Art v Commerce

I've spent 11 years now with Jobsite trying to strike that elusive “balance” in producing theater. Not the cut-and-dried balance of: comedy, drama, classic, musical, holiday show and then your little arty piece. A balance between what we think people here will readily buy into (read: things that will actually sell tickets), and things that we might be able to challenge them with (read: things we think that are awesome but not too far gone). Between shows that appear recognizable for whatever reason on the surface and shows that are likely a lot more obscure. Between Capital-A Art and What's Going to Move Tickets. They're not typically the same thing, even if we think in advance they will be.

I can make a list now of shows that were colossal successes (by our standards of selling out four or more weeks) that were, all in all, pretty populist offerings: A Girl's Guide to Chaos, anything (abridged), Dracula and now Night of the Living Dead.

Then there are a few shows I might consider on the cusp of populist and arty in Gorey Stories and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. They had major names attached in Edward Gorey and Steve Martin, though the subject matter might not have been as widely accessible as those previous shows. Still, those shows also enjoyed sold-out runs.

Then you have the The March of the Kitefliers. By far our most wildly popular original show, but it was also overwhelmingly populist, chock full of pop culture and rode a monumental word of mouth wave from people who insisted the play was about them and their friends.

When I get to what I might consider Capital-A Art, there's not much there as far as major box office successes - just Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and The Pillowman.

I could give you a giant list of critically-lauded shows that all failed to met expectations at the box office. That's not to say that we haven't done other more arty shows that have done well, or that we haven't done a more populist show here or there that hasn't lived up to expectations.

It's also interesting to note that what a Tampa critic is going to like and what Tampa audiences will want to come see are often not remotely the thing. Of the seven shows listed about, the Creative Loafing critic pretty much gave five of them a dismissive, negative review yet they stand as top earners. Shows we didn't have to give away tickets or offer discounts for that had sold-out runs. On the other side of that we've often been praised for choices of material that we're practically had to drag people into the theater kicking and screaming to come see. When you can't get people in to see a show, and you lose loads of money on your artier choices, it burns. Quite a bit.

So we try to find balance.

We've never believed in, nor desired, flat-out selling ourselves out just to get the most number of bodies into a theater. I'm pretty sure we could plan a season that would sell out every single performance of every single show, but I don't think we'd be happy or fulfilled with the results. Our loyal fans wouldn't either – I consistently get feedback from them about how they enjoy the variety, how much of what we do is off the beaten path for what they are accustomed to. I'd prefer to stick to what we believe in than play to some generic theater couple who don't exist.

I also don't think we've ever straight-up pinched our nose, closed our eyes and put something up just to sell tickets. From the potentially superficial banter of A Girl's Guide to Chaos to the zombie hordes of Night of the Living Dead – we've had our stakes and our belief in each of them. We're happy to simply offer a fun night out for the girls here and there, or giving a late-night opportunity for people to come and see something a bit juvenile and racy. We try our best to offer up something every year for Halloween, our choice in staking a holiday without doing Tuna Christmas or It's a Wonderful Life every year (and I am not saying anything negative about companies who do those shows, just noting we picked a different holiday to make a tradition of, and it's a lucrative tradition for this company as I've often stated).

And it's even easier to have some silly yet still somewhat literate fun with an (abridged) show when we know it's going to help pay for doing a show like Rabbit Hole or Pericles. Despite the critical success of both of those shows, they underperformed at the box office and as a result, we lost money on each of them. It's easy for critics to sit and point fingers, but at the end of the day they aren't balancing the books and trying to keep a business afloat.

And, until there's enough grant money and private philanthropy to underwrite losses for a company like us every year for doing more challenging things that people won't likely beat the door down for, we have to find ways of balancing that out. That translates into making educated guesses as to what's going to be a sure thing to balance those things that may be more arty and mission-based.

I just read a review of Stageworks production of Bad Dates, where words like “meaningless,” “insignificant” and “over-familiar” are being tossed around like grenades – much as they were for our productions of fare like Phyro-Giants! and Girl's Guide. You know, shows that easily attracted audiences because they sounded like fun shows to go out to with a group. Shows that made money. I am sure that Bad Dates was similarly programmed: it's a one-person show and therefore inexpensive to produce, it's an easy pitch to Joe and Jane Tampa and there's an opportunity the show might actually make a little money to help pay for other things. And from what I understand, it's working. Opening weekend was pretty much sold out for that show in advance.

Perhaps that critic doesn't understand why a company would produce a show like that because he has a very limited understanding of what people are really looking for when they go out the theater. Seeking major revelations, thoughtful and original ruminations on the meaning of life or the quintessence of the human condition is fine and dandy, and not a crazy thing to look for out of art, but that's not everyone's motivating factor and it is unfair and small-minded to dismiss those other perspectives. I'll take it even further and say it's damaging to the form and to the evolution of our local culture.

I'd be interested in making a Venn diagram of what Tampa audiences want to see, what area critics are going to appreciate, and what we feel like is supported by our individual/collective tastes as well as our company mission. I just don't know many shows that could go perfectly into the intersection of those three circles. I'm certainly not convinced you can find six perfect candidates every season, and every company is going to have wholly different sets of criteria.

There's not been a top-five grossing play of ours that the critics were all positive about. I double-checked. As a matter of fact, there almost appears to be a sliding scale between a major critical success and a major box office success. That has to mean something. That says something, for sure. I'm not exactly sure, even though I have a few theories spinning in my head.

So, we will continue to do things the way we feel is right. It's served us well up to this point.

We are adamantly trying to stay at that intersection of art and commerce at Jobsite. We're cautious, we're vigilant. An asset to having our company run by a board of artists virtually ensures that this stewardship will continue. We can't just produce 3-hour heavy pieces of -ist drama, and we can't just crank out full seasons of whatever yuk-fests are coming out of NY or LA by out of work or aspiring sitcom writers.

Our mission states we want to create and produce politically and socially relevant theater and perform it for the broadest possible audience. If that ain't populist, I don't know what is. Relevance doesn't have to mean ground-breaking, a work can be relevant by being familiar, by reminding us how we're all alike. Some people take great comfort in that – laughing at yourself through laughing at someone else. If we get someone in for something light that we think still has some relevance, then perhaps they will take a chance next time for something that might be a bit more challenging based on their good previous experience.

We're in the Business of Art, and any business not trying to find new customers while keeping their current customers happy is acting foolishly. Artists are often way too prone to want to live in their own heads like that, and then are perplexed when the support isn't there for the work. These two things are not enemies and are not unrelated. Yes, it is possible to be savvy without being a sellout, to appeal without pandering. This is a communal effort though – critics cannot only point fingers at producers for the plays they produce, theaters cannot only point fingers at audiences for not supporting certain works or at critics for dismissing material.

The way we work might mean taking it on the chin from a critic or two, like in the case of Night of the Living Dead. Maybe it's necessary to have that critical voice out there, yearning for more all the time and acting against whatever is actually popular. It keeps us honest, just like an audience will keep a theater honest when ignored, they vote with their feet. Or rather vote by the absence of their feet, and everything stacked on top.

In the end, it is just as meaningful for me to hear feedback from a patron leaving a show like And Baby Makes Seven saying “Omigod, I had the best time, that was SO out there and hilarious! So. Much. Fun.” as it is for me to hear someone say after a play like Blackbird “Dude, that play creeped me out. I had no idea what to make of that, it was disturbing. It had me thinking for a week. My date and I talked about the show for like 3 hours afterwards trying to come to an agreement.”

Giving thanks for 2009

It’s mid-November and we're all smack-dab in the middle of the season for gratitude, of giving thanks for all that we have.

Jobsite is very thankful for the year we've had. To start 2009 with the smash hit Picasso at the Lapin Agile (the #1 attended show we've produced on our own) and end it with Night of the Living Dead (#2) was a major success for our company, and hopefully those are numbers that we will continue to build on each and every year. To have been offered a long-term deal by TBPAC, just yesterday renamed the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, to remain Downtown as resident theater company was a distinct honor for us. We premiered a brand-new rock musical in Pericles that was almost two years in the making that we're now working on giving a life outside of Tampa. This year was full of productions that have pushed Jobsite to the extreme in terms of using the space, of our technical capabilities, of producing things that may not be "easy" but that were more than worthy. We were able to give work to close to 50 Bay area artists this year.

As you’re preparing your holiday feasts and gathering your family and friends this season, we hope that we've given you something to remember fondly. From the powerful performances in Rabbit Hole to the comic ultraviolence of Inishmore, Jobsite has worked relentlessly to bring Tampa Bay a unique and daring theater experience unlike any other.

We are a completely independent not-for-profit organization, and ticket sales only account for a small portion of the revenue we need to survive. The economy has taken a bit of a toll on what people have been able to give this year, which we fully understand. Times are tough out there for many, and if it comes down to making a donation or buying tickets, we'll choose that people see our shows every time. We're now trying to make up those donations before the end of the year so that we do not start 2010 behind.

On December 5, at Ybor's New World Brewery, we will have our annual fundraiser/wrap party Jobsite Rocks. In an effort to get as much mileage of all these special effects and costumes we have laying around from Halloween, we've got a Zombie Christmas theme going on. There will be four bands, periodic raffles from the stage and special surprises along the way from 8p until late that evening. Admission is a minimum donation of $8 at the door. Raffle tickets are sold separately.

We'd really like to see you out, even for just an hour. We'd like to meet those of you we may not know, reconnect with those of you we may not have seen in a while and thank everyone for helping us have a great year.

If you or your business might like to offer up a prize for the raffle, we'd like to hear from you. Write djenkins@jobsitetheater.org to get the ball rolling.

If you can't make it out - would you please consider making a donation before the end of the year? There is truly no such thing as a small gift, every penny is meaningful for Jobsite and vital to our continued success.

Don't forget that Jobsite is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization, and all gifts made to Jobsite are fully tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

From all of us at Jobsite, we are very thankful for your continued support and hope to see you all soon.

A Very Special Friday the 13th at Night of the Living Dead!

I get an email yesterday around 5:30 from Rachel Lisi in the TBPAC Ticket Office. Apparently someone has anonymously called in and told them that Marilyn Eastman, the actress who originated the role of Helen Cooper in Romero's film of Night of the Living Dead will be coming to the show.

We were all a bit dubious. What are the odds? We'd already had Romero's ex-wife at our preview.

Rachel, the wily detective she is, finds out there is in fact a John Eastman who has purchased five tickets to the performance. A bit later, a woman calls claiming to be Mrs. Eastman's daughter and says that Marilyn would be open to signing autographs afterwards.

The plot thickens.

We eventually get in touch with the Eastmans and this thing is legit. By now it's 6:30 and we don't have a whole lot of time to get the word out, including letting the cast know before director Chris Holcom announces it from the stage in his curtain speech. You know, that might freak 'em out a little ... A few tweets, Facebook posts and texts later and we rolling. Add to it, the show sold out and Mrs. Eastman thoroughly enjoyed herself.

I got a little feed from two of the actors in the show, and some photos from the autograph session I'd like to share below.

The cast, crew and Mrs. Eastman after the show

From Kari Goetz, who plays Barbra:

I got the email from the ticket office that Ms. Eastman might be attending the show and my mouth literally dropped open. It was an overwhelming feeling. To be able to meet someone who was part of the original project and particularly a role as iconoclastic as Helen Cooper is one of those rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Walking out on stage for the first scene, I was acutely aware of her being in the audience. I think I changed my performance in that first scene just a little bit. I think my voice inflection was closer to the movie, almost like I wanted Ms. Eastman to know, "You're going to have fun, we respect, love and understand the original intent of the movie." A lot of companies do the show really campy an we've tried to stay as close to the original as possible.

The show itself was great. I always know we have a good audience when we get a reaction on Johnny's line, "They're coming to get you Barbra," and we had that. Lots of applause after scenes, even a few screams, the energy from the crowd was fantastic.

Meeting Ms. Eastman after the show was tremendous. She is still absolutely gorgeous. And she was so generous with her praise and I have to say, flirty with the young men in our cast. All in all she's my role model for rocking my 80's.

Marilyn Eastman (Helen Cooper, 1968) face to face with Caroline Jett (Helen Cooper, 2009)

From Mike McGreevy (the Uncle Reg zombie, who had a special cameo at the end of the show in the encore as one Mr. Jason Voorhees):

Although my particular part in this show is relatively small in terms of actual stage time this has been one of the most demanding roles I've ever had with Jobsite. The makeup that Danny and Suzan McCarthy came up with for our production is phenomenal, but the process of applying and removing it has certainly started to take a toll on my skin. As a result of all that, I have to be honest and admit that I was not looking forward to this extension weekend at all. Extending shows is always a bit of a stretch when you're holding down a full-time job outside of the theater, and doing so in this production meant four more times under the foam and grease paint.

I have to admit though, that these last two performances have managed to turn my frown upside down. Let's start with Thursday night. We managed to more than double the number of tickets we had sold ahead of time in just over an hour to curtain and we went from having "ok" numbers to an almost sold-out house. Not only did we have patrons taking advantage of our discount ticket prices by bringing food in for Metropolitan Ministries, we had people dropping off food for the charity who didn't want to buy a ticket at all. That's pure awesome in and of itself.

Then there was last night, Friday the 13th. Without going into too much biographical detail I will simply say that I have always been a huge fan of the Friday the 13th series of films. The last time I can recall trick or treating on Halloween before I outgrew the practice I was wearing a Jason Voorhees costume. Last weekend during backstage talks about the extension weekend and the fact that our Friday show fell on the 13th I joked around that I should come out at the end wearing a hockey mask for the encore. If you think about it (and have seen the show or pictures of me in it) my costume and makeup isn't that far removed from the way Jason looked in Friday the 13th parts 2, 3 and 4.

Danny, unsurprisingly, had a Jason mask in his arsenal of horror movie memorabilia and when I proposed the idea to Chris he gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. David (who did our sound design for the show) found out about it yesterday and managed to find the iconic "ch ch ch, ah ah ah" audio track and threw together a special CD of sound effects for the event. Being able to come onstage as Jason last night and hearing the gasps and laughs of appreciation for the audience was pretty darned spiffy if I do say so myself, and with all due respect to my Mother the costume this time around kinda kicked the hell out of the one I wore as a teenager. Too bad I didn't have a machete.

That, alone, would have made this weekend tolerable. The fact that Marilyn Eastman came to see us perform last night, though, pushed it over the edge from tolerable to awesome. That an actress who was in the original film that our show was an adaption of not only came out to support us but raved about how wonderful it was after made all the (quite literal) pain I'm dealing with this weekend seem kind of insignificant. The best part was that she wasn't just being nice. I overheard her talking to her family as they walked her out of the theater, and she was going on about how lovely the evening had been and how much fun she had. That was some truly sweet validation. The only thing that could possibly make the weekend even better at this point (barring any other unforeseen special guests showing up in the crowd) would be selling out our final two performances.

That's a subtle hint, folks. Well, as subtle as I can get in this role. I'm a zombie, yanno. We don't do subtlety.

Mike's right. Selling out these last two shows would really put the icing on the gravy that has been this show. We've had a blast, and great fortune with it. We still have the availability to take advantage of our food drive offer for $10 tickets, or for student/senior/military rush at the same rate. Hope you can make it out!

Special Effects Designer Danny McCarthy and Director Chris Holcom excited to meet Mrs. Eastman

All smiles: Director Chris Holcom, Stage Manager Jaime Giangrande-Holcom and Mrs. Eastman

Jobsite hosts food drive for final weekend of Night of the Living Dead

Jobsite Theater, the independent resident theater company at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, will host a food drive to benefit the food bank at Metropolitan Ministries for this final weekend of their smash hit Night of the Living Dead. With the holidays right around the corner, Jobsite hopes to help make a difference to Bay area families in need during what's been for many a very challenging year.



Patrons may bring two canned goods or other non-perishable food items within 90 minutes of curtain and receive a $10 ticket to see Night of the Living Dead on 11/12 at 8p, 11/14 at 8pm or 11/15 at 4pm. This offer is not valid on the 11/13 8pm performance. One $10 ticket will be offered per two items donated. Subject to availability. Not valid on prior sales or in conjunction with any other offer.

Metropolitan Ministries touches the lives of more than 22,000 households composed of hurting men, women, and children every year by providing food, a safe place to live, and hope for a new future. None of this would be possible without the generous support of the Tampa Bay community.

Night of the Living Dead is Jobsite's best selling production since January's Picasso at the Lapin Agile and is poised to close as a top five all-time best attended Jobsite Theater production. Originally slated to close Nov.8, the production was extended through Nov. 15 to account for the popular demand.



For more information on Night of the Living Dead visit us online. Additional questions regarding the food drive or the production may be directed to questions@jobsitetheater.org.

Halloween gone, NOTLD shuffles on

Even though Halloween is now a fading memory, Jobsite Theater's production of Night of the Living Dead is still shuffling on strong like a zombie looking for brains with eight more performances remaining.

Originally slated to close this Sunday, Nov. 8, we extended the run during opening week through a new close date of Nov. 15, giving us an opportunity to close on another ill-omened date that shares a name with another iconic horror film - Friday the 13th.

Jobsite is very excited to have sold 98% of all available tickets from the first two weeks of the run, including seven completely sold out shows.

As a matter of fact, if you're hoping to come this Saturday, Nov. 7, we strongly urge you to purchase your ticket as soon as possible since that show is nearing sold out status as well.

We've been getting sensational feedback from our audiences. You can read what folks are saying about the show here. Samples include:

Great Cultural Encounter at Jobsite Theater. If you haven't bought your tickets to see Night of the Living Dead ... you need to! What a great production ... – Christina Cook, TBBCA

Night of the Living Dead was beyond awesome. Seriously, if you have the means, go see this show!! Jobsite rules!! – Becky Harrell

Tampa Bay Peeps ... heed my warning ... if you do NOT go to see this show you are missing out on infinite fun! And not just any kind of fun ... awesome zombie end of the world Hallowe'eny kind of fun!! I went last night and will most likely go again! – Rachel Anne Lisi

Critic feedback has included:

“... compelling, and not without chilling moments ... [Holcom] has fun with the material without letting it descend into campiness ... [a] thoroughly enjoyable show.” – St. Petersburg Times

“ ... wildly entertaining ... worth viewing and pays homage to the original ... I promise you’ll leave the theater chuckling. Thank you Jobsite for another entertaining evening.” – Tommy in Old Seminole Heights

“The audience left laughing and smiling. All-in-all this is a fun, entertaining show that put me right in the mood for Halloween.” – Tampa Bay Arts Net

There are just eight performances remaining, and then Jobsite will be on hiatus for almost two months as we prepare to begin 2010 with the British sex farce What the Butler Saw.

I hope you can join us over the last two weeks! We're having a great time!