Back In the Bay Area

Hello everyone!

I have a very special announcement! I'm back in the SF Bay Area. This time I think, and hope it's for good!

In may of this year I completed the study for my masters program in theatre. As you can imagine the past two years have been very busy for this blogger as I did my graduate degree. Taking three graduate classes as well as teaching or assisting for sometimes up to three classes a semester was no terribly conducive to seeing a lot of theatre, much less writing about it. Point being this: Since I'm done with my grad degree and back living in the bay area. I think it's high time I revamp and revive The Backstage Door.

For those who read me, subscribe to me, or somehow otherwise found this blog. Please let others know. I want to see and write about as much theatre as I can.

Cadence Theater Company | Oleanna

Oleanna by David Mamet
Cadence Theatre Company
...at Richmond Triangle Players
October 28-November 6
Directed by Anna Senechal Johnson
Starring David Bridgewater and Molly Hood


It’s bittersweet that praise gets out so late in the game, but even so I simply have to applaud the adept Molly Hood, the unsinkable David Bridgewater, and the creative team behind Cadence Theatre Company’s production of David Mamet’s Oleanna, an intriguing play featuring heavy currents of juxtaposition, authority, and liberal interpretations.

As I sat in the Richmond Triangle Players Theatre, the sometimes-home to Cadence, I observed a disappointingly sparse turnout. That small audience, however, was in for quite a treat. The two performers, under the skillful direction of Anna Johnson, navigated Mamet’s masterful words with outstanding commitment, whether a series of stuttered incomplete sentences drenched in subtext, or at other times complete, succinct thoughts that seemed to issue forth from raw animal places. Couple these two powerhouses with simple lighting and set pieces and a plain-but-clear playing space outlined in a painted tile floor, and the stage is set for a match of wits in which neither party leaves unscathed.
Speaking of leaving, I felt myself as a viewer being enrapt in the many efforts Ms. Hood made to leave the office space, wherein she had clear intention to go, but Mr. Bridgewater’s pedantic and sometimes imploring words continued to draw her back into the drama. Oleanna is a play that relies on a certain amount of tension, and this production surely delivers: Mamet’s tense babbling and word gymnastics are used to draw the audience in, while the subject matter causes viewers to sympathize (or not!) with both sides of the issue, and then to question why they do. Only at one point was I lost, and that point was when Ms. Hood’s final lines were uttered, and I was left to question, “What does that mean?” rather than “How do I feel about this?” I would not, though, be opposed to seeing the play one more time to find out!

Having been a Richmond audience member now for three years, I saw something afresh in this production that was revitalizing that I hope to see more of in this market: that an excellent play put in the hands of expert actors, under careful, sensitive direction is truly effective, and that sometimes, less really is more. As a truly satisfied audience member, I hope that more people will turn out to productions by this budding and promising company. To Cadence, I say, quoting Mr. Mamet: “That’s right. Yes. That’s right.”

Guest Review by Augustin J Corerro

Standing Ovations

I'm not going to lie: standing ovations drive me crazy. It seems like everybody here in the Richmond area gives them out willy-nilly. I go into a theater and sit through a mediocre to good show. The lights go down as the last act comes to a close. The lights come back up and the performers come out for a curtain call. The audience claps and stands in approval. Meanwhile I'm stuck behind a lot of guys standing. I can no longer see the performers because of the people standing in front of me. Why didn't I stand you ask? The answer: I don't believe in just handing out standing ovations. I appreciate the show and the effort that all involved gave, but I just don't think it deserves that high a praise. There is always room for improvement.  (Yes I'm a director who will continue to give small technical notes after opening night. I work in an education setting for goodness sake. Even though you did GREAT. There is always someplace else to take the performance. There is something else to learn. It's about the process rather than the product.)


After seeing a show recently I was discussing this with a good friend and graduate school colleague. She told me that a wise theater person once told her this: "You only get three standing ovations in your life to give out. Use them wisely." This sounds like a good mantra for me to live the rest of my life by. I have handed out a few standing ovations in my life, but they were when I was young and naivete. I'm going to be stingy with them. Realistically I will probably only give out two because when it comes time to give out the third I will find myself unable to give it out in fear that I might come across something better and not be able to give it one.

So from here on out. I'm making a commitment. Three standing ovations. That's it. I'll try to use them wisely.

By T. K. Widmer