Thankful

Rehearsals are underway for South Stream Productions next show, This Doesn't End Well! So far rehearsal is going well, and we have a lot to be thankful for.

We're thankful for our cast. We're so thankful that Ben, Katie, Lou, Julie, John, David and Natalie are sharing their talents with us. People often don't appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating a performance. Art is work. And for the most part, in small theatre, it's volunteer work. We pay our artists a small stipend, but I can't pretend that it is even close to fair compensation for the amount of time, effort, and craft that goes into what you see on stage. So whether you make theatre, produce theatre, or just enjoy theatre, be thankful to the people onstage for their donations that make it possible.

We're thankful to our crew as well. It's not just the people onstage who donate countless hours to make our shows possible. It's the people back stage and off stage as well. First among those is our stage manager Kelly. Stage manager is the toughest and most important job in the entire production. They have to be at every rehearsal and every performance, and if they do their job perfectly, you never even notice they've done anything. They never get the recognition they deserve. So thank you! Thank you as well to our long time TD Todd, our sound designer Will, our lighting designer and ASM Alyssa, our costume designer Rachel, and our graphic designer Jennifer. Without the contributions of each of these people, our production would be dark, silent, and pretty boring looking.

We're thankful to the people who have given us the opportunity to produce our work. Specifically we're very thankful to Research Triangle High School, Raptor Rep, and Ian Finely. Their help in providing rehearsal space for our show was critical in allowing us to produce This Doesn't End Well. We're also extremely thankful to Michelle Wells and the whole team at Sonorous Road. We're proud to say that we were the first guest company to produce a show with Sonorous Road, and this will be the fourth show we've produced with them. They could not be a better group to host a show with, and without their help this would not be possible. We're also thankful to be part of a wonderful theater community. Our theatre community is incredibly cooperative and supportive of each other. We have borrowed (and probably will borrow) countless set items, props, and ideas from other companies in the area (in the past including RLT, TiP, JTP, Burning Coal, Manbites, etc).

Finally, we're thankful for you, our audience. We always strive to create the highest quality theatre for you, and we have been humbled and honored by your support throughout the years. Theatre does not happen without an audience. And the audience is a critical part of the artform. Obviously, theatre without an audience is just rehearsal, but it's more than that. Each audience really does give the actors and performances a different and special energy. When you see a show, just you however you are, tired or energized, engaged or apathetic, harried or relaxed, you bring a unique energy and experience to the show that truly does create a unique work of art every time.

So thank you. We will be working hard for the next five weeks to make a great show for you. I hope you come and share it with us.