Rebecca Marx
With the proliferation of social media, it is more apparent than ever that every one of us has a story to tell. Young women in particular go through their adolescence faced with a lot of challenges, and learned stereotypes regarding who they should be in the world. Parents and caregivers struggle with what kind of entertainment (theater, film, television etc.) they can expose their young daughters to in order for them to gain a different world view. The goal being a healthier one in which they are the hero – not the victim, and they feel empowered enough to tell their story, their real story.
During my chat with Joy Donley, the Director of the backyard musical Orphie and the Book of Heroes I learned about the production’s cultural and entertainment value, as well as why this production means so much to her. Sadly, Donley lost her father this summer, a tremendous loss to their family as he was its primary storyteller. Orphie focuses on feeling empowered, being your own hero and telling your story. A fitting tribute to Donley’s father, and one made all the more meaningful by the non-profit food truck that the production has partnered with.
“I’m so excited about this non-profit (http://storiescafe.org/food-truck) because they are truly passionate and motivated to do good and to make a difference in our community and in our world. That inspires me – and I hope it will inspire our audiences, too. I also love how their passion to fight human trafficking really fits with the themes of our show, i.e. telling your story, being a hero (especially girl heroes!) and that no one is too small to make a difference.”
So bring the bug spray, a blanket or chair, and settle the family down to take in the Front Porch Theatre’s musical production of Orphie and the Book of Heroes. The production is a free event, though donations are suggested at the show, or beforehand at: https://www.gofundme.com/backyardshow. Don’t forget your appetite as The Stories Café: http://storiescafe.org/food-truck will be there too! Proceeds from the food truck go to fight human trafficking and helping children at risk. Be prepared for a great relaxed theater experience in the comfort of Mother Nature!
Rift: This is the third year that the Front Porch Theatre has produced a backyard show, how did it all begin?
JD: We used to produce shows at the MN Fringe Festival (since 2002), but since they turned to a lottery system, we often didn’t get in. Some friends of ours in Maple Grove (Bunce Backyard Productions) had been doing shows in their backyard, so we thought, “Hey, why couldn’t we do that on THIS side of town?”
Our first show, in 2011, came about on a night I had insomnia. I got up in the middle of the night and started to pull books off my shelf, thinking about which ones would make good stage adaptations. I chose Lemony Snicket’s The Austere Academy, and decided – in the middle of the night – to make it into a musical for our backyard. A week later, I had written the script and Michael (my husband) had written the music for Lemony Snicket: The Musical! We cast a couple of professional actors (our friends Jeremiah and Vanessa Gamble of Bucket Brigade) and also children and community theatre actors. We put up 3 shows, and had approximately 700 people attend! In 2014, we put up The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, by Mary Lynn Dobson. It was a family-friendly non-musical comedy. Michael wrote one comic song for it, called “Not An Intermission Song,” which we performed while passing buckets for donations.
Rift: Do you have a history of putting on theater in unique spaces?
JD: You could say that! Besides the backyard, we put up a show in my brother-in-law’s church basement. It was a “satellite” location for the MN Fringe one year. They had a small stage in their basement that was packed full of school materials and concrete blocks. We had to move all that off and paint the walls in order to have a place to perform!
Rift: The term “community theater” is well understood, but the idea of putting on a theatrical production right in someone’s yard – well, that takes it to a whole different level. Do you notice a different relationship between backyard theater and its audience, as compared to being seated in a theater and watching a play?
JD: Backyard theatre is a little more forgiving in terms of audience behavior. We can’t expect complete silence on the part of the audience because we can’t expect complete silence from the nature sounds around us! We don’t use amplification for our actors, so obviously actors have to project and the audience has to be quiet enough to hear them. However, I think families who might feel they can’t take their kids to the theatre would feel more comfortable bringing them to an outdoor show, because it’s a little more relaxed.
Rift: Are there particular challenges that you engage when putting on a production of this type?
JD: #1: the weather. Today is supposed to be hot, humid and in the 90s. We’ll probably do some choreography in our basement – just to have some A/C. At our last backyard show, it sprinkled rain the first 2 nights. At one point we saw a bunch of people leave the performance, and we thought, “Oh, no. They’re leaving! What should we do?” But a few minutes later we saw them all walking back…with umbrellas! We didn’t lose anyone that night – plus, we had the funniest moment in the show where one of the actors who was wearing fuzzy house slippers, reached and pulled off the shoe and wrung it out onstage. It got a HUGE laugh! The weather forecast was rain for our final night. I had made arrangements with the City of Maplewood to use Edgerton Elementary as an alternate space in case of rain. However, I couldn’t reach my contact person that day! We sweated it out – hoping that the rain wouldn’t come. The actors started arriving at 5pm…and miraculously, the sky started to clear, the sun started to shine – and we had our most beautiful evening of the entire run!
Rift: The musical director is Michael Pearce Donley (Triple Espresso), who is also your husband, and I noticed that your children are also listed as being a part of the production. It is quite a family affair! Does that make it difficult to avoid taking your job home with you?
JD: Haha! No. We love doing it. Plus, it’s great not having to travel elsewhere to rehearse! But my kids have gotten older now, so my 18 year old daughter has her own day job and can’t help out at all rehearsals. My 15 year old son is a stage hand for this show, and our only difficulty is getting him off his phone in order to move a set piece… haha! Michael also has a day job (he works on the media team at Eagle Brook Church), and can’t be there for the entire afternoon rehearsals, so we use recorded tracks for the actors when Mike is away. However, Mike will play live for the shows.
Rift: Every year you have partnered with a non-profit organization to “raise awareness of local and global needs.” Who are you partnering with this year?
JD: We are partnering with a brand-new non-profit called Stories Café. They have just purchased a food truck and are starting to get equipped to sell healthy food, with the proceeds going toward fighting injustice issues (like human trafficking). They will be bringing the truck to our driveway for some of the shows and offering healthy snacks which, for now, will be made off-site. I’m so excited about this non-profit because they are truly passionate and motivated to do good and to make a difference in our community and in our world. That inspires me – and I hope it will inspire our audiences, too. I also love how their passion to fight human trafficking really fits with the themes of our show, i.e. telling your story, being a hero (especially girl heroes!) and that no one is too small to make a difference.
Rift: Orphie and the Book of Heroes by Christopher Dimond is the book that the play is based upon, how was this chosen?
JD: Michael (my husband) once worked with Chris Dimond and his co – creator, Michael Kooman, in a show called Junior Claus, which played in Bloomington several years ago. So we were familiar with the Kooman/Dimond team and have really enjoyed their writing. When we listened to ORPHIE we knew it would be perfect for the backyard. Plus, it was attractive to have Greek “fairy” tales – an idea that is a little more fresh than your typical children’s fairy tales.
Rift: The book has a very empowering message. As the mother of a daughter, did you find yourself especially taken with the idea of making it into your backyard musical?
JD: Oh yes. Once the show closes, we immediately take our daughter off to college for the first time. She is majoring in Global Health, so we are incredibly excited for her to go out and make a difference in the world. She wants to travel and educate people on health and medical practices. This show really encourages that empowering message – so it makes a great send – off for her.
The other theme of telling your story/leaving a legacy really resonates with me because I just lost my father this summer. He passed away at the end of June and we’ve been working through grief and transitioning my mother to live with us. My dad was a GREAT storyteller. He would tell stories from his life to anyone and everyone he met – he knew no strangers. At his funeral, the number one thing people mentioned about Dad was his storytelling. Having grown up on a farm in the Depression, going to a one – room schoolhouse and serving in the Army, he never lacked for stories. Our lives are much quieter not having him around, and I’m dedicating this show to his memory. I can’t tell stories like he did – but I can tell a story through theatre. That’s how I’m carrying on his legacy.
Rift: What a beautiful way to share your father’s legacy. It takes a tremendous amount of work and passion to put something like this together, what other things make it worth it for you?
JD: Yes, it is a lot of work – but it’s so FUN! The chance to be creative with a group of creative people who are just as passionate is a true gift. Collaborating on a common cause, to create art that has purpose, and to share it with people – there’s just nothing like it. It’s completely gratifying. I’ll never retire from this job!
Rift: Are the behind the scenes tech crew and the actors ready for the performances? What are they most excited about?
JD: We had musical rehearsals last week, and just started our choreography rehearsals on Monday. Everyone is rocking it! The actors have been commenting on how much they love the musical score. Our lead, Suzie Juul, who plays Orphie, has the voice of a Disney princess! A funny thing from one of our actors yesterday in rehearsal: when I gave him the direction to “enter through the patio door” he said, “That’s the first time I’ve EVER written that phrase in a script.” Haha!
Our tech crew (props/set/costumes) I think are particularly excited about the Greek monster hat – masks they are creating from an advanced type of paper – folding. We have Cerberus the 3-headed dog, the Hydra serpent, and the Nemean Lion – who, in our show is the Nemean DANDElion. Plus we have Pegasus as a flight attendant. Very funny!
*Performances of Orphie and the Book of Heroes run August 18-21 at 6:30pm in the backyard of 1829 Burr Street, Maplewood, 55117. The show is free, but donations are requested https://www.gofundme.com/backyardshow . Audiences should bring their lawn chairs or blankets and bug spray. For more information, go to facebook.com/frontporchtheatre & http://storiescafe.org/food-truck.
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