Some of the best moments in my theater career have happened at high school productions. In fact, a disproportionate number of those were courtesy of teenagers. I love the “aha” surprises, when a performer finds a spark and burns up the stage, bringing the audience to its feet. Now, imagine a show composed of nothing but those moments, and you’ll have an idea of what I worked on Saturday night…
Category Archive: Backstage
Ambivalent parents are some of my favorite people. Parenthood is one of those great Hallmark whitewashes – you’re […]
Delia Foley created the Mohawk Valley Ballet (formerly Mohawk Valley Performing Arts) forty-one years ago, and has presented […]
For me, the week following Thanksgiving has often meant spending a week in Utica’s Stanley Theater, preparing for […]
I just finished a production. We played for appreciative audiences, and I think we accomplished much of what […]
Putting on a theater show is like running a marathon. I can speak to this because I’ve done […]
One evening not long ago, I received a text message: “Hi Chris. This is illusionist Leon Etienne.” Which […]
It was always my intention to compose a final reflection about my experience directing The Mikado, but that […]
The Atlantic.com published an article yesterday called “Opera’s Old-Fashioned Race Problem.” The impetus for the story was a […]
One of my favorite concerts was Don McLean with members of the Utica Symphony. The show was a […]
