playbill vip

With Kisses to our Front of House Crew:

(and we are in awe of Barbara Gurtner for her cat-herding skills in scheduling)

Barbara Gurtner, Carla Rinche, Gina Lucido, Terri Whitman, Ann Robbins, Wallace Dyer, Jen Rubinowitz, Cindy Bankes, Karen Froeschner, Danah Corrigan, Jennifer Day, Tom & Linda Doran, Monica Clark

Huge Thanks to our Board Members

Rebekah Fedrick

Brittney Hall

Cammie Hyatt

Maddie Legner

Ann Robbins

Jen Rubinowitz

Terri Whitman

From the Director

My first show at the Rialto has been an absolute joy. I have wanted to direct this play since I first read it, and the Rialto offered the perfect space and timing. Coming into such an intimate venue has given me the opportunity to bring subtle nuances that might be missed on a bigger stage. 

Suite Surrender is originally a one-act play; however, I chose to add a brief intermission to give the actors and audience a break before the non-stop action of the "second act." Like any good farce, there are opening/closing doors, mistaken identities, and hilarious improbability. Researching the early 1940's I was struck by how, despite the country being upheaved by World War II, everyone pitched in to not only support the War Effort, but to keep things back home humming right along.  Layering in the etiquette and mores of the 1940s only adds to the comedy without reducing it to bawdiness.  Staying true to the time period while being fresh was always on my mind.

When I was directing my first play Jim Elder, whom many of you know, told me "Directing is filling in the spaces between the actors." I was struck by the profoundness of that statement. It isn't about the set or the music, but the relationships between the characters and how they interact. And yes, the set and music help. I have endeavored to ensure that all the spaces are filled appropriately while allowing the actors the opportunity to grow into and become their own characters. 

I hope you laugh, I hope you find your favorite scene or favorite character, but most of all I hope you continue to support local community theater, wherever you may be.  As William Ralph Inge said "Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something beautiful, or to discover something that is true." Discover something beautiful in theater.