A few days ago I received a letter notifying me that No Rules Theatre Company had closed. I looked at it, put it down, and then looked at it again and a lot of tears flowed because I loved this theatre company and Joshua Morgan and Brian Sutow, and Anne Kohn – who will always be No Rules to me.
Luckily, Anne is at Shakespeare Theatre Company and I know I will bump into her again. Whew!
I first encountered Brian and Joshua in the buff covered in raspberry syrup in a silly Fringe show. They were well-preserved.
And then when I saw their production of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown on H Street I knew there was genius in these youngsters. I was hooked!
They kept making great theatre and introduced us to some extraordinary talent, including the bubbly Carolyn Cole. Then they received The John Aniello Award, and some more great show followed, and then their move to Shirlington. Frankly, I wish they would have stayed in DC where they had developed a following…but what do I know?
It’s a sad day for me and Washington Theatre but I can’t stop smiling about the great times I had being surrounded by these fun guys and one heck of a gal.
https://youtu.be/hN7vBcRFXXI
So thank you Joshua and Brian and Anne for many great memories and for your encouragement when I started DCMetroTheaterArts. Thank you for some great theater and a lot of laughs.
And now some good news: Joshua is going into Les Miz in NYC. He’s Broadway-bound. Yeah!
I went to Joshua’s facebook and found this:
“Two big life announcements…
First – it is with a huge mixed bag of emotions that the board has decided to dissolve No Rules Theatre Company after 6 years of tremendous work. This company has been my motivator every single day and I am so incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish with the incredibly diverse artists that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I’ve learned more about grace, productivity, efficiency, communication, gratitude, leadership, and art through No Rules than I could have ever gotten anywhere else. Thank you to *everyone* who made it possible. I could spend hours tagging everyone that includes…
Second – I start rehearsals for the Broadway production of Les Misérables Broadway this coming Saturday with my first performance on Tuesday, Sept. 1. I’m in the ensemble and u/s Thenardier and apparently will be going on for Thenardier fairly soon thereafter.
What a wild year it’s been…
So grateful to so many people who have sacrificed so much because they believe in me.
It’s a terrifying, thrilling new chapter in my life.”
Well… this good news could not have happened to a nicer and harder-working and talented guy. So, I need to go up to NYC to see him in the musical I have seen over 20 times so I can give him a big hug and thank him for all the good times.
And my favorite memory: Joshua playing piano and singing Broadway tunes at Leisure World with me and the residents who had the biggest smiles on their faces when he encouraged them to sing along. It was kvelling time…
Mazel Tov my friend.
I will miss you a lot. And thanks for the memories!
LINKS
What’s New at No Rules Theatre Company This Season by Artistic Director Joshua Morgan by Joel Markowitz.
DCMetroTheaterArts’ coverage of No Rules Theatre Company.
AGREE! I just laughed at that wooden promotion. :) So much talent in Joshua Morgan and I wish him tons of luck but hope he’ll be back. I also miss Brian Sutow (don’t know Anne). I echo your sentiments, Joel.