Poetry has been a part of Near West Theatre for a long, long time. It has been read from our “Coffee and the Arts” and “Party in Gordon Square” stages. It has been shared in the cast party and gift circle that happens after each production, where my friend and veteran NWT actor Joanie Hoover has often described the cast and show in a special poem. It’s not unusual for cast members themselves to bring poetry to those circles, too.
As we head into our last auditions at St. Pat’s this week — and if you’ve ever been in one of our shows, I do want to see you there this Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday! –here’s a poem written a few years back by Darius Stubbs, who has served on our crews, as an assistant director, and onstage in such NWT productions as Finian’s Rainbow, Into the Woods and The Secret Garden. He offers a candid glimpse of the NWT experience in the verses below. Thanks, Darius, for letting us reprint this. I’m only sorry this blog format won’t quite mimic the indentations you use on the page.
Don’t forget, everyone: We need actors from all of our eras, all the way back
Darius Stubbs (center) in Finian’s Rainbow, 2008. Photo by Rob Sommerfelt.
to 1978, to make Move On! all it can be. Auditions for kids through age 13 are at 6 p.m.; teens and adults, 14 and up, at 7:30; all at 3606 Bridge Ave. Pick one night; arrive 15 minutes early to register. More information is at this web page and in editions No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 of the Chronicles. See you at St. Pat’s! — Bob Navis Jr.
“Untitled NWT Poem,” by Darius Stubbs
Precious hearts
filled
to the point of bursting.
Precious beings hunger,
yearning,
thirsting,
For the chance,
The chance
to be reached,
to reach out
to reach in and look
and find
and feel
and understand.
To find that push that drives them.
To know that what helps define them
lives within these walls.
Roams throughout these halls.
Now, we cannot touch it
(No one can)
but
Oh,
can we feel it.
Feel it
from the moment
that those frightened, first – timers
fall fully
into
those private tunnel auditions
(and, oh yes, Mr. Kelly,
he will make you be a tree)
From that first
to the final
tear – soaked
Gut – wrenching
Gift – giving
Circle
You can feel it.
This
potent,
pulsing,
purely positive force
that consumes
and comforts
and consoles.
And though this energy
cannot be named
Or boxed up
Or labeled
Or categorized
It is there.
It
Is
And
It
is
the reason
That
Despite the pain
And the hurt
And the anger
And the injuries
And the insults
And the disappointments
Despite the last – minute changes
And the “We haven’t staged this yet!”
Despite the quick tempers
And the harsh words
Despite the ego trips
And the power trips
And the power struggles
And the struggles to keep sane
And the sheer insanity
Of the hugeness of the shows
And the massive number of bodies we try to
Cram
into this tiny
intimate space
Despite
all of it,
That force,
That feeling,
It resonates
And draws us in
And we come back
And we stay
And though we will
have to say
goodbye,
We will never
really
leave.
—–
Near West Theatre is grateful for ongoing programmatic support from the Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and Greater Cleveland Community Shares.
The Near West Circle 