This is an opportunity for the adventuresome theatergoer to participate in Theater Schmeater’s Theater Adventure Reward Program (TARP – unlike the Fed’s program, you don’t have to give it back!). By attending this preview of The Twilight Zone: LIVE!, each audience member will receive One Dollar! This offer is limited to “first-come, first-served” at the box office (no reservations), and the box office will open at 7:00 p.m. Theater Schmeater offers this program to encourage dedicated theatergoers who thrill at the excitement and occasional danger of being in an audience for a production’s initial public performance.
Archive for June, 2009
What is a TARP Preview?
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009Parking at The Schmee
Monday, June 29th, 2009With the Zones opening in a week I just want to post a note about parking at The Schmee. Fridays and Saturdays can be very tight on Capitol Hill so you have to leave yourself a few extra minutes to find parking. There are a couple of close by parking lots — the one on the east side of Summit about a block south of Theater Schmeater is the cheapest, but often by by 7:30 pm it is full. The garage straight across the street from us closes at 10 pm, so we don’t recommend it as there is a big fine to get your car out of it after 10 pm.
Street parking at the meters is free after 6 pm. Be careful at some of the non-metered street parking with time limitations on them before 10pm (1hr parking only 8 am - 10 pm). SPD doesn’t always patrol these streets, but sometimes they do and that can result in a ticket. Most, but not all, of the yellow loading zones are available after 6 pm — always read the sign for avaiability. The loading zone right in front of The Schmee is not technically free after 6 pm — again this can matter if they are patrolling on a given night.
I have my parking secrets, but as always the best thing is to get up to the area right after 6pm, enjoy one of the fine eating establishments in the area (I recommend The Rosebud on Pike about three blocks east of Summit) and then walk down to the theater.
If you have any parking hints or favorites, share them here. We’d love to hear from you.
—Paddy St. Claire, Professional Curmudgeon
Time Flies
Sunday, June 14th, 2009This past week we had our designer run. Seems like only a couple of days since we had our first reading. Very soon now, we’ll all have to make good on the promises we made when we signed those contracts with The Schmee.
I arrived somewhat earlier than I needed to, demonstrating a couple of the disadvantages to coming in from the boonies to do theater. The first being that when you’ve got to cross the lake to get here and you leave a bit of extra time just in case, often you don’t need it. The second being that if you leave early, in order to leave extra time, you may get out of the house before the message from the stage manager saying that the plan has changed slightly. No matter. I got to see some of the fight work and meet Sophie, the theater dog.
The designer run is an opportunity for the designers to see what the director is doing with the show. As a lighting designer, it gives me an chance to make sure I’m planning on having light where the actors are going to be (among other things). At this one, I also got to see a preview of some of the set pieces. Things look to be coming together well. There weren’t any big suprises, although the stage looks mighty large in this configuration. I’d forgotten how wide Theater Schmeater really is.
One final thought before I go back to battling the dark forces of technical writing and (un)productivity software. On any given walk across Capitol Hill it’s not unusual to see something odd or interesting, and this was no exception. On my way back to my car, I passed by the display windows at Brocklind’s Formal Wear, Theater Schmeater’s upstairs neighbor. In one of the windows, I saw the following sight, which lends new meaning to ‘Brother can you lend a hand.’
’til next time.
-daveh







