Is this a blog post title made in heaven, or what?

Those who have known the Horaites-MacIver partnership for a long time will get the joke: you’re an insider if you read those words as “Addison Stage.”

ICS employees received an email a couple of weeks ago saying that Addis Ababa’s English language theater group wanted to regenerate itself, and was anyone interested in coming to an organizational meeting?  The email had the subject line “Addis on stage.”  In case you didn’t know, Andreas and his brother James and I started a theater in Berkeley in the 80s that we called the Addison Stage.  So of course we had to go to the meeting.

On Friday night we went with a couple of ICS theater teachers to the office of the fellow who’d sent the email.  Gary wants to stay involved but doesn’t want to be in charge anymore.  About 20 people showed up to the meeting.  The range of experience is all over the place, but everyone seemed pretty enthusiastic.  Andreas offered to lead an improv session next month so we can get to know each other better.  Hopefully a new leader will emerge.

We heard a few stories about how this theater has been plagued with bad luck.  They don’t own a venue, and they’ve had more than their share of cancellations and postponements due to security concerns.  Two years ago their director for “Macbeth” was kidnapped.  Fortunately he was released unharmed two months later.  Didn’t anyone tell them they’re supposed to call it the Scottish play?

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