Second-place winner in 2017 McCallum Theater’s Open Call competition Some think artists are self-indulgent egotists glorying in their creative pursuits. The reality is often far more complex and demanding. Michael Staff, local pianist, composer and teacher, was on the road to a major concert-performance career. He was preparing, at age 21, to enter the Van…

For J. Barrett Cooper, Idyllwild Arts Academy Theatre Department chair, a playwright’s words are the most important component in producing and presenting a play. “I’m not going to lose the play for a director’s concept,” he said. “The text must support the concept. We serve the playwright, not the director’s concept of a play.” He…