The closing of the first show of our season gives me a short break to head to New York City.
“Lucky,” you might be thinking, and you’d be right! For me, it’s a little like going home since I lived there for 10 years before starting my regional theatre life. The city has also changed in the intervening time, with some of my most favorite restaurant spots now permanently closed. Like Kodama Sushi, which used to be on the corner of 45th and 8th, where I would pick up Zoë Wanamaker’s dinner on a two-show day of Elektra in the late 90’s. Or The Place in the West Village, where you could grab a romantic table in the Euro-bistro style garden level restaurant.
Especially now, though, I go to see shows, meet friends and colleagues, and attend the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s New Musical Festival. This year, I served on the selection committee for the final two rounds, which means I read, listened to, and evaluated nearly 40 musicals.
What kinds of shows will I be seeing?
Mostly, I will focus my time Off-Broadway, with maybe one or two productions on Broadway. I seek out plays that speak to our mission at The Human Race. I also love to see writers who are evolving in their craft – what are they working on now? You may have read my blog about how I go about selecting a season. This trip is part of that process. Seeing what’s out there keeps me thinking about what our Dayton audiences want and need, and how the shows I see may or may not fit those needs.
Kappy and I will overlap on this trip, so you’ll be able to follow our day-to-day on Instagram – @humanracetheatre. If you would be interested in learning more about taking a curated trip to New York City to see and discuss shows with me in upcoming seasons, send me an email at emily@humanracetheatre.org
See you at the theatre!
