lifttheater Unlocking LiFT

Unlocking LiFT 6: For Love

It’s happens. People come out of the woodwork. Stride out to the dance floor from the corners. They surprise. They delight. They risk their comfort zones. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s beautiful.

That’s one of the great joys of community theater. Hidden talents emerge in surprising ways, and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been caught off guard by someone’s performance. To have a friend cry or intimidate believably onstage is impressive. To have another friend provoke laughter with an interesting, dynamic voice and bring a character to life is delightful. The bonds that form after, rewarding.

For me, these surprises create the dynamism of community theater, improve a casts’ strength, and, really, make the whole thing fun. When these surprises happen, barriers are broken down, and let’s be honest here, we all have some sort of barrier. Whether it is a slight bias, or a judgment, an ego, or even lack of familiarity, when authentic surprise happens, these things are challenged. In the worst cases, there is begrudging respect. In the best cases, we see the performer in a new light, reconsider our initial barriers, see them as more human, and draw closer together.

I do not think this experience is unique to Little Falls, though I wish it were. Rather, this is a trait of theater, and community theater in particular. These small challenges, these surprise moments, could be used as a model for community building. I’ll try not to sound too idealistic here, because much of this is that, and lean towards a more pragmatic tone.

People have skill sets, and oftentimes they don’t utilize them fully, or only use them in narrow ways (like strictly for a job). Though, when people get involved in community activities, they increase the likelihood that their skills will be drawn upon in various ways. It’s a bit of a risk, getting involved and throwing yourself out there, but this challenge is useful, and often helps us grow. For a community it is crucial to draw on this, and for community theater it is absolutely necessary. Without people taking risks, growing, failing, and sharing their skills – community theater doesn’t happen.

None of us get paid to do this. Our compensation? Gratification, friendship, growth, and love.

Till soon,

Matt

lifttheater Unlocking LiFT

Unlocking LiFT 5: Podcasting

Podcasts have been around for a few years, but have really become vogue. Some say the “Golden Age” of radio has come again. The sheer amount of content available, the ease of access, and the immense variety is astounding. So we thought we’d toss our hat in the ring with The Brass Lantern, because it is right up our alley.

And it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

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Teaching the next generation of podcasters.

One of our favorite things to do is create new work, reach new audiences, and allow as many people as possible to experience the wonder of the our art form: theater. And the possibilities with radio theater are too good to pass up. With its zero cost, accessibility, and specialized interests, this openness is optimal for our audience.

Every month we crank out a new script, record, re-record sometimes, make a trailer, edit the audio, music, create and add sound effects, and more. It’s an immense amount of work, time, coordination, attention to detail, and creative marketing, but it’s worth it. We are developing new work, which means developing ourselves, bettering ourselves to make better entertainment for all of you.

We choose audio drama, because we like it, but the possibilities are endless. In fact, we are having so much fun with this, we are considering more shows and perhaps a whole podcasting arm to LiFT. It’s a new and exciting time for us. We hope you enjoy what we have planned.

Let us know what you think!

Talk soon.

Matt Powers