“Why do you do it?” people often ask. 

“Why run from one place to another, seeing plays, musicals and one-person solo productions? Doesn’t it get old?” a pal asked recently, while we chatted during the intermission of a show. “Aren’t you bored?” another chimed in, which in turn informed me that they probably were. “Isn’t it all same-old/same-old at some point?”

My response is short and simple. “Because I can,” I usually say, followed by “No, no and no.” 

Whether one is involved in a theatrical production, or like me, on the outside looking in, a life in the theatre is always changing, always different and can be challenging, stimulating, inspiring, enriching and more often than not just plain entertaining. 

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the then-upcoming In the Works ~ In the Woods (ITW) three-day festival of new pieces being presented to the public in workshop form. It includes a new play, a new musical and a new one-person (See how PC I am?) show. 

Additionally, ITW—now in its fourth year—showcases new cabaret acts, also in process. 

All told, more than 60 actors, directors, composers, musicians and theatre technicians set up housekeeping at the Forestburgh Playhouse (FP) campus last week, where they were given the opportunity to try out new, never-produced material in an atmosphere of creativity and camaraderie, set against the backdrop of our beautiful Catskills Mountains. 

So I went. Did I love everything? No, not everything. Was it stimulating? Yes. Was it enriching and inspiring? Often. Was it just plain entertaining? Absolutely.

I know, I know—it’s a lot of questions, and I don’t have all of the answers, but what I do know is that I’m glad this festival takes place, and that I’m not alone. 

Each day, upon arrival, I found the FP campus abuzz with folks attending open rehearsals, staged readings and “off the cuff” conversations with Broadway luminaries. I observed folks huddled during meal breaks, having animated discussions about what they just saw, or were excitedly about to experience. 

I caught a reading of  “Palimpsest,” a “self-referential, meta-comedy about who gets to tell what story, what it means to create art based on real events, and what we owe each other when it comes to telling the truth” and I really, really loved it. 

New, different, funny, poignant and (uh huh) just plain entertaining, it had everything an afternoon at the theatre should. My takeaway? Please, please (please!) change the title, and please (please!) provide programs informing us of the individual performer’s names, so that we can give credit where credit is due. As Shakespeare might say, “Methinks this show has a promising future.”

This year’s new musical “in the works” was “Rebel Genius” which “crashes physics and love into one another as Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric fall madly in love, risking everything to find a perfect theory of the universe.” Described as “a contemporary exploration into the heart of a genius torn between ambition and love,” My takeaway is this: the show features a strong musical score and highlights the many talents of the many performers involved, but do we really need a musical love story about Albert Einstein? Time will tell. 

Speaking of new musicals, “ROJA,” which fuses traditional Mexican folk music and Mestizo folklore, offers a new twist on the Little Red Riding Hood story. As described by the website for ITW, “Roja rescues a mischievous, magical coyote who offers her the chance to see her father again.  What follows is an enchanting journey of love, loss and resilience.” My takeaway: The actors and musicians, whose names we don’t know, were fantástica, as is this show. Stay tuned.

As for the cabaret performers, we got to know their names, and Tony Award nominee Sidney Dupont knocked us out with “I Gotta Be Me”—a musical tribute to the late, great Sammy Davis Jr. Dupont is amazing and the story he shares with the audience is both inspiring and just plain entertaining. New York audiences will undoubtedly have an opportunity to catch this swell show.

On the flip side, singer/songwriter Alyssa Payne’s musical showcase, titled “Extra Crispy,” left me wanting more—and less. The website simply stated that ‘humor and heart collide in this cabaret showcasing original musical theater songs.” My takeaway: I liked Payne. She has a lovely voice and a sparkling, fun persona, but my days of wanting cabaret performers to bare their souls in front of a captive audience while sharing heart-wrenching stories laced with bouts of alcoholism and loneliness—let’s just say it’s not my cup of tea. 

All told, I managed to squeeze in a lot of brand-new theatre, save for “I Want to be Good”, a solo play written and performed by Michael Mastro, and described as the story of “a quirky but enthusiastic small-town altar boy with Broadway dreams struggling to balance two relationships: one with God, and the other with the superstar priest who’s just arrived at Sacred Heart Church in the summer of ’75.” I’m told that I missed “something very special,” so I’ll keep my ear to the ground, and an eye on the show’s future, which some say looks bright.

My takeaway: We’re beyond fortunate to have such an impressive and creative festival as ITW right here in our own backyard. More people ought to know, and need to go—because there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like live theatre. In my humble opinion.