Today we’d like to introduce you to Donald Rupe.
Hi Donald, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been making Theatre in one way or another for most of my life. I grew up mostly in St. Cloud/Kissimmee and started directing shows in high school. I went off to college and came back and taught Theatre at my alma mater for 7 years while also directing at local companies throughout Central Florida. Some years back, I quit teaching and created a successful community theatre program from the ground up in a converted church space. At some point about 6 years ago, I started writing shows as well (we even took one of the shows I wrote to NYC and had a successful run there), and I realized quickly that my real passion was for creating new works, not re-staging shows people have already done or seen. When the Pandemic hit, like so many other people, I took a step back to think about what was next, and my friend and now-business partner (Chris Kampmeier) was going through the same journey (we worked together at the previous theatre). He was house-hunting one day and texted me a listing for this building we’re in now. As a joke, he asked if we wanted to make a Theatre company, and I looked at the building and said well actually there probably isn’t a better building in Orlando to do that. A few months later he purchased the building and we created Renaissance Theatre Company; a new nonprofit dedicated to new works. We opened our first production in October of 2021 and we’ve enjoyed a wild and successful ride so far.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If it was easy, everyone would do it. Our biggest challenge has been growing so quickly it’s sometimes difficult to keep up. Also, the nature of working in a theatre is that there is always so much work to be done. It can be overwhelming for people who aren’t used to it. Luckily, I learned a lot about taking care of myself and a lot of what *not* to do from the last time I built a theatre company, so this process-from my perspective-has actually been a lot easier and kind of a dream.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wear a lot of hats, but basically, I’m a Theatre-maker. Lately, I’d say I’m a producer, writer, director, in that order. At Renaissance Theatre Company, I produce all of the shows and events we do, which basically means I’m the sort of air traffic controller of all of the different artists who work on our productions, and I oversee things artistically, financially, and otherwise. I’ve also done a lot of writing in the last couple of years. Some shows I’ve written in various places: ‘Flying Lessons’ (this is the show I took to NYC), ‘Gorgeous,’ ‘The Office Holiday Party Musical Extravaganza Show,’ ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘Gorgeous,’ ‘Oscar Wilde and Jesus Christ Walk Into A Gay Bar,’ ‘Bright Young Things,’ ‘Once I Laughed,’ among others. I often end up directing a lot of shows because directing is so second nature to me now, so sometimes it’s easier to just direct a show myself. But because I’ve done so much of it, ‘just’ directing doesn’t really excite me anymore. I like writing because that’s where you get to be really creative. Right now, I’m most proud of the world we are creating at Renaissance Theatre Company. Staging and creating new works isn’t something that happens all that often in Orlando, and I think that is attracting a new audience, too. We are appealing to a traditional theatre audience, sure, but we are also seeing a much younger and more diverse crowd in our space. This is maybe most evident at our weekly “Musical Mondays” event, which is a cabaret/open-mic night. It’s been amazing to see the huge variety of people who come and sing and enjoy. Also, on Wednesday nights we host drag shows for a local group called “Off the Record.” I feel like the Ren has really embraced its role as a place of convening, and I’m very proud of that. Also, we don’t really do anything the old-fashioned way. We prioritize paying artists a living wage, we focus on environmental sustainability, and we are trying to tell diverse stories, and I mean that in a lot of different ways.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Honestly, the pandemic really put me on the right track in terms of my career. For me, it was a reminder that work is just work. When everything shut down, it was like ‘wow, the day-to-day things that we think are so important really kind of aren’t.’ I’ve learned this lesson in other ways in my life, but the Pandemic really made me stop and think about what I really want to spend my time doing. And when you get to create and curate your own company, you get to build the culture you want and you get to create the space that you want to be in. So, if it wasn’t for COVID, Renaissance Theatre Company probably wouldn’t be a thing.
Contact Info:
- Email: rupedon@gmail.com
- Website: rentheatre.com
- Instagram: therentheatre
- Facebook: Renaissance Theatre Company
- Twitter: @TheRenTheatre
- Youtube: Renaissance Theatre Company
Image Credits
Ashleigh Ann Gardner
@visual.stim
