I am a big calendar guy. I am always taking note of what happened this time last week, last month, last year, etc.
So I noticed in my calendar that it was one year ago today that I was ousted at Renegade Comedy Theatre. While I was sitting in that back room at MNDOT last year, waiting to hear what the board decision was going to be–keep me and be forced to leave Teatro Zucconi or fire me and get to stay at Teatro–I thought A LOT about my future in local theater. (Pacing and talking to yourself for an hour and a half will do that.) If the board bowed to pressure and decided to support a space and not a person, I knew that I would start up again from scratch. I love theater and I love this community. I created Renegade from nothing in 1991, so I knew I could do it again.
Finally, the word came that I was out, and so Rubber Chicken Theater began.
But I have to say, I am very happy with where I am at one year later. I was fortunate enough to receive support from wonderful artists and audience members, enabling me to get Rubber Chicken Theater up and running. I will always be grateful to every artist who has stepped up to create theater with me this past year, especially Chris Nollet, Tony Davis and Minden Anderson. There are many, MANY more, of course, and I will never be able to tell you all how much you all mean to me, but please know that you do.
And I am also grateful to the audiences who have sought us out to see what we have to offer. From Proctor, to downtown Duluth, to Superior….it is not easy to be a wandering band of gypsies, but I always appreciate the effort our audiences make to find us and have some fun.
We have an exciting 2009 Season coming up: ”QED”, children’s theater, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical”, “Evil Dead The Musical”, lots of radio shows and a few more Chicken Hat Plays. I hope you’ll come check us out, or come play with us. It’s fun!
Unless I become difficult and demanding again.
