Second Act
We may not reach the ending
But we can start
Slowly but truly mending
Brick by brick
Heart by heart
Now maybe now
We start learning how
We can build
A beautiful city
Yes we can
Yes we can
We can build
A beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But we can build a city of man
-Godspell, “Beautiful City”
On a warm Saturday afternoon, performers, directors and stage crew welcomed audience members to enjoy Against All Odds, a cabaret production from the newest theater company in Cincinnati-Second Act Stage Company. Nestled within a month full of experimental theatrical productions at the city’s Fringe Fest and a traveling Broadway production of Lion King at the Aronoff Theater, this tiny company had their own unique story to tell.
Historically, the theater has been full of men portraying women just to keep females off the stage. However, over time, the theater has become a safe space for all people with wide-spanning social, sexual, and gender identities. As a largely creative outlet, the theater is not a wildly successful for-profit venture. Indeed, companies are known to scout out free rehearsal and performance spaces from which to work their stage magic. The solution, ironically, is usually another equally cash-strapped entity, such as a community center or church.
Many years ago, I myself was on the hunt for free practice space. As a newcomer to New Orleans, I had the opportunity to direct my own one-act play at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC); however, I couldn’t afford to rent the “offered” rehearsal space at the CAC. Instead, I walked around the French Quarter for hours searching for a match, until I finally found a place that was willing to help-The LGBTQ center. This center, in a small structure on Rampart Street, was run by a wonderful man named Jim. After school, Jim provided open hours to local students who needed a safe place to hang out. He said I could use the space for free and, in exchange, we performed a show in the center and donated the profits to Jim and the organization. (I also cast one of those local students in the production–but that’s another story).
When I moved to Cincinnati in 2001, I discovered a unique theater group called Marjorie Book Continuing Education. What stood out about them was that they were inclusive of adults with and without disabilities (check them out, they are incredible). I reached out to this group as a volunteer, helping members run lines, and eventually became a Board Member. Marjorie Book Continuing Education rehearsed in a local church at the time and performed at a larger local venue. Over time, the performance space became too expensive and difficult to schedule, so the rehearsals and performances were moved around town to different locations which frequently involved religious institutions. The point being that people “in need” frequently help others “in need”. It is a human thing to do.
I was a theater major in Chicago and learned a lot about how wildly different people can co-exist and produce amazing work. Imagine my delight when my niece became interested in theater and tried out to be a company member in a local production with Barts Bards. Much like with my experience, I was thrilled to hear and observe how inclusive the group was. The cast was diverse and the vibes were great. While more “family friendly” than my own personal theater experience, I appreciated that same-sex parents, people with disabilities, and Jewish families were welcomed into this church-based group.
Years of truly great shows passed-Tuck Everlasting, Sound of Music, James and the Giant Peach, The Music Man, My family attended each one, sat in the absurdly uncomfortable folding chairs, froze from the air conditioner working overtime to combat the summer heat, and thoroughly enjoyed the immense talent on stage. And, like so many things, it just worked, until it didn’t.
I’ve dug through Facebook and Instagram posts to get information on exactly what happened next. I didn’t want to put anybody in my family on the spot by quoting them. I knew that some members of the original group had wanted to begin their own company for years and that they, in their own words, were waiting for the “right time”. Per the Second Act Stage Company launch post on Instagram, the founders stated that “without much warning, the answer became clear. The right time hit us in the face”.
A former Barts Bards cast member posted publicly and what he said was very clear: after 25 years with the group, he was kicked out for refusing to sign their code of conduct.
The code of conduct:
support all persons by treating them with sensitivity, respect, mercy, and compassion.
require that pronouns be in accordance with the person’s biological sex.
designated gender appropriate dress, bathrooms, and dressing rooms according to biological sex.
Members who did not sign–which thankfully FAR outnumbered those who did-were pushed out of the group. The THEATER group. Kicked out of the theater group for being so inclusive.
Why the sudden push to get a code of conduct signed when it certainly existed the whole time? That part is unknown, but clearly something threatened the binary ideals of somebody who had control. Their best defense was to build a wall to keep the threat out…but they didn’t anticipate the power of the inclusive group that they in part helped shape.
Life would be simpler if I could draw a line in the sand and put “religion” on one side and “good” on the other. But, life isn’t easy and doesn’t work that way. In the words of the Second Act Stage Company founders, “Our goal is simple and deeply important to us: to give back to the community that has given so much to us, and to build something rooted in connection, kindness, and shared creativity”. The group is open to “people of all ages and backgrounds”, AKA it’s for everyone.
The premier of Second Act Stage Company took place, you guessed it, in a church. Where else does one find free or reduced-cost space, other than an LGBTQ center? The overarching theme of the cabaret production was tenacity. The closing number, “A Beautiful City” from Godspell, was a strong representation of what the founders and company are going through and going after.
Go check them out as they build.
@secondactsc
