December 2002

During 2002-2003, Congress has appropriated $17 million for the National Endowment for the Arts: Challenge America Program.  Challenge America was designed to encourage cultural institutions to use the power of the arts to strengthen America’s communities.  It demonstrates the vital role that art plays in preserving the nation’s cultural heritage and in celebrating community spirit.  This year, the Hippodrome State Theatre’s Improvisational Teen Theatre (HITT) Program was one of only seven Florida organizations to receive recognition by the Endowment under the Positive Alternatives for Youth subcategory. Each of the following recipients will receive awards of $10,000 in support of projects featuring artist residencies in schools, civic, or community organizations that offer young people the opportunity to explore their creative capacities: the Cathedral Arts Project, the City of Wildwood, Family Worship Center, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Magnet Educational Choice Association, the Norton Gallery and School of Art, and the Hippodrome State Theatre.  Congratulations to the HITT Team for all of their hard work and to all of the outstanding arts-based programs that continue to improve and enrich the lives of Florida’s youth!
 
 

What have been some of your favorite roles at the Hipp?

I always thought only one in ten roles mattered, but the nature of work here has erased that idea.  All my roles here have been special. [The roles are] also dissimilar.  Hedwig is different from Freud which is different from Frankenfurter.…they all helped me breathe and grow.

When did you first hear about The Santaland Diaries?  Were you familiar with David Sedaris before reading this play?

I was very familiar with Sedaris as an author [but] hadn’t heard of The Santaland Diaries.  I really liked it.  Sedaris is so unafraid to say what he’s thinking.  He doesn’t monitor himself to be PC.

What’s the worst job you ever had to take to make ends meet?

I worked at the Body Shop for five weeks before Christmas [and was] so allergic to everything I smelled.  I was a brand new transplant to California from the South and was shocked at how mean and rude the general public could be.

Can you relate to the main character in this production?  In what ways?

[laughs] Oh yes.  When I first moved to San Francisco, I was out of work.  I called the Equity Hotline and became Santa at a big department store.  It was not a cheap display and had a long tradition.  I had to go to Santa school and learn [friendly phrases] in all different languages.  I had to take psychology lessons too.  It wasn’t what I expected, it was really an acting job.  The costume was so exquisite.  Santaland just cracked me up because I was Santa.  I encountered the same things, the sad adults who just needed some sort of attention, the child who peed on me.  I felt like I was holding a little chihuahua who got too excited.  I did it two years and was voted the favorite, sweetest Santa by the elves.

How are you approaching the multiple-role aspect of your character?

In a solo piece you have to think of the breaths of life that come from within the words.  The words are your most important tools.  Your own imagination brings the words to life, that’s the fun part.  It’s never just a one man show.  The designer, directors [etc.] all inform the words with a unique and special quality developed in rehearsal.

What do you think the Gainesville community will think of this production?

The average adult will be delighted [with Santaland].  It’s not sugar plum fairy coated.  We love The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol but we’re adults.  Now there is a [holiday] choice for adults.  [It lets us know that] lives don’t stop because of Christmas.  This will be a fun night out –short- so they will be able to have dinner before or after.

What do you think is the true meaning of Christmas?

[Quoting A Christmas Carol]  “Christmas is a time of the heart in the long calendar of the year… I live in the past, present and future…I will not forget the lessons that they teach.”  I do believe that.  Christmas doesn’t just have to be December 25th.  It is what you make of it.
 
 

Dear Friends,

The Hippodrome is filled with excitement this year as we reach a new milestone, the celebration of our thirtieth anniversary season. On opening night, our illuminated building welcomed you.  As you passed through the pillars into the beautiful neoclassical marble lobby, it would have been easy to forget our humble beginnings, our evolution through the past three decades and through our three artistic homes. The 30th season exhibition made it easy for us to remember that evolution from our converted 7-11, to the Warehouse, and finally into the heart of downtown to our permanent home. The art gallery overflowed with our history: archival photographs, posters, props, and costumes reflecting a lifetime of artistic vision at the Hippodrome.

The Hippodrome’s success is a reflection of your faith, trust, commitment, and financial support throughout the years. You have been with us every step of the way; giving us encouragement and confidence to achieve artistic excellence in all the work that graces our stage and touches our community.

With your help and support we will continue to produce incredible theatre that will
awaken your desire, lead you on a fantastic adventure, immerse you in a new world of dreams, and make your imagination run free.  We will continue to touch millions of audience members as we have done in the past 30 years.

You can help the Hippodrome by writing your check today. In honor of our Anniversary we would like to ask you to please consider increasing your gift by 30 %. We depend on you to be an active part of theatre, to share our passion, to laugh or shed a tear with us.
For the past thirty years, you have done just that and we thank you.

With the warmest regards,
 

Nell Page
Director of Development
 

P.S. Please sit down and write your check today.  Your annual tax-deductible donation will extend our outreach to thousands of people in the coming year.
 
 

Happy Holidays!  I am Emilee MacDonald, the Hippodrome’s Group Sales and Subscription Coordinator.  I would like to personally invite you and your group to come and celebrate our spectacular 30th Anniversary Season.  One way to be part of the magic is to become a Season Subscriber.  Another way is by booking your holiday party at the Hippodrome.  We have incredible group discounts of 10%, 20% and 30% for your group and two wonderful shows that will help you ring in the holidays.

Whether you are interested in becoming a Season Subscriber or a group sale for your business or organization, I would be happy to answer all of your questions and sign you up for the package that gives you some great discounts and best suits your needs.  To be a part of the Hippodrome family please call 373-5968 and ask to speak with Emilee.

For the past 24 seasons, the Hippodrome has delighted audiences with the Bah Humbug-blurting Scrooge in the Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. This season the Hippodrome makes history! As we celebrate our 30th anniversary as a theatre, we also celebrate our silver anniversary of A Christmas Carol. But that’s not all! After 9 years, Mary Hausch is turning over the directing reigns of this classic to longtime company member, Sara Morsey. Join Sara as she brings back Jacob Marley’s story of his lost partner Ebeneezer Scrooge and the eye-opening lesson which alters the course of Scrooge’s life. With sparkling special effects, gentle humor, some ghostly visitors and an inspiring message, the Hippodrome’s production will captivate audiences of all ages. A wonderful holiday gift!

Another twist to the holiday season lineup is a new hilarious comedy, The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris. After 4 seasons, those wacky characters from Tuna Texas are taking a much needed vacation (chasing that Christmas phantom wore them out!)  In our hunt for a replacement we struck gold with the talented writing of National Public Radio humorist, David Sedaris (see additional biographical info). The Santaland Diaries comes from Mr. Sedaris’ Best-Selling book, Holidays on Ice in which he shares the sardonic tale of his employment as “Crumpet”, an elf in Macy’s Santaland. Sedaris’ reading of this story on NPR generated one of the largest responses from its listening audience ever. As a stage piece, The Santaland Diaries has also met with huge success in theatres nationwide. It is a bombastic one-man show that will feature the amazingly diverse talent of Mark Chambers (see interview). Full of wry insight, the play explores the collision of Christmas and American consumerism at that popular Santa stop: the department store. Crumpet joins other elves-in-training and gets caught in the Yuletide lunacy that brings out the best and worst in people – including Santa. Frightened children, bored elves, grumpy Santas, overworked managers and camcorder-toting parents make up the well-known picture of the holiday rush with the colors only Sedaris can mix so brilliantly. Check it out!

November 29-December 22 Year 2002