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FUN HOME posterIt’s time it’s time it’s time it’s time!

Y’all.  I am so. Excited.

I don’t have much time today—gotta run to rehearsal—but I wanted to be sure everyone knew that individual ticket sales for FUN HOME (and all other Season 32 shows at Open Stage) are open now!

If you’re not able to join us on October 7 for the UUCV/LGBT Center benefit performance, you can now purchase tickets for any of the other 11 performances at the Open Stage website.

If you have questions, need (even more) encouragement to come see us, or have any trouble ordering your tickets, don’t hesitate to let me know.  I want everyone I know to see this amazing production!

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photo of David by Kris Rogers, August, 2017If you’ve been paying close attention to my website over the last several days—because clearly there’s nothing else going on in the world that deserves your attention*—you’ll already have noticed that a few of the page banners have been updated with new photos.

A couple of months ago one of my students glanced at my website landing page, then up at me, and back again, and commented, “You know, that doesn’t even look like you any more.”

I took it as a compliment—one year ago this month, in August, 2016, I started working with an amazing trainer from Performance Fitness Training, and added New York Fitness Clubs to my morning routine twice a week. Zach is the best kind of coach: patient, gentle, and supportive, without a hint of judgment or condescension.  My goal at the time was to get back to a place where I felt healthy—I was tired of feeling out-of-breath and sweaty when I got to the top of a few flights of stairs.  And with Zach’s help, I’m there: feeling not only good about myself, but good about the habits I’ve built up, and able to focus on the long-term good feelings even on those “I’d rather stay in bed an extra hour” mornings.

So last week I headed up to New York again to visit Kris Rogers, bass player and photographer extraordinaire.  His photos have been the highlight of my website and promotional materials since 2015, so it seemed only fitting to ask him to document the next step in the journey.  He and I spent a rainy but laughter-filled morning together (with Gabe, on an off day from his theatre internship, making snide comments in the background), and produced a paltry 981 photos, a few of which you can see in my Electronic Press Kit.  My husband has already gushed over them, but he’s a little biased…. I hope you’ll take a look through if you’re so inclined, and let me know what you think!

*The inhumanity demonstrated in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend, and our elected leaders’ cowardly response to it, are embarrassing and infuriating. I have found this guide helpful in considering how I will be a stronger force in Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, Multi-Cultural work today, tomorrow, and beyond.  We can do better, y’all.

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Great news!  The final administrative hurdles have been vaulted, and ticket sales are now officially open for UUCV’s FUN HOME LGBT Center benefit program!  If you missed the original announcement (and my gushing about how excited I am about this project), you can read that here.  Or you could just take my word for it and submit this form today so you don’t miss this amazing production, or this chance to support the Central PA LGBT Center. I’ll hope to see you in the audience on October 7th!

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Wow!  I’m thrilled that so many people are excited about purchasing tickets for FUN HOME, and about taking advantage of our benefit for the LGBT Center of Central PA!  I know it can be hard to remember to jump on these sorts of things when tickets actually go on sale—so if you’re interested in tickets for the benefit performance (that’s 7:30 PM on Saturday, October 7), just complete this form and I’ll make sure you’re at the top of the list when we start to process reservations in late July!

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Remember that post a couple of months ago when I told you I was looking forward to my new role as Director of Music and Education at Open Stage of Harrisburg, and that I “[couldn’t] wait to dig my teeth into FUN HOME, the amazing musical that holds the season opener slot”?

Ahem.

Well, it looks like I’m going to have plenty of teeth in this amazing work of musical theatre.  The cast list has been officially finalized, and in addition to my role as musical director for the production, I will also (thanks to an apparent paucity of 40-something baritenors in central Pennsylvania) be treading trepidatiously back onto the boards to play Bruce, Alison Bechdel’s closeted father.  This will be the first leading role I’ve tackled since Edgar in Bat Boy and Jon in Tick, Tick… Boom!, both of which were about a decade ago.  To play this rich, challenging role, and to share the stage with the folks whose auditions I was privileged to observe and accompany, will be a high point of my career I’m sure.

FUN HOME is a rare work of musical theatre—the characters are deep and vulnerable, the script is authentic and raw, and the music… oh, heavens.  I’ve only been working with the score for a few weeks and I’m already overwhelmed by the genius of Jeanine Tesori’s gifts as a theatrical composer.  (If you’re familiar with Shrek the Musical or Thoroughly Modern Millie, you already have an inkling.)

If you will be—or can arrange to be—anywhere near Harrisburg during October, please plan to join us.  We have 14 performances on the calendar (with a handful of additional dates held as pending in case tickets sell as quickly as we hope they do!) between October 6 and October 29.

But I especially hope you’ll consider joining us for the 7:30 performance on Saturday, October 7, and that you’ll purchase your ticket through UUCV.  Do that, and $10 of each ticket you purchase will benefit the LGBT Center of Central PA, and the queer folks and allies of all ages that that wonderful organization serves.  These tickets are on sale now!  You can reserve yours right here! sold out!

If October 7 won’t suit your calendar, yYou can view the full list of performances and purchase tickets at the Open Stage of Harrisburg web site, or call the Open Stage box office at 717-232-OPEN (6736).

And of course, you could make me ridiculously happy by using my new position as Director of Music & Education for Open Stage to motivate you to purchase a Season 32 subscription.  For $120 you’ll be able to see all five of the subscription series productions: Fun Home, Akeelah and the Bee, The Flick, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, and Little Women!  Season subscriptions are available right now!  (Note: season subscriptions are not eligible to support the LGBT Center benefit.)

In any case, please let me know when you’re planning to attend, and I’ll make a point of coming out to say hi after the show.  You can thank me then for encouraging you to come.