July 20, 2007

On the Road

A well deserved shout out to our friends over at WGBH on all of their Emmy nominations. We're especially proud of two of the Antiques Roadshow crew; Art Director Kristine Holmes and Master Electrician Brian Pratt.

Kris (our very own Properties Master) and Brian (our very own Master Electrician) spend not an inconsequential amount of their vacations each summer on the "Roadshow" making those antiques look great. Antiques Roadshow was nominated for Outstanding Reality Program. Congrats! If you look through the online slideshows and/or pay close attention to the show's end credits you can catch a glimpse of Brian and Kris. How many states are left to check off of your list Kris? They're off to Kentucky next weekend.

In fact you can witness the summer work of many of our staffers as they share their craft and talents with a multitude of summer theatrical endeavors from Tanglewood to Boston Common and beyond.

Also noteworthy on the Emmy Nominations: Director Scott Ellis (Streamers) received a nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (30 Rock) and Kate Burton (The Cherry Orchard) received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress (Greys Anatomy). I'm still hoping ABC finds a way to resuscitate Kate's riveting Ellis Grey.

July 19, 2007

Try this on for size

Like shoes? Thinking of visiting Toronto? Stroll on over the the Calderwood Pavilion and visit our beautiful rehearsal halls, um, galleries! It's free.

Boston Globe Calendar Listing

Step into Canada

July 5, 2007

39 Previews

I'm going to apologize right now for the lack of content over the last few weeks. I'm sorry - I do miss posting, but there have been more pressing priorities lately. I must also now tell you to expect exactly the same for the next few weeks.

I'm on vacation for the next ten days or so - and then it's going to take a week or so to catch up from relaxing. Unless I run into some Huntington glitterati on Provincetown's famous Commercial Street (entirely possible), or see something that I can't help but share, you won't be hearing from me for at least 15 days.

Meanwhile my staff, who have also been getting some much deserved R&R, will be working away on The 39 Steps. By the time I'm able to post again we should have some construction photos to show you. I can't believe rehearsals start in about FIVE WEEKS!

We've got prelim drawings for Brendan due any day now, as well as a design visit from Streamers director Scott Ellis and scenic designer Neil Patel with the set model.

Somewhere in there I'll chat with scenic designer Ralph Funicello (The Cherry Orchard) who will be designing our sets for Third. I'll be wrapping up details for Shining City which is coming to us from our friends at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, directed by Robert Falls, with the New York physical production designed by Santo Loquasto, Kaye Voyce, Chris Akerlind and Obediah Eaves.

The Cry of the Reed
and She Loves Me will have to wait for some of my time in August. Nicky is off to Williamstown very soon to direct The Corn is Green with Kate Burton so there is time yet.

Huntington Presents projects for next season, such The Atheist (with Campbell Scott) and a couple of others which I'm not quite sure I'm supposed to mention yet (ok, here goes - Judy Gold in her 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother - and the living cartoon lip syncing origami-ist Ennio Marchetto), will be the subject of a 10AM meeting on my first day back. "Huntington Presents" is our little nick name for the non subscriptions shows we put on in the Wimberly (such as Trumbo, Laughing Wild, Forbidden Broadway, and Kiki & Herb).

Oh - and we're doing some renovations in the BU Theatre Lobby, some HVAC work at the Pavilion, and I have a bunch of job searches open at the moment. I may shoot the next person who says "it must be nice and slow in the summer"!

That was FUN - as if I didn't know exactly what it is I'm running away from!

I do however, want to leave you with something a little more interesting than the scribbles in my daily planner. Here are some (very nice) design renderings of (just a few of) the costumes, designed and drawn by Peter McIntosh, for our upcoming production of The 39 Steps. Enjoy - and I'll be back soon!




In the shadows

The Present Laughter company has gone home, the set has been struck, Kiki & Herb have been packed into their coffins and shipped to San Francisco, the celebrities are heading to Williamstown and Fenway Park, and the BU Theatre is dark now until September.

Today the stage was bare - nice and clean, with a newly painted floor - yet dark and very lonely on a steamy July afternoon.

I have to admit that I find that empty stage incredibly exciting - brimming with the potential of something that only imagination can create. As we've spent the last weeks cleaning up and plotting out plans for our 2007-2008 season that potential has come more clearly into focus.

We're going to take you to Scotland on a wild ride across the country in The 39 Steps - a comedy thriller based on Hitchcock's movie version of the famous story of the same name. Then we'll bring you inside the US Army - to a stateside Vietnam era barracks for the explosive Streamers. Next - we'll bring you to a New England college campus for Third. We'll then explore the world of Conor McPherson's Dublin, Ireland in Shining City. And in May we'll visit a perfume shop in Budapest for She Loves Me.

From the South End we'll journey a few blocks to South Boston for world premiere of Ronan Noone's Brendan at the Calderwood Pavilion. In the spring the doors of the Wimberly Theatre will open to Turkey and the war torn oppression of Afghanistan for Sinan Unel's The Cry of the Reed.

Travel from places right next door to across the world in the comfort of our beautiful facilities, experience live theatre, and share in these unique experiences in the ways that you've come to expect only the Huntington to deliver.

That's only some of the exciting potential I see lurking in the shadows of our empty theatre. What are you looking forward to?

That empty theater does not, however, make for very interesting photos. I'll leave you instead with some scenes from the past few weeks. First the final curtain call from Present Laughter. Then a look at the "strike". Finally - Dead Gus makes another appearance. It seems that all that British banter wasn't good for his health. Poor fellah.