A New Season!
The schedule has been announced, the company has been chosen, and the scripts have been mailed. What happens next is a wave of new and veteran actors, crew, and administrators virtually flooding the mountain town of Creede and increasing its population by 15% or more.
So what is it like for new actors, crew, and admin? Well, for some it can be a shock. When I first came to Creede, cell phones didn’t function and there was no internet. Mercifully, these things have found there way here, but that year words-printed-on-paper existed and so I read, a lot.
For others the town is exhilarating. Mountain views, hiking, rafting, communal living, and an over all familial experience (though no one is nagging at you to clean your room, so it’s the best of everything).
For many it is a surprise to finally get to the town and still keep in mind that a nationally awarded theater resides here. At first glance many people from much larger cities just stop and say “you’re kidding, no theater of consequence can be in such a small town.” And then after the first week of rehearsal, those thoughts are gone and all you’re worried about is getting off book or cutting the perfect angle on a set piece.
After some of the initial craziness has subsided you begin to realize you’re hanging out with respected artists from around the nation and you’re eating chicken grilled by John Arp. Spending most of your time enjoying his performances you forget that the man is a chef. You’ve started asking yourself if Christy Brandt could be anymore down to earth while being the Grande Dame of the company and you’ve probably gotten a little irritated that this “Jackson” person is skilled in practically every human endeavor. You realize that the resident photographer being named “Brownie” is almost as cool as he actually is and after a few techs you’ve come to the conclusion that Ryan Wentworth could light an opera house with a flashlight. You’ve wondered, at least once, who the hell this “Bouchard” guy is and why the theater continues to hire him. You’ve also begun to wonder if the company is run by a tibetan philosopher married to a saint and if their kids are some of the most perfect twins you’ve ever encountered. That is until you find that Ryan Prince and Reneé Stynchula are also twins, and then you think they should all battle it out to the death to see who gets the title. (Ok, maybe you don’t think that). At some point you try to pronounce Touysinhthiphonexay (we all tired at least once last year. Most failed.) If you’re lucky you hear about Becky Gibel due to the fact that she just baked you a pie. You come to find that Jonathan Allsup knows your life better than you do and you begin to check with him to see if you’re hungry. When you walk by the offices of Elizabeth Zurn and Cat Lynch you feel that warm sense of being in the hands of consummate business professionals who know your profession and still like you! You’ve already snorted some liquid out of your nose due to the antics of Annie Butler and have had an “odd” experience with Chad Afanador. Jessica Baron will comfort you and you’ll come to view those experiences as regular and begin to miss them in their absence. You meet numerous other people who fill the company and town that I can’t even begin to cover, (suffice to say things like “kilt”, “cannon shoots”, “petrified cat” you get the idea) and you think “This is a place where I can be myself, this is a place without pretense.” You then begin to hatch a plot to open a bookstore in town. (Don’t worry, it happens to a lot of us.)
After a few weeks, you’ve realized you’re home and that these are going to be some of the best days of your life.
Kerri, 
Susannah, 
Brittany Vaughan, and 2 others are discussing. 
Andy Brown is discussing. 
Arnold Boingdockington are discussing. 
Jessica Jackson 8:33 am on April 28, 2010 Permalink |
Great post! You’ve captured it! When I first arrived here, I was one of those people (who had just flown LaGuardia to DIA and been picked up and taken Creede) who thought, “Holy crap there’s no way there is a functioning theatre here. What have I done?”
Now I own a house here with my soulmate (who I met here) and love this place like I’ve lived here my whole life.
I hope the new peeps get to read this.
Kate Berry 7:06 pm on April 28, 2010 Permalink |
Ah yes. Jackson told me about this post, Bouchard, so of course I had to read it and share my (hopefully not too long winded) experience in Creede.
2010 will mark my second season officially with the company. In the early spring of 2005, I’d been offered a couple of pretty cool shows for the summer in Chicago (my residence for 9 years). Around the same time, Mo called to offer me three terrific roles at CRT. I’d met Mo a couple years before when I auditioned for him in Chicago (for a place in the company that I believe went to the lovely Jessica Jackson). Back in Chicago I found I was having trouble making a decision: did I want to stay in Chicago to do more work and get more contacts there, or go to Creede–that magical place I’d heard so much about. After some soul searching and a consult with my friend Lydia’s tarot cards, I decided I needed the a “soul” experience more than a “business” one. So Creede it was.
I left in early May, driving west from Chicago. Iowa was green and hilly, Nebraska was…Nebraska, and Colorado was The West. I was so excited to see the mountains appear on Hwy 10 around Walsenburg. Driving south and west, I was initially pretty freaked out by my surroundings, but then realized I was in Alamosa and still had 70 miles to go (sorry Alamosa fans). As I turned onto 149 from South Fork and saw the true beauty of where I was, I cried. I did. I admit it. Without shame.
What Creede is/or does to an outsider, is something comparable to The Island on Lost. In my experience, the lack of constant stimulation I was used to in Chicago was gone, and I faced my true self, in all it’s glory and insecurity. In other ways, it’s like Vegas. What happens in Creede, stays in Creede. But I agree with Bouchard in that this is a place you can totally be yourself, and even come closer to finding out who that is. All while doing AMAZING work with people who are pretty friggin’ rad.
The following two summers after I worked at CRT, I came back to visit for a few weeks over the 4th of July to get out of the city and to be in a place I was falling in love with. The summer after that I visited in early May with my roommate (who yes, I met through Creede people) and I fell in love with a local named RJ. And last summer, I moved here. Who knows what will happen after this summer, but it’s pretty clear this place is in my soul.
So…Newbies, I welcome you. Make art, get drunk, eat good food, make (or make out with) friends and for god’s sake, drink more water than you ever thought you could.
Kate
Brittany Vaughan 10:43 am on April 30, 2010 Permalink |
Very well put Bouchard! last season was my first season as a costume shop intern, and it was love at first sight (well after the month long rain) the clouds parted and I could see the tops of the cliffs sounding the center of town. For the lack of a better word it was, breath taking. Sadly I can’t return this season, the city is holding me captive for one more summer. There’s always next season.
All you new folks, there is no time to being shy, everyone is so friendly and they’ll get you out of your shell in no time. Don’t be insulted if Jax comes into a room and calls you all Freaks, it’s just her way showing her endearment. I will miss everyone this summer and hope to be with you all in spirit. I must say last summer was the best time that I have had.
Work hard, Play harder!
Peace and <3
Brittany
Susannah 7:24 pm on May 9, 2010 Permalink |
I’m not writing anything too inspirational… but all I can say is I’m STOKED!! Let’s do it.
Kerri 12:18 pm on July 14, 2010 Permalink |
WHY would a bookstore not work? WHY?
Been a Creede visitor for 28 years and I feel in my gut that it could work! Like a mini halfprice books- with a roaring fire- hot whiskey drinks- Wifi- dungeons & dragons played by weirdos in the corner…. Sigh…this is my dream.