Blog 10:
The Mystery of the Over Enthusiastic Theatre Nerds

July 31, 2018

This week was full of fun company events! On Monday, we had an event that I’ve been looking forward to all summer- the Barbarian Moot! This is a yearly company event wherein people dress up as barbarians, ranging in style from cavemen to Vikings to Skeletor. We all gather outside of company housing, duel with fake weapons in a circle that we call the 4-pie court (named after a game invented by the executive director that’s a variant of 4 square), and eventually crown the Barbarian Ruler based on who won the dueling tournament. We also eat chicken legs and other foods with our bare hands- utensils are not allowed at the Barbarian Moot. This event is ridiculous, to be sure, but it’s also a good way to for us to release our creative energy and blow off steam in a safe and fun way. Plus, I got to duel my boss with a fake staff while he was wearing a Viking helmet, which is definitely something I wouldn’t get to do in a more typical job. While I didn’t end up winning the tournament, the person who I lost to did end up winning the whole thing, so I consider it an acceptable loss.

Another major event that happened this week was the preview and opening of Miss Holmes, our fourth mainstage show. Miss Holmes is a mystery based entirely on the books of Sherlock Holmes. It’s set in the Victorian era and has a very similar style to that of the books. The main difference is that Sherlock and Dr. Watson are both women, meaning that in addition to solving the mystery, they have to negotiate the tricky social realities and gender roles in Victorian England. How do they get men to take them seriously? How do Holmes and Watson prove that they know what they’re doing, regardless of gender? These are all tough questions that the show has to answer. I haven’t gotten a chance to see Miss Holmes yet, so I’m not sure in exactly what way these questions are answered, but I’m sure that they do an excellent job.

This season, CRT is dedicated to putting on shows with strong female protagonists and a plethora of diverse, interesting characters. That’s why the staff chose shows such as 9 to 5, a show explicitly about feminism and the empowerment of women, and Miss Holmes, a show that examines what would happen if the world’s best detective happened to be a woman. I really appreciate the dedication that CRT has to telling diverse, interesting stories and casting the actors to fit those stories. It’s one of the things I like best about working here. That and all of the interesting people that I’ve gotten to meet throughout this internship. Creede is a fascinating place that draws a lot of cool people, and I’m very glad to get the opportunity to know them.