The BSC Theatre Experience Blog

Interview with Dramaturg, Anna Rose MacArthur

2012-01-17T10:41:00.000-06:00

Name: Anna Rose MacArthur

Major: Theatre Arts and English

Year in School: Senior

What are your responsibilities in the company?

I am Dramaturg; I help build the set; and I am also in the cast. And myresponsibilities for that are…for dramaturgy I do the historical, contextualresearch for the show and present it to the company. And, then of course, for the set, I helpbuild the set and for the casting I act.

What is your typical day like?

In the morning, I either help with the set or I’m doing historical researchand composing that information into ready sources, such as a PowerPoint or ablog for the company. [Anna Rose's blog: http://thegooddoctoradramaturgy.blogspot.com ] In the afternoon,I am in rehearsal.

What is the most interesting fact that you have learned from yourresearch?

Ummm. This probably isn’t themost interesting….but, I am a writer and something that Chekov wrote that hasstuck with me is that writing should be as objective as possible because thatin itself is significant. Just the day’sgestures of sitting down and eating dinner. He has this quotation how peoplesit down and eat dinner and all the while their lives are being created andbeing broken up, that those commonplace actions hold absurdity andsignificance.

What has been the best part about it?

I guess the best part about it has been being able to come in and dowhat I love everyday, which is theatre. Even though that means waking up earlier than I would like and thatmeans a lot of stress and a lot of time and a lot of energy, there’s reallynothing else I want to do.

What has been the most challenging?

The most challenging part has been, um,… it’s the daily energyrequirement. It requires a lot of energyevery day, and the dramaturgy I had to start on during the break. So taking my time during the break anddevoting it to this project and not having a clean break from school; I had tocarry the work with me. And, being asenior, that’s expected. Also, doing thehistorical research and figuring out dramaturgy, which I hadn’t done before…it’sa lot of isolated time researching.

What makes this department unique?

Well, BSC is a liberal arts school and that permeates into the theatre artsmajor. You don’t specialize in any fieldof theatre-- acting or set or costumes or lighting or what not. You do it all, and that is very much seen ininterim where you’re on a crew. And then, if another crew needs help, let’ssay, you’re on costumes crew but set crew needs help, and costumes is having alight load for the day, you’ll switch over to the set crew. If you’re acting, you’re also on a technicalcrew. You really learn the whole processof theatre and what those roles require and also how to communicate with andappreciate the people in those roles.

How do you think what you have learned will help you in thefuture?

Well, I ultimately want to teach, direct and write for theatre. So, anything I do in theatre adds to myknowledge of theatre, which will help those career goals and inform thosecareer goals.

Anna Rose sneakily peers over her computer

Anna happily working in the theatre lobby

Interview with Landi Drake

2012-01-13T10:51:00.002-06:00

Name: Landi Drake

Major: Theatre Arts

Year in School: Senior

What are your responsibilities inthe cast?

I am on props crew and in two short scenes. I am in the surgery scene with Jasha Vaughn,and I play the doctor. I am also in theSeduction scene with Nolan Martin, and I play the wife.

What is your typical day like?

In the mornings I tend to my prop crew duties. Mainly in the last week we have done a lot ofshopping off campus for various props and we have been making some props byhand. So, I do that until about 12:30pmand then we have an hour break for lunch. At 1:30pm, usually I am in rehearsals. Umm, and then if my scene isn’t beingrehearsed that day, I go back to my props crew duties.

What has been the best partabout it?

The best part about it has been…probably working with everyone in thedepartment and working through rehearsals. I love this department and I love all the people. Whenever everyone has such a good work ethicrehearsals are just really exciting, and a time to play…so it’s fun.

What has been the most challengingpart about it?

Um, probably the most challenging has been working through the show ina quick amount of time. We basicallyblocked the entire show in four days. Gettingoff book that quickly and getting use to putting on a show in three weeks isthe challenging part about the process.

What makes this departmentunique?

I think what makes this department unique is the individual work ethicsbecause when everyone comes together, things get done really well. Everyone works well together, and we are kindof like a little family here. It’s agreat environment to come to everyday. Itmakes it fun.

How has what you have learnedgoing to help you in the future?

We work at the same pace that a lot of professional companies do….Ithink that will help me in the future. And,just the level of professionalism that everybody has, that will really payoff.

Landi Drake Wallace

Interview with Lighting Designer, Shea Glenn

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-06:00

Name: Shea Glenn

Major: Musical Theatre

Year in School: Senior

What are your responsibilities in this production?

I have to design the lights…..obviously [laughs]. Really that’s pretty much all I do. I think of the lighting ideas and NolanMartin, the Light Crew Head, and I sit down and talk about it. We have to figure out the best way to make itwork. As lighting designer, I’m alsoresponsible for the paper work.

What does your paper work entail?

The light plot [which is essentially the blueprints for the lightingdesign]. I make it using a computerprogram we have here at Birmingham-Southern. Once done, you have to make sure that you have a circuit for each lightand that each circuit is plugged into a dimmer so that they will actually work. To keep things straight, we have to have alist of all the dimmers and which circuit goes in each; this is called a dimmerpatch. Then I have to make all the lightcues for the show. To do this, I sit inrehearsal and note when a light comes up and where. This takes a lot of time.

What is your typical day like?

When Nolan goes to rehearsal in the afternoons, I act as Light Crew Head. So essentially, I tell people what todo. But, seriously, my light crew isawesome and they’re very quick learners so I can pretty much tell them what todo and it gets done.

What is the best part about being the Light Designer?

The best part about being the light designer is that you see yourdesign in your head, and then you see them on stage, coming to life. That’s the coolest thing.

What is the most challenging aspect?

When things don’t work and you don’t know why.

[As we speak, Shea Glenn is beckoned byTechnical Director, Matt Mielke, to turn on the lights in Theatre One and thenreturns to continue the interview.]

Another challenging aspect is having to share the space. During the semester, the set crew worksduring the day and the light crew comes in at night. However, during the Explorations term, bothcrews are trying to get things done at the same time. Can’t turn off their lights because they needthem!

What makes Birmingham-Southern’s theatre department unique?

The creative license that is given to the student designers is a coolpart. I’ve been mentored, but no one isstanding over me telling be to do this or do that. Also, this month-long process is good atteaching you what is like to work an 8 hour day in the professional theatreworld. I came here as a performancemajor and chose to do my senior project on light design. Before I came here, I had never touched alight. I’m a transfer student and atother schools, it is either you do tech or perform. Since coming to Birmingham-Southern threeyears ago, I have worked in every tech position, as well as performed. This is an aspect that is very unique to thistheatre department.

What are a few things you have learned here that will help you in thefuture?

I’ve learned how to work with different people and all personalitytypes. I know what is like to be the lowperson on the totem pole, as well as the leader of the pack. Most importantly, I know so much more abouttheatre and the professional conduct it expects.

Shea Glenn with her favorite light, an Inky.

Month of January

2012-01-06T12:53:00.000-06:00

It’s January, which means it is Explorations term atBirmingham-Southern College. During thisperiod, students take a class on things like knitting, yoga or the 1960's;travel abroad; take part in a service-learning project; participate in anoff-campus internship; or contract their own classes. However, in this time of typical leisure, thetheatre only has one thing on its mind: to produce a show in three weeks.

In order to understand what this means, you first must knowthat the average time allotted to get a show on its feet is about 11 weeks, andwe do it by dedicating every day of January to getting this show on theroad.

When I say every day in the month of January, I mean it. You will find everyone in the theatre everyweek day from 9:30am-5:30pm and every Saturday from 1:30pm-5:30pm working hardto get everything done. It is an intensemonth-long process filled with set building, costume construction, propsgathering, line memorizing and daily rehearsals. During the morning period, everyone works ontheir assigned crew position and every afternoon those who are in the showrehearse. Without the hard work anddiscipline of everyone in the company, the show would be impossible.

“Given the long hours of work, is this experience even worthit?” you might ask, but even as I write this, sitting in the greenroom drinkingmy fourth cup of coffee, I say yes. Mustyou give up the opportunity to take it easy for the month of January? Yes. However, you gain the opportunity to really push yourself and develop discipline. I’m not going to lie, the month longprocess is challenging and difficult, but the payoff is grand. Whether you are a designer, actor, or crewmember, it is exciting to see your hard work come to fruition during the four performances at the end of the month. Bythe sheer fact that you gave up so much of your time makes it morespecial. It is same feeling you get whenyou save up all your money to buy that one thing you want more thananything. When you finally get it, thereis no way you will ever take it for granted.

Another aspect thatmakes the interim worth your time is the relationships you build with the company. Being a part of the company is like going ona long road trip. You are with these peopleall day, every day. It is as if we areall in one giant bus travelling together to reach a faraway place. They become some of your closest friends andconfidants. This experience forceseveryone to work together to get to our final destination and reach our manygoals. This takes trust and patience. Through solving problems and completing tasks,this experience teaches us the skills to work with each other, a skillrelatable to many areas of life.

Assistant Director, Hillary Brown, and Stage Manager, Robbie Hindsman

Set crew working hard to complete the set

Light Designer, Shea Glenn, tending to her light plot

Actor and Set Builder, Kelsey Shipley, caught on her way down to the scene shop!

American Colleges v English Universities Part II of II

2011-06-29T16:31:00.001-05:00

USA: Many colleges have Greek life consisting of fraternities and sororities.

England: Greek life is nonexistent but there is cross over between male fraternities and sport societies.

Verdict: Watch Animal House and decide for yourself.

USA: Students pay for living expenses through family savings and employment.

England: Most students pay for living expenses through maintenance loans that begin being paid back when their annual income reaches £15,000

Verdict: English students leave university with more living expenses debt.

USA: Students pay for tuition and fees with a combination of family savings, grants, loans, employment, financial aid, and scholarships.

England: Students pay for university the same way as Americans except loans are more common and financial aid and scholarships are very rare.

Verdict: US wins because financial aid and scholarships are amazing.

USA: Most students live on campus in dorms, suites, apartments, or Greek houses.

England: University accommodation consists of flats, and students can only live in university accommodation for their first year. 2^nd and 3^rd year students live in off campus houses or flats.

Verdict: England wins, because students always have a kitchen. Also, university flats provide individual rooms unlike dorms, and living in a house or flat during 2^nd and 3^rd year beats living in a dorm or a suite to a pulp.

USA: Optional summer classes are offered and are usually taken in order to get ahead in one’s degree or because four years is not long enough to fit in all required classes.

England: Following a month-long spring break, which students are supposed to dedicate to studying for exams and to writing essays, university requires students to attend a summer term dedicated to turning in all the essays to taking all the exams prepared during the month-long spring break.

Verdict: US wins by shoving all essays and exams into the semester, effectively clumping all the stress together and getting the term over with.

USA: Law and medicine degrees are not offered at the undergraduate level.

England: Law and medicine degrees are offered at the undergraduate level.

Verdict: England wins, because in the US by the time you graduate from medical or law school, you are balding and being threatened by debtors’ prisons.

USA: Students are assessed multiple times throughout the semester through homework, quizzes, tests, essays, and exams.

England: Students are assessed 1-4 times (usually just 2 times) throughout the term with the majority of the final mark deriving from a final exam or essay.

Verdict: England wins with a lighter workload, but you are screwed if you mess up that final exam or essay. US wins with keeping students on their game and by spreading the weight of the final mark over many assignments.

USA: Many colleges require freshmen to take a writing class in order to learn how to properly write varies types of essays at the undergraduate level.

England: No writing class requirement.

Verdict: Depends if you like to write or wish you had learned.

USA: Students choose a major, which is the degree that they choose to pursue. A minor is equivalent to half of a major. Students can pursue multiple majors and minors. Pursuing two majors is called double majoring, and the student must take all the classes for both majors.

England: Students choose a single-honor, which is the degree that they choose to pursue. Minors do not exist. If a student wants to pursue two subjects, then he/she can pursue a joint-honor. The joint-honor student takes the same number of classes as the single-honor student with half of those classes deriving from one subject and the other half deriving from another subject. Therefore, the English joint-honor is equivalent to two American minors but is the English option of the American double major.

Verdict: England wins on lighter workload. US wins on freedom of choice.

USA: Guided learning philosophy

England: Independent learning philosophy

Verdict: US wins because independent learning is like communism, sounds good but doesn’t work. Given more free time, students are going to party, not research.

USA: Requires that all students take general education (gen ed) classes, which are classes required from every discipline that provide students with a broad knowledge base. These gen eds are taken in addition to a student’s major(s) and minor(s) classes.

England: Students are required and allowed to take only one class outside their degree during their 1^st or 2^nd year. This class is called a MOMD [Module Outside Main Discipline].

Verdict: England wins on focus. US wins on well roundedness.

USA: Undergraduates are marked on a 0-100 scale with 90-100 being a 4.0 (an English 1^st) and 69 and below being failing.

England: Undergraduates marked on a 0-85 scale with 70 being a 1^st (an American 4.0) and 40 and below being failing.

Verdict: Just different.

America: Wear graduation gowns and throw caps into the air.

England: Wear graduation gowns and throw caps into the air.

Verdict: We both wear ridiculous outfits on graduation day. I’ve never figured out if throwing the hats is an act of celebration (Hooray! I earned this degree and survived!) or panic (Oh, cruel real world! Don’t take me away! What am I supposed to do with my life?!)

American Colleges v English Universities Part I of II

2011-06-29T16:08:00.006-05:00

Hello! I am Anna Rose MacArthur, a rising senior Theatre and English double-major at BSC. For both semesters of my junior year, I studied theatre abroad at the University of Birmingham, England, and I have been asked to blog about some of my experiences here. Before I launch into my tale, it will help if you understand some of the differences between the American college and the English university system.

American Colleges v English Universities Part I of II

USA: Undergraduate institutions are called colleges. Postgraduate institutions are called universities.

England: Undergraduate and postgraduate institutions are called universities. College is where students take their A-levels.

Verdict: It is what it is.

USA: Contains over 4,000 higher education institutions

England: Contains 131 higher education institutions

Verdict: With England being 74 times smaller than the US and having ¼ the population of the US, England wins with a larger ratio of institutions to size and population.

USA: Prospective students can apply to as many colleges as they desire and as they can afford. Each college charges a different application fee.

England: Prospective students can apply to a maximum of five universities. No application fees.

Verdict: England wins on cost. US wins on freedom of choice.

USA: College usually lasts 4 years, but can range from 3 to 5 years with students on average taking 32-40 classes during that time.

England: University strictly lasts 3 years with students taking 15-18 classes during that time.

Verdict: England wins on less time and less work. US wins on demanding more from students.

USA: 1^st years called freshmen. 2^nd years called sophomores. 3^rd years called juniors. 4^th years called seniors. 5^th years called super-seniors.

England: 1st years called 1^st years or freshers. 2^nd years called 2^nd years. 3^rd years called 3^rd years.

Verdict: USA wins on creativity. England wins on clarity.

USA: Classes meet 2 to 3 times a week.

England: Classes mostly meet 1 time a week with a few classes meeting 2 times a week.

Verdict: England wins if you don’t like going to class. US wins on face time.

USA: Every class taken throughout college is weighted equally in the final mark aka GPA.

England: First year does not count towards the final mark, but students must pass with 40% in order to move onto second year. Second year counts 25% towards the final mark. 3^rd years counts 75% towards the final mark.

Verdict: It is as though England know that students are going to behave like debaucherous lunatics during first year and accommodate them accordingly.

USA: Apart from specific upper level classes, students from all years take the same classes.

England: First years only take classes with first years; and second years only with second years; and third years only with third years.

Verdict: England wins on all students being on the same academic level. US wins on combining students from different backgrounds, allowing for more knowledge and intellectual diversity in the classroom.

USA: Each college decides their costs of tuition and fees, which include little government subsidy. College costs between $25,000 to $50,000 per year.

England: Government subsidizes and caps university costs, and almost all universities charge up to the permitted cap. University costs £3,000 per year currently, and due to government budget cuts, university costs will rise to £9,000 per year beginning September 2012.

Verdict: Despite budget cuts, attending an English university is significantly cheaper than attending a US college.

USA: Students can transfer colleges with most of their credits transferring as well. Also, students can easily switch degrees if done during the first two years.

England: Students can transfer universities after year 1 and enter year 2 at a different university. If they change their degree, then have to start as a first year again, because their degree courses are so focused.

Verdict: Just different.

Gap year— the year between finishing high school and beginning college (or the year between finishing A-levels and beginning university for the English) in which students take a hiatus from school to travel, work, and/or volunteer.

USA: Gap years are rare and even looked down upon.

England: Gap years are a common and legitimate option.

Verdict: England wins. US fails and needs to embrace this concept.

Quad at University of Birmingham, UK Where I Studied Abroad

Quad at BSC

Summer Intern :)

2011-06-28T19:57:00.002-05:00

Summer vacation? Hah. I'd rather spend my summer working at Red Mountain Theatre Company.

As summer was approaching, I knew I wanted a change of scenery and a break from the "school" setting; yet I still wanted to be completely immersed in theatre.... as per usual. So I signed myself up for interning at Red Mountain Theatre Company, a local professional, non-profit theatre in Birmingham. I had worked with RMTC as a kids several times, and thought why not! I figured I would be doing typical intern duties (i.e. coffee runs, cleaning jobs no one wants to do, and running errands everywhere) but boy was I in for a surprise. While I am still making the coffee runs, and cleaning grimy closets no one has touched in years, I am also getting to experience first-hand how a professional company runs, operates, and produces it's shows.

I feel like I have already learned so much. Just to touch everything here are some of the things I've gotten to take part in.... season auditions, ticket sales, marketing and advertising, event planning, development and non-profits, workshop performances, and rehearsals.... just to name a few. A lot of my work has also been focused on their summer workshops (summer camps provided for youth which include instructors from all over the U.S. for training in dance, theatre, music... etc.) I have also gotten to witness the production build, concepts, and ideas for their upcoming production of HAIRSPRAY. Watching how production meetings are held is so interesting because it really shows how all the different areas come together to produce this show.

The season auditions and workshop performances have probably been the highlight of my time at RMTC. It is so interesting to learn all of the steps to run an audition and how much has to be done before they even take place. Every single detail and step is important, and now more than ever I see how important it is that everyone does their part in order for a smooth event.

This experience is letting me see a completely different side of the theatre than I have seen before; yet I relate everything I have done at BSC to what I see being done at RMTC. Cheesy as it sounds... it really makes me appreciate and understand why everything I'm learning at BSC is so important.

So in the midst of endless ticket sales, the forever broken copier, and scripts, scripts, and more scripts I am going to keep you updated about my time at RMTC and all that I am getting to learn.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer :)

Production Photos: Crew Edition

2011-01-18T21:39:00.004-06:00

Lisa Bamberg (Co-Costume Designer) artfully ironing a shirt!

Mary Claire Owen working on one of the skirts for costumes!

John McGinnis building a platform.

Gia Nappo working on a platform while Wright Gatewood and Suzanne Reese supervise!

Shea Glenn working on set.

Lindsey Chambers helping out the set designer, Sufia Butt.

"The Miracle Worker" Rehearsal

2011-01-17T10:11:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone! Here are a couple picture from "The Miracle Worker" rehearsals! I have lots of videos from rehearsals, but am experiencing some technical difficulties when it comes to actually uploading them! Stay tuned and hopefully I'll get them on the blog soon!

Jordan Crenshaw (Annie Sullivan) and Christie Connolly (Helen Keller) warming up at fight call.

Michael Flowers assisting Jordan and Christie with the fight choreography!

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Helen Keller

Enjoy, Emma

Freshman Theatre Experience

2011-01-14T22:10:00.005-06:00

It has been so exciting being a part of the Birmingham-Southern Theatre family my freshman year of college. I had an incredible time in my Beginning Acting class which fulfilled my longing for a more structured approach to learning about acting craft than I received in a high school setting. My classmates were all so dedicated and talented. It was a joy to watch my friends perform their scenes and to offer comments about discoveries and improvements as the work progressed. I had the privelege of working with Dallas Taylor on a scene written by my acting profesor Alan Litsey called "Al Boasberg Gets His Due." Dallas and I created an intricate backstory to support the challenging dialogue. A scene that could simply be interpreted as a blind date between two neurotic people turned into a complicated family history meeting between a brother and sister who were separated at a young age by divorce and abuse. I grew so much as an actress by working on this scene. One of my favorite discoveries was and continues to be the freedom and flexibility that is part of the rehearsal process. I have worked on theatre for years but have never experienced such a creative exploration and sense of freedom with blocking and character behavior.

In addition to being part of an amazing acting class, I was cast in the first production of the season, Light Up the Sky. I remember the audition night clearly. I was extremely nervous as I walked into the lobby and saw the multitude of actors warming up and reviewing material. I had worked very dilligently on my audition scene with Robbie Hindsman, so we walked onto the stage confidently, hoping to have a good time presenting the scene. I was so surprised that I left the stage feeling great about my audition! I remember thinking that I was proud of myself for memorizing the lines and having fun regardless of the outcome. I was ecstatic when Robbie called me that week and said I needed to look at the cast list. I could tell from his voice that he was excited. I had received the role of Miss Lowell in Light Up the Sky and Robbie had been cast in Cabaret! We were so thrilled to be part of the BSC season!

Several weeks later there were auditions for The Miracle Worker, the Interim production. I was so excited about the show because it is such a huge part of my life. I live in Florence, Alabama, right accross the bridge from Helen Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia, AL. Every summer, the birthplace, commonly called Ivy Green, produces the show on the outdoor set behind the Keller home. I grew up attending the show and being fascinated with Helen's story. One of my first acting experiences was playing a blind child in the production of the outdoor drama. In 2001, I was cast as Helen Keller and it continues to be one of my favorite roles. I returned to Ivy Green in the summers of 2002 and 2003 to play Helen again. It was incredible to perform at the place where the Kellers actually lived and experienced the circumstances in the show. Ivy Green has such a distinct spirit and joy; it is hard to leave after being involved with such an amazing production. Unfortunately, I grew too old to play Helen again the next year. My heart was set on one day playing Helen's teacher, Anne Sullivan. This past summer I returned to Ivy Green to audition for my dream role. I knew my size would probably be an issue--I am barely 5 feet tall, and Anne has to fight vigorously with a seven year old. However, I was cast as Anne and spent an amazing summer back at the Green!!
So when I heard that BSC was doing The Miracle Worker, I was very anxious and excited. Several people have played the role of Helen Keller and gone on to play Anne Sullivan, but how many people can say they have played Anne Sullivan and then played Helen Keller?? I prepared an enjoyable audition, which included the suitcase scene and the fight scene. Again, I had a wonderful time auditioning and walked away proud of my work. I was overwhelmed with joy when I saw my name on the cast list later that week!
Many people may think it is easy for me to do this role because I have played Helen before, but that is far from true. I was only 10 years old when I played Helen at Ivy Green. I had no clue about goals, obstacles, tactics, and communion. I am currently learning so much about her behavior and relationships that I would have never been able to understand years ago. I am also thoroughly enjoying working on the set crew. It is very humbling to experience first-hand all of the techincal aspects of the theatre. Each area works so hard in pursuit of our common goal. I have realized and learned how much heart and power really goes into making a production possible!

I am so thankful for all the wonderful opportunities I have received my first year at BSC! The support from the faculty and students is tremendous. :)
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
-Helen Keller

"The Miracle Worker"

2011-01-07T14:54:00.002-06:00

Well friends, once again I am surrounded by scurrying props people, costume-clad actors running to rehearsal, the cacophony of sound cue tests, gel-cutting light crew members, and other similar hubbubs that can be found in the Birmingham-Southern College theatre! Feels like home doesn’t it? Well…for us theatre types at least.

The BSC theatre is currently almost one week into its interim project, “The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson. This play tells the story of Helen Keller, a blind and deaf girl that is trapped inside a world of silent darkness, until a determined young woman named Anne Sullivan is hired to teach her. The actors portray the ups-and-downs that naturally come with the frustrating process of trying to teach this young girl how to communicate with and understand those around her. By the end of the show, Annie Sullivan not only alters Helen’s way of life for the better, but also Helen’s family. I find the redemption is this show very moving and something for any audience member to look forward to.

All this I have gathered from a few short days of observing rehearsal and wandering around the building. As the company manager, I have a unique perspective on the theatre interim project as a whole. I am in charge of administrative things such as taking attendance, organizing tickets and the production program, and assuring that the word about this show gets out to the public. Since I’m the lone company manager, every once in a while I get time to visit all the different crews and sit in on rehearsal. Because of this I am once again reminded how many people it actually takes for a theatre company to tell a story like Helen’s.

When I was a freshman working on the theatre interim project, at the time I was too bitter about having to work in the theatre from 9 to 5 everyday while all my friends where relaxing to realize how important my part was. I played “a dead girl” in the show, and while I wasn’t sitting onstage on my “gravestone” I was sewing hem after hem after hem on every single woman’s costume. In other words, I felt very small and insignificant. However, now as a senior company manager, I realize how wrong I was. I hate to sound cliché (frankly I think clichés are a tad trite for my taste), but every single one of the people I mentioned at the beginning of this post (i.e. props, lights, actors, sound…even company managers, if I do say so myself) are integral parts of our craft. We certainly seem to maintain a rather "one for all, and all for one" atmosphere around here when we're not counting down the minutes to our lunch break.

Throughout the month I get the privilege of posting other musings such as this one on the theatre blog! I promise that the next several ones will actually share more about “The Miracle Worker” itself and a hopefully a little bit less of my rabbit trails! In the meantime, look forward to rehearsal pictures and videos that I will be posting soon!

~ Emma Palmer

Light Up the Sky

2010-10-01T10:41:00.002-05:00

And Roll Credits

2010-05-11T13:13:00.004-05:00

In my final week here at BSC, not only am I thinking about what the future holds for me, but I also think back upon where I've been, what I've done, and who I've met. When Michael Flowers asked me to write one more blog I knew immediately what I would write about. This is a sum it up...a history of my journey from my first day to now. The point of this post is simply this: you never know what life will bring you. Be open and go after what you want. So, in chronological order from August 2006 to May 2010, this is my contribution to BSC Theatre.

FRESHMAN YEAR
1. Urinetown: The Musical - Ensemble: My first ever college show. This was also the first opportunity I've ever had to take a show on tour. This show was entered in The KCACTF and we were passed on at the state level to the regional competition where we came so close to winning the chance to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

2. As You Like It - William: The first time I ever experienced Jan Term, or Interim, at BSC. The month of January in the theatre really shows you what it's like to work in professional theatre environment where you don't have the luxury of 6-8 weeks of rehearsal...you only get 3! It's a crazy ride, but somehow it always works.

3. Ah, Wilderness! - Richard: I never would have expected to get a leading role my freshman year of college. This was quite a rewarding experience for me becuase it is a play by my favorite playwright, Eugene O'Neill. It also goes to show that it is possible to go far in your first year at BSC, where you might not get as far in a larger university setting.

SOPHOMORE YEAR
4. Taming of the Shrew - Gremio: A psychedelic, 1960's interpretation of Shakespeare's classic. This show featured one of the most colorful sets I've ever seen as well as a motorcycle and a closing dance number set to the song "I'm a Believer."

5. For Interim this year, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Italy to study at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo. A group of theatre and music students spent two weeks in Arezzo living in a 15th century gothic villa and studied with world renowned artists who taught us philosophy of art and performance, Alexander Technique, Italian, movement, and many other things. We also traveled to Rome and Florence.

6. Merrily We Roll Along - Ensemble and Props Crew Head: For this Sondheim show, we spent the semester "in class" putting the entire show together. There were about 12 students who spent three hours on Monday and Friday afternoon rehearsing, learning music, finding props, hanging lights, painting the floor. We literally did everything ourselves. It worked almost as an independent production company might put something together. This was also the first time ever that Theatre One was transformed into theatre in-the-round.

A FORK IN THE ROAD: At this point in my college career I came to the conclusion that I no longer wanted to be a performer. I had begun thinking about how much I enjoyed technical work, especially sound and live music. As a matter of fact, I even began thinking of how I could take my theatre knowledge and apply it to the live music industry. This was a critical turning point in my life as I was about to start making decisions that would truly affect the rest of my life.

JUNIOR YEAR
7. West Side Story - Baby John: To celebrate the theatre's 40th Anniversary, we put on an epic version of this classic musical. Michael Flowers' interpretation of this show was a bit out of the ordinary compared to typical productions. It was a dark portrayal of gang life in the 1950's. This only added to the cultural implications and tragic ending of the show. We also had the opportunity to perform with a 25 piece orchestra...and there's only one word for that...amazing.

8. Dead Man Walking - Sound Designer: So here's where I started stretching my legs in terms of what I wanted to start doing with my life. This unique opportunity allowed me to look at this Tim Robbins play from the angle that someone might look at scoring a film. The arena style set up of the theatre created an environment perfectly conducive to allowing the aural world of the play contribute greatly to the story being told. Not to blow my own horn, but I really felt that my sound design was almost another character in the play.

9. You Can't Take It With You - Ed: This charming 1930's comedy was such a joy to work on considering the dark, heavy material of the season's previous two shows. The set for this production was easily one of the most complex and detailed of any that I have ever worked on. In this case, the set itself was as interesting as the characters on the stage.

SENIOR YEAR
10. In the summer before my senior year, I was fortunate enough to intern at WorkPlay. I won't go into detail about what I did becuase there is whole other post I've written that gives a detailed account of that. Basically, this was one of the best things that can happen to a student in college...an opportunity to work with real world industry professoinals. BSC is very supportive of getting their students out into the world by allowing them to create their own class to credit for the work they do. The moral of the story here is: GET AN INTERNSHIP. You won't believe what a difference it makes. It greatly contributes to your overall education.

11. Striking 12 - Stage Manager: I've been wanting to stage manage for a long time and I finally got the opportunity to do it. I like taking on a lot of responsibility and being in a leadership position. I found this to perfectly complement the direction I was wanting to go with my career.

12. Hamlet - Polonius: This post-modern interpretation of the most famous play in history was quite an experience, as we put the whole thing together in the month of January. I have to say that it was a rewarding experience because of the opportunity to perform with John McGinnis as Hamlet. His energy was infectious and he truly made this a production to remember.

13. The Woods - Director: For part of my senior project, I directed this disturbing and dark piece by David Mamet. Even though it was just a two person show, it took an enormous amount of work to put together. And we only had the month of February to do it all. Kind of crazy, I know, but it worked.

14. Hair - Claude: Not really expecting to be cast as the lead in the big Spring musical, I have to admit that I was a little worried about how my final semester was going to end. With such a massive responsibility to the production, I wondered how I was going to find the time to find a job, find an apartment, both in Los Angeles, and still have time for me. I underestimated myself, though. I was able to find an internship, finish my classes with all A's, and put on a good performance, if I do say so myself.

And there it is. It's been a wild ride, but it has led me to where I am now. Where am I now, you ask? I'm moving to Los Angeles at the end of the month of May to begin an internship with a music publishing company. Looking at all the entries listed above, you might wonder how I ended up where I am. It just goes to show, though, that you really never know what's going to come your way. The only thing you can do is work toward what you want. It may not work out exactly like you thought, or it may be a dream come true. I hope my journey can inspire some of you future college students to reach, reach, and reach for what you want. Don't settle. Don't back down.

That's all from me. Here's to the past four years. This is Matt Adams...signing out.

Ending to Begin

2010-01-26T16:03:00.002-06:00

My intern ship is drawing to a close. I have three more days before I head back to good 'ol BSC and start again with crazy class schedules, homework, and shows. Over the weekend I was dreading leaving the amazing city of New York and returning to school. But yesterday and today I've been reexamining my life as a college student and what I would like to focus on.

I wanted to come to New York for interim was because I needed to find out if this was a place I wanted to live and if I really wanted to pursue play writing. Interning with a production company was the best way to experience both. Not only did I live here for a month, but was privileged enough to get a piece of the producing side of theatre. Obviously, producing isn't play writing, however, they directly connect with one another. Both questions of living and play writing were answered with a resounding "YES!"

So now comes the part where I figure out where to go from here. I have a few things about my schedule to reconsider, but nothing terrifying. And leaving here makes finding ways to return that much sweeter. I now have a goal. I know where I want to go when I graduate. I think I may try and return this summer depending on the results of SETC auditions.

I'm no longer dreading returning school, but excited. Now that I have a stronger idea of what I want to do, I'm ready to take the necessary steps to get there.
This has been such a rewarding experience. Like I said in my last post, I feel like I've conquered one of the world's many perplexities. I see the world slightly differently now, and lemme' tell ya', I like the way it looks!

~Clara

Head First

2010-01-22T12:49:00.009-06:00

Hi, Clara here, writing for the first time all the way from New York City. I'm thrilled to say that I am a sophomore musical theatre major at BSC.

Currently, I am spending my interim in Manhattan, interning with a Broadway and film production company. I've very much enjoyed my time at the company, though I feel as if one month is not nearly enough time to get the full experience of the producing world. It has also been especially slow because the CEO, VPs, and Creative Executive, are all out working on a separate project in Los Angeles.

My job has consisted of answering phones, creating lists, and doing a little research. However, with everything moving so slowly, I have time (and have been strongly encouraged) to work on my own writing. Jason, the CEO's assistant, and I have been the only two people in the office for the last three weeks, presenting more opportunity for relaxed conversation. I asked him to read some of my work and he gave me strong feedback on how to improve it. Not only is it nice to get the opinion of someone directly in the business, but it's also relieving when they don't say that they thought your draft was awful. "It has potential." YES!

I've also had a chance to look into the shows they're producing. One of the projects is based off of a book (I'm not at liberty to share this information), and I read both the book and the treatment of adapting it into a musical. It was fascinating how different they were.
Some of the other things Jason and I have talked about are the differences between commercial theatre and not for profit, how production companies are run, budgeting, copyrighting, and play writing. Many of these things are not as complicated as I thought they would be, but I can't say I would do the best job explaining them to anyone else.

While out of the office I have explored several things. I didn't come with much money so seeing many Broadway shows was not in the budget. I actually have yet to see any. I may in my final week here. But instead I decided to use my money to buy a cheap guitar that I named Abel, and go "busking" as they call it. Busking means to perform your talent on the street, in the subway, where ever really, for money. I chose to stick to the subway. Other things I have done include taking an $18 vocal technique class at Broadway Dance Studio, attending a free show of the Upright Citizen's Brigade improvisation company, going to an open call audition for the musical HAIR, and giving guitar lessons to a good friend's daughter on the weekends.

Wait WHAT? Yes, I went to a cattle call. I tagged along with the roommate of my old friend in high school that is letting me stay in her apartment. We arrived at about 5:15am and waited for almost five hours in the cold to sign in. There was at least a thousand people who came. Even though we showed up early, there was still around 300 people in front of us. As soon as we signed in we were given our audition time (2:50pm) and left to get some sleep and warm up our frozen toes. We returned at 2:30 to wait for our time, lined up to turn in our head shots and resumes, sang our 16 bar audition piece, and returned home. It's a huge wait for thirty second slot of time to prove yourself, but I'd do it again I think.

All of those details aside, I've learned so much more about myself as an artist from this little adventure of mine. It's kind of cheesy, but it’s like listening to a song you’ve heard a million times and having that moment when you finally understand what it’s saying. This one time when you hear the song, you connect with its depth and truth, and it strikes an understanding in your heart that changes the way you see the world (if only slightly). But that’s all it takes; a slight tilt in the angle or a small change in hue, to give you the feeling that you’ve just conquered a small piece of the world’s many perplexities.

For the first time in my life, I've been given the opportunity to be completely independent. College doesn't count because you are provided housing, have a cafe to feed you, and it isn't necessary to leave campus. Here, I spent two weeks living by myself (my friend and her roommates weren't back for school yet), and was forced to figure out New York without help. To some of you, this is a "been there done that" statement; "No big deal, easily done" etc. But that is exactly what I discovered myself on this journey.
Let me explain a little.

I originally chose musical theatre as my major because, frankly, I didn't know what else to do. I was a musical theatre major at the creative arts high school I attended, and though I had no idea if it was a career I desired to pursue, I somewhat enjoyed performing so I chose it by default. I also figured it was a good way to receive scholarship money. When it came to deciding on a college, BSC ended up as my only option. You see, I only applied to Indiana University and Birmingham Southern. Yes, I know. It was not the smartest decision I could have made. But this time around, my lack of preparation lead me exactly where I need to be. I was placed on the waiting list for IU, and BSC offered me great scholarships. So there you have it.

I realize now how unbelievably risky that was. For the last year and a half I have, somewhat silently, worried myself over whether or not I had what it takes to plunge head first into this business. I wasn’t only interested in performing, but playwriting as well. Sure, I could “do it” but I didn’t know if I could do it well enough to make it in the real world. "If you imagine yourself doing anything else, than do that," I constantly heard my professors and fellow students fervently advise, "Because this job asks everything of you with a large possibility of not giving back financially." As a perfectionist, I didn't want anyone to know that I didn't "have it together". I attempted to hide the fact that my mind spun like an overactive merry-go-round, arguing myself dizzy with the fear that I was making a very big mistake. However, something in me told me to stay. That "something" was right.

Over the summer I discovered that my passion lies more in writing than performing. Over fall semester it became more and more evident to me that it’s what I want to do. But I was still afraid. The question, “Am I good enough?” hammered me down, among other questions revolving around my sense of ability, keeping me trapped in insecurity.

Last month when BSC held a master class with Ben Vereen, Ben called me out on my overwhelming fear failure. It was astonishingly liberating, however, no less of a struggle to be confronted with in front of about fifty of my colleagues and my professors. I couldn't have been bestowed with a better preface to my adventure here in Manhattan.

And somehow, everything fell together for me to come to New York for interim. Even though I had been planning it since second semester freshman year, the weight of my decision didn't become a reality until the taxi ride from JFK airport to the apartment in which I would have a mini freak out before realizing I wasn't going to get mugged if I walked outside. Then when I realized I was going to be fine, the thrill of independence over took me, and my level of confidence boosted to unbelievable levels. At first I thought it was just being in New York that brought about my oozing confidence. It was when I had time to calm down and realize that New York is just another city, another place that is full of routines, smelly trash, and busy people, that I realized it wasn't the city. I was so excited about my independence that I never gave my fear enough time to tell me that I couldn't do it.

There's still a feeling of fear and uncertainty at times, but now I know to ignore it, because I've been there, done that. I've proven to myself that it is possible. And honestly, I can't see myself doing anything else but theatre anyway. I only wish I could tell Ben!

~Clara

Hamlet

2010-01-20T10:21:00.015-06:00

We're fast heading toward our Monday opening of the BSC production of Hamlet. You'll find many students who have taken on significant leadership roles, including Costume Designers, Lighting Designer, Technical Director, Stage Management, Assistant Director and more. Hamlet is our January Interim production, so we have the luxury of working on this one project for the entire month. Students, faculty and staff hit the ground running at 9:30 in the morning and we collaborate for the entire day. As director on the production, I've been privileged to work with many talented theatre students. Whatever our role has been, we've all learned alot about the play!

To Infinity and Beyond...

2009-12-28T19:59:00.001-06:00

Funny thing….graduating. It seems cliché to say, but it feels like only yesterday when I started my freshman year at BSC. When I was eighteen and a senior in high school, I was not sure that college was the path I wanted to take. With very big dreams, I wanted to tackle the world of Broadway with a vengeance. My mother, knowing that I was not quite as ready as I believed myself to be, coaxed me into at least giving college a chance. Moving from Virginia to Alabama wasn’t exactly how envisioned the start of my journey, but it proved to be the right decision as I encompass the strength, experience, and confidence garnered in the next step toward my career. I fondly remember my first audition for BSC’s production of Urinetown. I excitedly called home to inform my parents that I had been cast as Little Sally. This role was my favorite portrayal to date and a great learning experience as we took the show on tour for approximately 6 months as it kept being passed as a contender in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Competition. I will never forget working with Martin Landry, and the mentoring and advice I received from the phenomenal upper classman. I may not have worked in the great city of New York yet, but with help from my theatre, dance, and vocal professors who challenged and prepared me for auditions, I’ve worked summer theatre gigs in both Texas and Vermont. Birmingham-Southern also provided me with the opportunity to work with extremely talented classmates who I have grown to admire through their talent and their commitment to becoming better performers. I am a firm believer that if you want to excel at something, you must surround yourself with people that are greater than yourself so you can continue the commitment to improve yourself. But what would my future hold past college? With my graduation, I can truly say that I am ready to take on the world with the excitement as if I were 18, but with the knowledge of a 22 year old college graduate.

As I took my last bow in Striking Twelve in November, I found it ironic to end my last performance in a show of that title. For in my childhood memories, it was at the stroke of midnight that Cinderella’s experience would most probably end, but at the conclusion of Striking Twelve, my Cinderella experience would begin. For my first out of college job opportunity will begin with Disney Entertainment as Ariel from The Little Mermaid in January. I can happily relay that my response from Disney has been welcoming and gracious. Opportunities abound. Theater is about conquering different roles, well….I think I can handle being a princess. I haven’t had the opportunity to be cast as anything royal thus far, but I’m ready for a castle in a warm environment.

I say goodbye to my professors, friends, and former cast mates. I wish you all the best in your career journey. When you wish upon a star…..

Skyler

A Holiday Non-Spectacular, Non-Extravaganza

2009-12-10T11:02:00.009-06:00

I've often heard it said that Stage Managment is the hardest job in theatre...now I believe it. From the beginning of October through the weekend before Thanksgiving, BSC Theatre students have been working on our Fall holiday musical, Striking 12. Strking 12 is a contemporary pop/rock musical written by the band GrooveLily. What started out as the three member band playing all the instruments and playing all the roles has evolved, under the direction of Michael Flowers, into a twelve person cast and equally as large crew. And all of this is what I've had to make sure works and runs as smoothly as possible.

The show's minimalistic simplicity can only be contradicted by the technical complexity that went right along with it. For an 80 minute show, it certainly had enough compacted into it to be a small technical marvel. The set consisted of a series of platforms with all structural aspects visible to the audience. Behind the platforms were six scrim panels that hung from the grid. These panels served as three dimensional screens for images to be projected on. And right in the middle of the stage was the band; a six person band consisting of keyboards, violin, cello, drums, bass, and guitar. So, needless to say, the stage was pretty full.

As for the show itself, it is an inspiring holiday story of life changing proportions; achievable only by such great authors as Dickens...or in this case, Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen's story "The Little Match Girl" is paralleled with a modern day account of a man who has had enough of of the holiday season and a girl selling full spectrum holiday light bulbs. After the man has a conversation with the light seller about Andersen and dismisses her, he pulls out his handy "Collected Tales of Hans Christian Andersen" and begins to read the story. After reading the story, with some help from some whimsical characters in between that rap and mug in 19th century clothing, stop mid-show to complain about how small their part is, and make sound effects for every action of the Man, he can't believe that no one made an effort to help the little match girl, leaving her to freeze to death in the snow. After re-evaluating his own life, he rushes out into the city streets to find the light seller. And unlike the sad ending of Andersen's tale, this story ends with the man and girl finding each other on the first day of the year.

This was my first time ever stage managing a show of this scale. It's definitely a job not to be taken lightly. With it comes a massive amount of responsiblity. The responsiblities included, but were not limited to, making sure 35 people where they needed to be at the right time, overseeing the rehearsal, pre-show, and post-show process, and calling 97 light cues, 41 follow spot cues, and 15 projection cues all within a span of 80 minutes. Multitask much? I'd say so. I realized just how focused and aware of every minute detail a stage manager has to be. And even though I already had immense respect for the crew of a show, being the leader of the crew made me realize just how crucial they are to pulling off a successful show. Just like the old saying "There are no small parts" applies to actors, it applies to the crew as well. It's a team effort, this theatre thing; and being able to lead this team was a very rewarding experience. Ah, stage management...power, yes...authority, yes...perfection, no. But I think I got pretty close a few times.

Even More Sound, More Music

2009-09-27T23:42:00.006-05:00

Our Blog Corner...

It’s been a while since I have last blogged. I hope this finds you a little bit more enlightened in some way. I was asked to blog about my summer and I think now, after much thought, I will blog a bit about my experience but also about the “big picture” aspects of where hard work and “following the dream” can get one and a few initial steps in getting a foot in the door in the entertainment industry.

Let’s see, in my last blog I left off talking about WorkPlay and the new journey it set me on. Upon finishing up an internship there, I knew I had no choice but to challenge myself further. I have had one goal in sight for my career for the past year and a half. That single goal is music supervision. For any that do not know what exactly that is, let me provide you with a little definition. A music supervisor is the person who communicates with producers and directors of t.v or film regarding the placement of music in the show or movie. The supervisor can do everything from actually placing, picking, and editing the music in for the final edits of the show or film in a final mix to clearing, negotiating, and licensing the actual songs to be placed throughout the process. Music’s role in t.v and film is only increasing in importance as the years go on. You may be asking… Why this career goal? I am absolutely fascinated by the ability of music to move an audience when it is accurately placed in a scene of a show or film. If you think about it, we all have those scenes in a particular movie or show that we remember because of what song or score was being used…we remember it because ultimately, whether you realize it or not, the music stirred some kind of emotion in us-it served as a parallel to what was being said on screen (thus, not taking away completely but only aiding the script). The job title of “Music Supervisor” has not been around forever. Although music in film dates back to silent films, an official person overseeing this placement process was not officially a job until much later. I knew I loved the creative aspect of the job. I read books, researched, and knew I needed hands on experience. I had questions that I needed answered- What is the proper way to clear a song for usage? What technology is involved in editing in a piece with picture? How much of a role does budget play in choosing music? Ultimately, I knew I needed the business experience. I don’t think I will be the only person to say that there is only one place someone can go to gain this sort of entertainment industry experience…that place is the City of Angels- Los Angeles.
In January of last year, I began to use my resources I had. I got in touch with a former student of my father’s who has a long record of success in LA as a producer with various companies (Disney, CBS, HBO). I expressed to him what my goal was and he graciously worked with me on connecting to many people and perfecting my resume. I landed an internship with True Music. True Music has a music library, in house music supervisors, and an in house music licensing division. Kurt Farquhar opened the company years ago after having a successful career himself as a prime time t.v composer. I could not have picked a better place to work with for a summer. I headed out to LA in May and stayed until August-a solid three month internship. Throughout this time, I worked on a day to day basis with True Music editing music to picture, seeing example clearances be done, communicating with producers, working on the song catalog, placing songs, going to the SONY lot for mixes and spotting sessions, and ultimately seeing the way things had to be done to be successful in the music for film/t.v world. On days I did not work, I made it a point to connect with people that were “good to know” whether they were people I was referred to or people who’s career paths I truly admired, I made it a point to meet with them in order to gain different perspectives and insight into the biz. All in all, the summer was what it was to me because of the relationships I formed. I can now sleep a little more peacefully at night knowing that I have formed solid relationships that can continue to guide and serve as connections throughout my career. Without my True Music internship, I would not have been able to realize my own potential in the music for film/t.v world. True Music laid the foundation for what I will always proudly consider the “start of my career”.

When I talk to people about my summer, I tend to usually get similar responses. I get something along the lines of “Oh my God, that’s so cool.” Don’t get me wrong, it is cool and I am lucky but that’s not at all why I am choosing to pursue it. It did not just fall in my lap and I did not wake up one morning with a sudden urge to be the next Alex Patsavas, placing an emotional song in a dramatic scene of Grey’s Anatomy. It was a process for me- a process of discovery. A process that led me to a path that I am still on-a path that I now know is the most fulfilling for me- a path that has just started. Wherever it may lead me next, I am proud to say that I know I made the right career choice for me in being in LA for a summer.

I cannot stress how much of a firm believer I am in internships. Without hands on experience, how will you ever know if a certain career is the most fulfilling for you? How will you gain the experience you need? It is not always in the classroom. I encourage anyone that has an urge for something in the entertainment biz to search within yourself for what it is you truly want to do-narrow it down. Secondly, start with your resources at hand, do your research, connect with anyone and everyone you can because you never know where they may lead you in the future. Read books. Surf the net. Google the professionals you want to be. Work on your resume-perfect it, find a way to make everything on that single sheet of paper relate to the field you want to be in. Make it impressive. Obtain an internship-don’t be afraid to ask for help. You must be willing to work for something. You must be willing to start at the bottom. Make the first steps and see what happens next- and oh yeah, I almost forgot, don’t forget to breathe along the way.

-Anais

It has been a very long time since our last post. Lots of developments have come about since we were last on here. I followed right behind Anais and spent my summer interning at WorkPlay. Since she has already gone into great detail about what that internship entails, I'll avoid repetition and tell you about specific things that I got out of the internship.

I went into WorkPlay knowing that I wanted to know everything I possibly could about the live music industry, specifically booking, production and tour management. Thankfully, I got to experience all of these things. I'll tell you briefly about two of my experiences. First, as part of an outside promotion, the talent buyer of WorkPlay helped bring in Gov't Mule to Sloss Furnace Amphitheater. He gave me the opportunity to work production for this event. Up until this point, I had been working production in the small WorkPlay Theatre where the most a band travels with is typically a van or bus and a trailer. Gov't Mule was a whole different experience. Instead of a trailer, they work with a full size 18-wheeler. Now I know that this is still tiny in comparison to some major tours that travel with 10+ 18-wheelers, but this was a huge step up for me in the production world. It was fast paced, it was dirty, it was hot, it was exhausting...and I loved every minute of it. There's just something about the thrill of putting a huge show together in a short amount of time and then taking down, packing it up, and heading off to the next town. Call me crazy, but life on the road sounds like it would be fun...for a while, at least. My second major experience came when I actually got to talk to a tour manager. I felt ridiculous for being so nervous, but to me, talking to a tour manager is the equivalent to talking to a celebrity. If names mean anything to you, I spoke with the tour manager of Medeski, Martin, & Wood. Though this encounter was quite brief due to his incredibly hectic schedule, it was a few of the most enlightening minutes of my life. He told me things I didn't know, some things I already knew, and some things that I really didn't want to know. To be honest, there are parts of the job that don't sound to appealing. He even went so far as to tell me that if I ever wanted a family one day that I should absolutely not want to be a tour manager. Harsh words, but very true.

So, this has led me to where I am now. To continue to gain more experience in the management field, I will be stage mangaing our fall production of Striking 12, an almost folk/pop-rock chamber musical. I imagine that there will be many similarities between stage management and tour management; mostly in that everyone looks to you for pretty much everything. It will definitely be a challenge, but I'm up for it.

I couldn't agree with Anais more about the value of internships, networking, resumes, and all the other stuff that comes with finding a job. Unless you're very lucky, your dream job isn't going to fall into your lap. You have to work hard for it. Thanfully I made some wonderful contacts from working at WorkPlay, but all of that is for naught if I don't follow up with these key people in the entertainment industry and continue to improve and challenge myself. Also, Anais and I both are very lucky to go to a school that is very supportive of internships. Both of us essentially contracted our own class with the help and support of a Theatre faculty member. Not only did we get the experience from the internship, but we also got class credit for them. We are very lucky to have theatre professors that are very supportive of our individual interests that can be best cultivated outside of the classroom in a real world envrionment. If you haven't done an internship yet, find one! You'll be amazed at what you can learn about yourself through that process.

-Matt

I SHOULDA LISTENED TO MY MOTHER (or “How Acting Like a Jerk is Making Me a Better Person”)

2009-07-02T10:37:00.001-05:00

Hi, my name is John, and I’m thrilled to be a new-ish member of the BSC Theatre Department … the best-smelling theatre department in the world!

My momma taught me not to judge a person until I had walked a mile in his shoes. Well, I’ve found that other people’s shoes are pretty hard to come by … and they usually don’t fit very well. But in the unique discipline of acting I’ve found that it is possible, however, to do the next best thing: walk someone else’s mile … in your own shoes.

Lemme ‘splain. No, it’s too much… lemme sum up.

Over the past nine months I’ve walked, let’s see … one, two, three … nine of those miles here in the BSC theatre department, playing nine different people. Among them, a former male prostitute, a politician, a laid-back grandpa and a beggar – each one a very real person with very real circumstances, desires and beliefs that shape his life and actions.

Most of our study here follows a Stanislavski-based approach to acting – in brief, actively engaging the imagination in a detailed exploration of the character’s internal and external life and circumstances. For example (and I know I’m preaching to some of the choir here), when a character says or does something in the script, the actor may ask himself/herself such questions as: Why is he saying that? What circumstances have brought this about? What’s going on in this person’s life to which he is responding? Is it hot or cold in the room? Is he tired or hungry, or has he been drinking? (“Did I leave the iron on?”) How concerned is he with what others in the room think of him? What is he trying to accomplish? …

Perhaps, more importantly, he might ask questions such as: What does this person believe and why? How are those beliefs shaping his actions now? What may have caused him (in his past) to develop those beliefs? How strongly does he cling to them? Is he willing to change his beliefs? What are his expectations for this moment in his life (we all have them), and what are his hopes for the future (we certainly have those, too)? What is at stake for him in this moment? How critical is it that he gets what he is after right now? How far is he willing to go to get it? … ad infinitum.

As you would imagine, this kind of thinking (to the n^th degree) can take you deep into an analysis of the mind, will and emotions of the character. Then, however, acting provides an opportunity like no other study I know – the opportunity to turn that analysis into behavior. To do what that character would do. To experience what it is like, not just to think someone else’s thoughts and feel someone else’s feelings (someone who may or may not hold the same beliefs as you) but to actually put them into practice. To act on them. To walk that person’s mile…

…but in your own shoes. Even the great Stanislavski acknowledges that the idea of “becoming” the character you are playing is a ridiculous notion. You cannot separate yourself from yourself. In fact, you are your greatest asset – your experience, your convictions, your beliefs. I’ve found that my own beliefs are an invaluable touchstone for illuminating in my mind the beliefs of the character I’m playing. When playing someone who holds beliefs that are consistent with my own, the playing of those beliefs is strengthened immeasurably by my own conviction. When playing someone who holds opposing views, it is the contrast with my own established beliefs that makes them vivid in my mind and allows me to play them with clarity. Of course it’s usually not a simple either/or scenario but a mix of the two, with some of the character’s beliefs and views matching my own and others in contrast. Either way, I find I’m walking in my own shoes.

When we were working on Dead Man Walking, I learned that Susan Sarandon (who played Sister Helen in the film version) had called acting the business of “forced compassion.” I’ve found this to be a very accurate description of the acting process. Here’s why I think so …

When playing a character who holds views that differ from my own, if I am willing to play him honestly, I must look intently at his beliefs, to consider them, to consider his justifications for those beliefs, and the depths of his conviction. Then, acting on them, to play them as sincerely as possible. Through this process I come to see him (and all who share his views) more clearly, perhaps in a new light, often with a greater understanding. This honest process “forces” me to find compassion for this individual, even if I continue to disagree strongly with (or even despise) his views and actions.

Sometimes I’m compelled to acknowledge that my own beliefs and actions need to change. And isn’t that a good thing? Sometimes the opposite is true, and I come out with even greater clarity and conviction of my beliefs than before, having put them to the test. And isn’t that a good thing, as well? I’ve come to think that the constant scrutiny of my beliefs and values which acting affords me is a very healthy thing for me! And I have a lot to learn about our world and myself in it.

Jesus Christ once said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” We all need truth - to know what truly is and what is not. To see clearly. Our world. Our times. Ourselves. Sometimes it’s hard to look (and sometimes I shy away); but if I am willing to commit to this work and all of its opportunities, I believe theatre, as much as any good philosophy or religion course, is an excellent tool in the search for that truth. (At the very least, it’s more than just goofing off!) Am I saying that acting is guaranteed to make you a better person? Of course not. But I’ve found that it can be a very useful tool for someone who wants to be.

Perhaps Shakespeare said it best in the voice of Hamlet when he wrote, “the purpose of playing … was and is to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.” We’ll be diving into his world in January for our interim production. Don’t miss it! (A shameless advertising plug, I admit.)

If you’ve read this far, you’re either: a) a fervent fan of the theatre, b) a close personal friend of mine, or c) you’re trapped under something heavy. Either way, thanks for reading. Having quoted my mother, Jesus and Shakespeare, I don’t think I have anything more to say… except, perhaps, that my mother was probably right: You shouldn’t judge people until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes (which probably means you shouldn’t judge them at all) … and you shouldn’t put anything in your ear other than your elbow.

Backstage at BSC

2009-05-28T23:03:00.010-05:00

To introduce myself, I am Mandy Thomas, the Assistant Technical Director and Scene Shop Supervisor for the College Theatre. I live mainly in the Scene Shop, and am in charge of all the details of construction for the scenery (and sometimes props) for our shows. I also design lighting and scenery from time to time and for other local companies. Much of this blog addresses the work of the actors, designers, dramaturgs and directors. I'm here to share some backstage details.

After the designer conceives of a setting for the play or musical, how does the world of the play become a real tangible place? The easy answer is that the Scene Shop crew just builds it. But the devil is in the details, as they say, and the details are usually myriad. That's where the crew and I come in.

For our latest production, You Can't Take It With You, the setting was a large Victorian home full of many unusual people and all their hobbies, passions, pets and dreams. The Victorian style is easily researched, but creating a believable representation was the hard work.

At the beginning of the build, Technical Director and Designer Matthew Mielke supplied the Shop with detailed construction plans. The building of the twelve foot walls was fairly straightforward, although we spent a lot of time checking, double-checking and triple-checking our measurements and the square of our flats.

The Shop students learned very well how to use levels, framing squares and plumb lines, and learned the "Why" of all this.

So the flooring was laid, flats built and put together, and stairs modified and fit into place. And yet the real work had just begun. There was wallpaper to hang, trim (oh lots and lots of trim) to attach, doors to hang and painting and set dressing to do.

Trimwork is one of my favorite things, and I really enjoyed sharing that passion with students who had never done this. The trim we attached included baseboard, chair rail, picture rail, crown molding, door and window casing, "shadow-box" trim underneath the chair rail, and casing around our large archways. This was a very time-consuming project and up to 15 students had a hand in this. There were angles to figure out, miters to cut and lots of stapling and nailing to do. Our levels came in very handy for this work as well.

One of our challenges was to provide enough surfaces to display all the detritus of the multiple passions and hobbies of all the members of the household. The furniture provided a fair amount of space, but to allow easy movement on stage, we couldn't clutter the stage too much. So we looked up.

After consulting with Matthew, we decided to use the trim above the archways to create more horizontal space for set dressing. We began to plunder our shelves of left-over trim, and pulled out a variety of pieces to build large "headers". Our archways were twelve feet and nine feet wide, so this project required creative use of what we had.

We started with a plywood backing board cut to about 10 inches wider than the archway, and then attached our left-over crown molding.

After covering the top edge of the crown with luaun, this created a depth of about 5 or 6 inches for set dressing. We finished by adding additional trim below the crown and a built-up piece of trim at the bottom of the backing board.

One of the details that I think really gave these pieces a polished look was creating the corners that ran the trim around to the wall. These headers were very heavy, but several well-placed bolts secured them to the walls and allowed us to finish the trim for the set.

I have to say that this is probably the most detailed set we have built since I've been at BSC, and I was consistently impressed with the hard work and patience of the many students who built this set. The trimwork really required careful and meticulous work and it showed. We had many compliments on the set, and anyone who saw the show would agree that the Shop crew did an amazing job. Below is a photo of the finished set.

Thanks for checking in backstage, and stay tuned for more "technical" posts.

You Can't Take It With You

2009-04-29T13:33:00.001-05:00

You Can't Take It With You

2009-04-24T17:30:00.005-05:00

Our production has just opened! What stands out about this experience is the teamwork of all the students who have worked on this project the past five weeks. BSC's You Can't Take It With You is the result of innumerable choices within the context of production meetings, rehearsals and work sessions. Its physical world include fireworks, a xylophone, accordian, antique printing machine, 18 unique characters and more.

It's quite a story we get to tell and we're learning a lot in the telling. True, we only opened last evening, but we've played before two audiences, counting Wednesday's open dress rehearsal. The shared experience between our company members and audience is of course, the goal of our process. Needles to say, the more we learn about this fascinating art form the more we learn about ourselves.

I hope you will have the opportunity to see it. We play through Saturday evening, April 24, at 7:30 and then close with our Sunday 2:30 matinee. In this tough patch, You Can't Take It With You celebrates the importance of family and friendship, and making the most of each second.

Dead Man Walking: Interim 2009

2009-02-23T09:11:00.012-06:00

Hello happy blog readers! Amanda here. Since it's been a while since I've written, I'll re-introduce myself. I'm a senior (wooo!!) theatre major from Alabaster, Alabama. I enjoy hot fudge sundaes, wildflowers, and dancing in the moonlight.

Okay. Now that you know me, we can get on to the real reason I'm writing. : )

I wanted to tell you guys about what happened in the BSC theatre during the month of January, 2009. January is our interim term at BSC, which means that everyone takes a break from normal classes and just takes one class for the whole month. For me, that means producing a show!

This year, we worked on Tim Robbins's Dead Man Walking during interim. You may have heard of the movie version, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1995, starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. It's the story of Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who worked with prisoners on Louisiana's Death Row. The play tells tells about Helen's relationship with convict Matthew Poncelet, a fictional character who is based on the composite of two real-life prisoners.

For the show, I worked as assistant director alongside faculty director Professor Michael Flowers. I also played Marybeth Percy, the mother of the teenage girl who Matt Poncelet raped and murdered. It was an experience like none I have ever had before. I started working on it last November. I began my work as assistant director by attending meetings with the director Michael and each of the designers: student Matt Adams (sound designer, see his blog below), student Spurge Spurgeon (projections/video designer), students Liz Garrett and Lori Maddox (costume designers), student Connor McVey (co-lighting designer), professor Matthew Mielke (technical director, co-lighting designer, scenic designer), and teacher Mrs. Patti Manning (costume supervisor). I had no experience in directing, so this was a big adventure for me. I went home for Christmas break armed with Michael's copy of the directing class textbook and tons of ideas about technical details and characters spinning in my head. During the break, I kept Michael's cell phone number on speed dial as I worked to stage 2 scenes of the show all by myself.

The show is a difficult one for college students to produce. It asks kids our age to play characters who are beyond our ages and experiences. In order to help us connect with the characters, plot, and ideas of the play, we enlisted help from Dr. Robbie Baldwin, BSC graduate student alumnus and author of the book Life and Death Matters, a commentary on capital punishment. Robbie took some of our company members to visit Donaldson Prison, where we met and talked with some prisoners on Alabama's Death Row. It was an eye-opening experience. None of us knew what to expect. After we were searched and screened, we followed a prison officer through the facility. Robbie introduced us to four men who are on Death Row, and we were able to ask them questions about their daily lives, their families, their dreams, their spiritual beliefs, and other topics. We were all pretty shy at first, but I think that we all enjoyed listening to their voices.

Throughout the month, as we focused on creating a show, we also tried to learn about the issue of capital punishment from many different perspectives. We were able to hear about it from the eyes of religious leaders, political leaders, convicts and their families, victims and their families, prison staff, lawyers, and others. No matter where we each stand on the ideas of capital punishment at the end of the month, we all at least are more informed and better able to understand the complex issue. Isn't that what college is all about?

Ok, I'm done being serious. Here are some photos from our production. We were able to have some fun along the way! : )

They worked really hard.

Backstage with GingerBlack!

Old Age Makeup!

Ladies' Dressing Room

Goofin' Off!

A Victims' Support Group Meeting

Sister Helen and the Percys, parents of victim

Sister Helen and Mrs. Poncelet, Matt's mother

Mackenzie Smith as Matt Poncelet

and

Elisabeth Tutwiler as Sister Helen Prejean

Two Sides of Sound

2009-02-07T20:32:00.012-06:00

Our Blog Corner...

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"Most of us get involved with music for emotional reasons-for some of us, that pleasure becomes impossible to give up. Over time it tightens its hold and becomes for many, an obsession."

I think it is safe to say that for both of us, music is nothing short of an obsession. As we feel our obsessions grow on a daily basis, we're both positive music will play a huge role in our futures. As for the present, we are still reflecting on an Interim term that majorly contributed to our musical journeys. All these places have their moments and their meanings...Here's what it all meant to each of us on an indiviual basis. Although we were in different places with slightly different perspectives, different people, and different projects...one thing was consistent: the inspiration through the music.

I can't quite put my finger on the moment I woke up and decided I was going to pursue my dream of being in the music business. I suppose it's this obsession that has developed over time and it wasn't until recently that I decided I was supposed to be doing it. Through a summer of lots of reading, research,networking, and new music, I found myself overwhelmed by a sense of clarity and a new path. By sense of clarity, I really mean sense of it. Not complete clarity by any means-but a much better idea.

Fall arrived and I began my search for Interim projects. I had always been to WorkPlay to see various singer/songwriters and decided to contact them and see what they had available in terms of internships for the month. I went in for an interview and knew it was the place I needed to be for the month. There was absolutely no reason to go away anywhere when I had such great resources in my own back yard. I spent all semester in anticipation for my month. I had hoped that it would provide some really great foundations for my future career. December came around and as things were winding down for most, I was at my highest getting ready for January. January came before I knew it. Todd Coder, talent buyer for WorkPlay is who I worked with all month. Todd's job consists of booking artists and then dealing with them on the day of the show. There are many factors that go into what artists will come play. Is money negotiable? Will they sell well? Are they emerging talent? Have they played there before and done well? At WorkPlay, there is the Theatre (seats 450) and the SoundStage (seats 800). After the deal is negotiated and confirmed, it is on the production calendar. Todd immediately emails me the deal memo. On this deal memo is the artist, where and when they are playing, the time, the ticket prices, and specifics on money. From this information, I construct a press release. The show is then announced and tickets go on sale in accordance with the set date in the press release. From the day a show is confirmed to the day the artist is in house, we work our hardest to publicize the show according to how the ticket sales are doing. All of our marketing,website updates, and ticket sales are found on tickebiscuit.com. We can send email newsletters, change website info, and track ticket sales through this website. On the day of the show, the artist/band arrives for soundcheck mid day. Artist hospitality is taken care of on this day. Once the artist is finished playing, the box office manager, Emily Haslett, closes out with the manager. By closing out, she is giving the set amount of money over to the manager that was in the contract. Say there was a 70% door deal. This means they take away 70% of what was made in ticket sales that night. That, in a nutshell, is the booking process.

My month really touched on many basic marketing skills and booking skills. Most importantly,I saw just how vital and important communication is among a business. Without it, any business will fall apart. I feel like I have delved far into the music business world with the help of so many that got me to this point and through the month. Although, I may not know exactly what area of the business I will end up in, I have my foundation laid and will continue to build upon it. If I could allow myself to expect anything, it is the fact that the path will lead not where I expect but to someplace better. Needless to say, I'm inspired and continue to be. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the extremely talented and passionate souls at WorkPlay and even more grateful for the opportunity to continue to work with them throughout my semester.

For more information on the venue,shows, and all things WorkPlay check out our website AND become a fan on FaceBook!

Now I turn it over to Matt to tell you a little about his month ...basically, my dream job. LET ME MAKE YOU A SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR LIFE! No seriously, it's his turn...

Hello all you dedicated blog readers. For the month of January I was the sound designer for our interim show Dead Man Walking. This is Tim Robbins' stage adaptation from his movie of the same name, which was based off of Sister Helen Prejean's book of the same name as well. It tells the story of Sister Prejean's work with a death row inmate named Matthew Poncelet. The story takes place in southern Louisiana in the early 1980's. We staged the show in an arena configuration with a very minimalist setting. Since Robbins is a film director the stage adaptation has very cinematic elements to it. The show depended very heavily on lights and sound to bridge the transitions and move the story forward. I'm here to tell you about my process and work as the sound designer for this very unique production of a play that is only licensed to educational theatres.

As the sound designer, I was in charge of all the auditory elements of the show. This included the pre-show music, sound effects, and my personal favorite...underscoring. Not only was I in charge of the design of the show, but I also was the sound board operator for the run of the show. My first task was to develop a sound plot that indicated the what, where, when, and how each sound cue would be perceived by the audience. This plot was updated about ten times as the month progressed. All in all, we ended up with 69 sound cues...unheard of for live theatre. Secondly, I coordinated the recording process for all of the voiceover lines, music that I wrote myself for the show, and other sound effects that I was unable to find in the sound effects library that was available to me. My third major task was to edit all of these sound cues into the appropriate form they were going to be used in for the show and burn them to CD's. This show required two CD's of sound effects running on two different CD players, sometime simultaneously during the show. I can easily say that it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life trying to figure out how in the world I was going to run a mixer, and two CD players at the same time. With time, however, I became rather adept at running the sound with reasonable proficiency. One of my other major tasks was to set up the speakers and place them in their appropriate positions. I decided to place a series of four speakers on the floor underneath the seats to offer a different kind of auditory experience for an audience. There were also multiple overhead speakers used as well. The floor speakers were used primarily for the earthly, day to day sounds such as doorbells, crowd noise, television, etc. The overhead speakers were used for the more ethereal moments in the show such as underscoring of scenes and voiceovers.

I'll now discuss my favorite aspect of the work I did this January - selecting music for the show. My first task was to select the pre-show music. I began this process back in December. The goal of the pre-show music was to set the locale of the play and introduce the audience to the culture of Lousiana. I decided to go with a mostly Delta Blues vibe for these eight songs. I did a great deal of research with each of the songs and made sure they had some relevance to the show both lyrically and musically. As for the rest of the show, I did a good deal of underscoring of scene work. This was definitely a risk I was taking mainly because it is not very common to do underscoring with live theatre. It's completely different with film, however. Think of some of your favorite movies and your favorite or most memorable moments from those movies. Chances are that those moments are so memorable because of the music that underscores them. Even with the cinematic nature of this show, it was still up in the air for me until I acutually watched the show with the music in the background. Actors in film never hear the music until they see the finished product. The music isn't a potential distraction for them while they are acting. This is not the case for live theatre. I was wondering how the music playing over the actor's lines would affect them. True relief from this distress didn't come until one of the actors came up to me and told me how much the underscoring in one of the scenes helped him to really connect with this character and the scene. That is ultimately the best compliment I could have received. The music I chose to use for underscoring was very minimalist, but very emotionally stirring. I wanted to make sure that the music didn't distract from the scene. Afterall the music isn't the star. The music was there to offer an emotional undertone that would subconsciously work its way into an audience's perception of the play. I also wrote some music for the show on the guitar for a hymn that is played several times throughout the show. While searching for appropriate music I couldn't find a version of the hymn that worked well with the rest of the show's soundscape. So, after speaking with the director I decided that I would write and record a guitar part for the hymn. A single guitar went very well with the simple and earthly nature of the rest of the sounds. I also recruited some company members to sing the hymn. I have to say one of the best moments of the show was the ending where the hymn and the "choir" comes in singing "Be Not Afraid." The way it was recorded really captured the sense of a small group of people singing in a little white church on the side of the road. It's interesting how the simplest choices can sometimes be the most profound and moving.

Just in case you are interested, here is my soundtrack for the show:

1. Fixin' To Die Blues - Bukka White, 2. I'm Sailin' - Mazzy Star, 3. 30 Days In Jail - Johnny Shines, 4. So Lonely - Tim Buckley, 5. Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues - Skip James, 6. County Farm Blues - Unknown artist, 7. Lousiana Blues - Muddy Waters, 8. I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan, 9. City In the Dust On My Window - Hammock, 10. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday, 11. Maria - Six Organs of Admittance, 12. Strange Fruit - Jeff Buckley, 13. Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow - Hammock, 14. Eighty-four Thousand Hymns - Hammock, 15. Razorback Drug Town - Hammock, 16. A Dream For Us - The Appleseed Cast, 17. Be Not Afraid - Matt Adams & Company of Dead Man Walking

Maintenance

2009-01-10T06:53:00.004-06:00

You really can play Where's Waldo with my costume in some of these :)

I hope your holidays went well. Mine were busy so I guess I can't call them holidays, but it did give me something to blog about. We're probably at about show 150 right now and just did four weeks of several two-show days in a row with then only one day off in between instead of the normal two. I knew about the schedule shift going in and just compared it to past experience and figured it would be fine, just different. I was kinda wrong.
Nothing went horribly wrong and I didn't leave any of my vocal cords onstage, but it was definitely a schedule I was being very careful with. More shows was not necessarily the problem, it was doing so many consecutive two-show days. Starting off every second show vocally tired was making me cautious. I think in general I would have liked the shows spread out over the week even if it meant less full days off.
To add to the mix, I was getting ready for my first of a few non-Cirque related gigs in Tokyo. The show's bassist and I had booked a headlining set at a club towards the end of this hard run and I couldn't afford to sacrifice either opportunity, the show or the gig. Obviously my job that I'm under contract for came absolutely first but I've been wanting to do more about my own music and there are some good opportunities here.
I spent most of December downing water like I was in the Sahara, washing my hands whenever I could, and not drinking a drop since alcohol and my immune system HATE each other. I attribute a good month to muscle memory (cause I'm learning that your voice really does do that just like your jumpshot), breathing, and a tiny humidifier that I bought for my dressing room station. Tokyo is awesome for tiny gadgets. It's also as dry in the winter as it is wet in the summer. The weather has been very similar to Alabama which I didn't expect and I don't think there's much ragweed around which is.....well super.
I think I was really scared of hurting myself here and I'm not usually hyper-concerned about vocal health. I've been hearing more and more Cirque singers since joining and a lot of people sound like they've been singing on nodes for months. It's cool to hear sometimes but that's not what I want for myself. I was glad that even as the new kid in a big company I put my foot down once or twice in rehearsals to recognize something that might hurt after 8-10 shows a week. I think it's part of our job as performers to make sure we can keep performing for as long as we want.
Having been through the rough part of the season, we've got two dark weeks coming up, so I'll be home for that stint. Hopefully we'll figure out a good time for me to pop down to Southern and visit. Have good Interim and I'll be talking to you soon.

There's a place for us: A Reflection on West Side

2008-11-22T14:13:00.002-06:00

Hello there blog readers. Anais and I have some West Side post-show reflections for you. I'll go first while Anais gathers her thoughts.

All throughout the rehearsal process, and especially during the final dress rehearsals, the anticipation of how people would react to the show was always on my mind. Since we made such a bold turn away from the traditional West Side I was very curious as to what people were going to think of it. I spent a great deal of time preparing my friends and family for what they were about to see. I warned them that they were going to see violence, blood, and some sexual promiscuity. I was mostly concerend about two things: 1.) People seeing the show who normally don't like West Side because of dancing gang members and 2.) Friends and family seeing me do some not so nice things on stage. As for the first group, I found that most people's reaction was a new found respect for the show. They found our take on the show to be much more realistic and believable. They could appreciate the gangs for what they actually are: gangs. These audience members were able to understand that these guys do not have a good life at home or on the streets. So, in terms of a more realistic production that an audience can understand: goal achieved.

My second concern was a little harder for me to deal with. What I am referring to is the taunting scene in Act II that we turned into a rather violent and hateful rape scene. In the movie and in other productions, my character, Baby John, is picked up by the Jets and put on top of Anita. In ours, Baby John is pressured into raping Anita by his friend A-rab. I knew it was going to be difficult for people I know watch me do something like this and I was prepared for their reactions. Most of the girls in the cast told me that they were not able to watch this scene because they found it so disturbing. So, I thought to myself "If my friends are having a hard time with it I wonder what my mom is going to think." Overall, my mom wasn't too thrilled that she had to watch her baby boy do something so heinous, but she understood the point that we were trying to make with the scene. By that point in the show, everyone is driven to their limits and hatred takes over their thoughts and actions. As for my other friends, I was told that some of them were brought to tears at having to see something so horrible happen. In one sense, I hate that they had to see me do something like that; but on the other hand, if it makes that much of an impact on them and gets them thinking about their lives and the world they live in then we have done our jobs as artists. Yes, it's hard sometimes, but in the long run it was all worth it.

I now turn it over to Anais...

Enough about yourself Matt.

As I reflect upon my time here so far at BSC, I seem to always find myself wondering where time went as we embark upon the closing show of productions. West Side Story was no different in that aspect. However, the exprience as a whole was something more than different-it was extraordinary. I just read that out loud to Matt and realized how SOAP net it sounded but I whole-heartedly mean it. I think many of us were intimidated at first. As time flew by I watched pure passion and determination pour out of everyone involved. The determination particularly poured out in a place that was not previously explored by many in the cast AKA: the dancing.

Being the little dancer girl that I am, I really had no idea what to expect choreography wise. Abe Reybold, the choreographer, brought to life what was the realistic depiction of West Side Story with his clever use of movement. I don't know if it was Abe's many "Let's go freaks," comments or perhaps his professional push to everything he did, but he turned many of the guys into the confident movers that I'm not sure they knew they were. There is nothing more rewarding than watching the picture come to life week by week. I remember the first time I watched T"he Prologue" and "Jet Song". My exact thoughts: "We CAN do this." Perhaps the hardest part for many may have been giving the dance steps (while counting in their heads) their own style and character while throwing in some fight choreography and not to mention singing. It's a lot to take on all at once. In time, it was gracefully achieved by all- those Jets really were Jets all the way...LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS.

Both of us went into this process feeling rather intimidated by the daunting process this production was going to be. It wasn't an easy journey...as a matter of fact it became very difficult at times. It's hard to not let everything going on in your life affect you once you go into a theatre to perform. This fall semester has been a tough one to get through, but somehow we all stuck to it and pulled off one incredible show. So, if there was ever any doubt that we wouldn't be able to make it through this show then those doubts have completely shattered.

Your best friends,

Matt and Anais

ZED Rehearsals

2008-10-13T08:50:00.015-05:00

My wings for the Lasso act.

I entered the rehearsal process a few months later than everyone else. The cast had several weeks in Montreal but because I was hired late as a replacement, my first day was in Tokyo (May 28) when everything was already in full swing. I was very tired because I don't sleep well on planes and had been wide awake at 5am on my first day. There was a lot of information to process; names, staff positions, storyboard, the biggest set I've ever seen, and more French than I've heard since my class at Southern. The working language is English, but the real working language is French :)
I had received some impromptu character instruction at my audition in Montreal, so had been thinking along those lines as I studied the songs before arriving. My character, called Abraka, is a magician of the Earth and Francois Girard our director (The Red Violin, and Silk) wanted something strong and mysterious. He kept alluding to a "slight of hand" kind of mischief that made Abraka something impressive but slightly unnerving. I had envisioned some sort of wizard's costume and a few cool flight cues (I was asked several times if I was afraid of heights).
When I sat down with Francois and his assistant directors at my first rehearsal, things had seemingly changed a bit. No wizard costume but cool flight cues, one of which took me to the top of the space at 15 ft per second (the flight cues have been cut since, but they were really fun for a few weeks). He gave me the rundown of the show's concept which is based around the Tarot world and follows the white fool "Zed" on a journey of discovery. Abraka had become a king in this world and ruled over the Earth. I was curious to see if the change in title would affect the overall image of the character since it's hard to be the powerful, noble King Arthur and the mysterious Merlin simultaneously. That fact became the hurdle of this process for me.
We tried several things over the next few weeks to find something solid for Abraka. I had started blocking rehearsals by responding to the space. It was a huge set and I knew that anything too subtle would just get swallowed so I tried to make clean, noticeable choices with my voice and body. Instead of just turning a head, I'd turn my stance, hand motions became arm motions, and I was making good use of the massive cape I wear in the show. Something to know about me is that I'm more of an outside actor first. I like to work on the things that an audience can see of my character and then connect it for myself later. Rodrigue (a former Cirque performer in Love and Varekai) had been helping me develop the character through movement. I spent several mornings in the lobby of the theater twirling in the cape, finding things that drew attention, moves that made use of the costume. The hard part was that with so much fabric, twists of the torso or shifted leg positions didn't read. I was forced to concentrate on my arms, head, and twist the costume to mimic my stance underneath it.

After Rodrigue and I were satisfied with our initial results, a blocking rehearsal came up as a chance to try some of our material. Afterwards Francois promptly told me to "stop dancing" and to concentrate more on the mystery. The best laid plans :)............Rodrigue still insisted that the movement was solid and fit very well so we worked on a middle ground and eventually found it. A lot of the character revolves around the act I'm involved in. With time it has moved from a response to different tricks and positions to a commanding, authoritative conjuring. That familiarity with the flow of my stagemates gives the illusion that Abraka is the cause of the action. This creates a lot of power already, so I could then search for some nice moments to infuse a little mischief and mystery. Francois gave me a nice general outline of places to walk the space as a lurking figure biding time until "invoking" the next bit of grandeur. We have found a nice balance so that Abraka adds as much as he can to each act without being a distraction. I found something unexpected in laughter, actually. My first number is part of the Chinese Lasso act. These are young guys doing flips through ropes and it's a very upbeat, fun number so the first introduction for Abraka has to match that. I found mischief in a playful, younger king at the beginning of the story. It works to use the magic of the act for Abraka's amusement, therefore having control and trickery together.

Beyond character work, I witnessed a different way to put a show together. We would spend several hours on a single number or section even though the act itself had all it's pieces already. It was kind of like constant tech rehearsal since light, rigging, and sound cues were being programmed and tested during blocking time. I remember several days not doing much singing or acting because I was a moving prop in a costume for the lighting designer. It took a lot of patience because we seemed to always hurry up and wait for someone else. The language translation among french, english, and japanese slowed things a bit, too. The upside was that we spotted problems right away. The show is a technical giant with more lights than I could ever count, a huge ball in the center ceiling that transforms into a trapeze net when lowered, two parallel pendulums that come in from over the audience to create the highwire setting, a stage full of traps, and a center lift/revolve that can be loaded with several cartridges that serve the needs of each act. There were some technical performance aspects that were different too. I had never used in-ear monitors for a stage show before so the added channel chatter and music directly from a band mix instead of wing and house monitor speakers made focusing a little more difficult but I have found it to be necessary since our bandleader takes visual cues from the acrobats to start certain musical sections so that everything fits nicely no matter what pace the act takes.
Improvisation is another huge part of the process that I've been adapting to. It can be a little stressful but it forces everyone involved to find something solid in the moment and then build on that as a permanent part of the act. The one time I'll never forget is another lobby rehearsal in the beginning when we were trying to develop the character I play during the juggling act. The scene is set up as a fire section and the character of Kernoon (a god of the underworld) rises from underneath the stage and commands fire jugglers and characters that line two stories of the set with torches. I was asked to step into Kernoon (who only appears in this number) after an acrobat was injured in a bike accident. He and I were similar in size and since I was singing the act anyway, they asked me to handle it.........fire and all. So during this improv lobby rehearsal(without fire then), I was walking around in foot-high boots, fire-pots strapped to each hand, and a 60 pound costume. The director said "go" as the composer started the music (which is in very odd time) and three or four more creative team members watch as I try desperately to all of the sudden get inside this character and make up fitting movement and remember the gibberish text I'd been handed earlier that week. Apparently things went well cause Francois drew on that experiment a lot when forming the number with me onstage. Right now I make that number up every night :) It obviously has a basic structure and I have a library of melodic and rhythmic forms that I've probably done at some point, but I take the feeling of the act, interact with the characters around me, and use the heat of the two fire torches in my hands to try to organically create something hellish.
Most of what I sing in the show is written by a wonderful composer, Rene Dupere. There are small points in each act, though, that need short accents or brief sung passages that I was given the liberty to put together myself. The trapeze and banquine acts contain a good bit, and Rene and Francois even let me come up with a variation on one of Rene's melodies to use as the second half of the bow music vocals!!! Johanna Lillvik, the female vocalist, was given the same liberty and came up with a great harmony line for those bows.
Even though the show is open to the public now I feel we're still continuing to build on our rehearsal objective. This show will evolve a lot through the next few months and I can' t wait to see what emerges.

You can check out some initial footage on YouTube or the ZED website. The japanese version of the ZED site has a few clips under MOVIE. A lot of the singing isn't me since we haven't done a proper audio recording of the show for media purposes yet, so they used stock stuff, but the YouTube clip from the press conference in June is me during the Banquine act.

As always, questions are welcome. Take care guys!

--Kevin

Something Great Is Coming: Putting "West Side" Together

2008-10-09T22:56:00.006-05:00

Aftermath of The Rumble

Tony (Michael Seward)

The Sharks

Jets vs. Sharks

Michael Flowers intervenes between the two gangs

When I was handed the rehearsal schedule for West Side Story exactly four weeks ago my first thoughts sounded something like this: "Wow, we have a really long time to rehearse" or "I have plenty of time to learn the rest of the dance for 'Cool'" or "November is a long ways away." Now my thoughts sound something like this: "Holy crap, where did the last four weeks go?" or "We open in four weeks!" or my personal favorite "Do I ever stop dancing?!?" Yes indeed, the past four weeks have absolutely flown by...and we haven't even worked on Act II yet.

We began the arduous eight week rehearsal process with music rehearsals. This is the part I wasn't too worried about. I've seen the movie I don't know how many times and how could you ever forget Bernstein's brilliant arrangements or Sondheim's timeless lyrics. Our music conductor, J. Lynn Thompson, expected nothing but the best, even on our first night of rehearsal. I think jumping right in to the music was quite a shock for a few of the cast members who had never been in a musical before. Right now, we're rehearsing just with our piano accompanist, Katie Holmes. I think we're all in for a very nice surprise when a 25 piece orchestra joins us several days before the show. Just the thought of an orchestra playing this music live sends shivers down my spine. I'm told that there is nothing like singing over an orchestra.

When did I become a dancer? Apparently four weeks ago. I'm postitive that I've never been so sore and have never pulled so many muscles in my life. Our choreographer, Abe Reybold, is as professional as they come and he expects the exact same thing out of us. Although we are not doing the original Jerome Robbins choreography we're still pushing our dance and movement skills to higher levels. Way back in April of this year, Abe taught our department about one minute of the choreography for "Cool" so that a.) Abe could get a feel for what he had to work with and b.) we would know this part of the dance for the audition. After not having done this dance in four weeks I was rather surprised that I remembered it when it came time to stage "Cool." It's a good thing I did because we had about three or so more minutes of the dance to learn. We spent two rehearsal nights (that's three hours per night) working on the rest of "Cool"...that's six hours of rehearsal time just for one number! Granted, it is one of the more complicated numbers in the show, but that just goes to show that just because we are not doing the original choreography doesn't mean we are slouching in the dance department.

Michael Flowers, our director and fight choreographer, has gone out of his way to make all the fight scenes in the show look as realistic as possible. Michael envisioned West Side quite differently than you might have seen before in another stage production and the movie. Michael wanted our production to have a rough, dirty, and grungy feel to it. Nothing is really bright, bouncy, or pretty anymore (except maybe "I Feel Pretty"...ahem). This idea has carried over into every aspect of the production, such as the set design, costumes, character development, dance choreography and of course the fight choreography. Although we the actors are very safe during our fight scenes the audience will be far from easy. We have also put in a great deal of time working on our fight combat. There are two scenes in the show where almost everything is stage combat: the Prolouge and The Rumble. We spent two nights of rehearsal each on these two scenes. That's 12 hours so far of work just on fight combat. Our goal for these fights is to, while being extremely safe, make the audience believe that we are really beating/killing our partner. Oh yes, there will be blood, switchblade knives, guns, bats, fists, knees...I could go on and on.

On top of remembering music, all of the dances, and the fight choreography we have to act too! Can you believe it? I dare say that we have talked about and developed our characters so much that they might actually be real people. I can't really talk about other characters, so I'll tell you about mine. I'm playing the role of Baby John. Baby John is a member of the Jet gang. If you've ever seen the movie then you know that Baby John is portrayed as a blonde haired, blue eyed, rather wimpy young fellow. It would be so easy for me to just take that sterotype and run with it; but not with this production. Michael's concept does not have any room for this kind of character. This forced me to see Baby John in an entirely different light. Before I had even read the script, I saw Baby John as the youngest member of the Jets, probably around 16 years old. Then, as I began reading the script one of the first descriptions of him is that he is the youngest member of the Jets. As I continued reading, I never really found much justification for why Baby John should be played as a young and wimpy kid. I saw him more as a troubled young man who feels the need to prove himself because of his age. Would some wimpy kid ever be allowed into a gang in the first place? Probably not. As can be seen by some of my fight choreography, my character doesn't have any trouble taking care of himself in tough situations. I think his name is John, but because he is the youngest member of the gang he is labled with the nickname of Baby John. He probably really hates being called that and that just makes him try to prove himself all the more vehemently. He is just a kid, though, and in Act II we begin to see his true nature surface after the Rumble.

This is the kind of thought and time commitment that has gone into this production of West Side Story. Intense? You bet. Moving? Absolutely. Life changing? You tell me...

An L.A. Perspective

2008-08-27T18:24:00.002-05:00

A photo from "Educating Rita"

Hi,

I’m Brie. Long story made short about me:
I graduated from BSC in 2005 with my BA in Theatre. I did technical theatre, design, and stage management while I was there, but I took a few acting classes as well. When I graduated I started working for the Birmingham Children’s Theatre as their Tour Stage Manager, which I did for two years. In the summers I taught arts, crafts, and technical theatre at the theatre workshops that were for students of ages 5-18. I also was did stage management for Dane Peterson’s Theatre Series, and designed lights for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Virginia Samford Theatre. That’s the short version of my BSC career and life right after college without giving you my resume.

What am I doing now you ask? Cause that’s the important part right?
As of today I am living in Los Angeles (Burbank actually) where I work for Warner Bros. I never in my life thought I would move to the west coast, but love has a crazy way of making you do things you wouldn’t think you would ever do. I moved to L.A. so that I could help my fiancé while he is in graduate school for film editing at the American Film Institute. Two weeks after I moved, I landed a temp job at Warner Bros. (Thanks to a great recommendation from Rebecca Harris who went to make-up school out here, and is a 2004 BSC grad.) The woman whose job I was filling in for decided not to come back and I applied and got the job; I still think no one else applied, but hey, I got it so what’s the difference? So my official job is the Contract Coordinator for Warner Bros. Pictures Industrial Labor Relations. I work in a small legal-type office where I do a lot of filing. My favorite part about my job, other than working on the studio lot, is that I get to research SAG background actor claims. When I get a claim for an upgrade to principal from background, I get to watch the dailies (the film footage) and see takes or parts of a film that hasn’t been released or will never be seen by any audience. I never thought I would ever work in an office, “Give me a theatre with no windows and some tools and I was at home!” But theatre doesn’t always pay the bills so I’m working a “real” job right now.

A few months after I moved to L.A., I was getting depressed and stir crazy and I realized it was because I missed theatre so much; theatre is my passion and I just love doing it. I stumbled upon a theatre that is just two blocks from where I live. When I say stumbled I mean stumbled. There are no signs on the outside of the building which is attached to a parking deck near the mall. My fiancé and I were parking and I noticed a billboard with theatre-like information on it; sure enough upon walking up to the doors it was a theatre. I of course googled The Colony Theatre the minute I got home to find out about this hidden theatre in the heart of Burbank. I emailed, and emailed, and emailed the volunteer email address until finally someone responded. I asked if they needed any ushers for their next show, “The Immigrant: The Musical” and they said yes. I asked to usher of course because I wanted to make sure this would be a place I would be proud to work or volunteer for. The show turned out to be okay, but I’m pretty sure it was because the music for the show isn’t all that good, but the performers and the technical aspects of the show were wonderful and all of the staff members I met were very nice.

I met the artistic director of The Colony, Barbara Beckly, whose resume is very impressive, and she asked me to meet with her. She told me a lot about herself and the theatre company and seemed impressed with my background. After that, I got a phone call from the in-house stage manager to see if I would be interested in running the light board for the next show “Trying”. Boy was I; I was so happy these people were so kind and accepted me into their home/theatre.

“Trying”—What an amazing two person play!! It also received many, many Los Angeles stage awards. I actually ran the light board for the re-run of the show which they did a year after they first opened it. It starred Alan Mandell who is an amazing actor and stage legend; he toured France and Germany with the original productions of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Endgame, directed by Beckett himself! I also came to the realization that there are about six people in the world when I met the director for the show, Cameron Watson, who went to Montevallo and knows a handful or Birmingham artists. One of his biggest credits to date is a movie he wrote, directed, and produced called Our Very Own starring Allison Janney. Even more incredible than meeting Alan Mandell and Cameron was when I met Jared A. Sayeg. Jared was the lighting designer for “Trying” and after reading his bio I was blown away by all he’s done. He’s worked on and off Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in London. He designs lights for museums, ballets, operas, restaurants, and theatre. He is also the youngest member ever to join the United Scenic Artist Local 839. I was just blown away by the talent that this one small space held…and still am.

Another “it’s a small world” moment happened when I was asked to stage manager a staged reading of a new musical at The Colony that The Academy for New Musical Theatre created. When I was at the ANMT I saw a poster with Vulcan on it, and mentioned to one of the actors who also worked there that that’s in Birmingham. She said, “Yeah, we created Miss Vulcan 1939 for Red Mountain Theatre Company.” I could not have been more floored by what she said.

Right now I am working on “Educating Rita” at The Colony doing quick changes backstage for Rebecca Mozo who also co-starred in “Trying”. This is the first time in America that the updated version of the play is being done. Again, it lacks nothing in the way of talent.

I would like to say that although I am amazed everyday by some of the talented people that I meet out here, I also realize that there are more opportunities to network and meet other artists like myself in big cities where cultural differences thrive. I do look back at all that I did in Birmingham and I feel as though I had just started coming in to my own in that city, and here, I’m an unknown who has to work twice as hard to get people to notice the work that I do. But I guess that’s a big part of starting over in a new city. I was given all the right building blocks to take whatever the theatre and the people in the theatre can throw at me from the teachers and my peers at BSC and I’m so thankful of that. I wouldn’t be able to confidently knock on a theatre’s door and ask “What can I do?” if it wasn’t for the fact that I know I can do it.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and now that you’re updated on me…the posts will be a lot shorter I’m sure.

Surprises

2008-08-24T08:32:00.009-05:00

I've just finished my first full week of shows and I thought I'd start to bring you up to speed on what led up to it.

Back in August of last year I started touring with the 1st National of "The Wedding Singer" Broadway musical. I was cast as featured ensemble and "Billy Idol". I spent the year with some eventually great friends, and while I had plenty to do in the show, I was itching for something bigger. Not necessarily the company size or status but my specific duties as a performer. I never got the opportunity to go on as a cover for any of the principles and was kind of just professionally waiting for tour to be over in June. Sometime in March, I decided to make sure all my resumes and online stuff were up to date while I had some down time. The need to contribute more made me get my ducks in a row, and I updated a vague resume on Backstage with new information, and audio/video clips. I did that across the board, with my website, and with my repertoire.

Sometime in mid April, we were in Pittsburgh with the show and I think on a Thursday night I was back in my hotel room with my roommate checking email and, thumbing past a few Facebook notices, I saw "Cirque Du Soleil" in a subject line. Immediately curious I opened it thinking I had received a notice for an open call or something since I hadn't ever submitted anything to them. The message was from their Senior Talent Scout in Montreal telling me that she thought I might be right for a new project in Japan and wanted to know a) if I was interested and b) if I wouldn't mind playing email tag with some recordings of the music for the new show to "verify" what she saw and heard on the internet of me. She told me that she needed someone soon and to try to expedite the process as much as possible. Over the next few days I recorded two audition clips from music she sent me from the new show. I was spending time in between Wedding Singer shows in the bathroom of my hotel room with a small mic and my laptop. I do record my own music already and was writing on the road so I was surprisingly prepared for this. It turns out she came across my information on Backstage while searching for tenors who had harness and flight experience. My current character was originally designed to fly and I had worked with Paul Rubin (head of the Wicked flight design crew) while I was working on "The Miracle" in Tennessee two years ago.

The next week we changed cities and started a two-week sitdown in Dallas. Waiting impatiently to hear back from Cirque, I finally got a call on Wednesday inviting me to audition in Montreal for the composer, director, and artistic director of the show. Luckily, a two-week sitdown meant that I had the next Monday off and not another show till Tuesday night. Cirque flew me to Montreal very early Monday (a long flight on 45 minutes of overexcited sleep). I arrived early evening, took a taxi to their training facility, and did my best for some VIPs. I could tell they really wanted me to be right for the job and that there was a time constraint. I didn't officially get an offer until I was back in Dallas, but the scout gave me a hint or two while I was up there :)

There were logistical things to work out amidst my overwhelming elation at the opportunity. I had to give The Wedding Singer proper notice and Cirque had given me just enough time to do so, and be home with my family for a few days. Three weeks later, I left some teary people while being teary myself on my last night on tour, saw friends in NY (few more tears there), and finally a last leg at home (and as you might imagine....).

Honesty I didn't completely freak out about living in a really foreign country where I hadn't ever even dreamed of until the flight overseas. It was too late then, and I'm glad. I had not been in control of the events that led to my situation so I decided to keep to that thread.

The big point was that all I could do was be prepared. Stuff just drops out of the sky sometimes and it's about how you meet it. Keep preparing yourselves. Keep working, gain that experience, learn as much as you can, find what you can give and give it.

I've left out some details for the sake of your eye strain but always feel free to ask questions.

Later folks,
Kevin

My Summer Theatre Gig

2008-08-16T00:48:00.004-05:00

Here I am in the pink dress and Christina stands beside me doing the infamous "TEXAS" pose!

It has been a little bit over three months since I left BSC to move to Texas for the summer to begin my first professional theatre job. I am starting to pack, yet again, and make the fifteen-hour drive back to Birmingham to start my junior year. I feel like I have been in Texas forever, and at the same time, I feel like I just got here. It has truly been an amazing, eye-opening experience and I am glad to say that my first job was such a professional and intensive way to spend my summer.

The summer after my freshman year I decided to move back home and get a job as a waitress. Although moving home had its perks, I knew that it would be my last summer at home. Fast forward to spring of last year. There was a group of BSC students and professors heading to Chattanooga for the SETC convention. Christina, Brent, Michael, and I had all passed the pre-screening auditions in Montgomery to qualify to audition in front of about 70+ companies for summer jobs. Out of about 850 who auditioned, I received the number 14! We auditioned in groups of 25, so that meant that I would be in the very first audition group. Although that was a bit intimidating, I was happy to know that I would be auditioning before my nerves got the best of me. I got up there and I did my ninety second package. I felt pretty good about how the audition went, but because it was my first time at SETC, I wasn’t sure how I would compare to the other qualifiers auditioning. I had to wait for two more groups to audition until I could go in the callback room to see what callbacks I had received. Those forty-five minutes were some of the most arduous of my life. Eventually, I stepped into the room and saw that I had received twelve callbacks! I was pumped! My day started at 5:00 A.M. and I had auditions scheduled until 1:00 A.M. It was one of the most exhausting, yet most satisfying days of my life.

It was quite a whirlwind experience, and I wasn’t sure what company that I wanted to work for yet. One company really stuck out to me. I felt an immediate connection with the director and marketing personnel. They were really down to earth and seemed like people that I would want to work under. Another thing about this company was that it was the farthest company away (distance wise) than any of the others. The company was called “Texas: A Musical Drama” and it was an outdoor theatre located in Palo Duro Canyon, TX. I had never been to Texas before, but I am always up for trying new things: so I thought, “Why not?”

It took about a week for offers to come my way. I was getting really anxious until Dave, the director of Texas, called and offered me the understudy to the lead “Elsie” and also a spot as an ensemble/dancer. I asked Dave if I could have a day or so to think it over. I ended up getting another offer during that time period, but ultimately I decided to go with Texas.

In the end, Brent and Christina also decided to take jobs with Texas! We found it so coincidental that three out of four of us BSC folk ended up working at the same place! Christina was taking a job as a dancer and Brent got offered the role Chief Quannah Parker. Christina and I decided to take our own cars and follow each other all the way to Texas. We were going to be on slightly different schedules, and therefore figured that we needed our own cars. As we drove through Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and then Texas, it got noticeably flatter and dryer. I knew that it was going to be a big atmosphere change, and I was right!

We started rehearsals in mid-May. We rehearsed for four weeks straight from 1:00 P.M. until 11:00 P.M. every day of the week, without a day off. Because I was a chorus member and also a dancer, I would go from vocal rehearsals to dance rehearsals. Often I would miss out on a new dance combination because I was in a music rehearsal and would have to learn it by myself later. I’m not sure that I have ever been so exhausted in my life. We began our season, with shows nightly Tuesday through Sunday with Monday being our “dark night”.

Palo Duro Canyon is the location of the theatre. It is a 1,800 seat theatre in the second biggest canyon in the United States. It really does take my breath away every time I drive to work. However, there are some downsides to working in an outdoor theatre; this mostly has to do with the weather. Sometimes we would perform in 115 degree temperatures. Not to mention, the girls are wearing tights, bloomers, petticoats, and long sleeve blouses and long skirts. It easily adds ten pounds in clothing. Another downside is the rain. And when it rains in Texas: it pours! Performing in the rain definitely adds another element to the performance that I had never experienced before. It’s especially strange since the show makes many references to Texas being so “dry.”

I’ve had the opportunity to play the lead role of Elsie six times this summer. The first time came as quite a surprise and came pretty early in the season. The lead ending up going on a trip and got stuck in Houston because of bad weather; I got a two hour notice that I would be going on as Elsie that night. Luckily, I had gotten to do her scenes once or twice during rehearsal. Although it rained during my first performance, I was quite proud of myself for performing the role on so little rehearsal time. Another day, later in the season, she was out of town again. During this time they were filming the promo and commercials for the upcoming promotional year. I was filmed as Elsie for the promo that they are going to use for the next couple of years!

Although the cast and crew definitely work hard during performance and rehearsal times, we also had our fun outside of the theatre. When I first came here, I thought that most of the cast would be from the Panhandle of Texas, and although some were from here, there were cast mates from all over the country including Massachusetts, Delaware, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, New York and of course Alabama! I feel like I have made connections with people from all over the country, which will be beneficial to me when I get out on my own. The theatre-world is a small, small world, and I think you finally realize that when you get to a place such as this. For example, when I was in high school, I toured a school called Christopher-Newport University, which is located in Virginia. I ended up touring a dorm room that was occupied by a dancer that I once again met here! It is such a small world!

The summer is coming to end, and I completely satisfied with my first professional summer stock experience. With dance classes and shows six days a week, I feel confident that I am in the best shape of my life. I had also never been an understudy before, and I learned the art of spontaneity, always being ready to go on at the last minute. I also grew up quite a bit; I had to pay for my own apartment, food, and gas all summer long. Even though sometimes I would complain about sweating in the 100 degree weather, all in all it was an experience for which I wouldn’t change a thing. I recommend Texas: The Musical or any summer theatre experience to any person who is considering a job in theatre. It was a life affirming experience that I had so often dreamed about as a young girl.

Einstein's Dreams at the Edinburgh Fringe

2008-08-06T10:04:00.015-05:00

Happy Summer! A warm welcome to Kevin Faraci to our BSC Theatre Program blogging community. I know you will really enjoy Kevin as a regular blogger, as he writes about his experiences this season with Cirque Du Soleil in Tokyo.

Today an update on a new Edinburgh adventure. Mountain Brook High School is currently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival under the auspices of the American High School Theatre Festival. As a faculty member at BSC, I was very privileged to collaborate with the company on a stage adaptation of Alan Lightman's wonderful novel, Einstein's Dreams (with the generous permission of the author). Here's how the production is described on the Fringe site:
"In this theatre/movement piece, Albert Einstein's dreams come alive on stage as he probes the theoretical realms of time, the adventure of creativity, and the glory of possibility."
You can read more about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on the American High School Web site at http://www.ahstf.com/AHSTF/pages/fringe.asp

The Mountain Brook company worked on the production over the entire spring term, and presented their show at Children's Dance Foundation in May. I know their outstanding production is having an enthusiastic reception in Scotland! I'm uploading a couple of photos of the production taken at home this summer. Einstein's Dreams opened on August 4th and plays through August 8th at the Church Hill Theatre.

Many will recall that just one year ago BSC debuted its contemporary adaptation of Miss Julie at the Fringe last summer. We're excited to announce that an article on what we learned about producing at the Fringe written by the Miss Julie Company will published in the fall issue of Southern Theatre Magazine.

Even though students do not come back to campus for the fall term until later this August, our faculty and staff are already gearing our first production, West Side Story. There'll be lots to tell about our WSS story adventures on future blogs.

Hope that you all are having a great summer. Please let us hear from you!
Alan
Alan Litsey, Professor of Theatre

Hi BSC!

2008-08-01T11:26:00.004-05:00

Hello everybody,

My name is Kevin Faraci and I'm a BSC '02 Alum. Since I graduated 'Southern I've kept in contact with professors, staff, and students as friends and advisors. I've now been invited to open that contact up to the current community so that I can share some experiences I've had since leaving the Hilltop. Having never really blogged before I'm unsure where to start, but telling you all a little more about me might spurn questions and get a nice ball rolling.
I hold a BA in Musical Theatre and have been working as a performer since graduation. Jobs ranged from stage work and musicals to sketch comedy, cruise ships and "acoustic guitar bar guy" stuff. I've been based out of NYC for the past 5 years but at the moment I'm living in Tokyo singing for Cirque Du Soleil. Definitely the best opportunity of my life so far. I'm in the creation/rehearsal process for the new show "Zed" which opens in a brand-new Cirque theatre built on the Tokyo Disneyland property on October 1st. I'm working with some amazing people who make me want to be better and better everyday. The job feels truly world-class and is making me step up to a very big plate.
I'd like to share pictures and video with you, but for now everything is a little secretive from Cirque's standpoint as you might imagine. It doesn't stop me from sharing general knowledge and answering questions about what I've experienced in theatre thus far.
I'll prepare some stories and discoveries for a next post. I wish you all a strong start to a new year. Feel free to contact me through my website www.kevinfaraci.com and we can start some blog dialogue.

Best,
Kevin

Time goes by and dreams go dry...

2008-05-16T21:56:00.001-05:00

BUT YOU CAN'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS...

Hello again faithful blog readers out there!Let's have a little second semester chat, shall we?

These past few months have been far from relaxing. In fact, there were many days when I found myself running around in this state of panic trying to accomplish the next thing on my daily goals list. As I sit back and reflect upon what the months have actually been to me, they have proven to be so much more than accomplishments of the the silly goals list. They have been a threshold of experience I will look back on with many fond memories.
I think back to the first day of Merrily We Roll Along in class ( for those of you that don't know we met M,W 2-4:50 to rehearse) and remember just wondering exactly how the finished product was going to be. I think I can speak for everyone, including Michael Flowers, by saying that we were just unsure. It started as a "we'll see how this goes" project. We were handling every aspect of the show-lights,costumes,props and not to mention actually performing were all our responsibilities. For all of February we had night rehearsals as well as in class music rehearsals. At first the INSANE amount of words,lyrics and what seemed like even jibber-jabber-nonsense in the score at the time was overwhelming. Michael stressed how important outside preparation was over and over. There were days that we would run songs in a certain act and not come back to them for a month. I wondered what it would be like the first time we were all off-book in March. A huge challenge was just being prepared daily to be in the game with something we had not really fully jumped into in a while. In short, I feel like it took an extremely long time for the mechanics to sink in.
As off-book time merrily rolled itself along, I think it is okay to say that we were all playing it safe for quite a while. The show actually did not start to feel real until about two weeks prior to opening night. I think repetition was key. Actually, I take that back I KNOW repetition was key. It was exciting to see how the show flowed and what everyone worked on with their character/s. Some had more to work with than others. It was nice to see and feel an ensemble coming together. Little moments began to develop and I started to see exactly why Michael wanted to take on this particular show. I began to appreciate the beauty in the simplicity of the production as a whole.
Time, which seemed to be a consistent theme throughout the show,went by and opening night was upon us. We had a solid run of six shows. With the exception of a couple shows, we could not have asked for better audiences as a whole. After Thursday nights performance, we all appreciated the beauty of live theatre even more. WHY? You ask... A little keyboard malfunction...DRAMA! Okay, seriously, a majority of the second half of the show was done completely a capella. It was handled very gracefully, and actually made it that much more rewarding to have finished yet another show. I enjoyed hearing people's responses to the show--especially the student body's. I think they genuinely enjoyed it more than we all anticipated. Since the show is done backwards in time, I was curious to see just how responsive and into it people would be.
After thinking about reasons why people appreciated it so much, I came to the conclusion that I think the majority of audience members our age loved the honesty of the story. It is dreams. It is passion. It is what happens when one lets go of them. No single soul can predict exactly where they will be in years to come. It's scary, but we just don't know. So, for me, I can say being absorbed in the show was something I learned tremendously from and as Michael has referred to it- "a cautionary tale" that I hope touched as many people as possible.

Let's face it onstage and off- "...all of these moments I'll never replace..." (thank you, Foo Fighters for that lyrical wisdom). Until next time-Happy Summer!

ALP

Italy: A Retrospective

2008-05-16T13:50:00.012-05:00

Well, I promised you a post about my trip to Italy and here it is. It's only about four months late, but better now than never, right? I didn't expect to have as little time as I had during the spring semester. So, Italy...

As you may recall from my previous post about the trip, we stayed and studied at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy. By we, I refer to myself, Shelby Bowling, Leslie Brown, Christina Johnson, Stefan Neeley, Sarah Schiesz, and Skyler Vallo accompanied by Dr. Jackie Leary-Warsaw of the Music Department. Here is a picture of what the Villa Godiola looks like:

Jealous yet? Oh, just wait. And the view from the Villa:This is literally what we were surrounded by. It is breathtaking. And honestly pictures can't even come close to doing it justice. There is no substitute for the real thing; these are just mechanical reproductions...a term we came to use a lot in our Philosophy of Art and Performance class.

It can easily be said by everyone in our group that Philosophy of Art and Performance was our favorite class. The director and founder of the Accademia, Scott McGehee, taught us this class. We were given the readings for the class before we arrived. Each class period, we would sit in these ridiculously comfortable sofas and chairs, drink our morning or afternoon tea, and discuss philosophy for two hours. Not to say that is was always light and cheerful subject matter. The things we talked about were actually quite a bleak insight into our art. Our discussions ranged from arguing if anything can be original anymore to how our society has come to accept mechanical reproductions of the real thing as the real thing. So, what we all came away from the class asking ourselves was "If art is dying, or dead in some people's opinion, then why do we do what we do?" What I found amazing is that we kept talking about this stuff even when we weren't in class. It affected us all so much; and I still think about it to this day. I think that question is one that should always be on your radar as an artist of any kind. If you don't know why you're doing whatever is you do, you're probably should find something else to do...especially if you're in theatre. The payoff from theatre isn't that great even if you know why you're doing it. Like I said, pretty harsh stuff, right?

Our other favorite class was Stage Movement with world famous dancer Giorgio Rossi. We were all going into the class thinking stage movement in terms of stage combat because that is what stage movement is here at BSC. But this class was focused on how you use your entire body and connect it to your performance. This class was truly an experience unlike any other. We did countless movement exercises that taught us how to use our whole body to work with itself and not have any part of your body working against you. It was one of the most powerful, yet humbling, feelings I've ever experienced. As Giorgio would say "You have to be the biggest sun and the most humble man." Giorgio was full of wonderful little sayings like that. He was also very interested to learn other English words from us to add to his very heavily accented speech. His favorite word that we taught him was probably "hug." :) On the last day of class, he asked for all of our email addresses to keep in contact with us and kissed us all on both cheeks...the standard Italian greeting or farewell. A week after we got back he sent us all a picture of him and his son.

Our Alexander Technique class was only for two days, but it was set up so that we would do group work for one part of it and have individual lessons for the other. The individual lessons were absolutely the most helpful . Our instructor, a tiny woman from England who I can't for the life of me remember her name, observed our sitting, standing, and walking habits to determine what we could do to better use our body for performing and even for everyday life. For example, she noticed that my right arm hung a little lower than the left and said that that was the reason why I've had neck problems all of my life. She gave us the proper techniques to fix our problems and it was up to us to work on them. What we fix about our everyday body use would also fix those bad performing habits that we all have. I guess this is a good example of the old saying "Art imitates life."

Our Italian class...was taught in Italian. No English. None of us had ever studied Italian language outside of vocal pieces. This made the class quite challenging. Leslie and I had taken several years of Spanish and since the two languages are very similar we used our knowledge of that to help us understand a lot of the Italian. Although, the instructor would frequently tell us "No español" and laugh at us. We had Italian everyday and we learned most of the basic things we needed to know to get around in restaurants, train stations, shops, etc. On the day that we went to Florence, we saw our instructor at the train station and just started bombarding her with all of the vocabulary words we had learned the day before. She looked at us like we were crazy, but we had a good laugh about it.

Jackie was our Voice class instructor. We met twice as a group and twice for individual lessons. I think it can safely be said that our second group lesson was everyone's favorite. Jackie made us close our eyes and think about a song we were working on or have already worked on. She asked us questions to help us find out who it was we were singing to, what they looked like, and what the point of the song was boiled down to one sentence. What this did for us was connect us with our piece. Never before have I felt that I knew everything about this one song. It allowed us to really know the person who was singing, the actual character, and let them live inside of us. It's really a beautiful way to think about a song. I don't think I'll ever again have to question why a character decides to sing these words, rather than speak them.

I could write a novel about our adventures outside of class, so I'll just give you some of the highlights. In our free time away from class we would walk the 15 minute trek into the town of Arezzo and would sightsee, shop, eat, sightsee, shop, eat, and eat some more (we had a lot of gelato and cappuccino). On our first free Saturday we took a train to Florence and spent the day there sightseeing, shopping, eating...what else? Then the second week we left early Friday morning and took a train to Rome. We took a tour of Rome on Friday and visited the Colisseum, ancient Rome, the Pantheon, and other cool sights. On Saturday we took a tour of Vatican City. Some of us even got to attend a mass at St. Peter's Basilica. One word...wow! Then on Sunday morning we began our trip back to the States. I'm not going to sugar coat it...I'd rather be in the hills of Tuscany than smoggy Birmingham anyday.

Luckily for you, they are doing this trip again next year...and hopefully for years after that. You don't need to leave college without having traveled abroad; and what better way to travel abroad than to study your art form, right? I say that if you want to experience something that you will never forget, you need to start planning your interim now. Don't miss out on this opportunity.

-Matt

Less Is More for "Merrily We Roll Along"

2008-05-15T14:10:00.008-05:00

"How did you get to be here?" - the lyric from Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along that haunts me still, even after closing the show almost two weeks ago now...

No matter how many times I heard/sang this during the show (which was a lot!), it meant something to me, especially toward the end of the whole process. But what I seriously ask this question about is the production itself. It started off as one thing and we ended with something completely different.

A few days before spring semester began, Michael Flowers, the Department Chair and director of the show, sent me an email giving me the news that not only was I going to be in the show, I was going to be the Props Crew Head for the show as well. My first thought: "Oh wow, Michael must really trust me to be able to do two things at once. This is awesome. What a great opportunity!" My second thought: "Oh my God! The props list is four pages long!" Needless to say, I was a little daunted at the size of the props list...well over 100 props. And this was also going to be a scaled down, minimalist version of the show. During my first meeting with Michael, we discussed the time periods of the show and what all the props should look like. I was beginning to be a little more concerned. The good thing was that I had from February to April 21st to get all of the props ready. I had a crew of 8 to help me gather the props. That sounds like a dream to have 8 people on props crew, right? But guess what, the 8 people were also in the show, one of them playing "Frank", the lead character in the musical. So I guess you're wondering if there is any relief, a light at the end of the tunnel...well there is. As we began the rehearsal process, Michael started to come to the realization that in his effort to simplify things, he had actually made things much more complicated. For example, in the first scene we were going to start with an overstuffed chair, a lamp, a phone, a rug, a bottle, a glass, a bookshelf, two scripts, and two pictures. Keep in mind that this is in Theatre One, a very small blackbox theatre we had transformed to be in-the-round, and the stage was going to have to be cleared within a matter of seconds. As you might have guessed, it wasn't working out so well. As a matter of fact, most of the scenes in the show had tons of props, but we only have so much time (muscially) to get everything off and set up for the next scene. So Michael and I started talking and he came to the conclusion that we were going to cut back...way back. The first scene with all of that stuff came down to using only four black cubes. These cubes became the basic "furniture" used in almost every scene of the play. There were a few other real furniture pieces like a small rolling bar and two round tables, but for the most part everthing became extremely minimalist...much to my happiness and sanity. We even got rid of using any liquids in the show. If we drank something or poured something into a glass there was nothing there. It was just so much easier not to deal with actual liquids during performances.

What we all discovered about scaling back the production is that it doesn't take away anything from the show. We found that it wasn't necessary to have huge, elaborate sets with over 100 props. People have imaginations, right? Is it too much to ask for people to use their imaginations when they come to the theatre? From the reaction that we got from the audience (which was resoundingly positive every night) no one seemed to have a problem with the fact that there was nothing in the glasses that we were drinking out of. No one seemed to have a problem seeing the same four cubes used over and over again to suggest different locations. If we, the actors, believed in it then the audience shouldn't have any trouble suspending their disbelief. Oh sure, a Broadway show with a huge, elaborate set is quite impressive, but is it necessary? Does it create more of a spectacle to be ooh'd and ahh'd over rather than a story to be told? With Merrily..., the toning down of prop usage allowed the story to have utmost priority. The audience could spend all of their energy focusing on the characters and their relationships with each other; which is what theatre is supposed to be about anyway, isn't it? We live in an age where everything is done for us. We don't have to work to imagine anything. Have you seen an action movie lately? We sit there and are spoonfed entertainment that doesn't require us to engage it in the least bit. And unfortunately, most Broadway musicals have become this sort of entertainment. We pay over $100 for a ticket, are dazzled by brilliant special effects, and leave the theatre saying "Well wasn't that nice." And that's about where it stops...at the theatre lobby. But why wouldn't you want to see something that you can take home with you, keep talking about even after you have left the lobby. Do you really need all the flash or can you do without it in exhange for some food for thought? You decide...

Let's Get Crazy

2008-03-08T19:19:00.002-06:00

Spurge and Anais here, long time no see

Basically, we just needed the hype of interim to die down before we could gather our thoughts and make a blog. This was our second interim, but the first without half of our department aka friends. A slew of people went to Italy, and after a while, something felt like it was missing. Needless to say, we were glad to have them back. However, we were so busy that I don't think we realized just how much we missed them until we saw them again. We're so used to having that constant support group. Regardless of what show we're doing and who's in it, we're always an ensemble. I stage managed Marry Me A Little, so I had the privilege of watching Our Town. I was more than excited to see how talented the people I work with on a daily basis are. We don't have to be nervous about our performances; we know we're going to put on a good show. I will admit, though, it was a little surreal to see a BSC performance from an audience's point-of-view.

It's Anais's turn...

As Spurge previously stated, sorry for the wait on this profound blog you are currently reading. Interim...where do I start? I think we were all a bit curious to see just how working on and building for two shows would play out. There is something so beautiful about the simplicity that is Our Town. In short, I think we all made connections and discoveries of characters that we grew depths from. It was an experience. Brent really helped our dialect work. From something that we first all felt quite silly doing, it became second nature in weeks. There were days that were more overwhelming than others. As usual, time flew, and before we knew it our friends had all returned, the sets were being striked, and we were all, regardless of where we were, walking away from January having learned a bit more to add to our journey.

Oh, February!

2008-02-22T14:50:00.002-06:00

Hey!
Ginny and Amanda here. We just wanted to keep all you faithful readers out there tuned into what's going on in our humble home, the BSC theatre. After the excitement of Taming of the Shrew, the student-directed one-acts, and the two productions during interim, it may seem like things have been pretty quiet around here. Nope! This semester is one of the busiest that the two of us have ever had!

After we closed Our Town, both of us dove right into new productions. I (Amanda) am working on our spring musical, Sondheim and Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, which opens at the end of April. This production is a little different from most of our other ones. We are putting it together through a class, technically called Seminar in Theatre. That means that instead of coming to rehearsal every night, we meet to rehearse as a class in the afternoon twice a week. During this month, we have also had night rehearsals four days a week, in order to learn our music and our staging. We've all been in rehearsal a lot over the past few weeks! Starting next week, though, we will only meet during our class time, which leaves the theatre open for the other productions going on this semester, the Spring Dance Concert next week, and the two operas, The Telephone and The Consul, which take place in April.

Also coming up is our annual trip to SETC, the Southeastern Theatre Conference, in Chattanooga. Several BSC students are going to professional auditions at the conference, and others are going to attend seminars, make job contacts, and interview for technical positions. I am attending the conference as a part of our Miss Julie project. The students and professors who worked on that show and went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer/fall are leading a seminar about our experience. I'm excited about telling other theatre-people how we took our original production overseas!

Ginny here has also been pretty busy this semester. She's on the props crew for the operas, and she's taking a couple of important theatre classes. One of these is Intermediate Acting, which is a pretty challenging and intense acting class. Her first project was to find someone interesting, interview her and ask her to tell a story, and then try to act out her story. Ginny chose a girl who was really different from herself. She had to really figure out how to use her body and her voice to become someone else. That's not very easy! With that first project complete, now the intermediate acting class is ready to move onto scene work. We'll have to wait and see how that goes!

The other class is one that both of us are taking, Introduction to Stagecraft. This class is a mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors as well as theatre majors and non-theatre majors. We just finished our first two projects today. First, we had to design our own theatres. It was pretty fun, because we got to pretend that we had no budget, so we could create whatever we wanted. Ginny's group designed an off-Broadway style theatre house called the "Way the Heck Off Broadway Theate." My group created a 750-seat combination proscenium/thrust theatre called "The Runkefeller Center." Fun! We also just finished a sewing project, where we learned how to do basic sewing- you know, like sewing a button and making stage drops. That lesson would have been helpful when I had to sew what seemed like countless prop money bags for our production of Urinetown last year!

We also just had our Theatre Scholarship Day last Saturday, when we got to meet lots of prospective theatre students when they came to audition for Theatre and Musical Theatre scholarships. It was great to meet those kids, who came from all over the place, even if they were a bit nervous!

Ok, that's plenty long enough for now, don't you think? I feel like I've been typing for decades! We'll check in again later!

- Amanda and Ginny

Our Town Opens Tonight

2008-01-24T13:53:00.000-06:00

Birmingham-Southern College senior selected as student director for Kennedy Center regional festival

2008-01-16T12:40:00.000-06:00

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Birmingham-Southern College senior Leslie Brown has been selected as a student director for the Region IV Festival of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Brown, a theatre arts major from Lower Burrell, Pa.; is one of six students selected to direct student-written short plays from the eight southeastern states that make up Region IV. The regional festival will take place at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., Feb. 5-10.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving more than 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide. The year-round program has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the U.S. Through its state, regional and national festivals, it honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing, and design.

Brown is the daughter of Donna Jordan of Glenshaw, Pa., and Scott Brown of Montgomery. - Linda Hallmark

Our Town Rehearsal

2008-01-10T09:12:00.000-06:00

Rehearsals, work on lighting, scenic construction, costume design, sound and more for BSC's Winter Repertory season. Thirty-four students are involved in producing Our Town and Marry Me a Little, which open January 24th and 25th in the College Theatre.

Performing Arts Interim

2007-12-13T14:42:00.000-06:00

I know everyone has been waiting anxiously for my first post on the theatre blog...well, maybe anxious is the wrong word. But nevertheless, here it is. So, as my first post on the blog I thought I might discuss the upcoming Performing Arts Interim that I will be participating in this coming January.

This is the first time, that I know of, that an Interim class has specifically focused on performing arts while also studying abroad at the same time. Along with four other students from the Theatre Department, two students from the Music Department and a faculty member of the Music Department, I will be traveling to the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Arezzo is a medieval town in central Italy southeast of Florence. We will be staying in the Villa Godiola, a 16th century palace that overlooks the hills of Tuscany...sounds terrible doesn't it? We will be there for two and a half weeks studying Basic Italian Language, Alexander Technique, Philosophy of Art and Performance, Stage Movement, and optional Voice Coaching. All of these classes are designed to specifically help the actor develop advanced stage performance skills. I'm assuming that we will be "learning by doing" when it comes to most of these classes...afterall, Theatre is a "doing" profession. While we are there, we will also take day trips to Florence and Rome to visit museums and theaters and hopefully put the Italian we are learning to good use.

I am incredibly excited about this trip. I have never been out of the country before, so that should prove to be very interesting. I am also excited because I think it will be fascinating to experience theatre somewhere that is so completely different than Birmingham. This trip will allow us to delve into Italian theatre and culture in a way that could never be done by studying it in a book here at BSC. If this trip goes well, I am almost sure that they will continue to do this every Interim. So, cross your fingers all you potential BSC Theatre students and hope that you will be able to experience this yourself when you get here.

I hope to post updates about what we are doing while we are in Italy. If I can, I'll try to upload some pictures. Don't count on this though...I'm not very good with computers - haha. That's all for now. Hopefully, my next post will come from Arezzo. Until then, I bid thee farewell. Matt A.

Here's the link to the Accademia dell'Arte. Check it out!!!
http://www.dell-arte.org

More Taming of the Shrew

2007-12-07T14:54:00.000-06:00

The Taming of the Shrew

2007-12-07T14:43:00.000-06:00

The Tale of Hammy the Pig

2007-11-12T19:08:00.000-06:00

Well guys, sad news. The show is over.

That, of course, explains why I am sitting in my bedroom at 7:00 on a Monday night. It has been a very long time since I have had a rehearsal-free Monday night. I'm not really sure what to do with myself!

The Taming of the Shrew closed last night. If you got to come and see it, then thanks! We had fantastic audiences each night. If you didn't come see it, we forgive you. But you better come next time! : )

It was a long journey to the end. My humble little dorm suite houses 4 members of the Taming company, and believe me, we definitely bonded quite a bit throughout the process! For the show, my roommates Lucy(who played Baptista's servant Violet), Ginny(who played Biondello as a girl named Biondella), Skyler(who was the incredible head of the props crew), and I (Bianca) definitely shared some stressful moments and sleepless nights while we prepared for the show, but we also had some fun along the way. One of Skyler's biggest props projects was creating a roasted pig on a stick for a scene at Petruchio's house. One day, I came home after rehearsal and found a hideous rubber pig about the size of a cat sitting on top of my desk. After I gasped and jumped, I burst into Sky's room to ask if she knew where it had come from. As I waited for her to finally stop laughing, I realized that it was a rejected prop. I thought, "Ok, two can play this game!" As soon as Skyler left for a few minutes, I shoved the pig into her bathroom drawer. She didn't discover it until a few days later, and we got another laugh.
For a few weeks, the four of us randomly hid the pig in each other's rooms. I once woke up to find it staring at me on my pillow! We have now affectionately christened the pig "Hammy," and he occupies a prominent position on top of the TV in our common room. Who knows though...one day he might just show up on Lucy's bookshelf or in Ginny's closet! Beware!

Oh, and in order to see the real pig prop that Skyler and her crew created, you should watch the video excerpt of the show!

Meanwhile, we'll move on to rehearsing for the student-directed one-acts, to be performed on December 4th and 5th. Then, we can take a little break before our January performances of Our Town and Marry Me a Little!

-Amanda

BSC's Taming of the Shrew Company

2007-11-12T13:15:00.001-06:00

The Taming of the Shrew Video

2007-11-07T14:15:00.000-06:00

DANCE! DANCE!

2007-11-07T14:01:00.000-06:00

Hello blog viewers,

Anais and Spurge here wanting to drop by and pump you up about the big song and dance number at the end of Taming--it's awesome. Barclee came up with some pretty cute stuff, and who doesn't feel good when they hear...well, we'll let it be a surprise.

Anais and I conned our way into being on the balcony; sike! No, seriously, we did. Basically, I wanted to be up there and since Anais just wants to be like me, she asked to be up there, too. I don't know why, though--I dance better than she does. (In case you didn't know, Anais has been trained in classical ballet since she was four, and I have trained myself...in front of my mirror when I'm getting ready.)

Okay, I'm admitting it, Spurge is right-SHE'S THE BEST. The choreography for the Shrew is really depicting of the time period! Barclee gave us a lot of great things to work with and kind of make our own. Not only will the audience experience it in the end but also in the lobby before the show (which is a really nice touch). The dancing truly does add so much to the overall feel of the play. It has a way of bringing us all together not only as characters in this classic with a twist, but as an ensemble and family that is the Birmingham-Southern theatre department. There is no doubt that the audience will leave grinning. Let's face it...all you need is love. Peace out...yet another 60's reference for you.

Enough of our ramblings. It's important to know that all of Shakespeare's plays ended with big dance numbers, and this is our version of that. Come hang with us Thursday -Saturday at 7pm or Sunday at 2:30 to enjoy some ridiculously awesome fun and exciting entertainment. Hey, we don't live in that theatre for nothing!

Spurge and Anais

The Taming of the Shrew Opens Next Week

2007-10-30T18:16:00.001-05:00

There's much activity afoot this week. Lighting instruments are hung daily, costumes and props completed, scene painting aplenty on an incredible set, and daily rehearsals. Our company of 43 technicians and actors have logged in many hours of time on the production (our rehearsal schedule is close to 90 hours--though not everyone is called for each rehearsal).

Already, we are adding sound cues to our process, which adds a real spice to our work. Michael Seward has assembled a total design of 50 cuts, including pre-show and intermission sounds.

On Sunday we have our first dress rehearsal--an exciting visual and sensual feast of lighting, sound and costumes.

It takes teamwork to pull off a production of this complexity. And our students do this on a consistent basis. Our program engages over 3,000 each season, all in the context of our creative scholarship--students, faculty and staff working together. We'll have more photos shortly.

Alan

Southeastern Theatre Conference

2007-10-10T06:20:00.000-05:00

Work continues apace on Taming of the Shrew! The huge set for the play progresses daily, costumes are selected and altered, we add new layers within individual scenes, props are designed or purchased. In the midst of our brew of activity, a number of students are also preparing to participate in the State Screening Auditions for the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC).

SETC is an amazing organization, supported by a 4,000 plus membership, numerous volunteers, and an incredible staff at its Central Office. For many students, SETC is a significant path for finding professional opportunities to work in the theatre. The largest organization of its kind, SETC also offers a Job Contact Service for students and professionals, Graduate School Auditions, and much more.

This March, members of the Miss Julie Company will conduct a presentation on our recent Edinburgh Fringe Project at the Chattanooga Convention. This annual March event is an exciting salad of distinguished theatre luminaries, workshops, staged readings of new works, Play Festivals, and more. It is a luminous celebration of our art form--and a real connection for
students who are ready to make the leap to summer opportunties, and further study.

You can take a look at SETC's diverse offerings at http://www.setc.org/

Alan

Miss Julie Opens at BSC This Week

2007-09-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

Taming of the Shrew

2007-09-15T08:21:00.000-05:00

The BSC blog site is transitioning to our work this fall. Next week, Miss Julie to the campus community. We're excited about sharing our work with the campus and Birmingham community.

In addition, we've just assembled our company for Taming of the Shrew, which is set in the 1960s. Co-Costume Designers Patti Manning (BSC Costume Designer in Residence) and Nikki Craft (Senior Theatre Major) have been planning their look for the characters of the play for some time. The 1960s is richly diverse in its possibilities, as you can imagine. Conservative suits and narrow ties contrast loudly with bold colors, flared jeans, love beads aplenty. Our "look" has not been set as yet, but the landscape of possiblities is bright indeed!

Professor Matthew Mielke (Scenic Designer) explores the space using a famous Los Angeles destination as inspiration for color, line and atmosphere--the famous Whiskey a Go Go. Well, famous to lots of folks, but neither Matthew nor I had heard of it until now!

We envision the scenic design to extend far beyond the stage itself--the lobby luminous with 60s posters, lighting, music and actors dancing to rockin' tunes. Leslie Brown, Assistant Director, is borrowing her family 60s "bug," which will be the centerpiece of our design outside the theatre itself.

The creation of our idea will require the collaboration of over 44 student company members--including a signifant core of students who are involved in building scenery, working as lighting technicians, responding to call in the box office, and much more. Leslie, Nikki (also serving as Fight Director), Company Manager Christina Johnson, Stage Manager Sarah Schiesz, Choreographer Barclee Woods, and faculty/staff will work closely as team members to support the production process. Music will serve as a vital character in the play. Theatre Major Michael Seward is at the helm, researching and assembling this critical aspect of our production.

Over the weeks, you will hear from other company members, such as Matt Adams (playing Gremio) and Ginny Coats (playing Biondella), and doubtless additonal student company members. So much of creating art is all about teamwork and problem solving within the broad context of technical theatre, performance, and management. Theatre provides loads of opportunity to develop a breadth of skill in a wide variety of areas.

Perhaps the most satisfying part of our work is the chance to collaborate together--we're really a community of explorers. What we will discover as a company will reflect untold hours of "going to the wall," challenging ourselves to get as bold and specific as we can. As a community of theatrical adventurers, we'll go far beyond what we can as individuals. It's part of the magic I think--in our goal to create an event that transcends the earth-bound. Ah, perhaps I seem too lofty here. But, that's the challenge--to reinvent a play, truly reinvent theatre each time we go into the "empty space" (as Peter Brook put it). More soon!

Alan

Harry Potter Land!

2007-09-04T12:39:00.001-05:00

The Belmora--where the last chapter was written...

The Elephant House-where it all began

Arthur's Seat

2007-09-04T12:08:00.000-05:00

First year CONNECT trip to American Village

2007-08-30T17:01:00.000-05:00

American Village was a perfect place to talk about liberal arts, theatre, history, and more.
Back to Front: Liz Wyngaert, Alan Litsey, Joseph Laughridge, Kristen Lennard, Jordon Crewnshaw, Conner McVey, Destiny Traweek, Chelsie Miller

Taking Stock

2007-08-30T16:57:00.000-05:00

Joseph Laughridge, Destiny Traweek; Jordon Crenshaw, Amanda Kramer (Peer Advisor)

More Fringe

2007-08-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

Here's the copy of the wonderful article written by BSC English Major Jeremy Burgess for the Birmingham News.

TO THE FRINGE: BSC takes Southern adaptation of Strindberg play to Scotland festival
Tuesday, July 31, 2007

JEREMY BURGESS For The Birmingham News

When Alan Litsey, a theater professor at Birmingham-Southern College penned an adaptation of August Strindberg's 1888 classic "Miss Julie," he chose to set his script in the American South. Now he's getting a chance to bring the South to the other side of the world.

Litsey, along with his ensemble of cast and crew members, left Monday to showcase the world premiere of his adaptation of "Miss Julie" at the world-famous Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Beginning Friday, they will perform the play nine times at the C Soco venue there.

"One of the reasons we chose the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is that it's the largest arts festival of its kind," Litsey says. Last year, the festival advertised 28,014 performances of 1,867 shows in 261 venues, a larger tally than the year before. "We are excited to give our students the opportunity to work in that kind of international venue."

Along with Litsey, the BSC Edinburgh contingent includes Kate Jenkins, a recent BSC graduate from Vestavia Hills; Amanda Kramer, a junior from Alabaster; Mac Smith, a sophomore from Auburn; Alex Brouwer, a senior from Fort Payne; Nikki Craft, a senior from Decatur; and Laura Spurgeon, a sophomore from Phenix City. Faculty making the trip are director Michael Flowers, scenic/co-lighting designer and technical director Michael Mielke and co-costume designer Patti J. Manning.

Although Litsey put a great deal of time into the writing of his script, the actual production process was a bit rushed - especially for the students. "The production time is much shorter than that of most plays that we work on at BSC," Kramer says. "I still can't believe that we ran the show in front of an audience after approximately two weeks of rehearsal."

Rehearsing was just one of the tasks the ensemble had to accomplish. Throughout the summer, they've been building sets, designing costumes, and perfecting every piece of the process. Although the students have said that working during the summer is nice because of the absence of schoolwork, it has still been a tremendous task putting this production together.

"It's easy to become overwhelmed by all the responsibility of putting the production on its feet," says Jenkins, who was given the daunting task of playing the title role in "Miss Julie." "But I know that my main job is to explore my character to the fullest extent." That exploration doesn't come easily. Just ask Smith, who was given the role of John, the play's least likable character.

The character "is, essentially, an evil man," Smith says. "(Playing this character) is particularly hard because I have to draw these maniacal feelings from places that I was unaware I had to draw from, and it can be rather frightening. I have to find pieces of my life in this alienated and constant theater life that allow me not to lose myself in the character."

There is one element that each of the actors already knew how to adapt: their Southern backgrounds. Being from the South was an added advantage for each of the actors. Litsey, however, faced the more difficult task of bringing the American South to a play that was originally set in 19th century Sweden.

"I've made my home in the South for over 17 years," Litsey says. "I love the region and, other than my native central California, it's the culture I know best. And, certainly, our company of theater students brings rich, Southern-based experiences to our process. We hope that the play will connect with a diverse audience, at home and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival."

When penning his adaptation of "Miss Julie," Litsey was forced to update not just the region but the time period of the play as well. "`Miss Julie' in its debut was considered controversial, dangerous, edgy," Litsey says. "It's still a great, great play. But what happens if we envision how our 21st century challenges might influence Strindberg's rich, complex world?"

"Miss Julie" won't be finished after the Fringe Festival - the ensemble will be performing the show at Birmingham-Southern on Sept. 18-23. After that, Litsey will take up the role of directing an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" that takes place during the '60s for BSC's fall production.
© 2007 The Birmingham News
© 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.

The Royal Mile

2007-08-20T11:05:00.001-05:00

At the C Venue

2007-08-20T10:55:00.000-05:00

2007-08-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

Student Company members with our host for an English High Tea with BSC Alum Byron Matthews at the Scotsman Hotel.

Nikki Craft and Laura Spurgeon and a handful of food props used in the show.

More pictures of BSC in Edinburgh

2007-08-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

We gather at the airport waiting for a flight. We seemed to spend a fair amount of time waiting in airports.-Atlanta, Newark and Edinburgh.

The entire Miss Julie Company before the gates of Holyrood Palace. When the Queen comes to Edinburgh, she stays at this palace. She did not come out to greet us-probably busy that evening.

Alex, Amanda and Kate. Behind them is an ex-volcano in the middle of the city with the peak known as Arthur's Seat.

Destinations

2007-08-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

The Rover by Hunter Productions

2007-08-14T06:59:00.000-05:00

The Rover is one of the great discoveries of the 20th century--a virtually forgotten comedy-drama by one of the two most popular dramatsts of the Restoration. Amazing, in the male-dominated theatrical swirl, Behn single-handed created the role of the first professional female playwright in history.

Hunter Productions brings The Rover to life at the Edinburgh Festival with a zest, honesty, and creativity that would have made Behn herself proud. Her language has as much wit as any Stoppard play and still very relevant social comment. In this company's graceful hands, her words are urgent and full of vitality. Tom Hunter, as the rogue Willmore, makes us like the scalawag despite his considerable faults. Abby Forknall, Sarah McKendrick and Valeria (as Florinda, Hellena and Valeria) are a formidable trio. Together they model Behn's new vision for fighting the gender war.

Natasha Dawn plays the take-no-prisoners courteson, Angelica. In addition, she is director and adaptor, pairing down the original text to 90 minutes of swift playing time. Dawn stages the play with panache, making full use of the small space, beautifully chosen props and costumes. This is true ensemble work.

View some excellent production photos at http://www.myspace.com/hunterproductionsuk

This production is a disctinctive example of young professionals at their best--creating their own opportunities in the setting of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As Behn herself did beginning in the fateful year of 1640--they are making it happen for themselves.

What a fitting finale for my Feast of Fringe plays.

Alan

Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles

2007-08-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles made its debute at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004, and fortunately its back this summer. Created by Emily and Christian McKay, it's a brilliant insight into the humanity, humor and achievement of one of theatre and film's most dazzling figures.

For those who may not know Welles' work, he is most known for the infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast on Halloween night in 1938. His Citizen Kane is embraced by many as perhaps the finest film ever made--and almost destroyed forever by Kane's real-life archetype, newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. Welles preferred making art to making money--though much of the money he did make went into his own film-making pursuits.

Christian McKay's performance is a rare gift for theatre lovers. He is unpredictable, charming, dangerous, fiery, elegant, unforgettable. He captures' Welles' rhythms and mannerisms with astonishing grace--making them his own.

The writing, direction and simple scenic design is as seamless as the performance. Though Welles was larger than life, in an hour and twenty minutes, Rosebud captures his Falstaffian essence. I did not intend to "blog" today--but this was an important theatre event. For me, as a long time theatre goer--it will be one of the events--a magical experience. And one that asks some big questions about the nature of creativity, politics, personality, and more. What more could one ask for?

Find a link to a clip of Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles at

http://www.atomic80productions.com/

And--the production may come to the US and Birmingham in the near future. I urge you to see it if you can.

Alan

Joanna at the Fringe

2007-08-10T03:15:00.000-05:00

Joanna is an intriguing play by Neil Brand playing at The Jazz Bar--the most inviting venue I've attended at the Fringe. It is a comfortable, cool, and charming space with loads of history.

Brand adapted the play from a from his radio play. Here's the description of the story form the web site: "One grand piano. One secret. Joanna tells her tale of being encased in wood for a century, revealing more than just a few notes… "

Joanna's "notes" play on the connection between art and human experience, the ephemeral nature of it all, the fragililty of magic, and its importance in our lives.

The talented young company share the story with passion, pathos and humor. It was a delightful hour of theatre.

We have two more performances of Miss Julie, so more "flyering" for us--and we're hoping to catch some more good productions as well.

Alan

Alex's pictures of the trip so far!

2007-08-09T13:21:00.000-05:00

Scotland outside of my window in the plane!

Mac and Spurge having dinner in front of the Edinburgh University!

Spurge, Amanda, and Kate having at picnic!

I like the way you prep

2007-08-09T12:43:00.001-05:00

SO THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST BLOG POSTED...EVER...I JUST POSTED IT ON THE WRONG PAGE...OOPS!

Over the past three weeks, our ensemble has been on an emotional roller coaster. The cast had to come in and immediately create intimate relationships and duplicitous characters without the crutch of a script. “No time to waste with scripts! We’re going to Scotland in three weeks!” We had to design, construct, and prepare the scenic elements with less of a technical crew and more of a—well, whoever had their hands free to work. “We don’t have time to redo this! Time management in crucial! We’re going to Scotland in TWO weeks!” We have bit our tongues, gritted our teeth, and pulled out our hair. “What else do we have left to do? We have to go back to the store? We don’t have time for that! WE’RE GOING TO SCOTLAND IN A WEEK!” Why do we allow ourselves to become stressed, you ask? Because we love it! At the end of the day, we have one goal—to entertain. “If you can’t run with the big dogs…”

We have had our fair share of fun getting ready. My favorite preparation experience was taking Mac to karaoke. He needed to connect with his inner rock star to prepare for his character, John, and I just needed an excuse to go. Instead of rocking out, Mac decided to ‘bust a flow’ to Big Boy’s “I like the way you move.” (Video blog hopefully coming soon.) Please note that I met Mac at nerd camp two years ago—which is not an insult because I was there too! Needless to say, I was shocked, but not long enough to keep myself from joining our posse in a sing-a-long.

I’m not sure what else to explain about our prep work. I could go through the intricate details of how we made the props, hung the lights, arranged the set… or you could just come to the show and see all of our hard work put into action! Until then, keep checking back here to see what’s happening. Don’t forget to look for that V-blog! Also, Mac will have to do his own blog discussing the tattoo experience, a saga in its own right.

The Bloody Tour

2007-08-09T12:40:00.001-05:00

Ok, so we were under the impression that we agreed to go on an underground tour through Edinburgh to see the "Lost City." Much to our surprise, there was a big blood red tri-fold advertisement at the meeting spot informing us that we were going on a haunted underground tour. That's not what we signed up for, but we agreed. The tour guide made it very clear that some women have had strange encounters with ghosts, such as having their hair pulled and coming out with scratches on their arms. Without hesitation, we two ladies agreed that throwing punches would be our best defense.

The stairs leading up to the side of the hill smelt like urine. Great. The door opened into an old college flat for the university that is now housing us. Awesome. The story goes something like this: the resident of this particular flat became bored one day, and after knocking around on his walls, realized they were hollow. So, he did what anyone in their right mind would do and took a sledge hammer to it, revealing a secret city.

The secret city contained a series of vaults--stone caves in short. The vaults housed anyone needing anonymity such as thieves and rapists. These vaults are now apparently haunted by those that died within. We were really excited to be there, to say the least. There have different reportings of attacks by spirits, such as pushing, having the sensation of being followed, and showing up in pictures as gray like figures.

Our favorite story was of the watchman. He was always described in the same manner: long dark hair, with half of his face disfigured, and wearing a long black cloak. Who did this sound like to me? Bill Weasley, ladies and gentlemen! Of course I (Spurge)have been reading the last Harry Potter book, so it's probably just wishful thinking. Two tours have been known to follow this figure as if he were the tour guide (who is also clad in a black cloak) until he "disappeared" into the wall. (I wonder if anyone actually followed him into the wall?)

The last room we entered contained medieval torture devices. On the far wall was a device known as the man trap, which I (Spurge) confessed I had been looking for for a long time. The most noticeable device for me (Nikki) was the anal probe. Hmmmm, what does that do? Well, it's heated and inserted....

So anyways, the tour was pretty cool, but the day tour is too short. Our guide was cool, and even came to see the show. Cheers!

Nikki and Spurge

Grasmere at the Fringe

2007-08-09T04:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's theme reflected "man's inhumanity to man." Surely a fertile pool for the theatre, including this year's Fringe offerings.

Grasmere, which I saw performed yesterday, is a subtle and poignant meditation on this issue as well. Here is the description of the premise on Grasmere's web page: "Lives unravel as jealousy, addiction and love threaten to tear them apart. In the exquisite seclusion of the Lake District, William and Dorothy Wordsworth live happily until the unexpected arrival of old friends promises to change their lives forever."

Grasmere is the setting of the play. Web sources indicate it is the final home of Wordsworth. For Wordsworth, it is an oasis for his genuis to flower. For his sister Dorothy, the pastoral setting is a microcosm of early 19th century western culture. In one distinctive scene, Dorothy, clearly a gifted individual in her own right, unleashes her anguish at the limitations her gender has placed on her options. This fateful choice leads her to a difficult and painful choice that will define her fate.

The play raises provocative and timely questions. How does gender influence our lives, positively and negatively? What is the "right" choice? How is society blinded by its own bias and agendas?

Grasmere is performed by a youthful company, all of whom are mature and sure of their craft. Their honesty and integrity to their characters and the play, I think, is what this kind of Festival is all about. I hope we'll hear more from this company, Roanproductions.com.

Alan

The Underground of Edinburgh

2007-08-08T05:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday a few of us took the famous Underground tour of Edinburgh. Interesting, this site of "Old Town" was bricked up and forgotten until the 1970s. A bored college student discovered a certain wall seemed hollow and battered it down--discovering an underground lairs undisturbed for over 150 years.

The vaults were created, circa 17th century, as the over-crowded city had no room for growth. Conditions were dangerous and deadly, the average life expectancy for those poor citizens inhabiting the vaults was about 18 months. Crime in the vaults was rampant. The vaults are a respository of innumerable tragic stories, known and unknown.

Allegedly, there is much paranormal activity in the Underground vaults. In one gloomy space, we were warned to avoid entering a circle defined by ancient rocks. This warning was framed with a rather dramatic story. Our guide put a brilliant button on her tale as she switched off her flashlight, plunging us into the most dense darkness you can imagine.

The tour ends with a visit to a small room with mighty implements of torture that have been collected over the years. Our articulate guide shared a few more stories to make our heads spin. This is truly a memorable, if dark insight into a piece of Edinburgh's history.

Needless to say, we invited our guide to the afternoon's show, and she graciously accepted!

Alan

photo time from Edinburgh

2007-08-07T12:38:00.000-05:00

Our performance space: C Soco Venue Studio 1-a brand new venue, so new it does not yet have houselights. It is in the very large attic of a building next to the main C venue. It has 58 seats in thrust arrangement and is, compared to many spaces that act as venues at the Festival, quite user friendly.
On the Royal Mile--many thousands of people, most of whom are handing out flyers to promote their plays, music events, dance and comedy shows. Edinburgh is an amazing, ancient, exciting city during Festival time.
Our approach to Edinburgh Airport. Here we are over the Firth of Forth after an approach over the city from southwest to northeast. Final leg will take us over Arthur's Seat before landing at the airport.

Julie's Daily Journey

2007-08-07T04:00:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to my friends Tony, Joan and Rowan Haigh for being guests in our audience last night. Tony and I go back to graduate school days. Tony and Joan teach at Centre College, a member of the Associated Colleges of the South consortium. It was a real treat that Tony, Joan and their daughter Rowan (who works in the theatre like her dad) could see our work.

We have lucked out. Most days are sunny--not typical for Edinburgh. Ideal weather for our afternoon flyering, and perhaps catching a quick show. Late afternoons are all about preparation for "magic time" (as Jack Lemmon used to call it). Actors do make-up and hair at the "flats," then everyone walks or take a short bus to the C Venue on Chamber Street. Other company members are carrying props, including our previous laptop computer!

The first few days, dressing rooms were not available. They are now, though all company members schlepp up three flights to our performance venue in Studio One. We generally wait about twenty minutes for the previous show to end, then a C Venue staff member gives us the cue to enter the space. We wait for the stage to clear, then the company sets up within five minutes. When the house open, audience members are seated within a few minutes. The show lasts 68-70 minutes. Then we "strike" the show within five minutes. After a brief post-show chat, all props go back to the flats!

Yesterday, my son Trevor and I caught an interesting comedy show called Heroes and Villians, playing in the basement pub of a near-by restaurant. The writing is very witty, and all connected to the challenges of post-modern relationships. So far as I can tell, the company consists of the two actors and the stage managers (who Trev and I flyering the other day). Interesting and encouraging that so many of the company members here at the Fringe are young people who appear to be in their twenties. Here we are in the midst of the new generation taking theatre to the next level!

We also caught a lunch time stand-up routine, a very funny fellow who is clearly a seasoned performer. His name is Brian, and his intentionally "low tech" political humor was original and saucy. The audience was small, couple of his buddies, also comedians, a middle-aged couple, and us--but a delightful 45 minutes. The masters of comedy also expressed interest in Miss Julie, so we may see them at a show. (Yes, I'm always looking for graceful ways to share my excitement about our work!)

I am hopeful of getting photos posted this evening--Edinburgh time. A number of us have been on the look-out for interesting bits.

A number of us are off to do the tour of the Underground Edinburgh at lunch, before dazzling the city with our flyering technique.

Cheers,

Alan

Bob says, Bloody Brilliant!

2007-08-05T13:29:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, this is Alex. Today was a very productive day! Not only did I see one show before our performance, I passed out tons of flyers and even twenty actual tickets. Yay! I had a lot of help from Spurge. People seem to actually talk to her! People here are so pretty- no really, they're gorgeous! They are all friendly too.
Bob came to see our performance tonight. I have never met this Bob before, but he said the show was "bloody brilliant." He promised to pass the word along about this amazing Miss Julie company. ( We were all wondering if we could put that on our flyers; you know, "Bloody brilliant!" -Bob.)
Today before the show, all of the actors were in places, and our C-venue staff member started to announce that we were ready to begin. At that moment, the light board monitor went completely black. We died. The end. Ok, just kidding. We managed to fix it in a couple seconds and went on with the show. Then, in the middle of the show, a light cue refused to come up correctly, so we decided to skip it and move on. Really, we just wanted to see if the actors were on their toes! They survived beautifully!
Right now we're just hanging out at the cafe in the theatre building. A gorgeous guy is currently staring at Amanda (who can really blame him?). He's in the show that we're going to see tomorrow, called Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. Mac saw it a few days ago and hasn't shut up about it since, so we thought we'd try to see it. Also, tomorrow, I'm going to see a kid's show. I'm kidnapping ten-year-old Rosalind (Alan's adorable daughter) to go with me. I'm excited! I hope Alan doesn't press charges! : )

-Alex

PS- Karate chop your neighbors!

Flyering High (Street)

2007-08-05T05:43:00.000-05:00

Promotion is the Word for each day. High Street is one of the The Spots that company members who are producing at the Festival attract an audience. Not only are actors, stage managers and technicians passing out flyers (colorful postcards trumpeting our shows), but street acts abound! Fire eaters, magic acts, musicians, tight rope acts--just to name a few--festoon the streets with color and action.

The challenge is to make a personal connection with as many passers-by as possible. It is not enough to merely get our flyers into someone's hands, to but entice them with something about the world of the play in about ten seconds. Yikes!

"Flyering" is also a great opportunity to meet other Edinburgh theatre folks. In fact, I suspect that company members make up a significant number of theatre goers at the Festival. We have exchanged flyers with more than a few. Hitting the streets is essential for generating audiences.

The most interesting production I've seen at the Festival--not that there's been much time yet--is Tony the Blair Musical. The writing is fresh and funny, and the young company plays it with a brash charm.

Well, off to lunch, then more "flyering" for me...and perhaps a quick squint at show before our 5:15 performance.

Look for photos shortly, and more updates from the company!

Cheers, mates!

2007-08-04T06:55:00.000-05:00

Hi! Amanda here again, along with Kate.
Well, we survived opening night! This is not a small accomplishment. We had to put on our make-up and do our hair back at the flat, and then we gathered all of our costumes, accessories, shoes, extra make-up, props pieces, and who knows what else, for the trek down the street to the theatre. Because it was opening night, Ms. Patti treated us to a bus ride to the theatre, so that we wouldn't have to walk. Once we arrived, we tried to change into our costumes in a crowded restroom, and then we all gathered in the lobby of the theatre, only to find that the venue was running shows about ten minutes behind schedule. I don't know how all of the company members felt, but I was a bit relieved to find myself with a few extra minutes to breathe before we had to jump on stage! We began our set-up and fight warm-up five minutes before the house opened, and then we were on. For me at least, the show flew by. I think that there were perhaps 15 audience members there, but I really didn't pay much attention. We had a few technical difficulties in that one of the panels on our kitchen counter fell off, and then Kate's necklace went flying off her neck just before the big fight scene began. Thankfully, we were able to recover from those two unexpected events fairly easily. I tried to replace the panel during one scene, but it fell off again. The next time I went on-stage, I was able to motivate carrying it off-stage while still in character (at least, I think I may have pulled that off!). Miraculously, brilliant Kate managed to catch her necklace as it went flying over her head! Other than that, the show seemed to run pretty smoothly, and now, I think we can all breathe just a bit easier. Until tonight's performance at least!

Now Kate informs me that I have written quite enough, and it is time for some of the other company members to make entries. So, we leave you for now, and head off to harrass Mac, Spurge, and Nikki into writing to you!

-Kate and Amanda

Alarms and Adventures

2007-08-04T04:42:00.000-05:00

We awoke yesterday morning to the sound of bold alarms. We found ourselves together on the Clerk Street sidewalk with other semi-amazed (and some of us still sleep glazed) guests. It was a quick episode to be sure. An official looking gentleman in a black suit, in tandem with at least two firemen, scoured the building from to bottom. Apparently, this big drama was due to mere burnt toast. However, romantic that I am, I preferred to think of the brilliant electronic battle cry as a declaration of the opening day of Miss Julie!

And open we did. We have loads to share with you. Briefly, I just checked the net and we have received our first review. Geoffrey Evans gives us four stars. The entire text, available at one4review.com is quoted below:

"Miss Julie
The three handed play Miss Julie written by August Strindberg has been adapted by Alan Litsey bringing it up to date and also relocated in the American deep south and is performed with zest and no mean talent by Birmingham Southern College Theatre from Alabama.

Now set in the home of a wealthy family on the fourth of July, Julie, played with passion by Kate Jenkins, is the beautiful, rich bitch, crazy daughter of the house. Kristin, the much put upon family maid, Amanda Kramer and her boyfriend, trailer trash musician with a past John, portrayed by Mac Smith are the other two performers.

At the party Julie makes a play for John, because she can and her attentions are not rebutted but him, but does he have an ulterior motive? Who is Julie’s stalker? Is Kristin as mild as she seems?

The answer to these questions can be found by going to see this superb interpretation of an engaging play, but be quick the show only runs until the 11th."

Scotland Rocks!

2007-08-02T06:22:00.000-05:00

We are finally in Scotland! This is Amanda here, and Kate and I are writing to you from an internet cafe here in Edinburgh! We are about to head to the Royal Mile to pass out flyers for the show, and then we will be off to the final dress rehearsal before our opening tomorrow night. We had a four-hour tech rehearsal yesterday, in which our miming skills were put to the test; none of our set or props has arrived yet! We are all eagerly hoping for their safe arrival sometime today, but unfortunately, there are no guarantees. Oh, the joys of touring overseas!
Last night, Alex, Spurge, Mac, and I went to a party at our venue. We met a ton of theatre people, most of whom are from the UK. Everyone is very friendly and excited about the festival. We plan to try to go and see tons of shows while we're here. Kate has already seen two! (Sadly, I was too exhausted yesterday to drag myself out before the party; lame, I know!) Kate and the rest of the company saw Tony: The Blair Musical, and she also saw a musical called Famished, which they described as a combination of Urinetown and Young Zombies in Love. Yep, we feel right at home around here!
Well, our time here at the internet cafe has totally expired, so we'll check back in with you later!
- Amanda and Kate

Miss Julie's Podcast Debut

2007-07-28T08:22:00.000-05:00

Recently, I joined the 21st century. How? Well, recording podcasts with BSC Theatre alumn Trey Tatum and Scott McCellan. Trey, who begins the graduate program in Playwriting at Pace University this fall, created the site a couple of months ago. It is located at
http://www.brassringwriting.com/ with an ever-expanding collection of podcasts, transcripts and more. At brassringwriting you will find links to the podcasts, including a discussion of the Miss Julie adaptation entitled The Julie of the Nile.

The site focuses on playwriting, but given the interdisciplinary nature of theatre, student actors, technicians, designers and directors may find topics of interest as well.

In future weeks, you will find more podcast discussions with BSC Miss Julie company members. Early next week, hear a talk about the design process with Matthew Mielke (Professor of Theatre), Patti Manning (Costume Designer in Residence) and Nikki Craft (Senior Theatre Major and Co-Costume Designer on Miss Julie).

If you are following our blogs, we would love to hear your comments or suggestions. Blogs from students, photos, and even movie diaries are upcoming from Edinburgh, Scotland. Our flight arrives on August 1st, allowing us to ready for our opening on the 3rd. We'll keep you posted!

Alan Litsey, Professor of Theatre

Julie and John

2007-07-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here is quote from our press packet on the show: "Strindberg’s characters are among the most ill-matched couples in theatrical history. Each is so mistaken about the other, and in shadow of night, long hidden secrets are unleashed in the claustrophobic confessional of the family home. The conflict between Julie and John escalates to psychological and physical warfare—and total destruction."

The characters really experience every possible emotion over the course of the play. Over the course of the rehearsal process, the actors willingness to "go to the wall" in their exploration of the physical and emotional life of the play has resulted in some very exciting sparks in onstage. The photos published this week share just a bit of the work discovered in the last week.

Miss Julie Countdown

2007-07-25T17:03:00.000-05:00

We count down the days until leaving for Scotland Monday morning from campus at 8:00 AM. A portion of our morning was devoted to rehearsing our set up and strike onstage, which must time out to the minute. As of today Miss Julie plays at exactly 70 minutes. Our "window" for the performance is 90 minutes, leaving us just enough time to set the stage, open the house, and strike the set. The entire process was organized by our Stage Manager, Alex Brouwer.

Miss Julie in the 21st Century

2007-07-18T15:09:00.000-05:00

August Strindberg is acknowledged as one of the great innovators in all of theatre’s past. Miss Julie was not only a revelation but in some circles in its 1888 premiere—scandalous. Why? The reasons are many. Certainly, this unpredictable genius had a hunger to dig way below the surface of human experience. Not only did he wish to influence his audience, he was equally passionate about changing the landscape of theatre! Are we talking about yet another dazzling artistic wunderkind working to change the world? You bet. And he certainly did. You can read all about Strindberg and his work at http://www.extrapris.com/astrindberg.html

Why a modern adaptation? Why set it in the south? Well, our experiences are in a constant state of flux. Just consider how different your parent’s world is from your own. We can imagine the vast differences in perception and experience young characters such as Julie may possess in a context leaping over a hundred years.

Miss Julie in its debut was considered controversial, dangerous, edgy. It’s still a great, great play. But…what happens if we envision how our 21st century challenges might influence Strindberg’s rich, complex world? Is there potential to heighten even further our own culture’s questions embedded within the play? How closely can we define a world that will allow us to explore issues of privilege, gender, and social divisions, to name a few?

Why the deep south? Well, as the playwright/adaptor of Miss Julie, I’ve made my home in the south for over 17 years. I love the region and other than my native Central California, it’s the culture I know best. And certainly, our company of Theatre students bring rich southern-based experiences to our process. We hope however, that the play will connect with a diverse audience, at home and at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Theatre, at its best is always a high stakes experiment. We challenge ourselves in an effort to create a memorable—even magical—experience to share with our audience.

As we learn and grow together, we discover more as a learning community than is ever possible working solo. Shortly, you will hear from other members of our Production Team.

Alan Litsey, Professor of Theatre

Birmingham-Southern College

Edinburgh Bound

2007-07-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks for checking out BSC Theatre's blog site and sharing our Edinburgh Fringe Festival Experience with us. Over the summer, you'll have an opportunity to hear from Theatre students and faculty as we rehearse and perform our world premiere of Miss Julie. As many of you know. the Fringe Festival is largest and most diverse performing arts festival in the world. Check out the Fringe site at http://www.edfringe.com/ We make our debut on August 3rd, so please stay with us for continual updates and photos!

Theatre is perhaps the most collaborative of all art forms. The Miss Julie Project includes a company of six very talented students: designers, actors and technicians working on all aspects of the production with four faculty and staff members. One of the unique aspects of our process is that we are truly working together to create this experience for our audience--right down to planning the daily schedule together.

Please feel free to post your comments and questions as we share our adventures with you.

Alan Litsey, Professor of Theatre

Birmingham-Southern College Theatre Program

The Miss Julie Project

2007-07-17T14:21:00.000-05:00

The Department of Theatre and Dance at Birmingham-Southern is counting down to the world premiere in August of an updated telling of August Strindberg’s classic play Miss Julie, where the talents of several BSC faculty, staff, and students will be showcased.

The play will open with nine performances from August 3 to 11 at a venue in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of the Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. It is supported by an Undergraduate Collaborative Research and Engagement Grant from the Associated Colleges of the South and the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.