Introduction: During these challenging times, I will be sharing a range of ideas, dreams, essays and mostly-true tales stemming from the six decades (so far) of this wonderful career in the theater. I hope you enjoy.
– Joe Keefe
Historical Perseverance
“The slogan press on has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
This quote is attributed to Calvin Coolidge but can also be applied as the operating maxim of the theater industry. In our world of performing art, the rule that the show must go on merges with today’s directive: the show WILL go on. As I pen this essay, our Metropolis crew is busy preparing every facet of operations to be ready for our next show, the upcoming concerts, our classes and events.
Throughout the history of civilization, theater has adapted to evolving conditions and circumstances with a dedication bordering on the bizarre. Ancient Athenian theater – open air performances in huge arenas – persisted through storms, wars and the occasional plague.
The Globe Theatre, home to most of Shakespeare’s great works, was destroyed during a production of All Is True. Rumor has it that the show continued outside the venue as it burned to the ground. One patron’s cloak was set on fire but was quickly doused as audience members poured ale on him.
Both World Wars involved the stubborn necessity of theater as shows were performed 
open-air in ghettos, convened in private homes and amid the rubble of destroyed cities. The show will go on.
As we confront the changes in today’s world, I marvel at the creativity of our artists. It is both startling and delightful to hear the brainstorming of our artists to adapt to new challenges. Early this week, a video conference erupted in laughter and applause as solutions to a hugging sequence were brainstormed.
Theater, the live and shared experience of drama, comedy, romance, tragedy and music, is already evolving to meet the new days ahead. In the six decades of my wonderful career, the next decades promise to be even more rewarding.
Stay warm and well. We’ll see you SOON. The show will go on!
Joe Keefe
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