the nashville theatre lost and found

what the hell is going on here?

Not a bad question to ask in the theatre. We lose ourselves in the show; we often also find ourselves in the same production. David Mamet, in The Three Uses of the Knife said that when you come into the theater, you have to be willing to say, "We're all here to undergo a communion, to find out what the hell is going on in this world." If you're not willing to say that, what you get is entertainment instead of art, and poor entertainment at that.

Nashville is not known for theatre, but it should be. We live in a city full of music, bursting of drama, and satiated with talent from every aspect of the arts. When I moved to lovely Music City I began to sniff the air for a good show. It wasn’t hard to find.

One Saturday evening, I sneaked into a huge, cavern of a school house because a mate of mine told me some new theatre company was doing Bat Boy: the Musical. I was skeptical, as it is a favourite of mine since I caught it in London, but I wasn't going to miss this gig; I was way too curious. Well! Apart from spending a good amount of time wishing that this theatre troupe had their own venue to produce shows due to the sound issues, I was completely taken aback by the professionalism of the show. There was not a weak link in the cast and the chap who played lead wasn’t too far from London’s beloved Deven May. I left smiling and sang “Hold Me, Bat Boy” for about a week, laughing to myself and remembering a great show.

This experience wasn't the beginning. In the past two years I have enjoyed several performances from The Boiler Room, Chaffin’s Barn, People’s Branch, Street Theatre, and even seen various clever community theatre productions. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ve laughed at comedic antics, cried when I saw myself in the story, and of course experienced the moments when I buried my face hiding in my hands so that no one around me could see the who-told-you-you-could-act expression on my face.

Nashville’s got talent – and it isn’t solely in the music field, my friends. Let’s make the transition from Music City to Theatre Town. It shouldn’t be much of a jump, but there are some serious issues holding it back. I’d like to talk about those issues here and provide you with the space to do so as well. What I would like to experience more of in Nashville is the tremor that arises when I find my conscious pushed in directions, or perhaps moved to a degree I had not thought possible. Theatre isn’t about seeing how many people in the community we can shove on stage and say they’re ours, it is about how truthful we can be together by watching humanity at its best and at its worst. Nashville theatre is good, but it could be better and I believe in Nashville. Hence, Nashville Theatre's Lost and Found. It is time to write about it!

I agree with Mamet. If we don’t see ourselves on the stage, if we aren’t moved to say what the hell in going on in the world, why buy another ticket? I would rather plunk down my cash for a ticket because I am ready to be moved by humanity on stage, a communion of which I believe each one of each of us can benefit.

Nashville Theatre Lost . . . and Found.                                                             04 JULY 2007