by Amy Calhoun
It has been twelve years since I
experienced my first Buffalo Theatre Ensemble production - Angels In America by Tony Kushner. I was less than two years out of
college and I was interviewing for my
current job here at the MAC.
As a former theater student, I was
excited to see this astounding play for the first time and with a company I
could potentially be working alongside. I purchased my tickets to parts one and
two and awaited the days until I would attend the performances.
For those of you that remember the
old seats of Theatre 2, you'll recall the butt-numbing discomfort, but I didn't
care - I was seeing great theater! It was my first introduction to Connie
Canaday Howard and Robert Jordan Bailey, and as I sat in the darkened theater,
I was entranced by the story unfolding in front of me. The performances were
brilliant and even if I didn't get the job, I knew BTE was going to be my
theater of choice.
 |
| Amelia Barrett in Rabbit Hole |
Lucky for me, I did get the job and
have been working with the members of this ensemble for more than a decade. I
cried buckets of tears over Amelia Barrett's performance in Rabbit Hole. Jumped out of my skin
watching Kurt Naebig and Robert Jordan Bailey beautifully execute the thriller Woman in Black. And, swooned over
William "Sandy" Smillie performance in Stones in his Pockets. From the design elements to the
performances, every participant of a BTE production has a way of impacting me
when I see a production.
 |
Robert Jordan Bailey in
Woman in Black. |
Since moving to this area fourteen
years ago, I have seen more BTE productions than any other professional theater
in all of Chicagoland so I guess that does make me a bit biased. But even
though I read the scripts in advance, it never fails that I am amazed by
something unique and real that BTE productions bring to the stage.
 |
| The Drawer Boy |
The best part is I’m only one in
the hundreds of people who enjoy Buffalo Theatre Ensemble production after
production. This audience and I share a common bond – an appreciation and joy
for theater that is giving stories life. I invite you to join me and the rest of the
audience as BTE brings The Drawer Boy
to the stage this summer and then continues into their 26th season
with The Lady with All the Answers, The Underpants and Trumbo – Red, White and Blacklisted. I can’t wait to have you be
part of the story too.
Amy Calhoun is the Marketing Specialist for the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble and New Philharmonic.
