Camping is nice this time of year.

Out of Range

Hey, there, Minnesotans. I will apologize in advance that this week's edition of News and Notes will lack a lot of the bells and whistles that you've come to expect. I've been on the road for a week now, attending the annual gathering of the Network of Ensemble Theaters at a summer camp in the middle of the woods in Maine. For those of you not in the know, NET is a national organization that represents ensemble-based theater groups, and since I was the only representative of the Minnesota theater scene (and one of only two from the entirety of the Midwest), I would like to take this moment to encourage all of you ensembles out there to check out NET. As this organization grows and gains more clout, I would hate for it to only represent the interests of the folks on the coasts. So, there's my self-serving advocacy for the week.

Anyway, my internet access has been extremely limited, and I've been hanging out with a bunch of theater people in the middle of the woods, so my free hours spent sober were even more limited. I promise that next week we will get back to the standard amount of bells and whistles, unless Minnesota Playlist decides to cut the whistle budget again.

In the meantime, I still have two days and 1700 miles of driving left to do before I'm back in Minnesota's sweet embrace, so here's a quick round up of the theater news that I'm just now finding out about this morning.

So, uh, here's some news…

In no particular order, mind you:

(1) I'm sure by now, you've heard about the hard financial times for Bedlam Theatre. Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune just dropped in in-depth article examining the situation and explaining how it's come down to the company needing an additional $400,000 by the end of the year in order to survive.

(2) If you have a burning desire for more examination of theater etiquette and cell phones, I have for you more examination of theater etiquette and cell phones. Instead, though, why not look at this article from the Clyde Fitch Report about the dissolving of the fourth wall and the rise of audience agency.

(3) Did you know that Theater Prom is coming up soon? Yep, the 11th annual Ivey Awards are happening soon. So get your flasks and your fancy dresses ready and start thinking about what you'd like to complain about this time around.

(4) Last week on News and Notes we talked about the internet hoopla surrounding Manhattan Theater Club's less-than-diverse season announcement. This week, HowlRound gives us an article about the intricacies of planning a season. Coincidence? I think not!

(5) I get a lot of press releases sent to me now, because the world keeps insisting that I'm some kind of journalist. Very rarely does one start off with "We are delighted that your theater is included in our new book…" Apparently, there is a new book about the Twin Cities theater scene coming out, and I guess they mention my company somewhere in there. You can find out what the mystery is all about at the big book launch on September 14.

(6) The Minnesota Theater Alliance is rolling out the new Performing Arts Human Resources Toolkit Series, or PAHRTS (not to be confused with the movie PARTS: The Clonus Horror). If you're looking for information on how to manage people in your theater in a legally permissible way, then you might want to check this out. (PAHRTS, I mean, not PARTS; that movie is terrible)

(7) I went to a a little university in Illinois, and so did a surprising number of you here in the Twin Cities. I don't know how that happened, but you Millikinites out there will be proud to know that our alma mater is listed as #2 on a list of the top ten most underrated theater colleges in the Midwest. So, once again, I get to raise the rallying cry of "We're number two!" (Also, a big shout out to you grads of University of Wisconsin - Steven's Point, who also made the list)

(8) And finally, a big "Get the Hell Out of That Hospital Soon!" to a couple of Twin Cities actors. You've probably seen Sam Landman on stage at some point, and you might even have read his ongoing attempt to write a new one-act play every week. Well, Sam's in the hospital right now, and I'll let his recent Facebook post explain:

"You know what sucks? Having a heart attack, which is what happened to me yesterday. You know what's awesome? Being able to walk away from it.

This is my wake-up call to stop smoking like a chimney & eating like a 10-year-old. An exercise regimen is in my future.

And I'm REALLY looking forward to the future."

Also, a shout out to local performer, clown, and occasional Klingon, Gregory Parks, who must now live the rest of his life knowing that a part of his body was plotting to kill him. Good work, Greg, on assassinating that traitorous appendix before it could fully implement its insidious plan!