January | 2018 | Ashland Theatre

Robin Downward, artistic director of the Randall Theatre, will be singing and dancing the role of Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly’s iconic role) in “Singing in the Rain,” directed by Livia Ginese, at the Randall Theatre’s Jacksonville location. Now going into its eighth season, with two theatrical venues, the Randall Theatre depends on ticket sales for 95 percent of its revenue. I met with Downward at Mellelo Coffee Roasters in Medford.

EH: What is unique about the Randall Theatre?

RD: We have combined the community spirit with the professional standard to create a hybrid-type theater. It’s that drive to make each individual, involved in the production, push to be the best that they can be, and to avoid ego that sometimes gets in the way. I want everyone on stage to shine. Continue reading Randall Theatre uses ‘hybrid-type’ approach for its productions →

Jean Houston, Ph.D., psychologist, philosopher and researcher in human capacities, uses theater as a transformative tool in her interdisciplinary approach to teaching. Dr. Houston is the author of 26 books, including: “The Hero and the Goddess: The Odyssey as Mystery and Initiation.” This is the second of a two-part interview.

JH: I work all the time. I’ve just come from training thousands of Arab people in 10 different countries. I was in England, and it was all up on a huge screen. You could see all of these very large groups in all these countries. I trained them in some of my work in human development, in the light of social change.

EH: Do you use theatrical techniques?

JH: All the time, it’s what I am. It’s not a question of use. It’s incarnation, it’s what reality is.

EH: What makes a great play?

JH: You always have the artist’s skills sharpened, crafted. You have the statement. You have the playing of the story of the soul. I once was in the middle of Australia. I asked an old Australian aborigine, “How do we humans differ from the others: the wallaby, kangaroo, and koala?” She said, “We’re the ones who can tell the stories about all the others.” And I thought that was one of the best definitions of being human. And I think it is telling the story loud and clear and true. Often, it’s very uncomfortable. Continue reading ‘Going beyond the stucknesses of everyday life’ →