Please Remove Shoes
Words can’t do justice to the feeling of accomplishment that comes with closing a successful first production and jumping headfirst into our next one. Suffice it to say, The Impostors are exhaling a collective HOOZAH! over many celebratory (low-shelf) champagne toasts. We enjoyed a luxurious lull between auditions for our next production and our first meeting of the year (did you catch our sexy Christmas photo?)
That being said, we are excited to hop out of our resting laurels and create another story for you to devour! With our first production meeting for Caged: An Allegory in the books, our designers’ gears spinning, and our cast prepping for their first rehearsal, the tradition continues. Speaking of gears, we’re shifting them a bit with this tale. But don’t worry, it will still be a nail-biter. More on that later down the line.
The Wood proves both a culmination of hard work paid off and a valuable learning lesson for all the work we continue to do. We cultivated some meaningful relationships with performers, designers, managers, and supporters, without whom we’d be a morose little troupe. We are endlessly grateful to them. This show holds a very special place in our hearts, and to be able to share it with an audience was a true THRILL.
Let’s unpack some of the highlights:
We met our financial goal *confetti*
We sold out several of our shows
We crafted a beautiful set, costumes, makeup, and props (here’s looking at you, puppets) with a very limited budget
We produced an original script, written by Ensemble Member Mallory Swisher
We directed an original work under the guidance of Artistic Director Stefan Roseen
We created engaging content in the form of our website, posters and marketing materials, production materials, and social media that drew theatre-goers
We got BUTTS IN THE SEATS! (Honestly, you would not believe how stress-inducing this aspect of the show was. Like, what if no one shows up? What if the only audience member is that one guy’s mom and a cricket? But WHEW, we had those butts. Or rather, the seats did.)
Aside from all the HOOZAHing that we’re sharing over The Wood, we also hosted a successful fundraiser in the warmer months and are in the stages of planning our next one. All you need to know is that G I V E A W A Y S and R A F F L E S and B O O Z E are in it for you. So stay tuned for more on that.
We could go on and on about all the reasons we’re elated with how this first production turned out and how our first season is shaping up. But we don’t want to be too gushy, ya know? We had a lot of rocks in our shoes that we had to shake out. There were a lot of Come-to-Jesus moments that, while frustrating and never fun, we are nevertheless thankful we had. Because as so many first and third rate musical artists have crooned, You live and you learn!
Here is a censored teaser list of some of our trials, errors, and shoes full of rocks and miscellaneous fun facts:
Parking. Why is it a bitch?
This elevator is probably due for an inspection.
Oh, God, do we cram these lights/props/sticks in the haunted elevator or do we lug them up/down three flights of stairs?
Why is the A/C so damn loud? Can anything be done about it?
It is hot. Will our audience suffer?
Acting!
Is this play too frightening for audience members under 13 years of age?
Let us all unpack the pros and cons of trigger warnings and try not to get emotional/heated over it. (Hint: not possible but we hugged it out)
Will people purchase our whimsical buttons?
Moss wall.
Maps. How do those work?
Moo the pup.
Should we let people walk in later than 15 minutes late? What if they have a sandwich?
Who gets the fox puppet?
What was our financial goal, again?
Anyway, this really only covers a wee bit. You’ll have to come see Caged: An Allegory to pry the details out of someone’s talons.
