42nd Street Moon

22 hours ago

A farewell from our Executive Artistic Director Daniel Thomas:

In 2008 I was sitting at a kitchen table in Long Beach, scheming with a dear friend about starting a staged reading series. As we brainstormed about shows and budgets and such, he said that his dream was to create something like 42nd Street Moon. Having grown up in the Bay Area, I was familiar with Moon and had seen some shows in the early days of the company. I loved their mission, and I loved the idea of locally-based, professional talent honoring story and song above spectacle and sizzle.

Eight years later I found myself sitting in the Eureka Theatre, three weeks from becoming Moon’s Executive Director, watching some amazing Bay Area talent sing the hell out of “The Most Happy Fella.” The seats were uncomfortable and the walls were orange, but I was incredibly moved by what was onstage. At that moment I knew that, whatever craziness might come with running a theatre, I’d be working alongside passionate, dedicated, and talented people.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s been lots of craziness, and a fair amount of existential crises, many sleepless nights, and a further thinning of my hair. But there’s also been eight years of joy and fulfillment, and wonderful, wonderful people.

My time with Moon is coming to an end – sooner than I would have anticipated, but things happen, and things change. Life, and health, and family – investments that pay much larger dividends than any paycheck – they can be fleeting. It is with a heavy heart that I leave, but with gratitude for those who have shown such support, such collaboration, and such love – even when things were at their most chaotic (which in theatre can mean any given day at all); and with confidence that Moon will continue to survive, and thrive. I am proud to have been a strand in the fabric of this company, its history, and its legacy.

I should add, of course, that it’s not goodbye – I’ll be around in one capacity or another, and look forward to future projects.

It’s fitting that FOREVER PLAID opens concurrently with this announcement – it’s a show that is dear to my heart, and I’ve worked on it more times (thirteen now!) than any other show. It’s full of harmony (which feeds my soul), and it’s funny and sweet, but beyond that, it’s about friendship and love and following your dreams, and making sure our precious time on this planet is filled with all of them – so that even if you don’t quite reach your dreams, the journey itself has been more than worth it.

Your dreams and passions and the people whom you love, and those who love you – hold them close to your heart. … See MoreSee Less