[Mb-hair] Re: Greetings from Brooklyn [HAIR] (Matt Schicker)

[Sibley Smith]

Hey Matt, 

Thanks for passing your joint over.  It's always wonderful to learn that there's a new batch of HAIR-heads, thanks to their experience as cast and crew for such a quality production of HAIR as yours was.  I hope we can hang together more, even if only virtually.

Peace,

Tioga

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Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 17:58:37 -0800 (PST)
From: Matt Schicker <mattschicker at yahoo.com>
Hello HAIR - folk,

When I met them in November, I told Michael and Nina
that I would post to the HAIR list; it's been over a
month now, and I've *finally* gotten to it. Better
late than never!

In October and early November of this year I produced
a production of HAIR at The Gallery Players theater in
Park Slope, Brooklyn. The Gallery Players is an Equity
Showcase house that's been around since the late 60s -
they had never done HAIR previously. I know that
Michael, Nina, and others wrote about the production
on this list, and I'm very appreciative of their kind
words. 

I am very very proud of the production: besides
feeling that the production was the best I'd ever seen
of HAIR, and one of the most fully-realized we've ever
had at The Gallery Players, I witnessed the power of
the show and the way that it reaches out to the
audience every night to challenge and change the way
they think and feel.

The cast of the show was very young - many of them
were not familiar with HAIR beyond the film. We were
so fortunate to have guiding our HAIR an incredibly
talented director/choreographer, Steven Smeltzer, who
has performed and directed HAIR several times and who
was able to navigate everyone through the show,
explaining the meaning and significance of each
subtlety in this very complex (yet so simple) show. 
He inspired the cast and crew with his passion for the
show and the truths that it speaks; this passion
manifested itself on our stage each night and left no
one unmoved. The cast, band, crew, and production team
became very close, as should be, and we have all
gathered a few times since November. 

Among the wonderful HAIR-folk who attended our
production were Jim Rado, Natalie Mosco, Marjorie
LiPari, Annie Golden, Michael Butler, Nina Machlin
Dayton, Bill Swiggard, and Robert Camuto. It meant so
much to us to have them attend and no one involved
will ever forget the thrill it was to meet them all
and their generosity in sharing their thoughts and
enthusiasm with us.

As someone said after we closed the show after the
allowed 4 weeks for a Showcase production, the only
bad thing about our HAIR experience is that we
couldn't extend it to continue turning others on to
its message. We sold out virtually every performance
and turned away many people we simply couldn't
accommodate. HAIR is a timeless work, but I have to
admit that with the election this past fall and our
country at war HAIR's message seemed more urgent and
pertinent than ever.

I have encouraged the cast and artistic team to get
involved on the HAIR list. I hope I'm simply "breaking
the ice" and that they all will 'testify'. 

Thanks to Nina, Michael, and everyone for their
support of 'our' HAIR and here's to future HAIRs - as
Nina told me as she left our theater, "you never do
HAIR just once."

I can't wait for the next time!

Love, Peace, and Happy Holidays
Matt Schicker
mattschicker at yahoo.com




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