How to Succeed in Business... Davis Musical Theater Center

This past Saturday evening Carolyn and I spent a delightful evening at the Davis Musical Theater production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."  The play was inspired by a paperback book of the same name which was published in 1952.  The book by Shepherd Mead was close to biographical, describing Mead's meteoric rise in a corporation, so the play is biographical as well. Both the book and the play are also grossly satirical --  poking fun at corporate culture such as sending a memo to attempt to rein in excess memos. But it (they) is also dated.  In the 50's corporations were largely male dominated, sexual harassment was not a problem, and a chairman of a board apparently has more power in daily decisions.  Thus, the play comes off as an old relic.

But for doing such an old looking play, the cast did a marvelous job.  Casting was, as usual, right on the money.  The principals all sang in tune and with a suitable accent when required. Choreography involved more than just dancing and was carried out with precision and energy.  I was exhausted just watching them.

The music was fun rather than memorable.  You won't go away humming a tune or even remembering one from the show unless it's "I Believe in You" or "The Brotherhood of Man."

I would recommend the  DMTC's production of "How to Succeed" as a great example of what a community group can do with a dated production.

Photos of DMTC productions

Talk about an unpublicized treasure! We've been attending the performances of the Davis Musical Theater Center (DMTC) for some 6 years as season subscribers. I can't think of a show that has disappointed us although there are naturally some better than others. But there are many people in the Sacramento area unfamiliar with the DMTC and it's low price/high quality productions. So the DMTC itself is an unpublicized treasure.

But what I want to write about today is Dannette Vassar's marvelous photography regarding the DMTC. For as long as we've been going there, the DMTC has had photos of the cast members along with their "bios" in the lobby rather than trying to include that material in the program. I believe these photos have all been done by Dannette. I have yet to see an unflattering portrait. Since at least 2003 Dannette has also been photographing the DMTC performances. And at least since late 2007 has posted these photographs on SmugMug, a web site designed specifically for professional photographers to display and sell their best work. SmugMug takes all the work out of taking and fulfilling orders for these photographers work.

To me the amazing thing is that although Dannette has excellent photographs of 29 DMTC productions, there is not a word or link on the DMTC website referring visitors to her photo galleries on SmugMug. I only found it by coincidence while looking up a name of a cast member on Google. Here's the link again

http://dvassarphoto.smugmug.com/DMTC%20-%20Main%20Stage

and an example from the play Oliver! in which I played Dr. Brownlow (handsome chap in the second row with a top hat):

Donor appreciation party

It wasn't exactly a black-tie affair but it was fancier than most events at the Davis Musical Theater Company. Jan and Steve Isaacson definitely dressed up for the occasion, as did many of the guests. Volunteers served champagne, lemonade, and cookies to patrons who had donated time or money to make the new theater a reality. A big push had been made to complete the carpet runners and the painting of the floor in the main seating area. Even the carpenter's work room had been cleaned up. Volunteers stationed around the theater including backstage, dressing rooms, and orchestra pit were on hand to explain what went on there during musical productions.

After the refreshments and tours, we were treated to solos, duets, and ensemble numbers from various musicals with the them being a general thank you to the donors. Between the numbers Jan and Steve read off the names of donors. Because of my participation in Oliver we were ranked among the "mainstage donors" rather than the general donors.

Nice touch.

Continuing relationship

We were notified by email that the DMTC was looking for volunteers to help "finish the theater" so Carolyn and I made a special effort to go over there one day early this week. We were two of four volunteers that evening. The other two were skilled at installing railing while we were asked to paint the floor under the seats.

Carolyn, being the more nimble of the two of us, volunteered to brush around the seat legs while I used a roller to catch the wider area in front of the seats. The floor really should have been painted before the seats were installed as it would have been much faster and more thorough. But you can't always do things the best way.

One of the nicest things about volunteering that evening was listening to the cast of Camelot rehearse some of their musical numbers on stage. It is still very early in the rehearsal schedule but I can tell already it is going to be a fun play to watch.

The aftermath

I knew, of course, that after participating in an actual production at the Davis Musical Theater Company (DMTC) it would never be quite the same going to see plays. So it was with some surprise that I felt nothing different when we recently saw a performance of "Steel Magnolias" at the Chautauqua Theater. And it was then another surprise that I really felt different when we recently saw the performance of "Mame" at the DMTC. I think it has something to do with knowing the layout of the theater, the style of the production staff, the schedule of the rehearsals and tech week, and, yes, many of the cast members. As "Mame" played out, I could easily visualize myself in a couple of the roles or as an additional member of the ensemble. After the play we congratulated the cast who came out to greet the audience and all the members I knew from Oliver greeted me by name. I felt part of the company even though I hadn't participated in this play at all. And I felt that maybe, just maybe, I'll try out for another part some time.

DMTC - fund raising

It's really scary sometimes how much kids are paying attention when you least expect it. This was certainly the case with our grandkids during their recent attendance at plays produced by the Davis Musical Theater company.

Ed and Tiffany have a curtain installed across the middle of their family room for the purpose of allowing Tim and Jake to put on performances for the family. The curtain defines the stage for a "pretend" theater. This week, during the performance Tim came out in front of the curtain and announced that there would be a five minute intermission during which treats would be available for sale just outside the refrigerator. But even better was at the end of the intermission when he passed out slips of paper "describing the future plans for the theater" and asking for donations of pennies so the work can be completed.

Whether his experiences at the Davis Musical Theater Company have taught him anything about theater or not, they definitely seem to have taught him the importance of fund raising.

Curtain Call

The play is over. The set is struck. The performers have gone their several ways - some to other plays, others to get a breath or two before tackling another role or another of life's challenges. Steve and Jan, of course, are as wed to the DMTC as they are to each other - the theater being almost an extension of their physical bodies. They're still around.

Now that I've finished with my role in "Oliver!", the questions I get most often are "Was it fun?" "Will you do it again?" The first question is the easier. Yes, I had fun - although not at first and not consistently. But it was definitely more fun the more we all felt comfortable with each other, the more we felt comfortable with the play and the more positive feedback we received. I may indeed be getting too old to do it again. I don't mean too old physically but too set in my ways and too demanding of myself and others. I don't tolerate fools well and there is plenty of foolishness in the production of a play or the operation of a theater.

The time commitment was more than I expected. I compulsively kept a time log so I know the time I spent but I can't tell how representative that is of the rest of this cast or that of other musicals or plays. I spent slightly over 110 hours at the theater and another 45 driving back and forth to the theater so this amounted to a 155 hour commitment which is almost a complete month of full-time work. This, of course, doesn't count the endless hours of fretting about my lines or dealing with feelings of impending doom before each show.

Overall, it was a positive experience. I have much more respect and admiration for the people who plan, direct, perform in, and support plays. I think I will be more tolerant of mistakes and unfortunate accidents as well as more appreciative of a job well done. And I will treasure the all-too-brief friendships I made with cast and crew of "Oliver!". Thanks to you all!

Striking the set

An activity connected with the show, Oliver!, that I was not previously familiar with is "striking the set". Timed, I suppose to capitalize on the energy of the last show and the relief that we don't have any further performances on the calendar, striking the set is imposed as an obligation on all the cast members (even if I did see some slink off before the job was done.

Costumes were returned to the costume department,


sets were disassembled and the parts moved to storage, dressing rooms and bathrooms were carefully and thoroughly cleaned,

and props were packaged up to be returned to the donors, stored in the props storage area, or simply thrown away.

I think the idea is to give the next production the closest thing we can come to for a clean slate. I would have felt better if I thought that the stage plans were already set for the next play so that we'd know for sure we weren't taking apart something that was just going to be put back together again.

Cast Party

In a weird schedule alteration, we had the traditional end of show cast part after the penultimate (next to last) performance. This left the last performance as somewhat anticlimactic.

The Isaacson's graciously opened their home to the cast, crew, and family members which amounted to somewhere between 25 and 30 people. Having a party after 11 o'clock requires either very tolerant neighbors or very well behaved partiers. In this case it must have been a little of both. There was very little drinking going on and most of the group were underage anyway.

Steve served up his famous stir-fry that included chicken, tri-tip steak, rice, bok choy, mushrooms, and who knows what else. It was delicious.

Danette had her faithful laptop set up in the corner showing pictures of the production while everyone sat around retelling significant events of the past 6 weeks.

The faithful four-legged family members Scruffy and Mrs. Leavitt acted just like the other guests including joining in on conversations if they felt they were being ignored.

Golfers, bowlers, and actors

I'm sure you've all witnessed the phenomenon - before a game of bowling, whether friendly or competitive, we have to hear everyone talk about the sore wrist, the bad back, or the sleepless night that will surely lead to a less than stellar performance. I'm not a golfer but I have heard the talk around the clubhouse in the same vein. At the athletic club where I work out, there is a lot of racquetball played. As part of the game preparation ritual players discuss why they won't be capable of moving as quickly, returning as accurately, or being able to keep up with the pace of the game. Of course, the motive behind all this is to "psych out" opponents and give them false hope that they stand a better chance against us.

But I admit I was surprised how much of this "pre-game" ritual goes on just before a play performance. In this case, of course, it is sore throats, nasal congestion, headaches, conflicting engagements, work stress, etc. that will certainly make my performance less than I had hoped. I find myself using my inexperience as a preemptive excuse for performance which by now shouldn't be influenced that much by inexperience. And I wonder, who exactly are we trying to psych out?

Yuck of makeup

One of the more difficult aspects for me in participating in Oliver! has been the need to wear make-up. Women who wear make-up regularly or even occasionally probably can't relate to the distaste I feel in having to put on make-up. I thought at first that I could get by without it. The first couple of days of Tech Week I did not put any on. Then the director in one of her past-rehearsal briefings asked if someone would volunteer to "help Mr. Brownlow with his make-up". Subtle.

Carolyn volunteered to help me the next evening. We went shopping for appropriate materials keeping it as simple as I could. There was no question that I had to suppress the shininess of my face and bald head, my eyebrows tend to disappear behind my glasses, and my lips need darkening. I observed Carolyn's technique that first night and have been able to reasonably repeat it for subsequent performances. Another actor's wife who continues to apply his make-up even complemented me on my make-up.

But I'll never enjoy it!

Critical Review of Oliver!

This review of Oliver! by theater critic Bev Sykes also appeared in the November 14, 2006 edition of the Davis Enterprise. She even took note that

A long-time subscriber who has been watching from the audience for years finally decided to get his feet wet in this production.

The show must go on!

The ticketholders have paid their money. Everyone is starting to come by twos, fours, and other combinations into the theater. From their standpoint it is a normal evening at the theater.

But on the other side of the curtain there is near panic. Noel is sick, Andrew is in the hospital with pneumonia, Brian is feeling very queasy. Quick assessments are being made. Obviously if someone is not feeling well but is physically present and capable of filling their role, they are encouraged to do so. It may not be the best performance of their career but it will be a performance. And we just don't have the luxury of understudies for parts in community theater.

But when the person is out literally or functionally it is a different matter. Even an ensemble part is key since dance pairings, choreography cues, and stage hand responsibilities are assigned to everyone. But missing people with key dialog and musical number roles can be near disasters. Another "less important or visible" part may be "robbed" or borrowed which then creates yet another hole in the lineup. Scripts are furiously studied, songs hastily practiced, and interacting actors are briefed on the changes. Replacement actors sometimes appear on stage still holding their scripts, depending frantically on cues from fellow actors for entrances and exits. The audience may or may not hear the repeated verses of a song or notice the missing parts. Let's hear it for the substitutes! We all pull together and the show goes on!

DMTC - survives because of volunteers

In a good-hearted show of support, Carolyn will be attending at least three of my performances as a ticket holder and several others including a dress rehearsal and as a volunteer usher. I don't think she planned the last one but she found out that community theater is sort of "catching". They catch everybody they can to help out.

The theater is more than just a company that produces plays. It really is a family that allows people to enjoy their talents, develop those talents, and help others develop and enjoy their talents. We used to wonder why we kept seeing the same names appear again and again on programs. But it really is as simple as being part of the family.

Autograph protocol

Of course, one of the "highs" about performing is hearing the audience reaction - the laughs, the applause, the groans. And, for me, a first request for my autograph. I don't flatter myself, the young girl had a program and was trying to get as many of the cast to sign as she could. But being new to this sort of thing I was puzzled. How does one sign a program - Mr. Brownlow or Arnold Loveridge? I took the easy way out and actually signed both ways. Some day when I'm a rich and famous actor (and hell freezes over) she'll have a very valuable program.

Consider Yourself part of the family

Opening night was a smash hit - at least as far as many of the cast felt. We celebrated with cake and champagne/sparkling cider at the theater then adjourned to Baker's Square in Davis. Some of us had eaten light so that our stomach could enjoy the pre-show butterflies better. So we were pretty hungry. Others just needed a light snack because it had been several hours since we ate and we were too wired to go to sleep. And mostly we just wanted to share each other's company a little longer.

We had an adult table and a young persons table with the noise level considerably less at the adult table.

At the adult table I learned three new "show business" terms:

newborn - Tonight I became a newborn and henceforth in discussions about the DMTC pre-November 10 was "before I was born" and therefore how could I know anything about it.

virgin - before tonight I was also a virgin, unfamiliar with the ways of the show business and therefore not expected to be able to contribute much. Now, I have experience, something to put on my bio.

blah-blah-blah - When I auditioned for, and got, the part of Mr. Brownlow I was a blah-blah-blah, an unknown, untried entity. I could have been the best thing to happen to DMTC or a potential disaster in the making. It was a leap of faith for Jan to cast me. Now, I'm no longer a blah-blah-blah for DMTC. If I ever try out for a part again, I'll be "you know, the guy who played Brownlow in 2006".

Opening night

I guess we're as ready as we're going to be. Here I am in my street vendor costume which I play in the first act.

And here I am as Mr. Brownlow, Oliver's grandfather, in the second act.

Other than a couple of embarrassing lapses of memory on my part and my having no apparent ability to ad lib to cover the lapses, I think the rehearsals have gone very well. The show has come together much better than I could ever have imagined from the earlier sessions. But it will owe any success it has to the very professional-like performances of the key actors and the enthusiasm of the rest of the troupe. All that inspired and directed, of course, by the producers and directors Jan and Steve. And I mustn't forget the very great effort put forth by our accompanist. What a difference she has made to the show!

Tech week

The final week of rehearsals priot to opening night is called "Tech Week", probably because that's when all the technical details of the play are supposed to be worked out. It started with the marathon "cue to cue tech" session followed by more set building and painting, followed by the first run through the show all the way. Most of us were at the theater just short of 11 hours (and some much longer) interrupted only by a short dinner break. By the end nerves were fraying and tempers were rising.

Today was the first dress rehearsal, the first chance that many of us had to try on all our costumes and certainly the first time we had a chance to see how the costume changes fit in with the scenery changes and the actual running of the show. I found that I had to change earlier than I had originally thought but could still man all my other assignments. Of course I only have one change of costume while some actors have as many as 6 changes or more.

We got the show down to 3 hours and that was still with several interruptions and re-dos. That doesn't count the 1/2 hour post rehearsal briefing and critique. It is exciting to see it all come together.

Cue to Cue tech session

It almost sounds like a billiard term but a cue to cue tech session is vitally important in the production of a play, at least one with several scene changes and lots of stage fixtures. And yet it is deceivingly simple. Each scene is enacted briefly (without all the lines of dialogue, songs, or dance numbers) but with the actors on stage who are on stage during that scene. Then for the change of scene, people are assigned the various stage fixtures that need to be moved on or off stage. For professional playhouses, these assignments would probably go to stagehands but for community theater, the assignments go to actors that can reasonably be expected to be available for the task. A script of the assignments is produced and integrated with the regular script. And you'd better remember your assignment as much as you are expected to remember any of your lines.

Another thing that is done during the cue to cue tech session is "spiking" the fixtures. To ensure that the tables, benches, rolling platforms, etc. are placed in the same place each time, small pieces of tape are placed on the stage floor. In Oliver! many of the set changes are done during blackout so sturdy, phosphorescent tape is used that can be seen in low light conditiongs and will not easily wear off during the performance.

Another work day at the Davis Musical Theater Company

There is so much that goes into making a set for a play, especially one that has so many different scenes and settings. And often what looks good in theory doesn't look good on paper and what looks good on paper doesn't necessarily translate to the three dimensional world. But we carry on, painting and repainting, building and rebuilding.

Sometimes it's enough to make a person scream.