The Song (or Whatever) of Mulan

Original post by Bruce Miller on The Barksdale Buzz, 2/1/10

Every time I think of The Song of Mulan, I remember what happened eight years ago when we first contracted Paul Deiss to create the show for our touring operation. Schools were crying out for a fun way to support the new SOLs on ancient China, and the epic poem about the young girl who went to war to save her nation from the Mongol (Tartar) horde definitely fit the bill.

It had everything--an inspiring story that illuminates authentic history, a classic work of Chinese literature, and the name recognition that could come only from a recent Disney adaptation.

Paul wrote a beautiful script and score, and when the tour first went on the road, the Richmond Times-Dispatch covered the opening. This was back in the days when we could still get some ink for the arts. There was a beautiful color photo and a sizable caption, all surrounding a prominent headline that proudly proclaimed "Theatre IV Opens The Fish of Mulan."

That's what it said, my friends. We never knew why, but somehow someone in the newsroom changed the title of the play from The Song of Mulan (the actual title of the epic poem, sometimes translated as The Ballad of Mulan) to The Fish of Mulan.

It didn't matter. Then as now, all PR was good PR.

That first tour went so well under Susan Sanford's expert direction, that we soon commissioned Paul to expand his musical into two acts for a mainstage production. Susan again served as director/choreographer, and the show again earned raves from audiences, educators, and critics alike.

Mercedes Schaum created the magnificent sets; Jason Bishop designed a brigade of handsome, authentic costumes; and Steve Koehler worked his usual magic with lights. (Lynne Hartman takes on the lighting responsibilities this time out.)

Now that it's time to revive this Theatre IV favorite, how fortunate we are to have been able to reassemble several members of the original team. (In terms of costumes, Jason has moved to New York, but we have been able to retrieve all his original garments.) Susan Sanford long ago moved to Los Angeles to pursue new career opportunities with her husband, Foster Solomon. But thanks to funding from the Louise Moon Fund, we were able to bring her back to town--a blessing for one and all.

The Louise Moon Fund was created in the late 1990s, shortly before Mrs. Moon died. Throughout her life, she had been a great supporter of the arts. She was on the founding committee of the Richmond Symphony, and she had a long history of support for both Theatre IV and Barksdale.

Before our two nonprofit companies began our strategic partnership in 2001, we worked together to establish the Louise Moon Fund in Mrs. Moon's honor. The fund enabled Barksdale and Theatre IV to bring back to Richmond outstanding theatre artists who had moved on to larger markets. Mrs. Moon had fallen in love this idea after we brought her son, John, back from NYC following his earning his masters in directing from Columbia and his subsequent work with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre.

Susan is only the most recent artist to return due in part to the largesse of Mrs. Moon and her friends.

We have a great new cast for Mulan this year. The titular role is played by Yvonne Samé, recently from the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Her mother and father are played by Hannah Zold and Jason Marks. Mulan's romantic interest is portrayed by Chris Stewart. Lucas Hall, Audra Honaker, Paul Major and Durron Tyre all provide admirable support in a variety of roles.

If you haven't been out to see this wonderful show, please head on down to Theatre IV's historic Empire Theatre. We'd love to have you join us on our return visit to all the wonders of ancient China.

[ADDITION 2/3/10: Thanks to Steve Koehler and Susan Sanford for politely correcting a mistake I made in the original post. Steve designed the wonderful lights for our first Mulan, and Lynne designed the current revival. One of my favorite lighting moments, which I remember vividly from the first production, is the lighting of the yellow river, where both the painted river and the "live" silk river absolutely glow. Thanks to both Steve and Lynne for the two different productions.]

Just for Fun

Three of the cast members from The Song of Mulan (Jason Marks, Christopher Stewart and Hannah Zold) chose to creatively express their frustrations of having been able to present only one public performance during the run of the show (they also had one show just for elementary students). After all the cancellations, only FIVE performances remain -- one Friday night, three on Saturday, and one Sunday performance. Check out the video, and check out Mulan before it becomes the stuff of legend! ---oh, wait....

Click to view The Snow of Mulan

NOTE: You have to sign in to Facebook to view the video.

Help Theatre IV dig out!

Some are joking that the alternative title of The Song of Mulan should be The Show that Never Was.

With all the cancellations, it's almost true -- we've had two (count 'em, 2!) performances of Mulan since the show's opening on January 29. The most recent storm wiped out all performances over the weekend. That's four cancellations. Add those to the last batch of cancellations from the other storm, and that's a lot of lost revenue. With more snow in the forecast, the outlook for Mulan isn't so sunny.

Our other performing arts colleagues are in the same boat. While the snow is pretty and the kids are loving days off from school, lost revenue due to weather -- particularly in light of existing difficulties during the current economy -- is a challenge that none of us bargained for.

The good news is, you can help! There are two ways you can support Theatre IV as we attempt to dig out from under this financial snow drift:

1. Purchase a "virtual ticket" -- in other words, make a donation to Theatre IV in the amount of the ticket price for a show you may have attended, but was canceled due to snow. For example, the price of a ticket to Mulan is $22, so you would make a $22 donation to cover the lost revenue for that canceled ticket. Your donation is tax-deductible and you can still exchange your ticket for another performance.

2. Donate your ticket back to Theatre IV in lieu of rescheduling. This counts as a tax-deductible donation too, since you received no goods or services in exchange. For example, if you purchased a ticket to a canceled performance of Mulan, you would let the box office know that instead of exchanging your ticket for another performance, you want to donate that canceled ticket to the theatre and then (we hope!) purchase a ticket for a future performance.

To make an online donation at any time to Theatre IV, you can do so securely through Network for Good. Just go to our webiste, www.theatreivrichmond.org, and click "Donate" at the top of the page to be redirected to Network for Good.

If you would rather mail a donation, you can send it to Theatre IV, Attn: Development Office, 114 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220.

Or, you can call us at (804) 783-1688 to make a donation over the phone with a credit card.

We also welcome stock donations and in-kind donations of furniture, clothing/costumes, props, etc.

With your help, we'll weather this storm just as we have weathered all the others for the past 35 years. Most of all, THANK YOU, dear friends, for your steadfast support of Theatre IV! Fingers crossed, we'll see you at the theatre!

** Weather Update **

This white stuff is making us see red!

Tonight's (Friday, Feb. 5) and both of tomorrow's (Saturday, Feb. 6) performances of The Song of Mulan have been CANCELED due to the snow. We are calling all patrons now to reschedule for future dates. If possible, we will schedule a make-up performance for 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14. We'll keep you posted.

Stay safe out there, and if ya can't enjoy the show, enjoy the snow!

Back in Action!

Greetings Theatre Lovers!

After a nine month hiatus, the Theatre IV blog is back in action. No, none of us had a baby during that time, although we did produce a lot of wonderful programming!

A quick recap:

May: Our magnificent production of Annie closes. Again, hats off to all the stars involved, both on stage and off! (See photo at left: Alia Bisharat, Shalandis Wheeler Smith, Christopher Stewart, Sarah Day, Gordon Bass, Robin Harris-Jones)

June: Barksdale Theatre’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie opens with gusto on the Empire Theatre stage.

July: The Broadway Today Cabaret: Benefit for the Theatre Artists Fund starring many Theatre IV and Barksdale actors is a huge success, selling out and raising funds for that important cause.

August: Millie closes and the Tour and Production Departments start gearing up for fall arts-in-education tours.

September: Theatre IV withstands another Tourmite invasion! Tour actors converge from far and wide to rehearse for our Virginia school tour and national tour productions.

October: The first show of our 2009-10 Broadway for Families season opens with The Ugly Duckling on the Empire Theatre stage. (See photo at right, Eric Pastore and Aly Wepplo) Fall tours are out the door.

November: Over 300 youngsters and their families swarm Short Pump Town Center for The Sound of Music auditions, with 200 more landing on a waiting list. The day goes off without a hitch, thanks to careful planning by the Marketing and Production Departments.

December: A Christmas Carol opens on the Empire stage. Snow Bear and members of the Carol cast perform for kids at the Children's Hospital's annual holiday party.

January: Theatre IV sends costumed cast members from The Song of Mulan and Buffalo Soldier to escort senators to their chambers at the State Capitol on Arts Advocacy Day. Mulan opens to great reviews.

And here we are at February, Black History Month. Theatre IV is the premier presenter of educational plays and musicals based on prominent African-American figures in our nation’s history, including Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, I Have a Dream: The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Buffalo Soldier, the first play ever to be presented inside the walls of the Pentagon.

Buffalo Soldier will be on stage at the Empire Theatre February 23-28. The book, music and lyrics for the production, created in association with the Virginia Historical Society, were written by our very own Bruce Craig Miller, co-founder and Artistic Director of Theatre IV.

And for all those sweethearts with kiddies, how about a family outing to the theatre this Valentine's Day? Call 344-8040 for tickets to The Song of Mulan, running now through February 14! (See photo at left: Hannah Zold and Yvonne Same)

SEE YOU AT THE THEATRE!