A newsletter from your friends at Pull-Tight Theatre
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In This Issue
- A Letter From the President
- Save the Date – Artist Membership Meeting May 3
- Board of Directors Nominees
- Break-a-Leg to the Cast & Crew of Harvey
- Readers Theatre Auditions – A Piece of My Heart
- Save the Date – Knot Awards Banquet July 11
- Player of the Year and Hall of Fame Nominees
- Did You Know? – Pull-Tight Charter
- Volunteer Spotlight – Steve Mook
A Letter from the President
If there ever was such a thing as a “routine” board of directors meeting, the one your Board experienced on March 22 would qualify.
And yet, in its own way, it was invigorating as well.
For example:
• Savannah Aiello shared an update from the Ad Hoc Committee on Sound & Lighting. She is very excited about the enhancements to our sound and lighting; her energy for it is contagious. And in true Pull-Tight fashion, Savannah is also very proud of keeping this important work under budget.
• We reviewed a comprehensive update from Dan Kassis about the Pull-Tight website. Dan’s dedication to the integrity and relevance of our website is simply remarkable, and it shows in how often and in how many different ways the public connects with it.
• Myna Sowell provided some preliminary thoughts on the July 11 Knot Awards Banquet. It promises to be fun and uplifting. Myna and her husband John are also making certain the evening will feature a little friendly competition among those in attendance.
• While reviewing some extensive data, Johnny Peppers reminded us that the Box Office involves a great deal more than just numbers and selling tickets. It is an opportunity to genuinely relate to our patrons where an authentic sense of customer service is paramount.
• And Stephanie Dillard led us through a report from the Readers Theatre Committee. The Committee very conscientiously managed this pilot, evidenced by two very successful productions directed by Carly Gresham and Glenn Whelan. As a result, the Board is convinced Readers Theatre needs to be an enduring part of our brand.
It is interesting to note that very early in our meeting we were reminded that Pull-Tight is one of the oldest community theatres in Middle Tennessee, closing in on 60 years now. At the risk of sounding a little cavalier, one might ask when reflecting on that milestone, “Just what does that kind of longevity guarantee?” And, of course, the bottom line is, “Nothing.”
Rather, a heritage like ours just doesn’t sustain itself all by itself. Instead, the richness of Pull-Tight’s legacy – past, present and future — depends on the ongoing nurturing by those who truly care about it. And, it is guaranteed, if you will, by the way we honor and respect one another in the moment at hand, each and every time.
There is no finer evidence of that than the respectful debate and collaborative discussion that unfolds during a Pull-Tight Board of Directors Meeting. Routine or otherwise.
Finally, Artist Members eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting on May 3, will very soon be receiving materials in the mail regarding the meeting agenda, as well as bios of those nominated for the Board of Directors, Player of the Year, and Pull-Tight’s Hall of Fame.
It was my distinct pleasure to reach out, on behalf of the Board of Directors, to each nominee to congratulate them on being recognized in this way.
I cannot tell you how heartening it was to hear how folks were “honored just to be nominated.” I know, I get it, that’s the line one is supposed to deliver at a time like that, almost like an obligation. Not at Pull-Tight.
That’s because when the legacy of the theatre community you love is nearly 60 years old, the gratitude for “just being nominated” is written on the person’s heart, and the sincerity of their emotion behind that expression is undeniable.
See you May 3 at the Theatre, 5:00 pm.
Sincerely,
Cabot
Artist Members eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting on May 3 will receive voting packets via the postal service no later than April 10. If you feel you’ve earned voting rights but haven’t received your packet by 4/10, please reach out to Pat Street at Pat.Street@Pull-Tight.com. If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible to vote, read through our voting membership page on the website.
Pull-Tight’s new Readers Theatre series continues with our third installment, A Piece of My Heart, by Shirley Lauro, directed by Myna Sowell! These productions require minimal time commitment and no memorization. They are proving popular with community theatre actors who, for various reasons, are unable to commit to a full production. This show involves three rehearsals and one performance as follows:
Rehearsals: Friday, April 17; Sunday, April 19; Monday, April 20, 6:30 pm
Performance: Tuesday, April 21; 7:30 pm show, 6:30 pm call time
Production
A Piece of My Heart by Shirley Lauro is a powerful and moving drama, drawn from the true accounts of six women who served during the Vietnam War. Through the voices of nurses, a USO performer, and a Red Cross volunteer, the play explores the realities of war, PTSD, friendship, sacrifice, and the painful reception many veterans faced upon returning home.
The script calls for six women and three men ages 20-40. In order to authentically reflect the stories represented in the play, we are especially seeking a singer, an African-American woman, and an Asian-American woman, and we warmly encourage performers of color to audition.
A Piece of My Heart is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc., www.concordtheatricals.com.
Complete audition information can be found on our website.
A piece of our history is now just a click away! Visit the new page on our website to view scans of Pull-Tight Theatre’s original 1968 charter of incorporation from the State of Tennessee, a fascinating glimpse into the foundation of the organization we continue to build today.
Pull-Tight Players, Inc., was incorporated as a nonprofit organization on May 21, 1968. Listed as incorporators, who then also made up the first Board of Directors under the new corporation, were William Ormes, Mrs. Lola Morgan, Mrs. Frank Gray, Jr., David Cobb, and C. D. Berry.
The purpose was stated as follows: “The promotion of art and the development of artistic abilities and other skills in the field of histrionics; the encouragement of theatre groups and other amateur performing arts and/or dramatic enterprises; and more particularly to foster the growth of the dramatic arts in Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee, and encourage in connection therewith, the writing and production of plays by the residents thereof.”
Volunteer Spotlight:
STEVE MOOK
What first inspired you to get involved with Pull-Tight, and how long have you been with us?
I met a pretty blonde girl named Laurel Gentry at auditions for Lady Windermere’s Fan sophomore year at Vanderbilt, 1984. Skipping forward a few years, when I returned to the theatrical desert of Nashville in 1988 from the relative paradise of Memphis, she suggested I might try something at Pull-Tight. The Man who Came to Dinner was better than nothing. I noticed that the theatre was small enough that if anyone on the back row sneezed, you would catch their cold, and that there was a pronounced dip in the green room floor. Anyway for several years I would audition for things that interested me, or come fill in when Laurel was directing a musical and needed a warm male body. I know that sounds bad, but considering my vocal range, it was actually far worse than it sounds. Then there was a brief 25-year hiatus during which my family and I moved to Texas. But when Laurel landed the title part in The Real Inspector Hound, I came back. In short, I blame Laurel.
Can you share a favorite memory or moment from your time here?
Tormenting Daryle Tallent when she played the dead body in Wait Until Dark by leaving her hanging in the closet just a little longer each performance. Revenge being a dish best served cold, she got hers by stage managing Lucky Stiff, a musical in which I played a cold male body.
What roles or tasks do you enjoy most when volunteering, and why?
I do enjoy set design, though I’m not very good at it and prefer to either steal ideas I like, or persuade Meredith Seymour Kratoska to do it for me. I like set carpentry, except when I put a screwdriver through my hand; it’s good exercise. And I like performing when there is a role that fits and I don’t have to sing.
What has volunteering at Pull-Tight Theatre taught you or brought into your life?
Many very dear and cherished friends, a perpetually-healing injury somewhere on my left hand, and a renewed appreciation for hot Epsom salt baths, foam rollers and aspirin.
If you could play any role on stage or in a production crew, what would it be—and why?
Finally, an easy one: Cyrano Savinien Hercule de Bergerac! I have always had a soft spot in my heart for that play and that character, particularly having seen it done brilliantly by Jeff Posson in the 1980 production at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis. Sure, the plot is sentimental slop and the language borders on archaic, but the character is equal parts obnoxious and delightful, and the fact that everything else in the script exists solely to allow him to be obnoxious and delightful is its own sort of literary and dramatic perfection. I could recite “Ballade of the Duel at the Hotel de Bourgogne between de Bergerac and an Ass” at fifteen. So there’s a chance, albeit slight, that the lines would be there for me.
