Jere Hodgin spent twenty years as the producing artistic director at Mill Mountain Theatre before he left a decade ago for the Rocky Mountain west. Now on staff teaching theater at the University of Montana, Hodgin was back in Roanoke last month to direct one of six mini-plays at Overnight Sensations, wherein six short original plays are conceived, written, rehearsed and performed within one hectic 24 hour period.
Hodgin was back several months before that to watch a play on the Waldron Stage (performed by Hollins University) but this time he was back home to “work.”
Hodgin is also a freelance director these days and said he is working “around the country.” Being back at Mill Mountain – which shut down for financial reasons three years after he left in 2006 was “startling and striking and wonderful. I hadn’t been back [except for a brief walk-through after Mill Mountain reopened] in ten years. It’s wonderful to be back in Roanoke.”
He was “relieved” when MMT reorganized, redefined its mission, pared down its staff and reopened. The closing was “tragic to me,” said Hodgin, “it was hard when that happened. I’m so excited about what the folks at Mill Mountain are doing now.” He singled out current producing artistic director Ginger Poole and the Board of Directors for bringing the longtime cultural landmark back from the abyss.
While he was in town Hodgin also lectured about the Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works, which he started 20 years ago, and the latest incarnation, now simply the New Works Festival spearheaded by the Hollins University theatre and playwriting departments.
When he joined Mill Mountain in 1986 Hodgin said he made it clear that one of the things he wanted to do was stage works by new playwrights, most often on the smaller Waldron Stage – but sometimes on the Trinkle Main Stage. All these years later some of those productions have gone on to be produced in New York City or other larger venues.
Hodgin left Roanoke for the University of Idaho and its repertory theater company; now he has a similar role at Montana. He has also worked for 7 years in Los Angeles with the Native Voices Playwright Project. Hodgin has helped develop new works in Phoenix as well. Developing new plays – such as in the masters level playwriting program developed at Hollins University by Todd Ristau – is crucial according to Hodgin.
Many of those playwrights that presented new works here went through the Hollins summertime MFA program; like Samantha Macher, who has come back several times with new works and has gone on to work in Los Angeles and New York. Macher was back again last month as one of the six playwrights for Overnight Sensations, created by Ristau as a “friend raising event” to put the spotlight on local live theater.
“I think it’s vital,” said Hodgin, “we want people to come see theater – not just plays that they’ve heard about in New York or London, plays that have been popular. Where do the next playwrights come from? How do you nurture them? What gives them the skills to write?” Ponders Jere Hodgin: “Without communities that are dedicated to new works and creative writers … the theater that we have is not going to be as creative, original – or satisfying.”
By Gene Marrano
