Daily Inspiration: Meet Andy Rodgers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Rodgers

Hi Andy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Like all great love stories, this one starts somewhere in the middle, with a train robbery.

Miscreant Theatre Collective is a group of scoundrels and rascals, which began to take shape in Golden, Colorado, where Erin, Andy, and Thomas met while performing in a series of interactive theatre shows featured at the Colorado Railroad Museum.These shows included murder mystery, train robbery, and ghost tours, featuring the museum and surrounding landmarks. When they weren’t flexing their creative muscles, the three would meet with a fourth founding member – Doron – at a local pub and discuss the other projects, real and aspirational, which occupied their minds.

The four had collaborated individually with each other on previous occasions, but never all together and – much to Andy’s chagrin – none have any official credits alongside party-game favorite, Kevin Bacon.

The collective unofficially formed when the four rogues joined in on a production of Macbeth. When the inter-company partnership collapsed, Miscreant was officially formed to complete and mount the production independently. Craving equity, diverse perspectives, and wild reimaginations, the company undertook its debut production with Macbeth: A Very Serious Play, in January of 2020. During this production, the group also recruited Dillon to provide music and sound for the play on a limited basis.

The group’s unique take on Macbeth earned rave reviews and a small but loyal following, and was also enough to earn the collective Westword Magazine’s award for “Best New Theatre Company” of 2020.

Hoping to capitalize on this momentum, the collective began work on their next ambitious production: Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. The show was cast and the first production meeting took place in March of 2020. The following day, official stay-at-home orders were issued for the greater Denver area due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the project was forced to take an extended hiatus.

Disappointed, but undeterred, the collective sought to maintain an artistic community during this unprecedented time, and began holding regular readings of publicly available stage plays via Zoom. This kicked off two Miscreant traditions which still exist nearly five years later: The Miscreant Book Club still holds monthly readings either via Zoom or in person; and Minutes to Curtain, (that’s right! It’s MTC by MTC!) a literary-adjacent podcast in which hosts Andy and Dillon recap, discuss, and analyze the plays performed during book club.

While the collective soldiered on in an online-only form, life moved on around them. Andy and Erin (who are now married!) spent nearly two years teaching English in China, while Doron found employment in California, and gracefully exited the collective. In 2023, the collective reformed, officially named Dillon as the new fourth member, and began working to resurrect The Pillowman.

Local theatre legend, Veronica Straight-Lingo was tapped to helm the new production of the McDonagh classic, and the appropriately moody show was performed as a Halloween feature in October of 2024. The show was, again, critically acclaimed, and received two notable honors from OnStage Colorado – for Outstanding Ensemble for the exceptional actors, and their “Above and Beyond” award for the production team as a whole.

Riding high from the amazing show, the team is currently working to mount the world premiere of The Ever and After, by Rachel Teagle, running at The Roaming Gnome theatre from March 13th – March 30th. The show is a post-apocalyptic tale featuring an Amazon warrior and an oversized cockroach. Honestly, do you even need to know more? If so, head on over to miscreanttheatre.org to read all about the play and order your tickets today!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like many in our community, COVID-19 struck a massive blow, and was an obstacle that took us several years for us to scale. We have spent that time engaging with theatre in new and exciting ways, and working to forge the way ahead for independent artists of all types. We are incredibly proud to be standing here today, and credit the determination and hard work of not just the collective, but all of the amazing artists who continue to contribute their work and support while we keep striving to create meaningful and impactful art.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our goal is to do the plays that nobody else is willing to try. We have already taken huge swings with both Macbeth and The Pillowman, and we aim to keep pushing the envelope while making sure that every person has a seat at the table. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we are entirely funded by our community, and we want all of them to be represented in our work. Like any good non-profit, our primary goal is the enrichment and the improvement of our local community, and that means getting involved and staying active, letting people know that we are here for and with them for the long term. We also recognize that good intentions are only as good as the actions that we take in support. This season, we have partnered with The Blue Bench (formerly RAAP), Denver’s only comprehensive sexual assault prevention and survivor support center. Our play will always tackle the sticky and difficult subjects, and it is just as important to spend our time trying to address these issues within our community. We will continue to push these boundaries as far as our community will follow, and we hope to help with some actual healing in the process.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
From day one, we have abided by an internal ethos that we call “Very Serious Play”, the namesake for the subtitle of our staging of Macbeth. This comes from Andy’s interpretation of a John Cleese quote regarding the value of a creative space, and the importance of ensuring that every member of the creative collective feels entirely comfortable within that space. We focus on eliminating the negative, and allowing every person to give a voice to every idea, regardless of how big or small.

Every actor, designer, producer, etc. who joins or works with the collective is encouraged to bring all ideas to the table without fear of judgment or ridicule, and is equally directed not to express judgment or ridicule in return. It is our goal that every single production is the unique product of pure, unfettered playtime – and we take this playtime very seriously. If even a single member of the group feels uncomfortable, then the entire creative enterprise is jeopardized. We elevate every facet of our productions by ensuring that the entire team is allowed the space to make mistakes without fear of failure or retribution.

Ultimately, the lessons we learn from theatre are the same that we week to reproduce in our daily lives: the freest exploration leads to the deepest discoveries.

Pricing:

• -Tickets for The Ever and After: $30
• -Miscreanttheatre.org/tickets
• -Special membership pricing available
• -Members get 2 free tickets to any show with a $25/month Very Important Miscreant subscription
• -Miscreanttheatre.org/vip

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miscreanttheatre.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miscreanttheatre/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miscreantcollective
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@miscreanttheatre

Image Credits
Poster and Character Design by John-Christian Maheu.