Best of the Season 2017-18

By Theresa Skora

It’s All Theatre experienced the most tragic scene in its history. The loss of our father, Daniel Skora, was an enormous shock to our family and friends, and to the theatre community. Over the last 2 months, we have begun to find ways to honor his life and to keep his spirit alive. During this time, we have found comfort in the emails, cards, and online comments offering sympathy and prayers from his readers. We knew that our father had a true passion for theatre reviewing and writing, but we did not know how much that passion extended into his audiences until now. In the last act of it’s All Theatre, we would like honor him through this final posting.

Our family at Meadow Brook Theatre last year for our annual visit to see “A Christmas Carol”.

Since the fall of 2015, this website has been driven by my father’s passion for quality writing, honest reviewing, and of course, experiencing the magic of live theatrical entertainment. It was not only a way for him to help promote theatres in Southeastern Michigan, but it became a place for him to share his passion with others. At home, it was often the topic of discussion at the dinner table, in the car, or after breakfast on a Sunday afternoon. He couldn’t help but tell us about a recent show he had seen with our mother. It seemed like he was always thinking of theatre “stuff.” We grew up going to shows with him and he passed on the theatre bug to us, something we will cherish for years to come.

A couple weeks ago, we found a piece of paper tucked in his notebook with his handwriting and at the top, it read “Best of the Season 2017-18”. Sketched out below was a list that he was keeping during the current theatre season. Since his cut-off date for “Best Of” shows was typically June 30th, the list, numbered from 1 to 11, should be considered incomplete since there were about 2-1/2 months left in the season at the time of his passing. As such, the ones he chose were picked from shows performed from July 1, 2017 through April 22, 2018. There was a second page that listed out individual performances in no particular order. The following excerpt is taken from last year’s “Best Of” posting I think my father would have applied to the list he left behind: “Theatres frequented and shows reviewed can be found in the tags on the site’s sidebar…. What they had in common was that they held your attention from start to finish and scored high marks in all the disciplines that go into making a live theatrical presentation.”

In keeping his spirit alive, we’ve decided to publish this list, though incomplete as it is, and to share it with you, his faithful readers. Whether it was clear to you or not, your performing, directing, singing and dancing brought joy to his life. Thank you for the support you continue to share with our family. The show must go on, and as my father always said, it’s All Theatre!