Opening Night...Closing Night...Added Show (spoilers haha)

The production came and went, and I have to say that my first college show is one that I will never forget, and could not trade with for anything. The show, Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, was a student-directed production for the 2009-2010 season at WU, and did I mention that it was AMAZING?!?!

It was so different and crazy to actually be in a show where I come in knowing absolutely no one, and leaving with the feeling that I have known these people forever. The cast truly felt like a family where everyone has their souls poured into this show to make it an amazing experience for every audience. And the audience agreed. A few minutes before places was called the night of our second run, our director, David Hutto, told the cast and crew how the Dean of the Department of Theatre and Dance was so impressed, he asked us to extend our run. So, we added a Saturday matinee performance to calm down the ticket sales.

It didn't help much as few people came to see the newly added run time, but every audience left with a smile, a tear, and a thought about what they just saw. Was Beethoven gay? Was CB gay? Was Matt jealous or was their something else? What happens to the kids now? Their lives have been thrown for a loop by the death of a dear friend, and no one got to say goodbye. Though, hope comes to all in a letter of hope written by Charles Schultz.

Using the peanuts gang for this show seems necessary as much as it seems that it isn't. Try to imagine the show without the peanuts and just using the same characters but in a generic fashion. The point doesn't come across as hard. This is because the peanuts gang is a group of kids everyone grows up with, be it the newspaper every Sunday, or watching the Christmas special on CBS. To see these genuine hearts be torn into pieces in one fell swoop is shocking but makes the message that this happens. This message is something that the director was trying to stress. That these issues are faced all the time, and even in what we think is purest, the peanuts, its still there.

On a happy note, we sold out 5 of the 6 performances, with many returning audience members. It just shows how impacting this show can be. Especially for the actors, themselves. It was the first time I had played as the antagonist for any show, and I really had fun with it. I hope I don't get type-casted as the average douche-bag from now on.

All in all, a show so good, words can't fully describe.

At least I'm in another show right now.

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opening night...thrilling!

Tomorrow is finally opening night for me. The first opening night for a college production. I'm in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. Would blog about it, but I'm uber-Mctired. As such, I'm going to bed. Go see it!

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This is kind of awesome.

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/theater/reviews/25lizzie.html?src=twt&twt=nytimesTheater

Why can't all rock musicals be this amazing?

Dog Sees God opens in two weeks!

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Now They Can See A True Show...

...because all those disappointed audience members who could not see 9 to 5 can now see Dog Sees God. Kidding, Jess.

Yes, today is sad that 9 to 5 will not be performing on the stages of Broadway for a while, but, if this provides any consolation, the sudden stopped project for Spider-Man is continuing at the end of the month. I guess that this masked superhero will make it to the great white way after all.

Jess - Break a leg with crew!

My birthday in 8 days!

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Cast!

First college play was a success! After a night of auditions, and then another night of callbacks until the cast list was finally posted at midnight, I was cast!

I have been cast in the play Dog Sees God playing the character of Matt. This character is the teenage version of Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic strip as the play is essentially all of the peanuts gang in their high school years. Matt is a germaphobe and a homophobe. This mixture will come together in the crashing ending of the play (it's fantastic). This will be interesting as this character is a step away from what I usually have portrayed on a stage. I will become the antagonist instead of the good guy, and have to really look outside of my comfort zone and do things not usually done by me. It's nothing too odd, but definitely a difference. And one I'm looking forward to.

The other plays that are being done in the season include The Good Doctor and You Can't Take It With You. Also, the one-act festival will begin auditions.

I'm also auditioning for a musical at one of the local community theatres, but I'll talk about that later. Good luck with J.B. auditions, Jess!

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New Place New Plays

Finally, my first post in my luxurious (word used loosely) dorm room at Winthrop University. Here, I plan to (whilst blogging constantly) work on my degree in theatre performance. Which includes my auditioning for plays including the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. The play is an unauthorized parody of the Peanuts comic strip. Here, the kids are in high school...and horribly dysfunctional. The dramedy starts off with Charlie Brown (known as CB in the play) writing to his pen pal about Snoopy who had just died of rabies. This is when he begins to really think about the idea of the afterlife. He then tries to talk about it with his other friends including Van's sister (the character of Lucy...so I guess you can figure out who Van is) who is in an apparent mental institution after setting fire to Van's blanket. The response from all is clear ignorance as none really care, until CB talks to one kid, Beethoven. This piano player (please tell me you who this is) is shunned from his friends due to his controversial sexuality which discomforts the others. But his conversation with CB really consoles him and he is able to finally come to terms with all in the end with CB's final monologue...a letter to his pen pal. This tale brings life to a somewhat halt with its unthinkable twist on this simple comic strip. I've only read a little so far and its amazing beyond words, definitely a play I would be honored to be in...which is why I'm auditioning. Wish me luck and explain the rest of the play in a later post. I still have to finish my summer reading. Oops.

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