Marissa Skudlarek prepares for a weekend away with the Theater Pub crew…
How’s that for a double shot of Sondheim references? This won’t be a long column, because tonight I’m running around getting ready for Theater Pub’s upcoming retreat.
Yes, this weekend, about twenty Friends of the Pub will be staying at a house in the Marin Headlands for two nights. In between all the merriment and mischief that theater people can create when left to their own devices, we’ll be taking stock of where Theater Pub is at now, and where we’d like to see it go in future.
This feels like the right time to retreat so that we may gather our forces and come back even stronger. “Retreat, not in the run and hide sense, but rather in the, let’s assess our assets and make a plan sense,” said the original email announcing this weekend’s gathering. In its three years of existence, Theater Pub has become bigger, more rewarding, and more critically acclaimed than its founders ever imagined when they started it. And we want to continue to excel – which might means that we need to re-think how we do things. Strategies that worked for us in 2010 might be outmoded now – we’ve grown that fast!
Moreover, we want to continue to be a welcoming and friendly part of the San Francisco theater community. To that end, I thought I’d use my column this week to ask: is there anything you’d like to say to us? Anything that you particularly hope that we discuss on our retreat? Any suggestions that you would make, if you were sitting with us in the Marin Headlands this weekend? Any kudos, any gripes? Anything at all.
Please leave your comments below, and I promise I’ll read them and bring them to the discussion. Use your real name or be anonymous, whichever you prefer. We at Theater Pub love discussion, we love dialogue, we love being at the crossroads of the theater community. Otherwise, we wouldn’t do what we do, right?
OK, I’ve got to go continue packing. Here’s hoping that I can come equipped with all of the essentials: pajamas, bourbon, my thinking cap… and, of course, feedback from you!
Tune in next time to find out if Marissa Skudlarek survives the weekend…
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