Backstage

The Play’s the Thing (or things)
I know what you’re thinking. Backstage? Really? That’s the best they could do? My answer is simple. Yes. Backstage is the best I could do. Going for the bronze as usual.
Yet, Backstage is appropriate as I plan on sharing with you interesting tidbits about Sonoma County’s vibrant live theatre scene. The first being that Sonoma County has a vibrant theatre scene. As a local actor and director, I can help illuminate what is going on in our theatres from the inside out, who is doing what and why, and the myriad moving parts that go into getting a production from auditions to rehearsals to opening night. A peek backstage, if you will. And I hope you will.
For a county that’s less than a half million residents, we have an astounding array of theatre options – something for every taste. Just like our wines. Only more affordable.
From Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma to the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center in … well, Cloverdale, and most everything in between, including but not limited to: Pegasus Theater Company in Rio Nido; Camp Rose Players and The Raven Theater in Healdsburg (and maybe soon to be in Windsor, too; sssh!); Main Stage West in Sebastopol; Narrow Way Stage Company in Cotati; 6th Street Playhouse, The Imaginists, and Actors’ Theater for Children in Santa Rosa; Sonoma Theatre Alliance in Sonoma; Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park; and our thriving theatre departments at Sonoma State and Santa Rosa JC.
As my heart naturally goes to the underdogs, I will focus less on the larger companies that already enjoy widespread awareness and take a closer look at the underserved – those smaller venues where great work sometimes happens not with a bang but with a stage whisper. Companies whose passions and talent stand shoulder to shoulder with anything in Sonoma County and often anything in Northern California.
We will get to know the people who make all this happen –   actors, directors, designers, stage managers, crew, technicians – and shed some light on this singular, mysteriously powerful art form called theatre. And yes, I spell it theatre, not theater; in other words, the correct spelling. I could tell you why, but not now. Maybe later. We’ll see how things go.
This passage beautifully sums up the whole frustrating, inspiring, maddening, rewarding process. It comes from Tom Stoppard’s brilliant screenplay for Shakespeare in Love:
Philip Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do?
Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Hugh Fennyman: How?
Philip Henslowe: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
So, I will attempt to bring you backstage into the nuances that make theatre so exciting, so engaging, so unlike the more passive, entertainment options at our beck and call; those that can be enjoyed alone, whenever and wherever you are – on your TV, mobile phone, tablet or e-pigeon. There is no such thing as Theatre On Demand. Thank Dionysus.
Just look at what the next month or so brings to our area: Terra Nova in Cloverdale; A Streetcar Named Desire in Healdsburg; Mauritius in Sebastopol; Real, Spamalot and The Rocky Horror Show in Santa Rosa; Driving Miss Daisy in Rio Nido; Brigadoon in Rohnert Park; Marisol in Sonoma; plus short play festivals, new play readings and environmental theatre pieces to name just a few options.
This is exciting – and fun – stuff. I hope to open the doors on the eclectic choices at your fingertips, with special emphasis on those doors that may not be as well known, but are equally exciting, challenging and entertaining. And just waiting to be opened.
See you next month.
Steven David Martin enjoyed a long, successful theatrical career, acting in and directing productions across the country and overseas. He also taught at the junior college and university levels before embracing his passion for writing. Martin works extensively with the Raven Theater and Cloverdale Performing Arts Center. He lives in Healdsburg with his family, two dogs, four fish, a chinchilla and cat. His day job is Creative Practitioner at Firefly Creative Company.