He writes:
I'm not going to break down the "best of" the way I did last year, because I did not see as many shows as usual. In 2009, I was able to take in 13 different plays, compared to only a handful in 2010. Having a newborn son meant we were much more likely to stay home or enjoy outdoor activites such as the pool or a variety of fairs and festivals. Fortunately, I was able to be involved in a bunch of shows and I have highlighted my best theatre experiences/memories/thoughts/people of the year here.
10) Dr. David Wohl: After a quarter century of guiding theatre artists at West Virginia State, Charleston Stage Company and Festiv-all, Dr. Wohl retired his WVSU position and moved south. Like many in the area, he helped open many doors of opportunity for me. The theatre community will miss him.
9) Amy Browning: She's a terrific director and I could not have asked for a better assistant director for my First Stage show The First Day of Summer. My son was born midway through the rehearsal process and I had to miss a few rehearsals. Amy steered the ship in my absence and helped me to craft a terrific show. Kudos to Jeanette Bills for an awesome producing job, as well.
8) Clown Jubilee: Levi Tobin Joy made his unofficial stage debut at this event at Charleston's Labelle Theatre in May. Clown Jubilee was organized by Tom King and featured an interactive approach to performing and all things clowning related. We had a great time.
7) David Johnston: The NYC based playwright visited MU's fourth annual New Works Festival in June. His play Coney was terrific and this festival may just be my favorite theatre event in Huntington.
6) The River Play: My MCTC Intro to Theatre students and I took a stab at the annual Festiv-all playwriting contest this year. The result was a funny 10-minute play about young love, pirates and redemption. We didn't win, but I was proud of their creative and entertaining ideas.
5) Theatre Camp! For the ninth straight summer, I conducted theatre camps at the Huntington Museum of Art. They have a great summer program that includes exposure to all of the arts. I had a blast with the theatre kids as they wrote their own scripts and performed them for friends, family. Jessica Fox also invited me back for a third straight year of camp at the Jeslyn.
4) Dubai: My plays were performed in North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Iowa and (of course) West Virginia this year. I was most excited, however, when a theatre from Dubai contacted me requesting rights for my 2002 political comedy American Standard. The result was my first ever overseas production.
3) WV Writers: T.W. McNemar invited me to take part in the WV Writers annual conference in Ripley. I taught three playwriting workshops in less than 24 hours and met some great fellow WV writers. There is a lot of talent in this state.
2) James (and Levi) and the Giant Peach: I had a terrific cast, crew and production team for this awesome First Stage production. I don't think I've ever had so much fun leading a young group through the rehearsal process. The result was a fun and imaginative play. It was also Levi's first full production. He was in attendance twice and he was a very good audience member - he didn't make a sound at either performance.
1) Bitsy and Boots and Friends: The good folks with the First United Methodist Church (Jane and Jerry Morse) were kind enough to stage my third helping of Bitsy and Boots fun for their annual dinner theatre. The crowds were terrific and seemed to enjoy it. I'm writing a fourth Bitsy and Boots play, though it may be a while before it hits the stage.
Of course, there are others. ACTC's festive opening night atmosphere for A Christmas Carol, Marshall University Theatre's extended use of the black box for student productions and this theatre blog should all make the list. I'm sure I'll remember others after I finish writing this. I'm just glad I live in an area with such an active and supportive theatre base. Keep up the awesome work, everybody!
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