Beauty and the Beast

It’s official!  I just sent in my contract for the roll of Belle in the Timber Lake Playhouse production of Beauty and the Beast.  It’s going to be a very short run, but definitely an exciting opportunity.  Be sure to check back for updates!

Add a comment April 20, 2009

Witches Aftermath

Witches of Eastwick was a success!  While the first show felt a little more like a warmup than an actual performance, the second show went off without a hitch.  This production felt a little more like an actual stage reading.  The show required a lot of props and technical elements that we weren’t able to pull off without some fudging, and that’s the way stage readings feel a lot of the time.  I was surprised by how willing the audience was to accept the discrepancies and enjoy the show anyway.

Here’s a video from one of the show’s ensemble numbers, “Dirty Laundry.” It’s a little crazy.

Add a comment April 15, 2009

Witches of Eastwick Staged Reading

The junior MTPs second staged reading, The Witches of Eastwick, based on the novel by the same name, will be performed tomorrow, April 13, at 6 and 9 pm.  Be there or we’ll have to Chapter 7 you (now you’ll have to come, just so you can learn what it means to Chapter 7 someone).

Add a comment April 12, 2009

Tectonic – Decision Time

This morning we met at 8 am to choose our topic and assign research projects.  After a heated debate, we chose Dr. Kevorkian as our topic.  Since I don’t know a lot about Dr. Kevorkian or the Euthanasia issue, I’m excited to learn more as we create this play.  There’s so much research involved, it’s incredible.  I’m starting out by reading and breaking down one of Dr. Kevorkian’s biographys, Between the Dying and the Dead.  Throughout the summer, we’ll all be selecting people to interview who might become characters in the play, or who might just serve as resources.  If you know anyone who has a direct connection to, or even just strong feelings about euthanasia or Dr. Kevorkian who would be willing to let is interview him/her, please feel free to let me know.

Add a comment April 9, 2009

Fall Semester Casting – Day of Reckoning

My worries from last night have materialized into reality.  I was not cast in the Tectonic Project, but I was selected as a member of the dramaturgical team.  However, I was cast in Carousel.  Now I have to choose between working on an exciting new play or adding another musical to my resume.  Another element of concern is the fact that I need one more musical performance credit in order to graduate on time next Spring.  While I certainly hope I’ll be cast in the Spring musical, there are no guarantees.  I just wish I could do both and not have to make this decision.

Add a comment April 8, 2009

Tectonic Callbacks – Day Two

After a successful interview, I am happy to tell you that I made it through the first cut.  I’m thrilled to see where this project might lead.  Tonight’s callback was more in-depth as we expanded our moments to include explorations of light, props, and text.  It’s been absolutely amazing these past few days to witness the creativity of my peers as well as explore the boundaries of my own creativity.  Even though none of us have any idea how this project is going to work, or what the topic of our play is even going to be, it seems like everyone is just as excited as I am to have this opportunity.

Some surprising announcements came out of tonight.  One is that some of us will be selected to form a dramaturgical team that will help with the creation of the play, but will not actually perform in it.  These people will be very involved with the production, but they will have to give up the opportunity to perform in one of the other fall shows.  I’m not sure what I would choose if it came to this, but it hasn’t happened yet, so I’m not going to let myself worry about it.  The second announcement is that the workshop tomorrow will not be another callback.  They’re going to choose the final cast by 9:00 tomorrow morning and tomorrow’s workshop will be the first official meeting of the final cast.

Add a comment April 8, 2009

Tectonic Theatre Project Callbacks – Day One

While most callbacks take place on one day over a period of a couple hours, the callbacks for the Tectonic Theatre Project at WMU will last from 6:00 to 10:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week.  Instead of a typical callback, this will be more of a workshop with the two members of the Tectonic Theatre Group who will be joining us this fall to create a new play.  The Tectonic Theatre Group creates theatre through an exciting practice known as “moment work,” which they’ve used to create such plays as The Laramie Project, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, and The People’s Temple.

Tonight was the first callback, and my first introduction to moment work.  It was refreshing in its simplicity.  Instead of worrying about creating a scene or developing a character, today’s explorations were simply about taking one aspect of theatre and exploring it.  Most plays are text-based, meaning that the script comes first and all the other elements are structured around the script.  The way that the Tectonic Group works forces the text to become an equal to all the other elements of the stage.  To that end, Kelly and Lee (the two Tectonic Group Members who will be collaborating with WMU students on this project) had us begin by participating in short moment work.  All we had to do was step up, say “I begin,” show something that could range from running across the room to standing completely still, say “I end,” and sit down.

Not surprisingly, we all tried to create characters and perform right off the bat.  It was difficult to let go of our habits as actors in order to try something new, but in the end I think it was very rewarding for all of us.  We ended the evening by creating “moments” that explored architecture.  We were divided into groups and given ten minutes to work on our moments.  I convinced my group to create our moment in one of the Shaw Theatre Lobbies.  It’s a very interesting area architecturally, and it allowed us many opportunities to explore.  I ended up scratching my elbows trying to climb up a brick wall, and I’m sure to have a few huge bruises tomorrow.  Hopefully it will be worth it.

Since this experience is ultimately a workshop designed to whittle us down to a final cast, Kelly and Lee will work together with our department head, Joan Herrington, to create a smaller callback list for tomorrow night.  Since they didn’t the opportunity to get to know us as individuals tonight, Kelly and Lee will conduct an interview with each of us tomorrow morning before making their cut.  Wish me luck!!!

Add a comment April 7, 2009

Carousel Auditions/Dance Callbacks

Ah, musical theatre auditions.  Instead of a monologue, these auditions require students to prepare 16 to 32 measures of a song that is either from the show (in this case, Roger and Hammerstein’s Carousel) or appropriate to the style of the show.  I felt that my audition went relatively well.  Jay, our musical theatre director, had me sing a second song of a different style.  I’ve decided to take that as a good sign.  The dancing audition was a ballet audition.  I’m not particularly a ballet dancer, but the roles I’m shooting for aren’t really dancing roles.  We’ll see how it goes.

Click HERE to listen a recording of the song “Mister Snow” from Carousel as performed by Audra McDonald

Add a comment April 4, 2009

Department Auditions

At WMU, Department Auditions happen toward the end of each semester and are used to cast all of the plays for the following semester.  For example, from the auditions today, the directors will formulate the callback lists for the fall lineup of Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, 9 Parts of Desire, and the Tectonic Theatre Group Project (this play will be created by the performers and has no title currently).  The musical will be cast from a different audition coming up next week.

For these auditions, students are required to bring a headshot and resume, as well as prepare two monologues.  The monologues must be of contrasting styles and must last for a combined total of 2 minutes or less.  If you go over 2 minutes, you will be asked to stop.  Here is one of my monologues for tonight’s audition. It’s from the play Fat Pig by Neil Labute.

Jeannie: I’m not anything. Except confused. By a guy who tells me that he’s interested in me. “Very,” in fact, was the word he used. “I am very interested in you.” And we date, and then we stop, and then he sends me stuff, like flowers and letters, and keeps calling and wants to do it again, to try one more time, he tells me…but then we do not go out. We see each other at work, but he keeps putting off the next date because of…God, I couldn’t begin to list all of the excuses because it’s Monday afternoon, and I would probably be here, like, through the weekend. But now I hear he’s met someone, a someone who he has managed – even with his many work obligations and boys’ nights out and all his other related juvenile shit – he has somehow squeezed yet another person onto his social calendar. This is what I’m talking about right now! The bullshit you do to me and expect me to keep crawling back in here and taking it. You can “maybe” kiss my ass, Tom, and that’s a definite maybe. We can pencil that one in my planner right now, okay?

Add a comment March 29, 2009