In The Candidate’s Own Words
“My Job is a Reflection of My Philosophy”
As executive and artistic director of the Canyon Theatre Guild, I enthusiastically promote its mission statement each day. It’s an easy task for me because the statement is an embodiment of my own philosophy on life. So, what is the mission of the CTG?
The Mission of the Canyon Theatre Guild is to make the world a better place by entertaining, educating, enlightening, and enriching our community through quality live theatre.
“First, A CTG Overview”
The Canyon Theatre Guild produces ten full-scale productions each season. This gives the citizens of SCV over 180 opportunities to experience great live theatre each year. Our professional quality and high entertainment value have led our citizens to vote us the “Best Live Theatre” in the Santa Clarita Valley 20 times. Perhaps that’s why over 30,000 people attended last season’s performances. For 40 years, over 500 SCV citizen artists and volunteers have continually demonstrated their love of our theatre through their time, talent, and hard work. In addition to being supported by thousands of Santa Clarita citizens, the CTG is also supported by local government, businesses, and corporations.
We know that theatre is beneficial to the health of a maturing community. The art of theatre allows the artists and their audiences the opportunity to reflect on their personal beliefs, their interpersonal relationships with others, and their relationship to a society as a whole. Theatre shines the light of education and enlightenment on the darkness of prejudice, ignorance, and apathy. It provides us with the healing power of laughter and the catharsis of tears. It makes us better people.
Theatre also has great benefits for the youth of our community. Studies have shown a direct correlation between involvement in cultural arts and higher academic scores. It is also a valuable tool in helping at-risk students find a positive outlet for expressing themselves. To this end, the Canyon Theatre Guild serves the youth of our community through its Theatre for Youth season of performances, CTG Kids workshops, STARS workshop for teens, and Adventures in Theatre for home-schooled students.
The CTG strongly believes in helping the community. Ten percent of all our workshop participants are given full scholarships by the CTG based on financial need as identified by the Boys and Girls Club. This resulted in 25 full tuition scholarships last year. In addition, the CTG donates gallery space to the Santa Clarita Artists’ Association for the display of local artists’ works. Also the Canyon Theatre Guild has raised money with Borders Books for new publications for our local library; spearheaded a neighborhood anti-graffiti program; sponsored blood drives for the hospital and Red Cross; and held food drives for the SCV Food Pantry. Finally, the CTG donates goods and services to over one hundred community non-profit organizations every year.
“Second, How the Plays I’ve Directed Reflect My Philosophy”
Man of La Mancha
This is a show that speaks to us on many levels. The ready humor and magnificent score of course entertain us, but beneath the outward armor is a show with messages for the heart and soul. The Inquisition was a tragic chapter in the history of the Church. The story of the itinerant actor, Miguel de Cervantes, and his manservant, Sancho Panza, shows that through the magic of theatre, even a most desperate situation can reveal truths about both man’s inhumanity to man, and the nobility possible from striving in a quest for man’s best nature. As human beings, inside each one of us is the capacity to give in to our baser nature, or rise up and achieve nobility in our relationships with our fellow man.
The joy of watching Don Quixote is that we are able to see life as it should be and not as it is, and use that inspiration to be better human beings even though that quest may seem to be insane. Within the confines of a hellish prison of the Inquisition, the prisoners learn from the life and death of Don Quixote de la Mancha that the power of hope in an individual man’s spirit is a truer religion than the failed human institution that put him there.
Fiddler on the Roof
(From the 1995 production) Fiddler on the Roof not only works on an entertainment level, but also examines man’s relationship with his family, his community, and his God. The main character is forced by ever-changing circumstances to question his place in the world; and we too are drawn to look at our own lives and examine our impact on those around us. As Perchik the Student tells Tevye, “You can’t close your eyes to what’s happening in the world.”
On a personal level, in order to grow in true wisdom and maturity, we must continually re-examine our relationships with others and the world in which we live. No person, no family, no community is an island. As we look around the world today and see the crimes to humanity being committed in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Oklahoma City, we understand the importance of the little village of
Anatevka. In 1905 Russia, the Jewish people were targeted for persecution. Tomorrow in America it could be any one of us. Let us work together to shine the light of education and understanding, and it will drive away the darkness of fear and prejudice. I would like to dedicate this production to my mother and father, who taught me that if you believe, anything is possible.
(2006 Notes) So, here we are, eleven years later, and it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. The new places in the world where hatred seems to have overtaken humanity are now named Darfur, Iraq, Lebanon, and New York City. People are still being persecuted because of their religion, race, ethnicity, and culture. We must keep working, teaching, and speaking out against the evils of intolerance Tyranny will reign if good people do not stand up for that which is right.
To Kill a Mockingbird
This is a wonderful story! Harper Lee created a masterpiece based on real people and similar events from her childhood. Christopher Sergel did a superb job of compressing the time and characters into a two-hour play without sacrificing the power of Lee’s message. As we watch Scout, Jem, and Dill learn about right and wrong, we are reminded that we must reaffirm our own dedication to these principles. Being imperfect people, we must continue to search for the truth, condemn that which is wrong, and fight for that which is good and right. As individuals we have this duty to our families, communities, country, and mankind.
It would be great if the racism and discrimination that we see in To Kill a Mockingbird in 1935 Alabama did not exist, but the truth is that it still does, and not just in Alabama. Here in Santa Clarita we have people that don't want a Hispanic grocery chain to locate in their upscale neighborhood. We have kids at our schools that have racial insults thrown at them. And we have letters in our local papers that are filled with hate against people who are a different color, from a different country, or have a different religion than the writer.
Yes, it is better than it was in 1935 Alabama, but we have a long way to go. We must remember that it got better because of the billions of small actions by millions of people, one small thing at a time. So, let us all keep up this good work, speak up for the right, don’t listen to the wrong, work for equality, help one another, and love mankind.
The Diary of Anne Frank
This play introduces characters whose lives are modeled after real people. By getting to know them, we can understand the injustice that was perpetrated upon them merely because they had different religious beliefs than the people who were in political power. Through the ages, those in power have used hatred as a vicious weapon. In The Diary of Anne Frank, the Jewish people were those who were being persecuted, but tomorrow it could be any of us for any reason.
History has shown us that people have been slaughtered and annihilated for many reasons. Muslims in the Great Crusades, Jews in Nazi Germany, and Christians in China and Russia have been massacred because of their religious beliefs. In recent history, ethnic cleansing has annihilated people in Serbia, Cambodia, Rwanda, and Armenia because of their race. Skin color was used as an excuse to enslave and kill millions in Africa and in the colonies of the New World, including America. We do not know what reason will be used to persecute, torture, or kill the next group of human souls. However, if we use history as our guide, then it is not “if, “but “when.”
I believe that the only hope we have of stopping the hate and carnage is to educate humanity. It is my prayer that we can help a tiny bit with this production.
Beauty and the Beast
Of course this is a love story with beautiful music, but, as in the case with many great musicals, there is a terrific book as well. One of the joys of directing this musical has been the discovery of the many layers contained in what appears, on the surface, to be a very light-hearted fairy tale adapted from, of all things, a cartoon. There are some who take issue with Disney because of the inevitable “fairy tale ending.” However, as an idealist at heart, I have always been a fan of appealing to our higher nature. Although we will never be perfect individuals because we are, after all, human, I believe we should never stop trying to learn our life-lessons and become better people.
The fulfillment of independence and education should be more important to a young woman than beauty and social acceptance. Also, a lesson for our young (and not so young) males of the species is that a true man is defined more by his character and ability to show love than his “alpha-male” rating.
In addition, there is a clear commentary on elements of societies which look for a scapegoat to invoke hatred and fear against people because they are “different.” It is my fervent hope that we would always look with clear minds to find our shared humanity and never allow ourselves to be turned into an angry mob blinded by hatred . . . not as prejudiced individuals, not as a segregated community, and not as a divided country.
TimBen Boydston
Committee to Elect TimBen Boydston to City Council 2012
ID#1343994
19623 Green Mountain Drive
Santa Clarita, CA 91321