Grinder's Grumblings

  We were there Happy World Theatre Day everyone. Each year, on March 27th, we rally around all things theatre, and the power it has for good in our lives. If you're interested, here's the 2026 World Theatre Day Message, delivered pithily by Academy Award Winner Willem Dafoe:  https://youtu.be/gg15aPydLbE?si=2o2iiR1qrUFjKuM- But for me World Theatre Day isn't about aging celebrities and their words of wisdom, however inciteful. It isn't about the global force that theatre was, is, and will be, nor about its power to transform societies. And it isn't about politics, or even peace, justice, and human rights, vital as all those things are. For me World Theatre Day is, ultimately, a time of personal reflection.  I spent the first fifteen years of my life not knowing why I was here, or what I was supposed to be doing, and that caused me quite a few problems. I've written about the bullies of my childhood on this blog once or twice before, but I don't get into too...

  Actors suffering for their art... I recently got a series of text messages from a friend of mine about an article she'd read entitled "Community Theatre Audition Red Flags." She didn't send me the link, so I can't share it, but I'm actually kind of glad she didn't. It sounds like something that was written by a director who's been burned by bad actors one too many times, and has finally taken to social media to vent their frustrations.  I get it. I understand. I have been hurt, badly, by many actors in my time in community theatre. I've been hurt by actors mentally, physically, emotionally, financially, and in lots of other ways I'd rather not mention. I've had my name dragged through the mud, my artistic decisions, competency, integrity, and even my sanity called into question by actors with whom I failed to connect with in a positive way. Actors have destroyed my scripts, my productions, my entire company (a few times over) and have mad...