover studio, through an ingenious arrangement of foam baffling in a box.
- Rereading Stanislavsky… (Still seeking out his passage on Richard’s “I can change colors with the chameleon…” from “Henry VI, Part III.”)
- Writing/editing “How do you Remember All Those Lines?”
- Chasing down a literary agent.
- Scoping out the audition resources in Chicago.
- Memorizing “Hamlet”. (Ten major speeches memorized already!)
- Compiling a new “Shakespeare’s Histories” promo video. (NOW CREATED, SEE BELOW)
- Doing the “Audiobook” version of “Acting at the Speed of Life; Conquering Theatrical Style”
- Doing the “Audiobook” version of “Shakespeare’s Histories; Ten Epic Plays at a Breakneck Pace!” (My attempts to record a “live” version during the KC Fringe Festival suffered from technical breakdown.)
- Doing “Kindle” versions of all of my books.
- Sending out resumes to the major Chicago theatres.
- Re-introducing myself to the Standardized Patient community. (Actors who play patients in med schools.)
- Doing the next draft of “Currency” (My self-help book)
- Doing the next draft of “Servant of Two Masters.”
What this represents to me is the
beginning of taking these projects as ends in themselves. And, perhaps
concordantly, of their value to the universe in-and-of their own right. In
other words, the book promotion is not simply a kabuki dance to enhance my cred
to increase my bookings (though it may well do that), but it could, and should,
be a major income source. Especially with “Shakespeare’s Histories,” I think
I’ve created something that can be a major contribution to our cultural
understanding of some of our most important literary works.
Now it’s up to me to make that case.
 |
| "The Schemings of Scapin" in the Reynolds Tavern Courtyard Photo by Joshua McKerrow |
Temperature: Gradually descending into the 70s after a summer of 80s and 90s, with the sun going down earlier and earlier.
On Netflix: “Firefly” and
“Serenity”.
On the I-pod: Anything by Caro Emerald, and
“Everything is Awesome”
 |
| Ashlyn Thompson & Briana Manente in ASC's "Imaginary Invalid Photo by Joshua McKerrow |
Next performance: At the Dangerous
Theatre in Denver, September 5-13.
Timothy Mooney Repertory Theatre
Tour Schedule
(Available dates in CAPITAL LETTERS; Already-booked
dates in GREEN;
Pending bookings in BLUE; Festival opportunities in RED)
MTT = “Moliere than Thou”; LoS = “Lot o’ Shakespeare; GSAT =
“Greatest Speech of All Time”
FALL, 2014
9/2-3 IOWA / NEBRASKA
9/4 COLORADO
9/5-6 Dangerous Theatre, Denver, CO (LoS)
9/8-10 WYOMING / NEBRASKA / KANSAS / NEW MEXICO / UTAH
9/11-13 Dangerous Theatre, Denver, CO (LoS)
9/14-15 COLORADO
9/16-20 IDAHO
9/21-23 WASHINGTON
9/24-26 OREGON
9/27 Linfield College, McMinville, OR (Shakespeare’s Histories)
9/28-29 CALIFORNIA / NEVADA
9/30 Verde Valley School, Sedona, AZ (Workshops: Classical
Acting/Life of Moliere)
10/1-2 TEXAS / NEW MEXICO
10/3 Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, TX (Shakespeare’s
Histories)
10/4-5 TEXAS / OKLAHOMA
10/6 John Brown University, Siloam Springs, AR
10/7-8 ALABAMA / GEORGIA / TENNESSEE
10/9-11 Georgia Theatre
Conference, Columbus, GA (Criteria)
10/13 Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN (LoS)
10/14-15 INDIANA / ILLINOIS /
MICHIGAN
10/16 DePaul University, Chicago, IL (MTT)
10/17-18 ILLINOIS / WISCONSIN
10/19-20 MINNESOTA
10/21 Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN (GSAT)
10/22 ILLINOIS
10/23 INDIANA / MICHIGAN
10/24-26 MICHIGAN / OHIO
10/27-28 KENTUCKY / WEST
VIRGINIA
10/28-29 St. Ann’s, Virginia
10/30 PENNSYLVANIA / VIRGINIA
10/31-11/4 MARYLAND
11/5 DELAWARE
11/6 NEW JERSEY
11/7 PENNSYLVANIA
11/8-11 NEW YORK
11/12-14 NEW ENGLAND
11/13 AATF-Connecticut, Southbury, CT
11/15-16 MARYLAND
11/17 VIRGINIA
11/18 NORTH CAROLINA
11/19 SOUTH CAROLINA
11/20 GEORGIA
11/21-23 FLORIDA
11/24 GEORGIA
11/25 TENNESSEE
