Most of you remember Chris Jorie, the director who spent many years here, first at Disney, then at the Civic and then free-lancing at several local theaters. Most of all I link Chris to Orlando Theatre Project, where he directed many of the company's finest productions.
Here's a letter to the OTP company, board and volunteers from Chris, who kindly allowed me to share it with you:
To the Orlando Theatre
Project Company, Board Members, and Volunteers – present and past:In light of the of the Company’s recent decision to suspend
operations, I wanted to offer my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of
you.My collaboration with the Company over the past eight years
has been a rich and deeply fulfilling experience, and I value every moment.
I can vividly recall my first Company meeting where OTP Members
and the Board gathered, while I observed.
I was completely captured by the passion in the room, and the openness
of the forum. As opinions volleyed
across the meeting table like tennis balls at a Wimbledon match, I found myself
in awe of the fact that we were actually discussing the company logo. My first impression was, “This is a group of inspired artists who are
proud, powerful, and wildly creative in their aesthetic expression.” And I felt at home, instantly.My first directing experience with the Company was staging
the comedy, Wrong for Each Other, at
SCC in 2000, and then there were many more to follow. In fact there were so many more – and all of
them jewels – that I felt extraordinarily fortunate for the opportunities. Directing plays like Wit, Shirley Valentine, Spinning Into Butter, Proof, Coyote On A Fence,
Souvenir, and Doubt, with wonderful actors, designers, and stage managers,
as well as the full support of the Company, always felt like a privilege, as
well as a pleasure – even when times were hard.As if that weren’t enough, the incomparable Anne Hering, who
was running the organization for a few years, and championed our summer
Governor’s Institute for teens, fronted the launch of KidsProject , donating
her own funds. For three seasons we
brought original work to young audiences on tour, as well as hosting them at
the SCC Oviedo Campus. With Anne and
OTP’s support, I crafted three original works for family audiences, with the
same mission of excellence established by the company in their mainstage work. OTP provided me with the resources to create
plays with substance for young audiences – plays that have gone on to receive
national productions as well as acclaim. And the KidsProject paid for itself through
grants and ticket sales.As if all of this wasn’t enough, our production of Coyote On A Fence led to me directing
off-Broadway, after playwright Anne Nelson came to see the work. I was able to bring OTP’s multi-talented Jim
Howard to New York with me, and when my Dad died during rehearsal, Jim had my
back. OTP always had my back.For any artist to have the opportunity to express themselves
fully and freely with unquestioned support, well that in itself is an
extraordinary and rare thing. But
there’s more. There is this group of
amazingly talented, and committed people – OTP Members, Board Members, and volunteers
– all of them giving so much time, energy, and spirit to keep the vision of
Orlando Theatre Project alive for the past 23 years. They are my friends, fellow artists, and
trusted colleagues, and I have enormous respect for all the things they are. Although the list of names is numerous, to
Cathy Wagner, Chris Pfingsten, Anne Hering, Karen Copp, Jim Howard, Suzie
Letchford, Jerry Klein, Darby Ballard, Doug and Kris Truelsen, Robby Pigott,
Christine Decker, Tommy Mangieri to name but a few – to you and all the others,
I thank you with all my heart.Chris Jorie