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It’s a Mystery

“Dozens of smart, highly creative artists are melding their individual perspectives, and putting their faith and trust in the vision of the director and the material,” writes Dave Maier of American Folklore Theatre, which presented ‘Windjammers’ last year. Photo by Len Villano.

In the movie Shakespeare in Love the trodden theater manager Henslowe, played by actor Geoffrey Rush, enlightens a worried investor…

“Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.”

“So what do we do?”

“Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. It’s a mystery.”

A truism I really can’t argue with, and frequently rely on – or surrender to.

The first three weeks of June are both arduous and magical at American Folklore Theatre (AFT). This is when we make the transition from our rehearsal period at Birch Creek to performance mode at the Peninsula State Park Amphitheater. This is really the most impressive period of a new show’s development. As a producer, I often wish we could sell tickets to this part of the creative process. So much is happening so rapidly. Dozens of smart, highly creative artists are melding their individual perspectives, and putting their faith and trust in the vision of the director and the material. Everyone embraces the insanity of preparing multiple shows for openings within seven days of each other.

The final essence of the piece begins to coalesce the final week prior to opening night – Tech Week. And yet, all this mayhem is somehow deftly managed by our extraordinary stage managers, Neen Rock and Lisa Mion, and our technical director Dave Alley. AFT is full of old pros who know instinctively how to prepare for and pace themselves through these final, concentrated, endless hours of technical rehearsals – when hundreds of light and sound cues are methodically synced with the action on stage.

And yet, opening night always arrives more or less right on time.

That’s not to say we don’t wish we had more time, or money or this or that. Artistically, the creative mind is insatiable. Writers, directors and designers always see the show that might have been. From a business perspective, I walk through the amphitheater campus like an insurance adjuster, annoyingly looking for potential “issues” with one of the most beautiful places in Wisconsin.

Thankfully, we’re also blessed with the enthusiasm, vitality and dedication of a carefully chosen group of eight interns. These folks come to us from every corner of the country, seeking an immersive professional theatre experience that might enhance their understanding of the business and, perhaps, clarify their ambitions and direction. One of my favorite things each season is watching them work their way into a cooperative team through the weeks of 12-hour days. We rely on these young people. They’re also very funny.

Humor, incidentally, is the rocket fuel that gets everyone through this long final grind. Theatre people love to laugh. A volunteer once asked me if the AFT men’s group dressing room might be one of the funniest places in the universe. Yes, it is.

Offstage, an entirely different group of “actors” are being rehearsed and readied for their debuts. Our fourty-thousand-ish annual patrons are also impacted, perhaps equally – albeit unconsciously, by dozens of other aspects of the “AFT Experience.” For this we rely on a cadre of brilliant young house management staff channeling, in turn, the enthusiasm and good will of our 260-person volunteer army. Every spring the amphitheater campus needs to be readied and repaired, new merchandise ordered, box office systems reinstalled, etc., etc.

But when, in the midst of an early summer performance, I can step back into the shadows and take a moment to marvel at how all the pieces inevitably come together, how effortlessly and gracefully everyone involved moves through their paces, I always feel truly blessed. I’ve seen a hundred perfect nights out at the park. And we’ve endured the queasy heartbreak of a hundred rainouts. Theatre keeps you humble. And grateful. And awestruck. It’s a mystery.

For more information about American Folklore Theatre and their current shows visit folkloretheatre.com.

Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, Inc., which contributes Culture Club throughout the summer season, is a coalition of non-profit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County.