My theater pal, Dave, tells the following story:
In 2003, the Elden Street Players included Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion! on it's schedule. (My own digression - that was the year they scheduled three shows in a row with no roles at all for women. They are still known as the community theater that doesn't like women.) Love! Valour! is pretty progressive and the script calls for male nudity. Well, apparently someone in the Herndon area isn't comfortable with nekkid guys on stage, because someone called some high ranking Herndon official, who called the police chief, who detailed a couple of uniforms to go check out the threat to the morals of the good people of Northern Virginia. The cops arrived around 11:30 on a Saturday morning, right during the children's show. A responsible adult from the company scurried over, "Can I help you, officers?"
"We understand you have naked men in this theater?"
"Well, not now." And LVC was explained. And it was pointed out that LVC is a mainstage production and held in the evening. Same theater, different show.
"Oh. Well, are these naked men all over the age of 18?"
"Yes, sir."
"Okay, folks. Have a good run."
And they did. You can find the review from the Washington Post on WATCH's website or at http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A34481-2003Mar26¬Found=true
That's the background. This past Sunday I ran into Rich - an ESP board member - at the WATCH awards and he greeted me with "So I hear you're directing a children's show for us. Which one?" "The Emperor's New Clothes, as soon as Mary Ann and I find a script I like." "Hmmmmm. So we're finally getting naked men in the children's theater."
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1 comment:
Elden Street doesn't hate women. Its Sher who hates woman. lol Only kidding. In fact he originally was going to do Henry V with an all female cast. He was going to pull a Joe Banno and stage it in an aerobic exercise studio. Oh and they would have been topless.
Ormond
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