the Jessies...

So no MTC artists won Jessies this year. But we do want to reiterate how proud and honored we are for the nominations, and to have worked with such consummate artists. Ron and Tracy, we salute you!

The evening itself carried an interesting flavor... not the same excited, charged feeling we've usually had. It all felt a little distant and, perhaps... self-congratulatory??

The one thing that kept running through my brain was the very obvious feeling that this was NOT the ultimate end of why we do theatre. It's lovely to get together and celebrate each other's successes, but we really do this for the people. We do this in pursuit of that electric moment where the theatrical facade becomes realer than real and reaches beyond to touch something of the divine in all of us - audience and artists alike. Most of all we do this in service of the people who buy the tickets, find babysitters... and parking... and time... who take a chance that they might share in something special.

It's easy to say now, but I'd like to think that, even if we'd been nominated for, and won, a Best Production award, the highlights of working with Midnight would remain: my conversation with that Auschwitz survivor on opening night of The Quarrel, or the numerous people who took the extra effort to send a note about how much they were moved by A Man For All Seasons.

I guess I just want to thank everyone.