Bravo: There are no 'Fools' behind this Warehouse play

You’ve doubtless heard the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

It stems from the widely held belief that the whole community — not just a parent — has an impact on a youngster’s growth. If the child is going to reach their potential, everyone in their life has a part to play in their development. Each of us is in some way responsible.

This time of year underlines that responsibility as many young people head off to college. Parents, siblings, family members and friends wave goodbye to teens taking the first steps on their own journey toward adulthood. The work of their village is about to be tested. It’s a natural progression.

While it may not be obvious, mounting a play is a lot like raising a child.

Parents imagine a future for their kids; directors do the same with their plays. Every director starts out with an expectation of how things are going to go with his or her baby. They plan for success in every way they can imagine. They try to assemble a support group of like-minded folks who want only the best for their “child.” They do all they can to shepherd the play to success. And, just as a parent must eventually let go, there comes a time when the director’s influence over a show ends, and the play lives its own life through performance.

The Warehouse Theatre Company’s fall production, “Fools,” by Neil Simon, opens Friday night. With that opening, director Ray Pritchard’s hope is that the play — a comedy that takes place long ago in a small Russian village — will experience wild success.

“Fools” is the story of Leon Tolchinsky (Eduardo Rodriguez), a fresh-faced new teacher who has landed a terrific job in the idyllic Russian village of Kulyenchikov. But when he arrives, it appears that his job may be harder than he thought. He finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and others milking their cows upside down to get more cream because everyone knows that cream rises to the top! Not only are these people not bright, but Leon learns that the town is literally under a 200-year-old curse of Chronic Stupidity. If he is to keep his job — and get the girl of his dreams — Leon must find a way to break the curse.

Pritchard, current president of the Warehouse Theatre Company board of directors, is the proud director-parent of this play. But he is quick to point out that in the case of “Fools” it has taken a real village to bring this fictional village to the stage.

“I’m just so thankful for an amazing team of people working on this show. Both assistant directors, Carol Garza and Kaya Lupino, have been fantastic to work with,” says Pritchard.

Garza and Lupino are taking part in the Warehouse Theatre’s director mentoring program in which they shadow a current director to prepare for directing a show of their own at the WTC in the future. They’re boosting their knowledge and skills, but Pritchard says they’ve done more than that.

“There were a couple of occasions when I had to be absent from rehearsal, but I was completely comfortable being gone because the assistant directors were so capable. They have been fantastic working with the actors. It has been worry free with this team,” he says.

In addition to their work as prop designer and set/sound designer, respectively, WTC veterans Chelle Bos and Teagan Headding are taking part in the company’s program designed to create more producers. “Fools” is being produced by Sandy Jennings, but when she was on an extended trip during the early part of rehearsals, Bos and Headding handled the production details in her absence.

“That’s one of the things I love about the Warehouse Theatre,” says Pritchard. “Every time there is a need for support, someone steps up to help. It just shows that community theater is really a community!”

As yet another example of villagers in action to support his project, Pritchard shares the story of costumer Carlee Richard, working on just her second show with the Warehouse. An unexpected change in her work schedule suddenly and dramatically cut her time to work on the show. “But thanks to the other WTC costumers, we didn’t miss a beat. Bonny Alkofer, Mary Kloster, Chloe Liang and Elizabeth Rivera jumped right in to make sure all the costumes for the show are ready.”

While drawing on support from veteran actors and technicians, “Fools” is growing the WTC community as well. This play is the first Warehouse acting experience for Brooke Mason (Yenchna), Cheyenne-Michelle Stefano (Sophia), Sam Walker (Mishkin) and Hailey Whitehurst (Slovitch). On the technical side of the production, new contributor Eldon Randall will be sound operator, and stage management duties are being handled by Kayce Helgert, her first time in that role. “Fools” will be just the second show with the WTC for Matt Marquez (Snetsky) and Chase Miles (Dr. Zubritsky), both of whom appeared in the summer musical “Once Upon a Mattress.”

Friday night’s opening will be the first of 10 chances for Pritchard’s creation to receive input from the most impactful villagers: the audience. He is pleased with the work that’s gone into this comic show. “I’m very proud of all of the cast and crew and the work they’ve put in to create this wonderful village,” he says. But he’s also a nervous parent hoping that other people love his kid the way he does.

“I purposely chose ‘Fools’ because it is a little-known Neil Simon play,” says Pritchard, while cautioning against comparing this piece to its siblings. “I really enjoy Simon’s work, but the more well-known shows like ‘The Odd Couple’ or ‘Barefoot in the Park’ have been done a lot. This show is definitely a Neil Simon comedy, but it will hopefully be a new and fresh play for our audiences.”

In just two days, Pritchard will have to wave goodbye to his full influence on the show. The play will begin to live its own life after opening. Oh sure, he’ll be in touch daily to see how things are going and try to help when he can. But like a college freshman meeting new people, approval and feedback from more and more members of the audience-village will become more and more important to the show’s growth until it closes on the 23rd.

It is, after all, a natural progression.

• Vance Jennings is executive director of the Warehouse Theatre Company. The company contributes a column in Explore every four weeks.