We had our very first production meeting for The Clean House at Third Place Commons. We snuck into the conference room so that we could spread out and actually hear each other (Third Place can get rather rambunctious on a Sunday morning). The sole respondent of a group of gamers, or felters (I can’t remember which) was nice enough to let us have the room even though their group had reserved it.
We hunkered down and got to work. We laid out our plan, our vision, set hard deadlines (hard in both senses of the word), and went about to plan a little magic.
Carissa Meisner Smit, our fearless director, was bubbling with ideas. She’s also got a knack for problem solving, which, as any producer knows, is a great skill to have in a new theatre company.
Our Stage Manager, Sarah Kessler, left her young babies to come play with us for the afternoon. I’m sure being around adults was a welcome reprieve from the demands of motherhood. After all, we’re able to speak in full sentences, we don’t need someone to hold our hands as we cross the parking lot, and have long been potty trained (mostly).
The illustrious William French, our Sound Designer, was on hand to give us a preview of some of his musical ideas. If even half of his stuff comes to fruition (we’re talking original compositions, people!), our audiences are in for a treat!
And, of course, Amy Gentry, our Managing Director of AITC. She’s our marketing guru, lays out a tight budget, offers sound advice, and possesses a biting wit that makes even the hardest of hearts giggle.
And then there’s me. I’m Cindy Giese French, Artistic Director of AITC. And I am nothing short of grateful to be working with this talented group of people.
We’re looking to grow our design family by at least two. We’ve begun the search for the creatives behind Set Design and Lighting Design. So if you know anyone with a vivid imagination and chock full of chutzpah, send them our way. People of color and women are highly encouraged! Send us an email to [email protected].
Saturday, the leaders of AITC, (Amy, Molly and me) are meeting with a wonderful photographer for our first photo shoot. Can’t wait to see how they’ll turn out! Stay tuned!
