FourOver the past week, I've enjoyed four milestones, not only as a theatre blogger, but also as a theatre lover.
On the first score, Saturday found me "celebrating" the fourth anniversary for
Steve On Broadway (SOB). The day was spent doing one of the things I love to do most: seeing a show. In fact, I was in the audience for two markedly different Great White Way productions (
Red and
Come Fly Away).
But I also observed my anniversary day enjoying the cameraderie of fellow bloggers/friends Patrick Lee (
Just Shows To Go You), Linda Buchwald (
Pataphysical Science), Leonard Jacobs (
The Clyde Fitch Report) and Andrew and Phil (
West End Whingers), along with non-blogging friends Bill and Ken and new friend
Baz Bamigboye.
(And all of that came on the heels of wine and/or coffee-infused moments of pleasure earlier in the week with Roger Calderon (
Daddycatcher's Realm), Kevin Daly (
Theatre Aficionado At Large), Kari Geltemeyer (
lit-wit), Jonathan Mandel (
New York Theater), Sarah Roberts (
Adventures In The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment), Gabriel Shanks (
Modern Fabulousity) and last but certainly by no means least Jan Simpson (
Broadway & Me). It was a week to savor, and is serving to inspire me to write yet again.)
My second milestone hit last Wednesday. Doing what I always do after each Rialto performance, I dutifully logged the Broadway shows I had seen that day into my ever-expanding list, only to discover that my Wednesday matinee of
Million Dollar Quartet marked the 200th time I had set foot in a Broadway theatre for a show. (Since I've been known to revisit some of my favorite plays and musicals, this was not my 200th
production -- it was only my 184th.) I'm not sure how that compares with your theatregoing habits, but over my span of nearly 25 years attending Main Stem performances, I think the folks at the
Broadway League and the
American Theatre Wing would likely deem my attendance above average, and since the inception of Steve On Broadway (SOB), my near perfect attendance would be way above average. Given that I
still pay for every ticket, it also means I've plunked down a tidy sum through the years. But I don't regret a single penny.
My third milestone occurred just yesterday when I took in the evening performance of
Everyday Rapture at the
American Airlines Theatre. In seeing
Sherie Renee Scott's semi-autobiographical musical, I now lay claim to having seen each and every one of the 38 new shows that opened on Broadway during the 2009-10 Theatrical Season. That string includes such short-lived productions as
Brighton Beach Memoirs,
The Miracle Worker,
All About Me and
Looped.
Finally, my fourth milestone is one that's served as further inspiration for writing Steve On Broadway (SOB) yet again. I was proud to be among three theatre bloggers participating in a Q&A with Alicia Silverstone, who was recently on Broadway in
Time Stands Still. Having the opportunity to pose questions to this underestimated actress marked my first time formally interviewing any thespian. I'm hoping it won't be my last. (I'll write more in the days to come on our conversation with Silverstone, but in the meantime, here's
another post from one of my blogger colleagues.)
So for the one or two readers who are still out there, thanks for returning to Steve On Broadway (SOB) and sharing in my four milestones with me. It's great to be back.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alicia Silverstone, Anniversary, Friendships, Interview, Milestone, Special Messages
525,600 Minutes: Dotting The Eyes For One Year
Hard as it is for me to believe, today marks my first anniversary of writing
Steve On Broadway (SOB). To observe the occasion, I want to offer my gratitude, along with a few details on what inspired me to begin posting in the first place.
First, let me express my humblest appreciation to each of you who has made this site a regular read, as well as to everyone who has included Steve On Broadway on your blogrolls or subscribed to the site.
When I began writing one year ago today, I never fathomed that anyone would ever find Steve On Broadway, let alone care what I had to say. But you've not only found me, you've also shared your deep-felt thoughts, your welcome arguments, your constructive criticisms and your simple corrections.
I've truly enjoyed the dialogue with each and every one of you who has commented directly on my posts. I've also taken enormous pleasure in the surprisingly large number of you who have chosen to e-mail me directly.
It's been rather astonishing to hear from individuals associated with works I've reviewed, including playwrights, directors, actors, actor's mothers, actor's spouses and partners, each eager to provide additional insight, admonish me or simply to tell me that I "got it." Regardless of why you've contacted me, I've appreciated hearing from you.
But what's been most rewarding are the friendships I've developed with individuals I've never even met, literally all over the world. There are those among you -- and you know who you are -- on whom I can count for daily banter and feedback on each posting. I realize that without Steve On Broadway, I would never have had the honor of getting to know you. Suddenly, this little site that I didn't know anyone would read became less about me and more about the sense of community that it has inspired and created. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
After attaching a Statcounter on my site in February, I've been dumbstruck by the number of visitors I receive. While I realize that other sites likely receive thousands of hits a day, I'm flabbergasted to know that Steve On Broadway has been found by over 10,000 readers since my Statcounter went live. Even more astounding is that a significant number of you reside outside the United States, with large percentages living in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan and France. Suddenly, that community of theatre lovers seems rather immense and overwhelming.
When I began Steve On Broadway, it was not because I had any personal agenda or ax to grind, but rather to maintain my own journal for one of my many personal interests: live theatre.
Because my day job is devoted to public relations within the travel industry, I have been advising individuals associated with my company on all types of media worth investing time and effort in pursuing. Naturally, today's media prominently includes the great blogosphere. But in order for me to be able to speak authoritatively to those individuals about what this new medium entails -- and since I come from the school of thought that you lead by example -- I decided in April 2006 that I better understand the ins and outs of how to initiate, develop and grow a blog of my own.
Rather than go with the obvious route of blogging about travel, I decided that I would write a blog about a topic I loved, but that I now realize I had only limited knowledge about when I started (and to all you erudite theatre bloggers, my hat's off to you for collectively serving as my faculty and advisors -- I've learned so much from you!).
Steve On Broadway became a labor of love. And although I never write about travel per se, the experience has empowered me professionally to the point where I am now regularly leading seminar sessions on "Blogging 101."
So where do I go from here? Well, because this is now a community, I'd like to hear from you as to what you like about Steve On Broadway and why you visit. In addition to the new poll that asks you which features you enjoy (you can choose as many answers as you want), I invite your candid feedback, either through direct comments to this posting or via e-mail at
steve.on.broadway@hotmail.com. And if you've already added me to your blogroll, I'd love to reciprocate -- just let me know you've added a link to Steve On Broadway and I'll add yours to this site.
Again, thank you for reading. And here's to another year of discussing our shared passion for the incredibly enduring artform known as live theatre.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Anniversary, Blogs, Friendships, Gratitude, Origins, Statcounter, Steve On Broadway
