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By Kelsey Heathcote and Caroline Hawthorne

Kelsey Heathcote (Sound Designer)
When we first read On the Verge as a company last year, I knew immediately that I wanted to do the sound design. This show is so fun and whimsical, and I knew that it would be very challenging. When we started the tech process Michael Dixon, the director, read the production team a list of qualities that he wanted to represent the show. A few of the words on that list were: imaginative, mythical, curious, whimsical, and surprising. Caroline and I went to work and began breaking down the show with this list in mind.

As with many other shows, sound is used in a multitude of ways in On the Verge. One of the most important jobs of a sound design is to tell the setting of a scene. On the Verge passes through several very different locations such as beaches, jungles, and mountains, so establishing place was a major goal. We also worked hard to find sounds that would tug on the audience’s emotions, as well as their attention, during the monologues from the ladies to help focus on the important details that are discovered. One of the hurdles we jump constantly in sound design is adding emotion to the moment without distracting the audience or actor. Sometimes that rule is meant to be broken! Several scenes are built around popular songs, and are meant to be a comedic break to focus on the whimsical nature of the show.

This process was a huge learning experience for Caroline and I. I am very glad we were able to work together and face the challenges head on. On the Verge is a delight, and it was an honor to work with this very talented team!

Caroline Hawthorne (Assistant Sound Designer)
I was interested in helping Kelsey sound design for On the Verge, mainly because I have always been fascinated by how sound affects theatre. I will also be sound designing the apprentice capstone project, The Fox, so I wanted to gain some hands-on experience before we began working on it. Although I did gain new skills during this process (such as working with Q-Lab, the program which runs all of our sound), the main thing I gained through the process was an appreciation for those who work behind the scenes. As an actor, I work with people in technical disciplines, but I very rarely get to step into their shoes. With this experience, I have a greater idea of how theatre works as a whole, which I will always take me with, no matter what I am doing. 

Join the adventure! Hear both Kelsey and Caroline’s work in On the Verge! For Tickets —> Performance Calendar

By Philip Muehe

Yesterday afternoon we held our Season Announcement Gala! It was a great success, and was a wonderful time to reconnect with our patrons, and get the hype going for our 2020 Season. As I said in my remarks yesterday, there’s no way we could have have made it this far without the support of patrons just like you. Thank you SO much! I know you’ve clicked on this post for one reason, so without any further ado, I’m excited to let you all know our line-up for next season!

I Ought to Be In Pictures

By Neil Simon
Directed by Adrienne Sweeney

Our season opens with a heartwarming comedy by one of America’s greatest playwrights. Take a road trip with Libby as she heads to LA to become a movie star—and meet the father she never knew in this poignant story about family and second chances.

Born Yesterday

By Garson Kanin
Directed by Craig Johnson

Next we will bring you a flashy send up of of politics, corruption, and preconceptions. When mobster Eddie Brock schemes to bribe a senator, showgirl Billie Dawn proves she’s not as dumb as she looks. Sparkling wit and plenty of heart will delight you in this classic—yet timely—American comedy. 

One Man, Two Guvnors

By Richard Bean

Things will really heat up in the summer months as we bring you this Tony Award-winning hit. All Francis wants is a good meal. So he gets a job. Then he gets another job. Then things really spin out of control! Fighting a mounting sense of confusion, Francis goes out of his way to serve both bosses. But how long can he keep them apart? Belly laughs abound in this side-splitting farce.

Doubt

By John Patrick Shanley
Directed by Michael Bigelow Dixon

With the changing of the seasons, we are proud to present a play that won both the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Best Play. When a priest’s conduct is called into question, one woman launches an unrelenting search for the truth in this searing drama ripped from the headlines.

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens
Adapted by the Commonweal Theatre Company
Directed by Philip Muehe

A holiday classic returns—in a brand new light! Associate Artistic Director Adrienne Sweeney brings a fresh perspective to the iconic role of Scrooge. Can she change her ways before it’s too late? Told with plenty of wit, charm, and clever theatricality, it’s a stocking stuffer that will delight the entire family!  

Exciting, huh?! We are thrilled to bring these 5 fantastic productions to life next year. Now that the season is announced, that means it’s time for Season Passes! They’re now on sale, and there’s an Early Bird Discount that lasts until November 15. So right now, you can get your Season Pass and see all 5 of these shows for only $99! Give our Box Office a call at (800) 657-7025 for more details. We’ll see you at the Commonweal!

By Betti Battocleti

I am a big city girl… well, woman. I grew up in a city. I moved to another city for college. I have lived and worked in cities my entire life. But the first time I drove down that big hill and saw the unexpected town of Lanesboro spread out before me like Brigadoon, I knew that I was in for something new.

I was cast to play Clariee in Steel Magnolias. I didn’t know anyone but was immediately accepted as one of the Commonweal family. I am back again, drawn by the magic of Lanesboro, the people, the amazing bike trails, and the close community of artists that are the Commonweal Theatre.

On the Verge, the next play in Commonweal’s 31^st season reminds me of my first season here in Lanesboro. I play Mary Baltimore, one of three Victorian female explorers who set off on a timeless trip. Like me, discovering a new place where one can easily forget what day of the week it is. And, along with the amazing artists that make up the Commonweal, we forge ahead to create future monumental moments for an audience of fellow explorers. A trichotomy of living in the moment, reminiscing about the past and discovering the future. Time travel! “What can one say?”

The ladies of On the Verge, in their discovery and exploration of the last “uncharted reaches of the world” find themselves in truly uncharted territory. As hearts and minds are opened, a yearning for their perfect place in the world grows.

It is a yearning that we all feel.  Are we living in the right place at the right time doing the right thing?  We are all searching for that place we can call home. Often, we leave it to explore other worlds only to come back like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Sometimes we stay where we are out of comfort or fear. Then there are those that search and search and search. All of us, on the verge at some point or another. At many points, many “clusters of light”. Do we explore them all or find a star to settle on? “Metaphysical speculation”.

So, this is my third season at the Commonweal. I keep coming back. Something about this beautiful town. Something about those bike rides through golden tunnels where the wind blows around you, not for you, not against you. And something about the hardest working artists I know who continue to care so much about providing the best theater, the best experience and a place we all can call home, even if for a couple of hours.  

Betti’s work onstage is not to be missed! See her the rest of the season in both On the Verge and Sanders Family Christmas! For Tickets —> Performance Calendar