Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2009 - 14

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keynote address

d. lynn meyers
Thank you, Michael. Michael's an amazing director. We've been lucky
enough to have him at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC) a few times
and we just wait for him to come back and back and back. And thanks so
much to Tamara and to everybody or anybody who had the bizarre notion
to invite me here. I have to tell you, when Tammy and Chuck Hatcher came
to see me a few months ago about this, they brought me this really cool
rad little book thing. I thought that was it. I thought that was like the height
of the meeting. Then I thought, sure, they need to borrow something and
I'm like, well, ETC doesn't have that much stuff so I don't know what they
could want. But I am sincerely honored, and in my position at ETC I get to
do a lot of curtain speeches. When I left the Playhouse years ago, I remember saying, "Well, I'm never gonna have to go to another board meeting.
I'm never going to have to do another curtain speech." Never say never-
now all I do is board meetings and curtain speeches, all the time.
The great thing, however, about being here today is being able to thank
you for what you're going to do. I wouldn't have had a career in the theatre
if it hadn't have been for the technical brilliance of the people around me. It

Ryan Wesley Gilreath and Morgan Grahame in Mary's Wedding by
Stephen Massicote, directed by D. Lynn Meyers (2008). Sets, Brian
c. Mehring; costumes, Reba Senske; lighting, Brian c. Mehring;
sound, Matt Callahan.

theatre

design

technology

started with Joe Tilford designing the first show that I ever directed professionally at the Cincinnati Playhouse. During the course of that show I got
stung by a bee. And so not only did he design this magnificent set but he
pulled the bee sting out and saved me from sudden death, I'm sure. I have
had these great people around me that have made it possible. And no matter
what's going to happen next, you're going to make it possible.
I know that a lot of you work in the dark, as do I, so you may not have
seen a lot of the news lately. But frankly there is a little bit of an economic
situation going on out there. I thought it was important to share that with
you. And the salvation of the arts industry is not going to happen in board
rooms. It's not going to happen with corporate sponsors, believe me. It's not
going to happen from private citizens deciding that their passion is to underwrite our passion. It's going to come from you. It's going to come from the
creative and passionate and brilliant minds sitting in this room.
A good example is ETC. Michael talked beautifully about our little
neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine. When I got to Ensemble Theatre it had a
wonderful stigma: we were on the worst block in a three-state area. The

Alfred Wilson in Radio Golf by August Wilson,
directed by Ron OJ Parson (2008). Sets, Brian
c. Mehring; costumes, Chad Phillips; lighting,
Brian c. Mehring; sound, Vincent Olivieri.

S U M M E R

2009

Deb G. Girdler, Gina Valentine, and Sara Mackie in The Great American
Trailer Park Musical, book by Betsy Kelso, music and lyrics by David
Nehls, directed by Aubrey Berg (2008). Sets, Brian c. Mehring;
costumes,, Reba Senske; lighting, Brian c. Mehring; sound, John Curley.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2009