March 1, 1992
Under dark of night, on a secluded side street, dressed in black, Jim Metropole stood by a streetlight, a lone figure of rebellion. A glimmer of hope for the tattered Rapport victims, he was slowly becoming a beacon of new dreams, an actor's producer, a man with a vision for a brand new group, a group that would herald the return of quality small theater in L.A. Basically, it is an alternative to Crane.
The Metropole TheatreWorks had its first meeting this evening. Miki Mootsey waved her hand of organization over the past year of Theatre Rapport exiles and brought together what Frank Doyno Chapa called a group of excellent actors. And among them sat I. Frank had sung my praises to Miki, and Jim had auditioned me for Theatre Rapport, so I think I was a welcome addition to the group.
The "group" itself is a diverse one. There are young and old members and an even number of men and women, and a range from leading actors to characters. People I knew were Chris, Miki, Jim, Larry, all the recent Theatre Rapport refuse. But nearly everyone, at some point, had been at Theatre Rapport.
The group is organized for 5 purposes, according to Ms. Mootsey, but I'm not sure I can remember all 5. 1) Industry nights. Let's be honest. We all know that's why theater (or theatre) exists in Hollywood 2) Shows. That makes sense, doesn't it? 3) Education. As part of a reach-out program, a troupe of actors will travel to schools with children's shows to educate and illuminate. Sounds admirable. 4) Readings. I think this was one of them. People could bring in original work and the company would stage a reading. 5) Scenes. That's just a guess. Perhaps, scenes like Theatre Rapport's Wednesday night fare.
The biggest problem now is that I'm busy for the next 10 Sundays. So
where does that leave me? I fear I'll miss the first Industry Night,
plus I'll miss the formation days. I'll just need to keep in close
touch with Miki.