High Roads ( #AtoZChallenge )

         High roads are pretty great  until you lose yourself in a sudden curve to tumble down the mountainside and pray that you'll survive.  Falling from grace is bound to happen now and then in ones life journey...


       Heck, say anything about roads and you've gotten my attention.  My dreams are often dreams about roads.  Thinking about roads can make me smile.   Those thoughts can send me into a reverie.

         But really it's mostly metaphorical, that is my perception of a concept of meaning of life.  I see my life as this continuing journey. Sure it might seem like a cliche, but it's what makes the most sense.  To me at least.

        Traveling down that metaphorical road means sometime you're going to get somewhere and then continue on to the next place, on and on.  When I can travel the highest road then I am at my best.  I am grateful for the many in my life who encouraged me or lifted me in some way.  I am saddened by others.  But then my thoughts swirl back into a sense that it's all just what it is and I am where I am as are we all.

         And in my mind I see passing road signs:

Hope can elevate the spirit.

  Help can raise morale.

  Hate can destroy everything...

        Then the journey continues on to my next post...



         Are you the kind of traveler who likes to take time to see the scenery?    Or do you just want to get to your destination quickly?    What trope might you use to describe your life story?

Universities ( #AtoZChallenge )

I've spent several years going to college, but the best times I've had at any university were when I was attending some show or performing in one...

Performing arts center George Mason University

Robert Howell Brooks Center for the Performing Arts  Clemson University

        My previous post looked at the old vaudeville theaters that are still scattered throughout the country.  They are wonderful venues much of the time but there are even more performance locales at colleges and universities throughout the United States.  In the past I have played some of these--most I cannot recall--but a few stand out.

         It's hard to forget the big auditorium at the University of Lafayette in Louisiana that sits next to a large swamp with alligators and other native flora and fauna.  We played that one nearly every year for ten years.  Then there was the odd lecture room/theater at the School of Mines and Engineering at Montana Tech in Butte.  The place was so absurdly small that we had to play three shows for near non-existent audiences despite the fact that enough tickets had been sold to fill up the place at least ten times.  Thankfully turn-out was low at that one so we didn't have to face an overflow attendance.

        The lecture halls were the worst for a touring show such as the one I managed.  They often had odd shaped stages with no real backstage area which presented a real challenge to us.  On the other hand, one of the best concerts I've seen was Murray McLauchlan in a lecture hall at some university in Toronto.  Despite feeling like we were attending a college class, the concert was excellent and due to the small house it felt very intimate.

         Most universities have many facilities suitable for live presentations so there is a wide range of choices depending on staging needs and how many are expected for the performance.  A touring group, artist, or lecturer can make a career at just playing colleges.  This is something for authors to keep in mind if they are interested in going on a lecture circuit.  The opportunities are limited only by ones imagination.

           A university tour might be something for me or even you to consider.  Seems like something with a lot of possibilities.

           Have you ever seen a performance at a college venue?   Do you have a venue of this nature in your town?   Have you ever considered establishing yourself as an "expert" in some field so that you could go to colleges and other places to give lectures (and maybe sell your books)?
           

Theaters ( #AtoZChallenge )

Those vaudeville days of riding the rail from town to town playing the  marvelous old theaters must have been a grand time!  Also rather grueling I'd guess, but grand nevertheless...

Lincoln Theater Marion Virginia

The Ritz  Tiffin Ohio

          During the seventies and eighties when I was on the road with stage show companies, we played hundreds of school auditoriums, legion halls, and other facilities that had been booked for us.  Some of these were very nice with good stages and decent lighting while others were a challenge to set up in and make the show look as high-quality as we could.  There are some stories to be told about some of these odder venues, but I'll save those for another time.

          Some of my favorite places that we played were the old theaters from the vaudeville era.  Those were the days when theaters were constructed with themes in mind.  They were luxurious and ornate with fancy chandeliers, wall murals, and velvet seats.  Going to a theater for a show or a film was not just an outing, but an event.  Fortunately for us today, a good many of these old theaters have been maintained and in many cases meticulously restored to their earlier glory.

          Though it was usually pretty awesome to behold the auditoriums and to appreciate the large stages that facilitated our work presenting our show, it was perhaps even more fascinating to experience the aura of the history in the backstage area and dressing rooms.  After setting the show up, if I had enough time, I would often explore those backstage areas and places like the basements if they had them.  One could imagine the players of past time preparing for their own shows and presenting them to the packed houses who would attend. 

          Thinking back on some of those theaters we played, there are many I recall while others I would have to think deeply to revive those memories.  We played small theaters as well as big theaters. There was the Tivoli Theater in the small town of Spencer Indiana and the Ritz in Tiffin Ohio.  Playing in my parents' home state of West Virginia, our shows performed at the Metropolitan in Morgantown and the Robinson Grand in Clarksburg.  Then there were the elegant houses such as the Missouri Theater in St Joseph and the Saenger in Hattiesburg Mississippi.

          Playing theaters such as these added a certain element of greater legitimacy to what we were doing as a touring theater company.  Somehow it was like being a part of history to be in such historical places.  And the good news is that most--maybe all--of those old theaters we played 30 to 40 years ago are still in operation.  Additionally, many shuttered former vaudeville houses are being restored to their former glory and reopened for touring companies and local productions.

         Someday I'd like to go back to some of these theaters to experience them again.  To wander the backstage areas, explore the dressing rooms, and feel those exquisitely adorned auditoriums all around me.  A tour sounds like fun.  To stand on the stage under the lights one more time would be exciting as it evoked old memories.

          Those wonderful old theaters--they are out there all across America.   Just where I would like to be.  One that I've got my dreams fixated on is the Lincoln Theater in Marion Virginia.  I've never played that theater or even been inside for that matter.  Marion is like my dream town--has been for many years.  Knowing that there is an elegant old restored theater there makes it all the more appealing.   Yes, there are enough old restored theaters across America to make for a fine tour. 

             That sounds like a pretty cool dream to me.


Are there any old vaudeville era theaters where you live--restored or not?   Have you ever performed or watched a performance in one of these types of theaters?   Does anyone have any information about Marion Virginia or the surrounding area that they'd like to share?