I sat down at The Civic Theater to talk to Mary Harris about dressers and wardrobe. Mary got into costumes on a whim about 20 years ago at the Pine Hills Lodge in Julian. "One of the guys in a …

The microphone could be the most influential development in theater since electric lighting. Electric lighting illuminated theater in a manner not experienced before. The microphone amplifies theater in a manner not experienced before. At first blush it may sound overstated …

If you haven't been to a community theater production recently, what are you waiting for? Better yet, if you 've never been in a community theater production, what are you waiting for? Community theater is always incredible. It has a …

This summer, San Diego audiences have an opportunity to see a show on board the USS Midway Museum. CCT, Christian Community Theater, has long been a bastion of community theater in San Diego. They have been doing Broadway style shows …

Since Greek comedy was based on satire and politics, where did the Greeks go to laugh? Satyr plays. These plays were the original vaudeville/slapstick/burlesque. Satyr plays were more blatant than any of those tame theatrical forms. Satyr plays featured a …

Initially, comedy was differentiated from drama by having a happy ending. There were three periods of Greek comedy. The three periods were Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy--no joke--those are the categories. Not much is left of Middle and …

The word tragedy has become such a standard part of our everyday speech that we have lost its context. We use tragic to qualify everything from earthquakes in Japan and Haiti to spilling wine on our favorite piece of clothing. …

Since we’ve gone back to ancient, Greek, myths handed down to us by Roman poets, lets look a little bit at the origins of theater. The original practices of theater were based in the religious practices of the Athenians regarding …

Where did the title Pygmalion come from? For an answer to that, we must return to the source. Ancient mythology. Pygmalion was a mythological story from the island of Cyprus and the most popular version of it was handed down …

The musical My Fair Lady is based on a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The title of his play is Pygmalion. The character of Eliza Doolittle was based on a popular actress known as Mrs. Patrick Campbell. Mrs. …

An element to be aware of and pay attention to in a play is character arc. The character arc refers to the changing views and opinions of characters as they progress through the play. Character arc is different from character …

Why is the green room called green? If you’re not aware, the green room is the room that performers wait in before going on stage. However, I’m not sure how many theaters employ the green room for that purpose anymore. …

Enjoy the limelight—but what is the limelight? We use this phrase from time to time, sometimes earnestly, most times sarcastically. Where does it come from? It comes from the theater, the 19th Century theater. The limelight was a mechanism that …

When I saw what Stick Fly was about, I rolled my eyes and wondered how long this type of show is going to be around. A prestigious, black family visits their home in Martha’s Vineyard and one of the two …

After the Torrey Pines performance of Tommy, I was talking to a few parents about some of the show’s quirkier moments. Predictably, one of them said something to the effect, “I just think getting up there and being a part …

Having recently heard much carping about the funding of the arts, I decided to go see a high school stage production. The production was The Who’s Tommy at Torrey Pines High School. My idea backfired somewhat. “We are funded by …

Little Miss Sunshine is currently playing at The La Jolla Playhouse. I’m interested to see how this show works on stage. It has been converted into a musical and three VW buses have been turned into set pieces. This isn’t …

Why are there vomitoriums in theaters? They’re there so patrons can puke if a romantic comedy becomes too sappy. Commonly called “the voms”, vomitoriums are nothing more than exits and have nothing to do with puking or romantic comedies. The …

I was kicking around Old Town the other day and stopped to get a cookie at a coffee stand next to The Old Town Theater. The barista mentioned she had seen the current show, Tragedy of the Commons and really …

The process of bringing a show to the stage is enormous. As members of the audience, we are at a show to be entertained. We want to see a good show. I find it interesting that the amount of work …