Wow. Whoda thunk that, a week after the festival, most of you would still be commenting? Seems a lot of you had a very good time indeed.

But probably not as much as Helena D. Lewis.

From the amount and the tone of the comments, it sounds like Ms. Lewis’ show at Club 411 was the hit of the festival, and according to her, more stuff could be in the works.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, we’ll try to score an interview with the New Jersey poet, because if there’s one thing we like over here, it’s blog traffic!  We ain’t proud!

We heard reports that there were anywhere between 1,500 to 2,000 people downtown on Friday and Saturday which, um, is a lot of people.

So, to wrap-up: what shows did you see last week?  What did you like?  What could’ve been better?  How was Malcolm Jamal Warner’s show on Saturday?  Which celebrity was nicer than you thought? And what are you hoping to see in 2009?

This site will most likely stay up, so be sure to send in your comments and thoughts.  Don’t be shy!

It’s always fun to watch performers mature and come into themselves during the theater festival. Performers are working on their craft when they’re not in town during the year, and its nice to watch them on the top of their game.

Helena D. Lewis, a New Jersey spoken-word artist, held a reading of her one-woman show, “Call me Crazy,” last night at Club 411.  The back of the room was packed. Lewis’ show is about her experiences as an overworked social worker in Newark, and features music, poetry and some impressive acting. Lewis also co-hosts the midnight poetry slam readings.

But here’s the thing: in 2005, Lewis didn’t have a one-woman show at the festival; she was primarily the co-host of the slam readings. To see the maturation of an artist is always a fun thing.

(Hey, and if you can get an actual seat during this maturation, consider yourself lucky!)

Browse through the headshots and the business cards scattered across the tables in the mezzanine of the Marriott Hotel, and one thing pops out:

Most of the people hustling for gigs are black.

Makes sense in a festival designed largely for black audiences, but the irony is, if you’re a white actor or actress, you perhaps stand a good chance of acting in a play this week. A major element of black plays is, well, the black experience, and since that experience is so closely tied to the relationship with white people, a white actor has a good chance of getting an acting gig. At least two plays this week feature white actors in key roles, for example.

But here’s a question: if more non-black actors and actresses were to show up for the festival, looking for work like everyone else, how would that change the dynamic of the festival itself?  Would it change at all?

(Yeah, we just went there.  But it’s Friday!)

Let’s face it: being an artist ain’t easy.

Playwrights and actors can spend hundreds of dollars photocopying their plays and headshots and promo flyers. At times, the copying prices can get a little steep. So if you’re an artist, you’re constantly looking for a place to print your documents on the cheap. As a result, savvy printing companies regularly advertise at the festival.

Like this one. PIP Printing and Document Services is California printing business that has an office downtown. Their flyers are scattered throughout the Marriott this week. We know one playwright from Chicago who uses them regularly.

(Update: Christian Lannie, the owner of PIP, said that the shop typically sees a number of artistic folks during the week: “A couple of people came in about 12 times,” he said.)

You know how the festival organizers often talk about the money the festival brings into the community?  This is probably what they’re talking about.

Midnight readings.  Large scale parties. Clubbing.  Lots and lots and lots of jazz.

The streets of Winston-Salem are going to filled with theater festival-related stuff tonight, and good luck finding a parking space.  Here’s some stuff you might want to pay attention to:

1. First Fridays Triad, Sundance Plaza Hotel 9 p.m. Be well dressed and solidly in your 20s. Also, be willing to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, checking your hair!

2. Stepping Out in Black and Purple, 7:30 p.m. Be willing to learn about Chicago style stepping. There will also be a dance show with children.  Kids today!

3. Embassy Suites, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m: Music, Dance, Spoken Word, & Drama. That’s pretty much the whole package right there.

4. Club 411, DJ and dancing. Right next door to the Marriott.

5. Speakeasy Jazz Cafe. All night jazz jam session.

6. Midnight Poetry Jam, Benton Convention Center.  More spoken-word poetry than you can shake a stick at.  Pack a lunch, because that line is long!

7. Theater Conversations at Midnight, Marriott Hotel. New plays! New actors! Garland Lee Thompson!

Enjoy!  And be careful out there!

At least one person has told us that she can’t get to many of the plays this year, because the ticket prices are too high.  Is $37 or $42 too much to see a show?  Should the prices somehow be lower?  If so, how?  Discuss!  And complain!

What do you do when you come across the script for one of the most popular shows at the festival?  Do you keep it?  Do you sell it on eBay? Do you browse through it and put it down?

Or do you give it back to one of the actors in the show?

We stumbled onto a worn, dog-eared copy of the script for “South of Where We Live” at 1 a.m., left forgotten on a table. The play, about seven professionals in a marathon awareness program, features Tommy Ford, from the television show Martin.  The play is feisty and powerful, and has been a draw this year. We figured one of the actors lost the script, and realized that was probably a bad thing.

So.  What would you do?  It’s like ethics class all over again!

(Oh, come on. We saw Tommy Ford last night and gave him his script. He was very grateful.  Dude is tall.)

Call in the Law of Unintended Consequences.

The popularity of the festival has changed the way the festival manages itself during the week, and like everything else, that manifests itself in small ways.

For instance, the festival’s “New Plays At High Noon” daily reading series has now been moved to 1 p.m., to accomodate the festival’s morning media conference. And the popular midnight poetry slams—which was free admission—will now set you back a whopping $1.

Dig deep, people!  Dig deep!

Let’s face it.  Part of the lure of the theater festival are the parties. The Marriott Hotel is awash in partygoers from Monday to Saturday, and choosing exactly where to get that rum and Coke can be tough.

But Cheryl Harry has solved all of that.

Harry runs the site Coming Eventz.com and has compiled a list of where to get your crazy on throughout the week. Where will you plan to be this week?

Mark your calendars, people. And if you end up overbooking yourself—like we did last week—don’t blame her.