This phrase, from Shakespeare's The Tempest, has lately been ringing in my ears.

In  my last post, I discussed some of the bumps in the road in the ongoing realization of the project that is Kingfisher. I finished that post with the following sentiment:
 

I meant it.

It is going to be awesome, and the prologue sets up the rest of the story.

We've had some great successes, and some difficult challenges. Here's the funny thing: though it doesn't always feel like it, we have overcome those challenges (9 shows!) and like the space between words, challenges are an essential part of any organization's story. 

Theatermaking is never easy. In fact, I'm not sure I can think of a more difficult endeavour. Dwelling on the challenges, though, is not useful. What's useful is learning from challenges and growing from them.

As I see it, my main goal is to create fertile ground for this theater to grow. We've come along way... we now have a sapling, and  have to do a little pruning before we can plant this company in terra firma. 
 

My sister recently came to visit from Pennsylvania and asked how things were going. She had read my most recent blog post about the tough decision to cancel the remainder of our 2017-2018 Season. After a moment of reflection, she said, very simply: "Oh, you're in pruning season."

I realized immediately she was right. (of course my sisters are always right!)

We've grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and we hit a plateau. We were busting out all over, and like with an overzealous sapling that yearns for the sun, sometimes a branch or two needs to be cut back so that the trunk gets stronger and thicker to hold up against the wind. 
 

So what's next?

We are currently in talks with architects, designers, investors, and other theater groups on how to make Stage 135 a great place for Kingfisher and other companies and artists to work. There's lots brewing behind the scenes . You should expect to hear more from me on those plans in the next few weeks.. 

We'll cut back on productions while this is happening, but of course... 

While I won't announce a full '2018-2019' season, we are going to redouble our efforts in the professional space and focus all resources to that end. This means no extra programming and no conservatory. In other words: we're going to take our time. 

In particular, I'm thrilled to work on our annual holiday production of 'The Devil, the Witch, and the Blacksmith.' A show that got some good press, a great review, and even a bit of interest from a few houses down in New York (as hoped when I first got the idea in the Summer of 2014.)
 

A full theatrical production is a considerable enterprise, but I'm confident it will be well worth it. More on those details as they come, too. Yes, we will be looking for investors for this production (not just donors). And until we announce official auditions, we'll accept general inquiries by those actors who look to be a part of this hilarious and heartwarming show. 

In the wild frenzy that was the last 3 years of producing 9 original shows in Rochester, I neglected one of my early ideas: monthly blog posts. So I think this is going to be a more regular thing... to keep in touch with those of you who want to know what Kingfisher is all about and how it's progressing.

A sincere thank you for the time you took to read this far, and as always, feel free to reach out to talk about anything... theatre, gardening... whatever!

I hope you look forward to the next chapter of The Kingfisher story as much as I do. 

Onwards and Sideways...

Kevin Dedes
Actor-Manager, The Kingfisher Acting Company
Owner / Manager, Stage 135