DIY

Production Manager Missy Bradstreet showing off her Wonder Woman Style at the Opening of “The Toughest Girl Alive”. Missy is full of moxie, an amazing mama and the kind of friend you’d want in your corner.

I used to work for a theatre company that had the mission to “tell good stories well”. There is nothing I adore more than a really good story, told in a beautiful, honest, emotionally connected, raw way. Granted, that’s not exactly what this company does, though back in the day that I was working for them, they did it more often then I feel they do now (now-a-days, you’re not going to see much “raw” on that stage, for instance). Their work now tends to lean a bit more commercial than I prefer, though is still some “good” stories told “well”, so they have not shied away from their mission.

When I worked with the now (mostly) defunct Sledgehammer Theatre, back when the stunningly talented Kirtsen Brandt was the Artistic Director, “raw” was all over that stage. The work we did there made me feel proud to put my name in the program and vital to the continuation of an artistic process. We missed big, sometimes, but the intentions lay more in producing art than in selling tickets; which I found immensely satisfying as a closet artist who has worked exclusively as an administrator for the length of my career.  We would gather on dark weekends to share ideas, train, push through to the emotion under the surface of a piece, fight and once, to have a shaman clean the ghosts out of the theatre (no lie). This, up until now, was the high point in my career as Sledge allowed me to pull all my values into a single place and work tirelessly towards an end I was deeply proud to present. Of course, it didn’t pay. And then I got pregnant and the “tireless” ran out. So I quit and made babies for a couple years (of which I am deeply proud).

Now I work for one of the largest theatres in town and while I can feel a great deal of pride about the product the company produces, there isn’t a lot of room to be connected to the process when you run the pub. That and the work they produce is a little too commercial for my blood, though immensely entertaining. Working there, I often tell people, feeds my family, but not my soul.

That’s where MOXIE comes into play.

At MOXIE, I feel like we get to tell amazing stories in surprising ways. Often, people assume this is a company with a deeply respectable budget. They assume, based on what they see on the stage, that our funding is well cared for. If I shared with you the actual budget, you’d be right to insist that nobody could produce this level of product with that little money. Nobody, that is, except someone with moxie, and that’s what this company has in spades. The commitment to the mission, “to create more diverse and honest images of women for our culture using the art of theatre” has never been so beautifully displayed, despite funding limitations. And being part of a feminist theatre has fed my soul in a way I didn’t even know it was lacking. As the mother of two daughters, I can show them what strong, powerful women can do, no matter what gets in the way or what we are told we cannot do. It’s heartbreakingly awesome and opens them to a world of options even I didn’t know they had.

Imagine what we could do with “real” money?

Seriously, I want you to imagine it. In the comments, tell me what you think MOXIE could achieve with a budget that allowed us to pay our staff for full time work. If enough of us get the vision flowing, we just might find a way to make it happen. Dream big, people; we’ve already shown that we are capable of more than anyone would suspect.

Right, how do we work this thing?

It’s been over a year since one of us MOXIE girls sat down to share with the fine folks that live in our computers. This is downright irresponsible of us. But then, you try creating award-winning art while making & caring for small humans, maintaining relationships and keeping food on the table in this economy. It’s shockingly hard at times.

And yet, we are more often in love with the work we do than not. This is due in large part to the people we get to work with and those crystal clear moments where everything comes together on stage and creates a perfect breath… one that is raw and honest and speaks into the very heart of the those we aim to serve.

That would be you, by the way.

But really, as the newest MOXIE, I’m working on getting this bidness back up and talking about what we do, what YOU do and how art moves forward in all our lives, no matter if you’re a MOXIE or “just” a Mama with poster paint in your hair.  I aim to post some photos of what’s happening behind the scenes (I have a particularly interesting set of photos that include a certain MOXIE birthday girl and a “fireman”, but I can’t promise they’ll make it here), with our audiences (opening night of The Toughest Girl Alive we snapped a photo of the audience), those people who make all of this possible and whatever else comes to mind.

But before I do, can I get an echo?  In other words, is anybody even out there anymore?  Say hello and let us know you want more moxielicious content.

=============================================================

Elaine Gingery is the newest MOXIE, working as a “Managing Associate”.  Previously she worked as Managing Director for Sledgehammer Theatre and New Village Arts.  She has made her way through various other arts organizations in San Diego since 1991.  Currently she works as the Pub Manager at The Old Globe and parents two little girls, age 5 & 7, while knitting poorly, photographing everything that’ll hold still, raising chickens and writing her own blog at Wannabe Hippie.

MOXIE goes to La Jolla

MOXIE has just been named the La Jolla Playhouse’s Resident Theatre Company for the 2009-10 season.  Woo!  We’re getting two months of rent-free performance space, and access to the LJP infrastructure for administrative support and publicity. And, in return, they get some MOXIE. Win-Win.

It’s the second year of this program, conceived by LJP artistic director Christopher Ashley, and we’re thrilled.  Here’s more.

About that MOXIE

Right, so patience isn’t my strong suit. I want to tell you RIGHT NOW about Missy Bradstreet, who was the severely attitudinal college freshman in the photo we posted yesterday.  The date was 1989. The location was Bloomington/Normal, IL, Missy’s home town,  and the next photo in the series features a fellow with a 12 inch “I’m not joking about how I’d rather starve than succumb to the man” mohawk. 

The winner’s ribbon goes to Dustin for guessing 1990, only one year late. Nick also guessed 1990, but he didn’t post his own comment, so I don’t think that counts.

Here’s what Missy looks like now: 

MOXIE Staff Position: Co- Production Manager

What She Does:  Missy stage manages about half the MOXIE Theatre shows, and is production manager for the rest. She stage manages elsewhere as well, especially when begged or coerced by Delicia, and before MOXIE and her daughter were born she worked at San Diego Rep. She designs wigs and makeup for almost all of our shows and some lucky others, including Yank! at Diversionary and The Princess and The Black Eyed Pea at San Diego Rep.  

And she makes sure the Artistic Director eats during tech.

Support Women Artists Now

Speaking of parents who kick butt in the theatre, it was Kirsten Brandt who first directed me to the Fund for Women Artists. Every two months I get a juicy “funding newsletter”  listing submission deadlines for grants, contests, residencies and festival submissions in theatre and film, with opportunities specifically for women specially marked.

I haven’t personally taken advantage of these wonderful lists, but I will. In fact, maybe script submissions is one of the “some day” tasks that I’m about to transform into a “this day” task.  In the meantime, I appreciate that every two months an unassuming little email says to me, “You really should be sending out your work.”

This month the Fund for Women Artists, ”a community of artists and allies dedicated to celebrating and supporting art that tells the truth about women’s lives,” is organizing the second international SWAN Day. That’s Support Women Artists Now Day, and it takes place March 28.  From Executive Director Martha Richards:  

On SWAN Day we celebrate our global unity and also the
unique individual voices of the women artists next door.
There are thousands of talented women artists all over the
world who are making wonderful contributions to their
communities year after year. SWAN Day is a day to recognize
and thank these women.

Please take some time to make a direct connection with
at least one woman artist on SWAN Day. Talk to her in
person, give her a call, write her a note, or send her a gift -
do anything that shows that you appreciate her creativity.
There is tremendous power in these simple acts of respect
and recognition, and they provide models of the supportive
attitudes and behavior that we want to spread around
the world.  

Lest we think that a whole day dedicated to women artists seems excessive, Dr. Martha Lauzen’s recent study of women in film might put things in perspective. The Celluloid Ceiling finds that only six percent of the directors associated with the top 250 films of 2007 were women, and 21 percent of those films had no women at all in the key creative roles of director, writer, cinematographer, editor, producer or executive producer. 

A significant majority of creative storytelling in America happens from the perspective of the white male. We’re so used to it we don’t even notice. 

What should we do to celebrate SWAN Day, MOXIE’s?  We already have a “Love Raising” event just a few days before. That’s the reading of Labyrinth of Desire on March 23rd. We’re already honoring the purpose of SWAN day by creating a delightful evening of theatre that features a bunch of women, including female playwright Caridad Svich.

 What else should we do? 

MOXIE in the UK

Here I am. It’s somewhere around 1:50 am in England.   Now is the time when Americans think ….”oh cool…how is London?”. No, I’m not in London.  I’ve been to England 6 times in the last 4 years and only spent one evening in London.  Nope…I’m in Pucklechurch.  Yeah you heard me right. Pucklechurch sounds like a mystical place where fairies may live…or perhaps somewhere gnomes live but it’s a real place. Pucklechurch is a village half way between Bath and Bristol.  Most Americans have never heard of either of those places so I’ll explain further.  Pucklechurch is in Gloucester which is in the area of England called the midlands, which is to say I am in the center part of the country toward the west.  But what you really want to know is…why am I in Pucklechurch and why the hell have I ventured to England 6 times and not seen a single show on the West End while I’ve been here.

My husband Matt is British and this is where he grew up.  We come back often because his family can’t travel for health reasons.  It’s cold here right now and I find it funny that I was sick of the warm sunny weather in San Diego just a few days ago.  The timing is excellent though as I prepare to direct the next MOXIE show The Sugar Syndrome which is an English play.  Just because we share the same language doesn’t mean Americans and the English have a lot in common.  Being here reminds me that one of the fabulous things about the play is how English it is.  If you know many English you know what I mean when I say there is a fabulous contrast of being reserved and polite and at the same time completly unshocked when it comes to anything bodily.  Sex is on TV here everywhere you look.  They may blur out area of the screen where actual penatration takes place  but that’s about all the decency required in the afterhours on regular tv. The though of old English ladies sipping tea and watchin softcore pornography before bed makes me laugh.

This is what you see as you climb over the old stone wall in the back yard of Matt's house where he grew up...no kidding!

Penny was fantastic on the plane.  She has been really well behaved and seems happy despite the freezing temperature which has us housebound most of the time…but she isn’t going to let me get away with changing her schedule around…so she has decided to spit everything I try to feed her in my face.  She doesn’t want jarred baby food…or food I make fresh…or finger foods she can feed herself…she is happy al long as I don’t attempt to feed her anything. We go out with friends and I watch in admiration as they’re daughter eats all her food.  Mommy guilt takes over…maybe if I prepared all Penny’s food fresh like this mommy does then she would eat.  Matt takes me to the fabulous English grocery store.  I buy ingredients to cook Penny some more “wholesome meals”…and she spits them in my face.  I could hug her.  Thanks for the reassurance that you love me just the way I am…as a busy mommy who can’t cook fresh baby food for her at every meal. I’m glad to have those yams in my face because I know it’s not me. I think if she’d gobbled them up my working mommy heart would have broken a little.