Summer Breeze

They call me The Wanderer.

— Dion

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AWAY and HOME

Hello, Friends!!

Sorry we have been absent for a few months. We did a thing (see below), we got ‘er done, and then we escaped the oppressively hot summer here in North Carolina for a little bit. Susannah beat it to the West Coast to the Big Sur wilderness for a month and David took a pilgrimage to the U.K.!

Did your parents used to go on vacation and then have slide shows in the living room for all the neighbors to come see? Martinis in hand and a 2-hour point by point visual description every. single. thing. they. saw.

Well, We’ve turned into our parents. Want to see ours? 😁🍸⬇︎

All you need to know about Big Sur is that Susannah is going back next week and will be going back often from now on. You can see why. As Henry Miller said, “It was here in Big Sur that I first learned to say amen.” Plus, the pull of family is strong, and hers are all there on the west coast.

David and Mac finally got to take a trip almost three years in the making (thanks Covid). This was supposed to be a trip for all three of the Henderson men, but the passing of David's dad meant that it became a trip for two, however some of Jerry traveled with them and now rests in a couple of beautiful locations in Scotland!

Away Home

Okay, so the thing we did was….. finally….. at long last…. our workshop offering of AWAY HOME!!! (or as you might remember, the working title was THE UNTITLED KAFKA PROJECT).

We gathered 10 intrepid actors, our inimitable director, Mia Self, our incredible playwright Tamara Kissane, and our phenomenal composer/lyricist Matthew Hager, put them in the rehearsal studio for 10 days and — wow!! They created magic together and brought our vision to life in a way we only dreamed of! We had two sold-out houses and lots of very positive feedback form our audiences.

We are so grateful to everyone who gave their time and talent to the workshop and also to North Carolina State University’s Theatre program. Their generosity enabled us to have rehearsal and performance space that we otherwise would’ve had to pay thousands of dollars for. The team there is THE BEST! Thank you to:

Joshua Reaves, Danica Jackson, Mia Self, Matt Rosine, Kathy Ferrell, Byron Jennings III, Hayden Tyler, Julie Oliver, Alli Mae Carnes, Emily Steinhoff James, DJ Brinson, Edith Snow, Jess Barbour, Devin Lackey, and Angelina Biron.

So, what comes next? Well, now we mull it all over with Tamara and Matthew, give them time and space to edit and create a new draft based on what they learned from the workshop, and then regroup. Most musicals and other new theatrical works take years to develop, and our show will be no different. Stay tuned as we refine and rework AWAY HOME.

Thanks to your generosity, Honest Pint Theatre Co. is able to continue our mission to present great works of theatre to audiences around the Triangle.

At Honest Pint, less than 50% of our budget is covered by ticket sales. It is through the support of generous individuals that we are able to maintain high artistic quality while keeping tickets affordable and paying our artists for their hard work. Your gift helps assure that Honest Pint can continue to provide the best in theatre to our community.

We would be grateful for any amount, large or small, that you would be willing to donate. Things are brewing, and with your help, they will be served up very soon!

There are several ways you can give:

• Click this link to to make a gift via PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=k7lpQyyfYIleBhj8RbHqXPCAH7S3BGliW6hLs1wQWunbNiQp4K7R_BThBcTMZnqZvhEDKzfdiOTEUcPf

• Mail a check to

Honest Pint Theatre Company 7617 Percy Court Raleigh, NC 27613

We hope you have a wonderful rest of your summer. Before you know it we will be wearing sweaters and watching leaves fall!

Thank you for your continued support!

Until next month.....

DRINK DEEP!

Susannah and David

New Year means New Work

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” – Seth Godin

Happy New Year!

2022 is here. We don't know about you, but we must admit we hoped with the ball drop something would magically change and the world would return to some sense of normal. The last few weeks have shown that isn't the case. More variants. More cases. This is the new norm, but as Socrates says, "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." This year we are committed to NEW!

The first "new" thing we will share with you is the regional premiere of Bess Wohl's Small Mouth Sounds!

Next month we will start rehearsals with a cast and crew of wonderful artists with our sights set on opening night on March 18th at Pure Life Theatre in Raleigh.

The excitement of returning to rehearsals is real and at the same time our minds are focused on rehearsing in a time of pandemic. This means we have to work with organizations to ensure our cast has access to PCR testing and our audiences are aware of the COVID protocols of our venue. None of these are things we have done before but are essential to creating safe and responsibly in 2022.

We believe that Small Mouth Sounds is a perfect play for this time. Here is a little breakdown on the show:

In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect. Filled with awkward humor, this strange and compassionate new play asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.

We can all agree that the last few years have presented us all with many questions and many times we can't find the words to address them.

Please join us for this regional premiere. Ticket information will be coming very soon!

This project is supported by a grant from the Manbites Dog Theatre Fund and generous donations from the Marconi Hoban Tell Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, the Campbell Family Foundation, and Matt and Mary Hough.

New Work

Enter this new year with a gratitude for this new chance to create your dreams.

Avina Celeste

For years we have talked about creating a work from the ground up. This is the year that will happen! As you are all aware, we have commissioned Tamara Kissane to write a script based on the story of Kafka and the doll. In the last few weeks, we have hired the talented Matthew Hager to compose the music for the show and confirmed that another gifted artist, Lormarev Jones will join us as director!

Tamara Kissane, Playwright

Matthew Hager, Composer

Lormarev Jones, Director

This show is going to be something to behold and we are so excited about this chance to create our dreams. We are fortunate to be surrounded by artists that are so skilled in their craft!

As you know, new works do not happen overnight. This show has been in the works for eighteen months and we are still 6 months away from a workshop but we are working on it daily! There is a lot happening that will all be revealed soon. Just know that it is coming soon and the story is in good hands!

With all the new comes the need for something old...money.

COVID has created a unique process for budgeting for our shows. In the spirit of full transparency, we will be paying $2800 in rent to produce Small Mouth Sounds. As you can imagine, this line item in our budget impacts our ability to pay the artists what they are worth. For years we have relied on the kindness of strangers for space. We have been blessed. We realize that the last two years have been so hard on venues. We completely understand paying rent, but it does take up a large part of the budget.

Speaking of budgeting, long gone are the days of relying on advance ticket sales to gauge how successful a show will be. We are seeing a trend in audiences waiting until the day of to make purchase decisions.

Small Mouth Sounds has been budgeted and we are looking at a budget that is more than twice what we normally spend on a show.

We have already spent money on the The Untitled Kafka Project and as we move towards the workshop we will see our costs for artists, musicians, and space start to come in.

So how can you help?

The most obvious way is to support us via financial donations:

• Click HERE to make a gift via PayPal

• Become a Patron (Monthly donations) via Patreon

• Mail a check to

Honest Pint Theatre Co. 7617 Percy Court Raleigh, NC 27613

You can also help us in non financial ways:

• Tell your friends about us by sharing our posts on Facebook.

  • Your recommendations will help drive awareness and ticket sales

• Buy tickets to the shows

• Volunteer.

  • We will need help as we navigate the COVID requirements of venues.

  • We need people that could lend a hand on loading in and loading out our sets.

We are grateful to all of you that have sent us checks and support us on a monthly basis via Patreon. Every penny counts and we are committed to ensuring that you see the fruits of your donations on stage. Thank you for sticking by us the last couple of years. There are exciting things happening and we are honored you are on this journey with us. Please reach out to us anytime at info@honestpinttheatre.org

Until next time!

Drink Deep!

David and Susannah

Patience is a virtue

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Bring me your flowers and your hours in the center of the storm

Sing with me with new belief in second lives 'cause

I survived the morning

Can you see me

I made it to the other side

Thank God

Do believe me

I've been so good at wasting time

Thank God for July…

— In July, Sara Bareilles

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It’s July!

As we watch or read the news we hear: Mask mandates are gone! Employees are being called back to their offices! The malls are full and restaurants are fully booked! Beaches are packed and National Parks are over-capacity! People are traveling in record numbers! Bruce Springsteen has reopened Broadway!

Meanwhile, in the news we also hear: Airlines are having to cancel hundreds of flights due to a pilot shortage. Summer getaways are overbooked due to overwhelming demand. Rental cars are in short supply. Retail workers are quitting at record numbers, leaving shoppers angry and unattended. Stores and restaurants cannot staff adequately. Police departments are unable to fill job vacancies despite a new pandemic of gun violence.

Wow… Everywhere you turn lately, it seems like people are ready to get things back to "normal." Everything is open or opening, and people are feeling impatient. They want to get going. They want to get back to traveling. They want to get whatever it is that they want, and they want to get it now.

Patience is required. For us, the summer of rushing back to normal is turning into the summer of hurry up and wait.

And we have to admit, we’re not good at it. After 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, being forced to stay home, to stop theatre-making, we want to get back to it desperately. As artists, we’ve existed in a culture that values “firsts.”

The first to break new ground.

The first to try something bold and daring.

The first to offer a story completely different than what you’ve seen before.

This is, after all, how we are judged on our skills.

And most of all, after a year or two, we don’t want to be forgotten.

But here’s the hard truth, friends: Our company is a small part of a theatrical eco-system. We only survive because the other companies that partner with us offer us their venues during their “dark” times on their calendars.

And these companies are scrambling to make up lost revenue from the past 16 months. They are jamming their performance calendars with their own shows and fund-raisers, and rightly so. We are all doing what we can to survive and come out of this period in relatively stable shape. Renting their venue to Honest Pint isn’t necessarily their most optimal financial move, and rental prices have risen dramatically (no pun intended). We survived the storm and we will have a second life, but it will not be rushed. This has been made clear.

We have been quietly working on finding venues for the show we plan to produce, such as the long-awaited, much delayed SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, and the new play we commissioned from Tamara Kissane, THE UNTITLED KAFKA PROJECT (we are so close to finding the right title for it!). It is proving to be challenging.

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What does this mean for Honest Pint? Well, it means we are learning how to be patient. We are mastering the art of waiting and hoping you will wait for us.

Have you ever felt firsthand the impact when someone waits for you to catch up? When someone waits for you to learn something new? When someone waits for you to learn how to work the TV remote or your smart phone or how to drive a car? When someone waits for you to arrive or to go somewhere, or waits for you to become the someone you long you be?

It’s such a good feeling when someone is patient, isn’t it? Being good at waiting is a superpower and not a waste of time. We are mastering this as we hustle to make our shows happen, and we hope our supporters and audiences will understand how scarce and expensive theater spaces are.

The reality is that we are all coming out of a long, difficult time. We are all rejoining a new world of sorts. New rules. New protocols. New expectations. Everyone is opening their eyes to a new reality. It's one that really can’t be rushed, even though everyone wants to rush back. We all want to be together in a theater again, for things to be “normal” again, and we are doing our best to make this happen. Every company in the Triangle is in economic and artistic recovery mode right now. Please be patient.

However, the GREAT news is that we have dates and a venue for a couple of offerings!!!

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THE UNTITLED KAFKA PROJECT Workshop — a one-night-only preview of our new work

October 15, 2021, at Pure Life Theatre in Raleigh

This will also be — you guessed it — a fundraiser for Honest Pint

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SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, our first full production since Fall of 2019!

March 18 - April 3, 2022, at Pure Life Theater in Raleigh

…And there will be more in store in May/June of 2022. Stay tuned!

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We would be remiss if we didn’t share our “Cost of a Pint” info with you. So here it is again, newly updated for the post-pandemic era:

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Our needs are simple: pay artists for their hard work and time, pay the licensing fees to the publishers and playwrights, pay our rental costs, pay for set-building costs, pay for lighting and sounds, pay for ticketing services. That’s it. There’s no “extras” in an Honest Pint, no foam or purposeless filler. The bills get paid through donations and ticket sales, and in return, we give you a thrilling theatrical experience that cannot be matched by anything on TV or the big screen.

We need your donations now more than ever. Please consider making a one-time gift to Honest Pint here.

Or become a Pintron through your monthly pledge via Patreon here.

If you work for a business or know of one that likes to support non-profit companies like ours, please send us any information you can. We are seeking corporate support and private underwriters for our productions so we can keep this company alive. Thank you!

info@honestpinttheatre.org

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And if you’re still reading this, we appreciate it. We think now is a good time to re-share our credo:

Theatre brings us together, to sit near one another, to hear stories, to lift our voices in joy or sorrow. Theatre creates worlds like no other. Its immediacy cannot be duplicated. Its intensity cannot be matched. A playwright’s miraculous words, directed with insight and acted with passion, elicit laughter, sadness, astonishment, enlightenment and inspiration. Suddenly, we are not alone. Theatre is communal. An actor speaks a playwright’s words. Another answers. Dialogue begins; melody rises. The audience adds its own energy, rhythm, breath; harmony emerges — all of it entwining together in a shared experience of power and exhilaration.

We believe that experiencing theatre is essential for communities to thrive. Since our inception, we have offered theatre in many formats, always mindful of ways we can spark dialogue and meaningful interactions with our audience.

In the age of Netflix and other streaming platforms, the importance of simply getting people out of their homes and interacting with fellow humans is a worthy goal. We are deeply proud of the Raleigh theatre community that we are a part of, and we love the interpersonal moments that happen before, during, and after shows. That moment in the lobby where you run into an old friend or exchange a thought with someone you don’t know is as much a part of our mission as the show we’re producing.

We believe in taking creative risks and working above and beyond our comfort zones in order to create experiences that stimulate, inspire, and challenge our audiences.

We strive to inspire the next generation of theater artists through performance, education, mentorship, and outreach.

We commit to sustaining a diverse, inclusive, equitable space and safe space for all voices.

We aspire to bring the Triangle area a high-quality theatrical experience while fostering fellowship within our community.

We believe in excellence and strive for greatness.

That’s an Honest Pint.

Thanks for sticking with us and staying patient as we figure out the next two years.

We promise it’ll be worth the wait. We are so excited to bring you new stories and experiences, and most fo all, to see you again! Until that time, stay safe and

DRINK DEEP! 🍺

— Susannah and David