It’s been about a month since we opened GOOD WEATHER FOR BUNDT CAKES in my living room in south Austin. It was something I wanted to do, but it was an experiment and I knew there was a possibility it’d fall on its face.
I feel the show was a success overall and that everyone involved in the production enjoyed the experience and would do it again if the circumstances were right. So that’s great. Number one objective accomplished.
What did you like about it?
- I liked meeting strangers who were nice and grateful for the opportunity to see a play in a small venue with great actors
- I liked hearing people laugh, and watching the performances and rhythm change each night
- I liked the feeling of accomplishment when we wrapped up a show and things went exactly (or almost exactly) as planned
- I liked working with everyone involved (Christi, Rita, Roxy, Lana, Suzanne and Natalie) and appreciated their understanding and flexibility about things like my need to do laundry during rehearsals and the shelf in my fridge occasionally falling out
What was hard for you?
- The usual insecurity and anxiety I feel when watching something new of mine for the first time: will people respond? Will they like it? What are they thinking?
- Realizing over the first couple of performances that I couldn’t keep the house cool enough with all those bodies there, and stressing about the rising temperatures
- Letting go and convincing myself it was what it was, and that I couldn’t control how people felt about the show
Any surprises?
- I didn’t anticipate a Lighting budget for some reason. We ended up investing in some equipment that allowed the lights to be triggered by an app, and paying for a very valuable lighting consult
- A couple of different people asked after the show if we would consider putting on a play inside their homes at some point too, that they loved the intimacy of the performances
Would you do it again?
Totally. But not right away. Maybe in a year? Maybe at someone else’s house, maybe at mine, maybe at an office, maybe in a backyard. I’d have to feel confident enough about the script and be able to get actors I really liked.
But yeah, I’d love to do it again at some point. Thumbs up.
