Lookingglass Staff Retreat: Or, David Catlin Leads Us in Charades

During our Lookingglass staff retreat, David Catlin led the staff in both boisterous theatre games, and sobering reflection. As the Lookingglass Marketing Intern, I was invited to participate.

We assembled in one of the Rehearsal rooms—a large, empty space with thick, forest green carpeting and carved wooden doors. David Catlin hurried in, face bright with excitement.

“Okay, now what I want everyone to do is spread out, find some space… enough so you won’t bump into one another.“ Carrie Thompson, the Design Apprentice, and I exchanged a worried glance. Theater games? With both members of the Artistic Ensemble and the Managing Director? “And everyone make a gesture—it can be abstract, or very specific—representing your job.” I hesitated. But Heidi Stillman was already making broad gestures, eyes half-closed in concentration, so I began to fold invisible season brochures.

After we had all settled into somewhat repetitive movements, Catlin divided us into groups by department.

“Now I want you all to string all of your movements into one piece.”

Erik Schroeder, head of the Marketing Department, Vince Malouf, the Marketing Assistant, Renee Keen, head of Patron Services, and Phil Smith, Ensemble member and Producing Artistic Director, gathered in a corner. Carrie and I joined them.

“All right, let’s see everyone’s movements,” Phil said

Vince fluttered his wrist in a semi-circle. “It’s dealing. Because I’m wheelin’ and dealin’. But I didn’t know how to do the “wheelin” part.

Renee mimicked dialing a phone, holding the receiver to her ear, listening enthusiastically. Carrie wiggled an imaginary mouse. Erik called to an imaginary crowd, gestured them over with one swoop, and moved his other hand invitingly over a chair. “I’m warming it up for them!”

I moved one hand in a half-circle, then slashed upward with the other. Everyone considered.

“What is it?”

“Ah, that’s folding the season brochure, then running the stapler over the fold to make a sharp crease.”

We turned to Phil. “ Mine’s being on a roller coaster.”

Clutching invisible handles on a harness, he reached up, up, up on his tiptoes—then jerked his torso towards the ground. He slowly straightened up. “Okay, let’s tie all those all together. Now, what’s a good through line…”We pursed our lips, thinking.

“ So let’s say like we’re dreaming that we’re on a roller coaster,” Phil said, breaking the silence. “Then we wake up, pick up the phone—but we keep having these flashbacks. So then we go back into the--” He snapped his chest again towards the ground, then slowly rose, his body clunking over the wooden rails of the rollercoaster track. We did our best to mimic him.

Catlin poked his head into our circle. “Two more minutes, guys.”

Phil didn’t seem to hear. “And next let’s have your… folding motion. Then back on the rollercoaster…” Knuckles white, we flew down the track, bouncing wildly. “Then put a hand to your mouth and gesture with the other one—wait, don’t let go of the phone; keep it against your ear with your shoulder.” We pickled up our imaginary phones from the ground and cradled them against our shoulders.

Catlin: “Thirty seconds.”

“Okay, then we have Vince’s dealing, “said Phil. “Then the roller coaster again. But how to end it..”

“Should we just hang the phone up?” Carrie asked.

Catlin leaned into our group again. “How much longer you guys need?”

Phil didn’t look up, his eyes focused on the gestures. “Ten seconds. Okay, then we set the phone down, exhale… And then back into the rollercoaster again.” We dipped and swooped on our rollercoaster, fighting back the giggles. Phil looked satisfied.

“Okay, let’s all gather back…” With wide gestures, Catlin gently herded everyone towards the window side of the room. “-And the last group standing gets to go first!”

We all shot to the ground, some more quickly than others.

“Phil! Let’s have your group.”

We arranged ourselves in a shaky line as Catlin handed a piece of paper to Meghan Oppegard, the Development and Special Events coordinator.

“Guys, keep cycling through your gestures as Meghan reads the mission statement.”

The Marketing department stood up straight, eyes closed.

“Oh my, how curious everything is…”

We jerked and gestured, dialed and dealt. The mission statement seemed oddly appropriate, especially as Phil lead us up and down a particularly tall patch of the roller coaster.

“We seek to redefine the limits of theatrical experience, “ read Meghan, “ and to make theatre exhilarating, inspirational, and accessible to all.”