Meet Dr. Michael L. Mauldin, Artistic Director of CSU Summer Stages

Changes are afoot at the CSU Factory Theatre.  What was once the Dramatic Arts Program will, as of tomorrow, be the Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance. Dr. Michael Mauldin will no longer by the Program Director, but the Interim Chairman of the Department. The Factory Theatre is likely not long for this world, being replaced by the North Campus Neighborhood, with the Department being relocated to the Allen Theatre, along with the Cleveland Play House.

But Michael Mauldin remains unperturbed by all of this activity. His focus right now is singular: mounting three shows at the Factory Theatre in rotating repertory, all set to open next week. He will be directing the third show to open, Curtains, a breezy musical by Kander and Ebb.

“Curtains was created by artists who were active in forming what’s known as the Golden Age of the American Musical, both in content and form,” says Mauldin, referring to music-and-words team Kander  and Ebb, the team responsible for shows like Cabaret, Chicago, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. “It lovingly references several clichés of American musical theatre form, the ‘star is born’ story, and backstage murder mysteries.”

The show takes place during the first Boston preview of a terrible new musical, Robbin’ Hood of the Old West, which the producer hopes to take to Broadway. But when the awful leading lady is killed onstage during the curtain call and several more company members are murdered, homicide detective and musical theatre aficionado Cioffi is brought in to pop the perp.

Mauldin entered this production imagining it to be a tongue and cheek spoof of the theatre, another in what is now an annual tradition of dedicating one Summer Stages show every season to theatre about theatre (following Booth, about the famous acting family, Tom Stoppard’s farce Rough Crossing, and last year’s award winning Chekhov in Yalta). But, “this show does not have a cynical bone in its body. They love the people of the theatre.” Of Lieutenant Cioffi, the homicide investigator who moonlights as a stage performer, “He is the true meaning of ‘amateur’”, which comes from the French, “to love”. “He is very good at his job, but leads a mundane life and loves community theatre. He exists to walk the boards on the weekends, and when he has a chance to be among the people he adores, he can remind them of why they do what they do.”

The show has not been without its challenges, however. Mauldin affirms that this show has been the most difficult musical Summer Stages has undertaken, both in terms of music and choreography. The cast, in an unusual move, spent most of the first few weeks in vocal and dance rehearsals, not moving onto staging until a few weeks in. The real challenge for Mauldin has been simply arranging large number of people on stage; “It’s all huge crowd scenes!” The actors face their own challenges as well. “I’m amazed at the process of how contemporary actors can truthfully and honestly play intentional clichés without sounding cynical.”  They have, Mauldin says, by not being cynical about these characters, by embracing a real innocence.

Curtains opens 10 July 2010 at 8pm followed by a champagne reception.

The show then runs:

July 11 (2pm), 15, 23, 31, August 1 (2pm), 7 and 8(2pm)

Tickets are $10-15 and can be purchased online at http://csu.ticketleap.com or by phone at 216.687.2109

Curtains is appropriate for most audiences. There is mild language, and numerous non-explicit deaths.