Mickey McDonald and Tim Aaron are world travelers who have an unusual favorite destination: Farmers Alley Theatre.
The couple moved to Kalamazoo in 2008, the year Farmers Alley Theatre was born, and the theatre opened up a world of enjoyment that at first made them season regulars, and later sponsors.
Arriving here as Provost at Kalamazoo College, McDonald quickly came to know his associate provost, Lanny Potts, who was also Professor of Theatre (and still is). Potts introduced McDonald and Aaron to Farmers Alley, and they saw their first Farmers Alley production, Jane Eyre: The Musical, that Kathy Mulay directed starring her daughter, Denene, in the title role.
By that time, Mulay was so highly regarded as a teacher as well as theatre producer and director- she had already received the prestigious Community Medal of Arts Award (2001) and had been inducted into the Michigan Speech Coaches Hall of Fame. In her 18 years at Farmers Alley, Mulay has directed 40 productions, including a number recognized for Wilde Award winning work, all the while developing an incredible network in the theatre world. “Kathy’s brilliance is at the heart of Farmers Alley’s success,” says Aaron, noting the musical she directed, Next To Normal, moved him like no other.
Aaron and McDonald chose to take advantage of Mulay’s “Adopt a Director” and “Adopt an Actor” programs to get a more personal involvement in the theatre. They provided those sponsorships for the final show of last season, Dear Evan Hansen, and the first show of this season, My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War.
McDonald and Aaron, who worked in academic swirls in North Carolina and Los Angeles before making Kalamazoo their home, have always loved to travel. Their perch overlooking the Serengeti or on the open waters in the Maldives is a far cry from the cozy confines of Farmers Alley.
“The intimacy, the storytelling, the music, these are the draws for us,” says McDonald. “We don’t keep up on theatre, can’t name the plays we’re supposed to see. We just know what we like.” And the travel to get there is pretty easy.