Sometimes life will give you lemons. It’s not up for debate its a fact. Right up there with the drama of production eclipsing the production of theater. If you claim to be a creative you must be able to think well on your feet. If you have achieved some modicum of success you are probably adept at improvisation and as flexible as a world class gymnast. For years we have thought about filming and selling the story of making art as it is in the trenches. I can not speak for high budget productions, but I am guessing the off camera/stage drama is just as compelling.

If ya got thin skin you might want to consider another profession. If you are overly sensitive or prone to smacking the hell out of those who slight, disrespect, bite ya shit, hate on you, underestimate you, or act as the speed bumps in your path, you probably won’t have much time to create. Its all about creating. Even if you have to struggle to bring work to life.

I told you before that theater is the land of Murphy’s Law: What can go wrong will. But I learned the lemon metaphor at my Granny’s knee. I know how to make lemonade. Only I stop me. If you stand in the path you may get left on the side of the road or perhaps ran over. I drive to the hoop by nature. I look for the blessings, value my haters, and move in one direction, forward.

We envisoned a three day run, got funded to bring a reasonably priced prodution to the people, make our arrangements, cast and went to work marketing. Then the venue went left and we decided to go right or forward.

Right back to where we came from, we can always go home. Forward to the land of Granny’s sweet and icy lemonade. I developed an effective work plan for regrouping after coming to land on gate keepers and speed bumps long ago, it goes like this: “You do what you do and I’ll do what I do; at the end of the day we’ll see where we are.” I focus on excelling. I love a speed bump it always gifts me with clarity. It’s important to know the lay of the land.

Making lemonade is a talent. Its akin to a cat’s ability to land on its feet. I back it with aiming for the moon; sometimes I fall short and land on a star. I’m good with that. I jump higher the next time.

We’ve had a damn good year. Fighting and scrapping every step of the way but coming out of the muck to bring you some of our finest work to date. We’ve grown a lot in ten years. We’ve learned an amazing amount in the past year. We are going to bring you a 11th season to remember and we’re going to put this season to bed in style.

We’re giving away the house in the style of my mentor Marvin X. Free theater, free food at a venue in the Lower Bottoms. In truth it could not have worked out better if we’d planned it. That’s how the universe is when you are quick on your feet, you find the blessings.

We started the season with a show produced by the City of Oakland offered free to the public. It was a hard gig but we rocked it out. To do a free show at the end of the season creates a beautiful book end for a tenth season.

So here’s the end of the 10th chapter of The Lower Bottom Playaz, we ate well, worked hard and got strong in 2010. In 2011 we will recommit to “grind hard/shine hard and we’ll see you in the theater.

Here’s you invitation to our holiday lemonade party:

www.lowerbottomplayaz.com