What’s the appeal of Plays for Presidents at Concordia College?

Concordia is a relatively isolated, small college with a mission to “influence the affairs of the world.”    44 Plays for 44 Presidents will help our students to connect their art, work and lives with theatre artists across the country.  And it gives our students the potential to be a part of something that can impact audiences across the country and around the world.

How does Plays for Presidents fit into your season? 

At Concordia we try to produce a wide variety of plays over a student’s four years in the program.  We rotate through the genres typical for college theatres–classical comedy and tragedy, 20th Century American plays, Broadway musicals, etc.  Every few years the opportunity comes along to do something completely different: for our college next year, Plays for Presidents is that show.

Any concerns about doing this show on a college campus — which can be occasionally political?

One great thing about doing Plays for Presidents at a college is that the show is political without being preachy.  The humor in the pieces allow it to be thought-provoking without being dull.  A college is exactly the right place to raise a host of questions about our past, as we are trying to do our part to create a thoughtful and informed electorate.  We hope that the production will bring together students, staff, faculty and members of our community, and create an opportunity for dialogue, research and study.

David Wintersteen is a Department of Theatre faculty member at Concordia College in Moorehead, Minn. He will be directing their production of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents later this year.

And can you imagine jumping with Taft in your arms?

We’re proud to welcome Lewis University in the ranks. Go Romeoville, Illinois!

The Chicago area is shaping up to be a hotbed of productions, with three producers in and around Chicago (and a fourth happening down state that I can’t talk about yet. Shhhhh.)

Lewis University’s program prepares students to really work in the theatre, which is a good and rare thing. “Emphasizing the collaborative nature of theatre productions, students work closely with faculty and staff to gain an appreciation of the integrative process of theatre craft.” 44 Plays for 44 Presidents certainly requires a LOT of moving parts and integrated disciplines to pull off.

There is a William Howard Taft High School in Chicago, and apparently the guy who wrote Grease went there. What do Grease and 44 Plays for 44 Presidents and Lewis University have in common aside from the great state of Illinois? Oh my God nothing!

But when I asked theatre professor Kevin Trudeau,  why Lewis chose Taft, he told me…”I’ve always been fascinated, not with Taft himself so much, but with the circumstances surrounding both his elections.  Raised on high by Teddy (if such a thing were humanly possible), then rejected by him four years later.  The only incumbent to come in third when he ran for re-election—behind the man who had raised him to the Presidency in the first place.   Not even Taft could swallow that much drama. ”

Welcome aboard Lewis University.  And may your production be as awesome as Taft’s pants.

I went to Springfield, IL, with my wife and daughter to celebrate Presidents’ Day. My family and I seemed to be the only ones who did this. Disney World, Springfield is not. That’s all I’ll say.

For me, however, it was better than Disney. I was inspired. And I loved it. From the moment I arrived at capital square, happened to look up and see the hand-painted sign “Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices” to the stop we made to pay our last respects at the big guy’s tomb on our way out of town–I was struck by one, overwhelming thought: “He deserves all this admiration.”

Have you ever found yourself struck by the Truth of a cliche–one you’d rolled your eyes at and ignored for years? And you think to yourself: “Oh, man. The cliche really is true!” You may open your mouth and try to explain this realization to a lover or close friend and they politely nod, because every word that comes out of your mouth sounds trite.

Studying–REALLY studying–the greatness of a great person like Abraham Lincoln feels the same way. You start out rolling your eyes or nodding politely because you (think) you know it all. You’ve heard he’s great so many times, his greatness has no impact on you. He’s on the frickin’ penny for Pete’s sake.

It wasn’t until I stood in the replicated interior of the old capitol building inside the
(AWESOME) Abraham Linclon Museum, that I  finally, truly understood the greatness of Mr. Lincoln.

The museum recreated what it looked like when Lincoln lay in state inside the capital, where thousands of Illinoisans paid their last respects before Lincoln was buried.

Over his coffin, there was a huge portrait. Can you guess who was the subject of the portrait? Lincoln? His family? A scene of General Lee surrendering to Grant at Appomattox?

Nope. It was George Washington.

Painted in huge letters across fabric that hung from the top of the wall were these words: “Washington the Father…Lincoln the Savior.”

We all know what Lincoln did. Some of us understand how difficult it was for him to do it; how much opposition and failure and death surrounded so much of his life and actions. He snuck into Washington D.C. to be inaugurated under the shadow of multiple death threats. His cabinet largely opposed the emancipation proclamation. Much of what he did caused fury in the north as well as the south. He was often ridiculed, reviled, defied, misunderstood and misrepresented.

But guess what? He was right. How did he know? How did he have the strength of character to NOT give up, give in or even compromise in the face of such opposition?

The nation seemed, even at the time of his death when he passed from person to myth, to grasp that his steadfastness and willingness to do the unpopular, saved our country. And they compared him to Washington, not because he took a bullet and was deified, but because history tells us that without Washington, we may not have survived our birth. Without Lincoln, we may not have survived as one country.

Did you roll your eyes when I when you read “Washington the Father; Lincoln the Savior”? Have you been rolling your eyes this whole time? This kind of admiration has fallen very out of favor…which kind of bums me out. (I half expect someone to comment on this post, and insist that Lincoln only freed the slaves to thwart a possible alliance between the south and England. Bring it on, btw.)

Was there after his death unabashed hero worship? Yes. Shameless.

Did these men become myths and all their flaws forgotten, only to be turned over by 21st century historians on a mission to make history more accurate? Sure. Yep. And good for those historians.

Were they great people? Since I’m not qualified to answer that question with authority, I won’t…though my opinion is obvious.

Did they do great things? Did they possess qualities and make decisions that made our country the country we know?

Yes. Absolutely. And that’s my point.

If you want to appreciate, truly appreciate, the world we’ve inherited, and strive to make it better, don’t roll your eyes at greatness. Learn about it and yes, emulated it, in some small or great measure. Why not? These actions, these moments of strong character, are the most useful aspects of our culture.

Have you ever heard the cliche “It’s a cliche because it’s true”? I love that historians have  highlighted our forefather’s flaws and contradictions because our heroes should be human. But if we dismiss the Big Guys as hypocritical, we miss the unimpeachable truth that made the legend a legend.

“A penny saved is a penny earned.”  Yeah. That one still makes me roll my eyes.

But it also makes some people rich.

I recently interviewed the director of Lake Forest College’s upcoming 44 Plays for 44 Presidents production, Chloe Johnston. Chloe is the Assistant Professor of Theatre at the college, the Education Coordinator for the Plays for Presidents Festival 2012, a co-writer of the play, a Neo-Futurist alum, and all-around amazing woman. Here’s what she had to say…

So… what’s it like to be directing something you wrote back in 2002?

Totally trippy. It’s weird how much of the show is fixed in my brain a certain way. It’s just delightful to get to see it come to life with such a great young cast. I’m having a wonderful time and actually feeling great about our little (not so little) show.

Lake Forest College will be the inaugural production. What’s that like?!? Do you feel any pressure or is it all glory at the moment?

No pressure, all glory. I think it’s exciting for the students to know that they’re setting the bar. They’ve started a tumblr of rehearsal photos (http://lfc44presidents.tumblr.com/) and there’s lot of other events happening on campus to celebrate the production.

You’ve mentioned how it’s weird to be doing this play when all of your co-writers are in town and likely to see it. Tell me a bit more about that.

I feel very responsible to them, not simply because they might attend but because, as a Neo-Futurist, I have a strong sense that I need to support the vision of my co-writers. I don’t think they’ll be mad–but I love what they did and want to honor it.

What’s your favorite moment of the show so far?

So tough. I’m loving the Jackson jug band. And the Cleveland dance. And that whiny, whiny Taft.

Which play have you struggled with the most?

So far, I’ve found myself struggling with Monroe. But I have a feeling FDR is about to kick our asses.

What insight would you want to share with other companies who will be premiering their works later in the year?

When we made the original show, we were flying by the seat of our pants, scrambling to finish the set and the script. Now that those things are taken care of, I’m just really enjoying rehearsing the show, the huge shifts between plays, the range of skills the actors get to display. You can never be bored with this show. And the actors are just rocking out and making it their own.

So there you have it! In the weeks ahead, we’ll share more info on how Lake Forest College is putting their creative stamp on the production, gathering more ideas from other producers in the field, and generating conversation about all the brilliant minds, talents, and artists involved in the Festival.

Rock on, LFC – we can’t wait to learn more!

We are so very honored that Drive Theatre has chosen to make 44 Plays for 44 Presidents it’s inaugural production this fall. In order to fund-raise for the effort, they’re performing  monthly “theatrical events” wherein a new text will be explored in living rooms or other spaces across Los Angeles. I think I’d like to catch one of those as much as I’d like to see their production of 44 Plays.

(Hey Drive, you should check out a project our own Jeff Mosser worked on a while back: http://jeffreymosser.me/archives/72. It could give you some ideas…)

I can understand why Drive chose 44 Plays and wants to join our Festival. Their mission says it all:

“Drive Theatre Company produces bold American plays that explore what it means to be an American…We…endeavor to collaborate with like-minded companies in Los Angeles and major cities nationwide.” Done and done.

Drive Theatre has chosen the Richard M. Nixon play for the video project. Excellent choice. Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California, only 36 miles from Los Angeles. He loved California. He loved it so much that when he lost his bid for the White House to John F. Kennedy, he ran for governor of California. And lost! How he he came back from that and was elected (and re-elected) to the White House is the stuff of American electoral mystery that makes their lives and our history so fascinating and interconnected.

Another fledgling group in a huge pond joins the ranks and we couldn’t be more pleased. Drive Theatre, you know a good opportunity when you see one and you deserve a huge success for being so bold and uh…American. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

We did it. We beat Sinclair Lewis.

At 23 credibly planned productions (and counting), we will surpass a record held by the Federal Theatre Project when they mounted 22 productions of the theatrical adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here in 1936.  In our country’s history, this is the closest parallel we could find to our project, given that it was an attempt to coincide multiple productions during an election year to raise awareness. And ours is bigger than theirs.

In their case, they wanted to make people afraid of fascism and thereby influence votes. In ours, we just want people to vote. We want people to remember what elections are really about–the next chapter in our national story, not the silly mania we see play out every day in the political-media-sphere.

Whether we will actually break a world record or not, it turns out is a matter of debate, riddled with too many technicalities to parse with a straight face.  Our researcher, Evan Hanover, asked me, for instance “Do passion plays count? If so, then churches kick the crap out of that record every Easter.”

Leaving passion plays out of the mix, it looks like we’ll need more than 41 simultaneous productions around the country to hit that world record mark. And all of them will need to be full productions, not staged readings. Will we do that? I think it’s possible, but
given our flexibility with dates and production types, we might have to go beyond the 44 mark to ensure 40 simultaneous productions. (And why sweat it? 44 is an awesome goal.)

But really, in my mind, the most important thing is our connection to the Federal Theatre Project, not just because there are parallels between their project and ours, but because the style of our play is very much inspired by the Living Newspaper form they pioneered.

All of these exciting milestones aside: something big and fun and memorable is forming this year around our project.  Don’t you think?

The ArtCenter of Carrboro, NC, is not just spitting distance from my in-laws, it’s also a “building from which the explosion of creativity emanates.”  And that’s in part because TAC does it all: art classes, concerts, theatre productions, children and family programs and gallery exhibits. Oh, and they’ve been around since 1975. (That’s the Gerald Ford administration.)

Franklin Pierce (left) with Rufus King (top right) and James Buchanan

They’ve chosen Franklin Pierce as their contribution to the video project. Why, may you ask have they chosen Mr. Pierce? Isn’t Andrew Johnson the President from North Carolina? Well…with the help of our researcher, Evan, TAC discovered Franklin Pierce is even more relevant to their community. A man by the name of William R. King, who attended the nearby UNC, became Franklin Pierce’s vice president. He was also, almost definitely, President James Buchanan’s long-time lover. Tragically, King died six weeks after becoming veep, making his the shortest vice presidency in our history. Yep…even Gerald Ford was vice president for longer than six weeks.

“The ArtsCenter nourishes the arts, creativity and community through education, performance and exhibition.” With 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, you kind of have all three, so this should be perfect for them.

I love companies like The ArtCenter because their mission (and actions) are so community-focused, when you poke through their site you find very few self-congratulating accolades (and they must have earned  many over the years.). What you mostly find are dozens of opportunities for the community to take in or learn to make art of all kinds. And given that they’ve been around for so long, you get the impression that they’ve touched a lot of lives.

Kudos for that. And welcome TAC!

Welcome Bad Habit Productions!

I’m thrilled Boston is in the Festival because I was born in the area and now I can force my family to attend one of my plays for the first time since I was in college.

But I’m also thrilled that it’s Bad Habit Productions (BHP) who are mounting the show. Boston’s CBS News affiliate rated BHP one of the best small theatre companies in Boston, describing them as ”thriv[ing] on the unique over the expected.” That’s our kind of company.

For the video project, Bad Habit has chosen JFK, whose Boston accent is mockingly invoked as often as the question is asked: “where were you when Kennedy was shot?”

BHP serves up both monthly comedy/improv shows and diverse live theatrical productions.  BHP prides itself on direct collaboration with local artists and is committed to furthering the presence of professional theatre in Boston, thereby enriching and inspiring the local arts community.

I think that’s awesome. After all, if Boston had been a better theatre town back in 1999, I may not have left for Chicago. (Hear that, Mah? It was Boston’s fault. Not mine!) Anyway, it sounds like it’s a better scene already–in no small part because of companies like Bad Habit–and I hope you succeed in making it better yet.

Hi there everybody, I’m Shannon McCormick, the artistic director of Gnap! Theater Projects in Austin, Texas. We were honored to be the first company aside from the Neo-Futurists to come onboard the 2012 44 Plays for 44 Presidents festival, but I’m afraid I won’t be talking that much about or intentions for our production of the show. Instead, I want to talk about my obsession with our nation’s presidents.

See, I’ve always been into the presidents. Well, that’s not exactly true.  But I’ve been into them ever since the concept of presidents entered my consciousness, which I can remember vividly.  I grew up in rural Iowa, and for a number of years my family took our summer vacations in South Dakota. Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, Wall Drug, the Badlands, Deadwood, all the classic destinations. One year we stopped in some kind of diner or steak house or some such for lunch, and the table mats were those cheap little paper jobs, in this case with all the Presidents’ portraits and years in office arranged chronologically around the perimeter of the mat. I was, well, not enthralled exactly, but intrigued? Here on a mass produced, disposable object a little window into the entire history of the United States. And as a kid, you know there’s stuff that came before you, but it’s rarely laid out so linearly and concisely. I took the place mat with me when we left to keep studying it.  Who were these people? Some I’d heard of course, like Lincoln and Washington. But the rest? A total mystery.

Even then I remember noticing that there were three great fashion trends in the Presidency: the first wave of bewigged and dandified clean-shaven men leading up to Lincoln. Then the bearded, hirsute middle band from Lincoln to Taft (Johnson and McKinley, what was your deal?). And then starting with Wilson, the buttoned down insurance salesmen leading up to the final President on the mat, which was either Ford or Carter—I’d like to think I found the mat during our 1976 Bicentennial vacation, which would have made it Ford, but it might have been a year or two later.

Side note on Jimmy Carter—he’s the first President whose term in office I remember. I once mentioned that at a Thanksgiving meal at my in-laws. My wife’s grandfather, who’s since passed away, chuckled on hearing that. So I asked him, “Mr. McGough, who’s the first President you can remember?” “Woodrow Wilson,” came his response. And one day, too, if we’re lucky enough, our tales of Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton will all be windows to some impossibly long-lost past.

I’m sure my parents only let me hold onto that mat for a day or two, but it looms large in my memory. I’m sure I would have come around to obsessing about the Presidents at some point anyway, but that’s what started it for me. I have, if not a photographic memory, a mind keenly tuned to trivial recall. So I’m one of those rare birds for whom none of these Presidents are particularly obscure. Sure, some are obviously not that important in the big march of American history, but they’re all up in my head. I’m one of those guys who can recite the Presidents in order. I can tell you their terms in office, and which party they represented. Sexy I know, amirightladies?

In fact, one of my favorite moments onstage revolved around my parlor trick ability to recall the Presidents in the proper order. I was doing an improv show, Theatresports, which pits two teams of improvisers against each other. It’s a friendly contest for audience approval, but sometimes it can get pretty heated. We were tied with the other team coming down to the last pair of scenes. The other team played the fabulously funny Bucket Game, where one of the players sticks their head in a bucket of water for as long as they can hold their breath while the other players do a scene around them. It’s messy and hilarious and always goes over like gangbusters.  And we had to follow the thunderous reception they had just received. My two team partners and I just kind of looked at each other on the sides saying, “Well, what are we going to do to top that?!?!” After a couple of beats, I said, “I got it guys, c’mon.” Taking the stage I announced “Ladies and gentlemen, can I get a suggestion? Great. OK. Now, what going to happen is, my two team mates are going to do a scene over there based on your suggestion, but you’re not going to end up paying any attention to it. Because I’m going to drink the water out of this bucket, and when I take a break, I’m going to recite all the Presidents in order. In the voice of Bill Cosby.” It killed, and in a margin of victory that maybe only Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison and George W. Bush could truly appreciate, we prevailed.

——-

Shannon McCormick is a writer, actor, and improviser living in Austin, Texas since 2000. He has appeared in videos and voice over work for Red vs. Blue, Backpack Picnic, Project:Rant, and DC Universe Oline, and played Tweaky Dude in Episode 10, Season 2 of Breaking Bad.  He is the founder and artistic director of Gnap! Theater Projects, a husband, and a dad.

1. You’re a nerd. Fair or not, lovers of history are usually considered nerds. Never mind that you’re a whiz at trivial pursuit, can follow and actually construct sound counter-arguments to political commentary and election cycle media coverage, or that you knew what that “Bay of Pigs” reference meant yesterday morning on NPR. It doesn’t matter. Involving yourself in the festival is a way to embrace your nerdliness and know that you’ve got an army of hard-core art geeks right there with you.

2. You like it when your art makes money. It’s a good thing to garner money and attention and critical acclaim. 44 Plays for 44 Presidents is, historically, a box-office smash. And everyone taking part in this festival is aiming to do something ground-breakingly impressive. In being a part of it, you’re not only fulfilling those wishes for fame and fortune, you’re also making history. Geek.

3. The thought of bringing your creative whizdazzlery to the table excites you. You’ve narrowed down your choice for President (need I say it?) and have already begun generating ideas for your video. You’re already dreaming up plans for art installations, t-shirt designs, and an election-night party… and you’re eager to put your unique stamp on the production – and President – you claim. The organizations committed thus far have started sharing their ideas for adding a creative spin to their productions in a way that speaks to what they do best and highlights their unique strengths – and it’s looking awesome folks. Singular responses to a national undertaking. You do not cower from the responsibility – you revel in it.

4. You want to be part of something bigger than yourself. And I’m not just talking national festival or grand video project here. I mean social-change, art-as-mirror, blow-your-mind-open bigger. In the midst of election spin madness and pop culture idolatry, this festival aims to remind people of the authority they have to impact the future and weave history. Our democracy is directly tied to our humanity. The Plays for Presidents Festival invites audiences to step away from the glitz and clutter of omnipresent soapboxing and consider their power in this election.

5. You love theatre. You love art. You believe it is important and necessary to awareness, understanding, and action. You want to be a part of a great artistic experiment – and to provide your space of the world with a window beyond that geographic corner. (Which, by the way, makes you a nerd… of the best variety.)