© 2013 The Texas Lawbook.
By Patricia Baldwin
Lifestyle Writer for The Texas Lawbook
After a recent General Counsel Forum meeting in Florida, Lee Cusenbary reported in his blog for mySanAntonio.com “the overwhelming consensus was that good ethics benefit the bottom line.” The message was music to Cusenbary. Or, at least, he’s likely to set the message to music for the next “Ethics Follies,” a musical parody, way-off-Broadway production and continuing education program (CLE/CPE/CME – two credit hours).
Lee Cusenbary, writer and director of “Ethics Follies,” sings “Man or a Muppet” in the most recent production.
Cusenbary, an attorney and general counsel for Mission Pharmacal Co. in San Antonio, is the writer and director behind the annual revue that will mark its eighth year in the fall of 2013. And he already has a working theme for the new show: “The Age of Rock” – of course, a parody of the Broadway musical (and 2012 movie) “Rock of Ages.” (Are you already humming Journey’s classic hit “Don’t Stop Believin’”?)
Fortunately – or perhaps unfortunately – the slippery slope of ethics provides ongoing fodder for “Ethics Follies” skits, which teach ethics while entertaining audiences. The show’s matinee and evening performances each autumn also have become premier networking venues for the San Antonio legal community. Since 2008, the show has claimed the city’s exquisite Charline McCombs Empire Theatre as its home.
Cusenbary, who was a professional actor for the three years between college at the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary’s University School of Law, acknowledges the show has grown beyond expectations. After all, he had merely thought that sitting through a two- or three-hour lecture about ethics was … well … sort of boring.
In fact, during the early years of “Ethics Follies,” Cusenbary had insisted that separate accounting books be kept for the production, which comes under the auspices of the South/Central Texas Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Lee Cusenbay, the creative genius behind “Ethics Follies” performs in the 2012 production entitled “How to Succeed in Business Without Ever Lying.”
“I didn’t want to lose the chapter’s money,” Cusenbary recalls. Today, however, the production’s proceeds cover the annual operating budget for the chapter and benefit the Community Justice Program to the tune of at least $20,000 annually. The Community Justice Program provides free neighborhood-based legal services to individuals in need.
Jane Fritz, a business development coach for attorneys and former executive director of the Community Justice Program, calls Cusenbary a “genius” for the multi-purpose production.
“He has taken the concept of an annual parody about lawyers, corporations, and ethics and created an extraordinary two-hour dancing and singing delight,” Fritz says. “When the show ends, you truly feel as if you’ve been to a Broadway production.”
Fritz adds that it’s an equal-opportunity endeavor. “If you want to be in the show, Lee will find a place for you. If you have talent, you may have a role. If you have real talent, he may write a special vignette for you. And, of course, if you’re like me, with no talent, he will let you hide in the chorus and enjoy the magic.”
While the production hires the union stagehands and crew of the Empire Theatre, the 65 to 70 actors are volunteers – mostly from the legal community, but also representing medicine, real estate, government and other areas of local business. Cusenbary also recruits actors and singers from community theatres.
“They always say ‘yes,’” Cusenbary notes.
The director sometimes shares writing duties.
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro poses with attorney Rosa Cabezas-Gil who plays Carmen Miranda in the “Ethics Follies.”
For example, John Heller, a shareholder with Plunkett & Gibson, Inc., wrote a parody of “Old Man River (Liver)” that Cusenbary says was such a “huge hit with audiences” that it was included in a tour of the show in 2010. That road show involved a pared-down cast of the production “Cloud 9,” which focused on Internet-related issues. The tour included seven performances from Ohio to California. The troupe even made a stop in Bentonville, Ark., to perform at the Walmart headquarters. The tour, Cusenbary says, gave “Ethics Follies” greater visibility.
Heller remembers that he first sent a sketch idea to Cusenbary in 2008. The song lyrics were written to a “Chorus Line” number, and the parody ruminated about a lawyer who didn’t do what he was supposed to do.
“Lee liked it and asked me – someone he had not even heard sing – if I would do it in the show,” Heller says. “I had no theater at all in my background but have always liked to sing. Not only did I do the song, but I got wrapped up in ‘Ethics Follies’ and in the annual shows.”
Obviously, Cusenbary’s hunch about Heller paid off. The director credits the employment law attorney with an “amazing low vocal register as a bass.”
Cusenbary’s instincts about wrapping continuing education in the cloak of entertainment also have been validated.
Heller comments, “The ethical issues and training are real, contemporary and thought-provoking life lessons. It is not just about fun; it is about learning to become more ethical in everything we do. The cast laughs when the news media report on some ethical issue that already has been highlighted in one of the shows. Sometimes, it is as if ‘Ethics Follies’ is ahead of the reports.”
Cusenbary also gives award-winning choreographer Gloria Liu high praise: “There is spontaneous applause during the dancing even before the end of numbers.” Liu has choreographed the “Ethics Follies” for five years and has been known in San Antonio theatrical and entertainment circles for about 30 years.
“It is great to be working with Lee again on ‘Ethics Follies,’” says Liu, who cast a 17-year-old Cusenbary in his first musical outside of high school. “He has evolved into a great writer, producer and director who has dedicated his efforts to fundraising for the Community Justice Program.”
And while Cusenbary allows himself a minor role in each show, he is increasingly focused on enhancing the fundraising efforts.
The 2011 production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Ever Lying” was professionally videotaped, resulting in a DVD available ($60) for self-study or as a CLE event. Cusenbary plans to spend more time in the coming year distributing and marketing the DVD as a fundraiser.
Speaking from his own experience, Cusenbary emphasizes the importance for attorneys to pursue outside interests and to re-connect with hobbies they might have neglected while establishing their legal careers.
Cusenbary prioritizes time with his family – three children and his wife, Teri Hospers, a pediatric cardiologist. And, at those times when he immerses himself in his musical magic, what can she say … she and Cusenbary met in Longhorn Singers at UT Austin. And, every year, she performs in “Ethics Follies.”
Ethics Follies photos courtesy of Howard Marshburn.
Do you have a special hobby – or other lifestyle interest – to share? Please email patricia.baldwin@texaslawbook.net.
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