A Blog by Margaret Rose
This past weekend was the 75th Anniversary of the Broadway opening of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, and I can’t let the milestone go by without comment.
Much has been written over the years of the impact the show had on the American musical theater; there are important lessons to be learned in studying the show, lessons for today’s creators of musical theater. But I’ll leave that to
I was listening to SiriusXM, enjoying an interview with Greta Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated Writer/Director of Lady Bird. I was feeling a connection to Ms. Gerwig because, while I don’t actually know her, I feel as if I do because she and I share the city of Sacramento as a mutual treasured friend. I was imagining how I’d love to compare notes with Greta, who
I’ve been thinking a lot about what made me fall in love with musical theater in the first place. I have a flood of memories from my childhood, and I think each of them played a part in sparking my passion. This was one of the earliest. Our family was dressed in our Sunday best – it was probably a Sunday afternoon after church – we went with Grandma and Grandpa to
Writers, Directors, and Actors, and all of us who create musical theater … I think we all tend to think of ourselves as the creators of the experience. The writers who formulate the words and the notes to tell the story. The Directors, who provide focus and vision to make the story come to life. The Actors, who become the characters of the story. The story certainly wouldn’t exist without us. However, the great thing about telling a story is that
I remember sitting in the Booth Theater next to Eric, both of us enthralled with the calypso-infused score and the delightful storytelling of Once On This Island. It was 1990, and a time of transition for me. When I had moved to New York six years earlier, I wanted a career as a Director, and I had already directed several large productions of classic American musicals in the heart of Manhattan. But Eric had a different idea. It was around this time that Eric had suggested
That moment just before the overture begins. That moment, whether I’m in the audience, whether I’m the writer/director peeking in from the back row, or whether I’m backstage on the crew or in the cast … that moment when all are assembled, ready, anticipating … that moment just before we collectively launch ourselves into a shared journey of musical theater. One of my favorite moments in any show I’ve ever seen. The Moment Before. That moment, when we don’t know yet if
One Sunday afternoon in February on the Main Stage of the Sacramento Theatre Company, the Young Professionals Conservatory was showing the final performance of their production of PIPPIN to a packed house. Across the courtyard in the black box theater, another audience was enjoying STC’s production of BARK! The Musical. Upstairs, a different cast and crew were in rehearsal for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. In the staff conference room, there was a meeting of the creative team for a new musical, about to launch a 2-day workshop and staged reading in preparation for
