Meet the Artists (But Really, Artists Meet the Community)

Today we had the chance to meet some of the Weston community at a small reception and "Meet the Artists" panel at the Playhouse.  Julia and I were invited -  along with Joe, Rich, actors Jed and Margo, and our newly-arrive set designer Tim - to come along and discuss the show with Producing Artistic Director Steve Stettler and take questions from some of the regular theatergoers.

First off, it was enlightening to hear everyone else on the panel talk about the show from their perspective.  I mean, of course, we've all talked about it together.  But hearing everyone else talk publicly and candidly was both surprising and exhilarating.  We're so used to answering our usual set of questions about the show and it was great to throw others into the mix!

Moreso, though, it was wonderful to interact with people from the Weston community.  During the reception, we were hearing that a few audience members had read the script and were a little nervous about the subject matter.  But by the time we started to get questions from the audience everyone was open and intrigued.  There was a real willingness to recognize their own reticence with the subject matter and move beyond that to engage with the material and some of the issues it explores.  People were willing to be challenged.

I have to confess that when I sat in the audience for Fiddler on the Roof I looked around at all of the people watching and loving the classic show and thought to myself - How on earth will they react to us?  The audience is always an unknown quantity and the final collaborator in the process.  After today, though, I can't imagine that there is a better community to have in the audience for our world premiere.