My Dear Friends;
Every once in a while, the stars align, bringing together all the right people for just the right event. This whole mad, grand, steam-driven machine has actually been fueled by your talents and and imaginations. I turned the key and primed the pump, but once that engine roared to life, there was no stopping it. The show grew into a very, very funny and exceptionally entertaining statement on about 5000 topics, while managing to create a living world where dinosaurs as house pets made complete sense (of course, if you're an insane Alaskan governor, it already did -- sorry, couldn't help myself). Who cares if grouchy old deaf people didn't get it? Linc loved it, the conference scholars loved it and Shakespeare '70 saw some of it's biggest crowds at TCNJ, ever. I only hope that each of you is as proud of the show and yourselves, as I am of it and you. My expectations were continually and exponentially exceeded throughout the entire process. A director alone is nothing. A director with an amazing team can create an entirely new and unique new universe. Your trust in and commitment to my vision has gone above and beyond everything I had hoped for and each of your unique contributions to the show added up to far more than the sum of its parts.
Theatre began as religious worship, and I like to continue to think of in that way. As much as anything (and more than many things), art is what makes us uniquely human. And when so many people can come to a consensus about a piece of art and express it through such amazing work, the gods are pleased, indeed.
Thank you all so very much for taking part in such an important production for Shakespeare '70, TCNJ and myself. What we all managed to achieve with this production has not gone without notice and will go a long way toward cementing S'70's relationship with the College and their ability to produce more lage-scale productions on the main stage. As for myself, getting to direct in a space I know so well and love so much, on a show of such massive scale, has been both intimidating and exceptionally rewarding. Getting to share that experience with all of you has been like the gooey-fudgy frosting on a prize-winning brownie. Theatre should feed the soul, my dears. I am so very glad you were all there to partake with me.
I love and will miss all of you. I will never forget any of you and it is my fervent wish that we get to work together again and again. I'd take a trip to Excelsior (or anywhere else we might find ourselves) with all of you, anytime.
Remember to play! I promise you'll never be sorry for it. It will keep you young and happy. It has been my complete joy to play with you.And keep an eye out for those sneaky ham- bushes!
With my deepest affection and boundless gratitude, Prospero
"What hath God wrought!"
PS - One last thing about teamwork (and if you've already heard or read this, it bears repeating. Plus, it's the short version):
Confucius dreamt that he visited hell. Hell turned out to be a huge dining hall, filled with tables laden with every delicious and delightful dish known to mankind. The damned were all seated around the tables, starving. They had each been given ten-foot long chopsticks with which to eat and try as they might, they couldn't maneuver their chopsticks to reach the food into their mouths. They wept from hunger and despair. Then Confucius visited Heaven. Heaven turned out to also be a huge dining hall, filled with tables laden with every delicious and delightful dish known to mankind. The people seated around the tables in Heaven had also been given ten-foot long chopsticks with which to eat, but they were all happy and well-fed, taking great pleasure in the bounty before them. The difference? In Heaven, the blessed used their chopsticks to feed each other.
Every once in a while, the stars align, bringing together all the right people for just the right event. This whole mad, grand, steam-driven machine has actually been fueled by your talents and and imaginations. I turned the key and primed the pump, but once that engine roared to life, there was no stopping it. The show grew into a very, very funny and exceptionally entertaining statement on about 5000 topics, while managing to create a living world where dinosaurs as house pets made complete sense (of course, if you're an insane Alaskan governor, it already did -- sorry, couldn't help myself). Who cares if grouchy old deaf people didn't get it? Linc loved it, the conference scholars loved it and Shakespeare '70 saw some of it's biggest crowds at TCNJ, ever. I only hope that each of you is as proud of the show and yourselves, as I am of it and you. My expectations were continually and exponentially exceeded throughout the entire process. A director alone is nothing. A director with an amazing team can create an entirely new and unique new universe. Your trust in and commitment to my vision has gone above and beyond everything I had hoped for and each of your unique contributions to the show added up to far more than the sum of its parts.
Theatre began as religious worship, and I like to continue to think of in that way. As much as anything (and more than many things), art is what makes us uniquely human. And when so many people can come to a consensus about a piece of art and express it through such amazing work, the gods are pleased, indeed.
Thank you all so very much for taking part in such an important production for Shakespeare '70, TCNJ and myself. What we all managed to achieve with this production has not gone without notice and will go a long way toward cementing S'70's relationship with the College and their ability to produce more lage-scale productions on the main stage. As for myself, getting to direct in a space I know so well and love so much, on a show of such massive scale, has been both intimidating and exceptionally rewarding. Getting to share that experience with all of you has been like the gooey-fudgy frosting on a prize-winning brownie. Theatre should feed the soul, my dears. I am so very glad you were all there to partake with me.
I love and will miss all of you. I will never forget any of you and it is my fervent wish that we get to work together again and again. I'd take a trip to Excelsior (or anywhere else we might find ourselves) with all of you, anytime.
Remember to play! I promise you'll never be sorry for it. It will keep you young and happy. It has been my complete joy to play with you.And keep an eye out for those sneaky ham- bushes!
With my deepest affection and boundless gratitude, Prospero
"What hath God wrought!"
PS - One last thing about teamwork (and if you've already heard or read this, it bears repeating. Plus, it's the short version):
Confucius dreamt that he visited hell. Hell turned out to be a huge dining hall, filled with tables laden with every delicious and delightful dish known to mankind. The damned were all seated around the tables, starving. They had each been given ten-foot long chopsticks with which to eat and try as they might, they couldn't maneuver their chopsticks to reach the food into their mouths. They wept from hunger and despair. Then Confucius visited Heaven. Heaven turned out to also be a huge dining hall, filled with tables laden with every delicious and delightful dish known to mankind. The people seated around the tables in Heaven had also been given ten-foot long chopsticks with which to eat, but they were all happy and well-fed, taking great pleasure in the bounty before them. The difference? In Heaven, the blessed used their chopsticks to feed each other.
You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth"
with the title Open Letter to My Cast & Crew. You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/10/open-letter-to-my-cast-crew.html. Thanks!
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