I’m always interested in the process of making stuff– especially art– and especially theater art.  The making of theater art is necessarily social.  Writers, directors, and actors are sometimes people who like to share each others’ company (copious litotes, here) and so what they share offstage– consciously or not– informs what they do when plumed up and spitting on the front row.

Rehearsals are amazing to watch.  It’s a place where theater creators use the other side of their confidence– the one that says, just dive off the cliff, we’ll make the wings on the way down.  Everyone’s alive– and engaged– and giving equal control to both their intuition and conscious mind.  This makes for easy beauty.

Here are some candids of Route 66 Theatre’s cast and crew of “Cicada” being beautiful after a last run before opening.  The air’s got the zip and crackle of “we open tomorrow– and we’re ready.”

Thank you everyone at Route 66.  And– thank you W Eugene Smith.

And since I don’t like bloviating blog posts that end with a perfect zip-up cutie ping-pong phrase– I give you this:  Wobbly dunk…trees.

Info and tickets for the show:  Cicada

“Cicada” by Jerre Dye directed by Erica Weiss
April 9 – May 25 — Greenhouse Theatre Center
sets and lights by Brian Sidney Bembridge
stage managed by Cori James
costumes by Alarie Hammock