Brandon Thomsen here! Remember me? I’ve been on sabbatical since the end of March. It’s time for a check-in. I want you to know that I still exist. I spent seven weeks working for a theatre in northwest Nebraska. This theatre mounts five shows in a matter of weeks and rotates them throughout the summer … Continued
Question: How’s your sabbatical going? Answer: It starts March 1. I am amazed how many people know about my sabbatical! Practically everyone I have encountered since my last Thomsen Talk has brought it up to me. What has been very touching and very encouraging is the amount of support surrounding the decision. People have told … Continued
The time has come for Brandon J. Thomsen to take his sabbatical. To disappear for a period of time, perhaps to work on a project, and then return reinvigorated.
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. – Walt Disney In the two-week run of The Music Man, more than 4,000 were transported into River City. Through the charming Iowa Stubborn, they found a story with a whole lot of heart. Our final show was on Sunday, and by Monday morning the stage was … Continued
David A. VanCleave will serve as the guest director for Quincy Community Theatre’s upcoming production of The Hobbit, running October 19-22, 2023.
I was looking back at my previous blog posts– all critically acclaimed and widely read (in my imagination) – trying to find some brilliant passage to reference or call back for this, my final QCT blog post. I’ll share an observation about QCT from my very first blog post: “…it is at QCT that the … Continued
As a kid, it was a dream of mine to direct The Music Man. In fact, “for fun,” I created a poster, scenic designs, and even a rehearsal schedule. And here’s the thing…. I still have them! I just pulled out the file folder and looked through it.
In his book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg defines the social theory surrounding the third place. Oldenburg called your home and the people you live with your “first place.” Your workplace, where most people spend most of their time, is your “second place.” Your “third place” is the anchor of your community life. Oldenburg … Continued
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” An important lesson for a human being at any stage of development, and I can distinctly remember hearing some variation of this—honesty is the best policy—at an early age. As you can probably guess from the title of this blog post, that quote above is from Shakespeare’s play … Continued
A hundred years. Why RENT? Quincy Community Theatre was founded on the principle to offer “plays of the highest standard.” I am so proud that, 100 years later, that mindset remains. As the Artistic Director, a principal responsibility of mine is to select the titles that the organization will produce. I review a plethora of … Continued
In the Sunday, September 9, 1923 edition of the Quincy Whig-Journal, drama lovers were asked to join a Little Theater movement. “One of the primary purposes of the Little Theater is to give everyone the advantage of becoming acquainted with the best plays… Realizing that Quincy is in no way inferior to other cities in … Continued
There are many “wins” a theatre director could count. A smooth and efficient tech process? A sold-out house for opening night? Or, perhaps, a cast that can remember all of its lines BEFORE the off-book deadline (yes, a director can dream).. Indeed, this director is celebrating many wins– before the holidays, 100 wonderful student performers … Continued
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