Leigha Horton :: Greenroom
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Well, heck – if this isn’t a nice way to end 2007, I don’t know what is:

St. Paul Pioneer Press
The trick was trying to see all the Twin Cities theater magic in 2007
by Dominic Papatola

#4 (out of 10) “Anton in Show Business,” staged by Starting Gate Productions

The script is a sharp-eyed and wickedly funny look at a fictitious regional theater’s production of “The Three Sisters,” and by extension and sly parallel, the weird and wacky backstage of American theater.

If you go only to big theaters in the area to see plays, then you probably wouldn’t recognize anyone in director Leah Cooper’s cast. But if there’s any justice in the world, both the director and the seven performers in this all-female cast should be remembered for future gigs for their solid ensemble work.

Annnnnd…

Lavender Magazine
Year in Review 2007
by John Townsend

Genderbending in Twin Cities theater had a field day in 2007. An all-male cast of Richard III by 10,000 Things and an all-female cast of Anton in Show Business at Starting Gate were exceptional.

Best Productions: #6 – Anton in Show Business, Starting Gate Productions

Best Supporting Actress: Mo Perry, Anton in Show Business, Starting Gate Productions

A thousand thanks to Dominic and John for the recognition; yet another “yay, team!” to my dear Anton in Show Business cast and crew; and a special congrats to the Mo-mobile – girl, you are unstoppable! Choo-choo!

Thursday, December 20 – 3ish
Mon agent extraordinaire calls with the news that I’ve been chosen to be the voice of a marketing firm’s client’s (I know, I know) telephone system based on my demo alone, no audition needed. I’m so accustomed to getting audition calls that it takes a repeat for me to realize that I actually HAVE the gig. “Wha-really?-Sweet!” I’m told that I’ll be recording the next day, and that they’ll get back to me with a confirmation of time. Horton Happy Dance ensues.

Thursday, December 20 – 9:30 pm
Agent calls – still no confirmation of time. Cue sinking gut feeling. Dredge up memories of the Qwest commercial I landed back in June, but lost due to a script issue that went missing in the bowels of their legal department.

Friday, December 21 – 9:30 am
Agent says they’re still working on it. I am optimistically cynical – brain abuzz with trust that great things will come, yet tempered by bitter memories of former gigs lost.

Friday, December 21 – 1:21 pm
Agent calls to say that Client has decided to save money by going with an internal employee, without ever hearing my pipes. Saving money = no job for me, and deeply-Minnesota-accented telephone system for them. Turns out there is lining, however, and it is silver – Marketing Firm is very, very disappointed at Client’s decision, and looks forward to working with me in the future.

Friday, December 21 – 4:41 pm
Agent calls to say that I lost one…but gained another. I am wary. Yet I love my agent. Pensive Horton Happy Dance ensues. I’ve landed a voiceover for the Kansas Lottery, wherein I get to talk about my boyfriend in Topeka. Topeka. Topeka, Topeka, Topeka. It’s a fun word to say. Try it. Seriously. I’ll wait. See? It’s right up there with “button” and “pocket.” I imagine it’s going to be even more fun to get paid to say it.

Anyway, the recording is slated for late next week, but has yet to be confirmed… I shall hope for the lack of a theme here.

I am a recent recipient of a grant from A Very Small Arts Fund, and wanted to spread the word about the organization, because, frankly, they’re awesome.

About the Fund:
A Very Small Arts Fund is a very small arts fund for very small arts organizations and individual performing artists that gives very small grants of $1 to $1,500. The Fund is open to artists and organizations that are performing and/or living in Minneapolis or St. Paul.

The Rules:
1. Be a very small arts organization or individual performing artist living and/or working in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Need between a buck and $1,500.
2. Don’t ask more than once a year (funds are limited).
3. Don’t ask for more than you absolutely need (funds are limited).
4. Be specific about what you want the funds for (that makes it more fun for us).

The application is online – it’s very, very short and very, very easy. The best part is that the turnaround time was under a week. A week! Go get ‘em, tigers!

The ever-elusive Ministry of Cultural Warfare is actually holding AUDITIONS. Yes. YES! This only happens once every leap year or so – granted, it’s about 20 days early for a leap year audition, but we at MoCW are all fancy-free (lazy?) like that – so come audition.

If you’re cast, we’ll teach you the secret handshake and you’ll learn what we drink to keep ourselves looking so fresh and vibrant – I am 429 years old, after all.

AUDITIONS DEC 16-17:
Ministry of Cultural Warfare is looking for funny actors for a double-bill of Chekhov parodies for the Twin Cities Chekhov Festival at Bryant-Lake Bowl, February 2008.

A Rain of Seagulls, written by Meron Langsner, directed by Leah Cooper, explores nearly every Chekhovian theme known to man in roughly 40 minutes—meaning that, of course, the cast is heavily armed and rather morose.
2 women ages 20-30
1 woman age 40-55
1 man age 20-30
3 men age 30-45

Our Vanya, Ourselves, written by Matthew Foster, directed by Reid Knuttila, is a mash-up between Anton’s Uncle Vanya and “Sisters and Other Strangers,” a classic episode of The Golden Girls when Dorothy’s cousin Magda visits from Czechoslovakia after the fall of communism.
3 women: 35-50
1 woman: 25-35
1 woman: 55+

Rehearsals January 14 through February 6. Performances February 7, 22 and 28.

All the details at the MoCW site. Sides will be available for download there soon also.

Anton in Show Business closed yesterday to the tune of a great performance and an excellent audience. Because I played the part of a critic, I had a small notepad with me at all times, and through the course of the run had taken some bizarre and hilarious scribblings that often read like the label on a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap. Each performance got a fresh page with “JOBY’S BOOK” written in all-caps across the top, the date, the run time for each act, and a page or two of notes.

Sometimes the day’s notes were an inspired, yet often unintelligible, in-character response to a confrontation; sometimes they were the result of the sheer tedium of sitting through the show for the twelfth time. I promised the Anton cast and crew that I would publish the notes at the end of the run – so, in memoriam, here are the highlights:

November 8, 7:30 pm (preview)

• Sodomizing!!
• offensive for the sake of being offensive
• really weird stuff going on with the stagehands
• Christine?

November 9, 7:30 pm

• Self-note: revisit overly self-aware/nervousness
• Jane Martin = John Jory <– a MAN!
• I can’t believe THIS OUTRAGEOUS Horrible “God” Artist!
• Ralph? Boy?
• come up with an answer for “How do you like it so far?”

November 10, 7:30 pm

• ALARM x2
• 2^nd time door issue
• broken bike
• I am so pissed right now

November 11, 2 pm

• Story idea: bad attitude – meeting people with bad attitudes – had hoped for better

November 16, 7:30 pm

• this is out
• iron Kate’s pants
• make notes for reserved seats – close call!
• Casey is threatening me

November 17, 7:30 pm

• chairs clanking backstage
• dressing scene – pen light running up ramp
• airplane scene super loud backstage
• flashlights, curtains
• I just can’t even believe this – this is ridiculous – insufferable. GOD?! NO.
• Story v. Interpretation <– dull, lacking feeling, hateful
• HAMBONE CHEESEBALL
• [doodle: Joby played tic tac toe with herself today. X won.]

November 18, 2 pm

• Door wrong every time this week – redress the former and satirize the latter!
• Director v. The People: When does ART become religion? FORCING people into faith without giving them the substance – the STORY – to go on.
• [doodle: A bit of long division to figure out that the “Theater Tickets All Year” (6 for $99) work out to $16.50 per ticket. Mental note that it’s a good deal for the Guthrie and others, bad deal for Walking Shadow and others.]

November 19, 7:30 pm (pay-what-you-can performance)

• LH: remember to make proper “reserved” signs + LAUNDRY
• I just can’t even believe this absolute nonsense. Zoe Benston is going down. “Challenging” the audience is unforgivable as a performer. (general note to readers – the Zoe comment was Joby’s doing – Leigha likes Zoe, and has no intention of taking her down).
• Is the word “masturbate” really used in Springtime for Hitler? I think I heard it.

November 23, 7:30 pm

• That is not a good answer to the race question.
• Art vs. God – WTF?!! Inappropriate! Tobacco interests right on the heels of religion – that is something…
• Kid: “Excuse me, did he say, ‘I will fuck you with my art?’

Joby: (breathe deeply) ‘yes.’

Kid: ‘Okay. Thank you.’

• Young fellow – it looks like he was looking for a band name.
• Walkout after makeout scene! Ha – prudes.

November 24, 7:30 pm

• THE DIRECTOR IS NOT GOD!!!
• “interpretation” v. “story” STORY OUGHT TO WIN.

November 25, 2 pm

• LH: remember to take home brown pants
• unbelievable – artist pitting art against audience. This is ____.

November 30, 7:30 pm

• Casey Mulgraw is bossy and just plain wrong. And that director – whooaaa boy – what a joke. He’s just a total nutcase. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
• BMSSG = Bargain Mart Suburban Shoppers’ Guide.
• BMSSG is a good start, BMSSG is a good start, BMSSG is a good start.

December 1, 7:30 pm

• I am so engraged. Rage rage rage. Great artist my ass.
• Casey Mulgraw is on the side of the fascist director.
• Okay, I feel better now. I am better than this. I am better than them.   (another Joby note, definitely not Leigha)

December 2, 2 pm

• Racial?
• Great Artist?! I think not. I think NOT. I don’t know how it’s possible that these artists are going to manage with this director – he’s crazy and crazy.

And that was all she wrote. Good night, Joby.