A few more theatre memories . . .

Here's a few more great theatre memories from friends:

ADAM LEHMAN

As an unknown comic I'll take a performance opportunity when I can get it. A month ago I was mistakenly booked on a "Chanakah in July" showcase at Don't Tell Mama, finding out the title of the show when I arrived to perform. It isn't the first time I pretended to be Jewish to get something... I mean those eight days off around the holidays were much better than the two days off I would have gotten for Christmas. People have a hard time believing I'm not in fact Jewish, citing the Jewish overtones in my last name and the predominance of my nose, so everything was fine.

This past weekend I performed on a show at the Duplex where a few of our audience members were deaf. I had no idea what to expect. My initial doubts consisted of wondering how this could possibly work. Like I said, though, I'm hungry for stage time... so any chance to perform, whether as a non-Jew Jew or in front of the aurally handicapped, is greatly appreciated.

As the details unravelled, I found out there would be an interpreter on the stage diagonally behind me, translating each joke into American Sign Language. Knowing a few choice phrases of sign language myself, I decided to bridge the gap.

"I know a few things in sign language," I said, "and if you don't mind, I'd like to share them with you." "I like popcorn," I said, making the gesture for popcorn with the interpreter behind me doing the same. "I also enjoy hamburgers." Once again, the interpreter and I were in perfect harmony. "And this is really embarassing," I said, "but if you really don't mind, I'd like to sing for you."

At that moment I sang the end of the alphabet song with both my voice and my hands, shocking the interpreter to a certain degree. I picked it up back in middle school when we had an introductory course to ASL."Now... I... know... my... A... B... C's..."

Halfway through the song the interpreter stopped interpreting me, so I looked over and said "you're ruining the joke!""Next... time... won't... you... sing... with... me." I turned to the audience and said... "I'm sorry guys, that song was supposed to be in stereo."

This show totally has changed me to a degree. I went into the room with doubt and a sense of "what the hell am I getting myself into?" Most of all, I had fun and felt like I was among a group of friends. Comedy definitely keeps me humble. One set you can have every joke resonate and leave people in stitches, but later the same night with a different audience you struggle to even make a connection. Each moment I even think I'm making progress is mirrored with another moment where I realize I have lots to learn. I feel there's a certain beauty to be found in that dichotomy. No matter how many steps you have taken to get to this moment, there will always be more steps to take.

REBECCA

I was in the cast of The Laramie Project at Civic, directed by Marilyn Langbehn. The script itself is incredibly powerful and there were so many moments during the process that will forever be close to my heart but opening night was particulary memorable. We had spent so much time just trying to "Say it correct" as the script reads. From interviewing a man who knew one of the assailants to receiving an email from Rebecca Hillaker (whom I played) to studying the reports from the actual event, it was a life altering look at the human condition.

We became a very close cast using each other for support to relive this horrific event in human history and we tapped into some pretty strong emotions, so it was really difficult to go onstage opening night. Having felt the gambit of emotions and then rawly exposing them to house of freinds and strangers was probably the most vulnerable I've ever felt. I even screwed up one of my first lines! We all spent time sitting in the audience throughout the show and got to feel a part of them at moments, but I don't think any of us were fully prepared for the end of the show.

As the lights came up for the curtain call, we collected in the center of the little black box and there were tears streaming down most of our faces. It took a moment for the audience to applaud because they were so overcome (we finally realized!), but when they did applaud it was thunderous for that little room. We went backstage and just held each other for good, long moment. The gratification of knowing that they got it, that maybe we did, "say it correct" was overwhelming. I remember thinking that if I never did another show again, that was okay. This was what it was about for me. It was incredible. I hope one day to be able to have a show touch me like that again. I only pray it also touches the audience, too!

See It Now! See It Now!

Go see 'The Drowsy Chapersone'. Hands down one of the most enjoyable experiences of my theatre life. The show is a two hour smile-fest. About an hour in I had smiled so much my face was aching.

As 'The Man in the Chair' says 'The Drowsy Chaperone' isn't the best musical and he's right. Some of the music itself isn't wonderful but it's kind of the point. The whole evening is a beautiful letter to 'musicals' in general and 'the show tune' in particular.

It will validate your love for theatre.

Avenue Q on Avenue 7

Hung out briefly with Jeff Marx, one of the writers of Avenue Q tonight at a bar in the village, a friend of a friend. I wished I'd been feeling better because it would have been cool to chat with him more but after hiking all over Manhattan today I had to peace out early.

He was wearing a 'Wicked' T Shirt which I thought was funny considering Q beat out Wicked for the Tony.

Theatre Moments - 3 to get ready. . .

Here's some more special theatre moments shared by friends:

AMY
Playing Sister Amnesia in NUNSENSE II and doing the bingo game scene. It was always a scary scene for me because I'm not great at ad libbing and I have to do that scene all by myself and work with the audience.

I remember, one night, looking down and seeing a woman wiping tears of laughter off her face. And knowing....I did that.

BONNI
Not to repeat you, but I have to say that the ACL- Alternatives scene and "What I Did For Love" is now one of my fondest memories. Every night listening to Kelly deliver her lines about only having a few years left as a "chorus cutie" and questioning if she was "giving up or copping out" always brought me to an emotional edge, but the last night it was too much. I began to cry and could barely sing the song. Thank God for Max who was standing by me. We always shared many special moments during that scene, but that last night he sensed my emotion and gave me an extra hug and just held me there on the stage. God, that show becomes a part of you like nothing else... would to God that we could do it again...

Another favorite memory has to do with you Mr. Graham... and that is being cast in my first show: Joseph, which you directed. You may not remember, but where we met (at Whitworth in Suzanne's class) was the first time I had begun to dance again after having ended and ruined my classical ballet career two years previous via injury. Suzanne encouraged me to try theatre and you were gracious enough to cast me (though I had no idea you were the director when my mother forced me to go to my first audition). Yes the show was fun and all, but it was more than that... it was the beginning of me believing that I could still dance and that my passion for dancing didn't have to die just because of a stupid dancer injury... and that Broadway style dance was just as rewarding, if not more fun than classical ballet. The rest is history. I not only have had a string of great musicals, I also got back into ballet and performed a lead role this year in the Nutcracker.

BRANDON
I remember my first “big show” audition for Spokane Children’s Theatre. It was for Alice In Wonderland and Kasey happened to be the musical director. So, he started to play the music, and come to find out, the person who had played it for me before had done it a little different (surprise! lol) and I just got lost and really confused, along with being VERY nervous and I thought I had blew it! But, I made it! My first big role… Card/Door… lol

Another show I will never forget was Freeman Jr. High’s production of “Tom Sawyer” that I co-directed with my drama teacher in 7th grade. It was fun… but also kinda terrible all at the same time. It all went fine, for a Jr. High anyway, in the end and just prepared me for basically running the class my 8th grade year. lol

ANGELA
When I was a background performer in Romeo and Juliet in college, I played some female and some male characters with lots of costume changes. My best friend paid me a dollar every night that I wore a sock in my tights as a boy. I WAS RICH!

I was once in a children's show where I played a jack-in-the-box and my cruel director refused to make a hole in the back of the box for me to get out in between scenes. During one performance, I popped out of the box, toward the end of the show and got so dizzy I actually fainted. The kids in the audience were quite upset. That effing director STILL didn't put an escape hatch for me!

Memorable Theatre Experiences - The 2nd Coming

Here's some more experiences from another theatre friend. I love the joy this art form brings to audiences, actors, musicians and crew alike.

J. Dyme
Honestly my favorite "moment" in theatre was the first year I was in the "Vagina Monologues" and I played "Angry". Enough said really. The crowd was rolling, and my delivery was absolutely perfect and on point. Each time I finished a sentence I had to wait 2 minutes for the crowd to settle down, there was such a flow to it....it gave me the biggest rush ever. It's the closest I think I'll ever get to being a stand-up comedian and that's what I've always wanted to be!

The next one that comes to mind is when I was playing the role of "Cassie" in a recent production called "The Queen of Hearts Ain't That Pretty"....I had an understudy for the matinee showing, and so I had the opportunity to roam backstage and mess with the whole crew. I was in our dressing room listening to the chat over the headsets that came over the loudspeaker in the room, and as the show was going they were telling all kinds of jokes, and doing everything they could to keep themselves entertained, and THEN proceeded to talk about how lame they thought this play was and can't believe the director chose this production.....I was pushing all sorts of buttons to try and figure out how I could put my voice over and speak to them so I could agree and let them know I was hearing everything, well apparently I was hitting the wrong button and it kept beeping over everyone's headsets.....so as I'm cracking up by myself in the dressing room....they are all freaking out about the beeping noise thinking it's being heard onstage....and then they started saying "Oh my god, someone snuck in the dressing room!!!....." FINALLY I figured out how to get my voice heard, and we all were on the ground rolling when they finally found out that I heard everything they had said.....The behind the scenes are always the most entertaining.

P.s.- in this same production, one of the props was a bottle of gin and of course for all showings we had a gin bottle with water in it, on closing night.....I replaced the water with real gin without telling the rest of the cast.....and many of the scenes called for huge gulps from the bottle.....so I was ready to get loose on stage from the gin, but the CREW was two steps ahead...because they replaced MY GIN with Salt water....so when onstage.....I was surprised and pissed off at the same time, but of course had to hide all emotion and continue to act drunk...... in the end I had to laugh, but I still was pissed that they wasted the perfectly good alcohol.

Memorable Theatre Moments Series - Take One

Every so often I'm going to post some of mine and my friends favorite personal theatre moments. I hope to appreciate and learn from everyone else's experiences. Please feel free to leave yours.

KASEY
I'll never forget looking up from the pit during the Special Chorus of 'Oklahoma' on the tours closing show and seeing 8 people already sobbing. I could see a chapter of my life closing before my eyes.

I also really enjoyed conducting 'What I did for Love' in Chorus Line this summer at CDA Summer Theatre. I think I enjoyed it for mainly two reasons. One it's a very simple song to conduct but you still feel like you're rocking out. And secondly because the 'Alternatives' scene that proceeds the number and the song itself are so meaningful to me now but moreso I know how much more meaningful they will be to me someday and I think I'm looking forward to that day.

And finally I'll always Cherish the opening day of 'Babes and Toyland'. With the crazy running around trying to amp the keyboards to the costumes being finished downstairs until well after the Overture. I wouldn't trade a second of it. I guess it is true - you never forget your first.

JESS
I'll never forget the first time I saw a full length show that I wrote, a modern adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It was hokey, and the plot was all Shakespeare, but it firmly cemented my desire to be a writer.

I will cherish, for all time, the first time I wrote and directed a show. It was called "Death Comes to Herman", a dark comedy about the Grim reaper taking a vacation, and getting a mild mannered CPA to take over for him. For the first time, responsibility for the quality of a show fell squarely on my shoulders. It was deeply satisfying, heartbreaking, and a complete joy.

I'll never forget the dream sequence from "It's a wonderful life" the musical. The whole production was fundamentally flawed. I mean, who the hell writes a musical based on a untouchable and timeless holiday classic? Despite all this, there was a purely magical moment where, in a dream of sorts (and behind a scrim), I got to waltz, in a Tux no less, with a beautiful woman who had a remarkably beautiful dress on, under the lights of the stage. Wonderful.

KASHANA
I'd have to say that my ultimate theatre moment would have to be playing the narrator in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" for Missula Childrens Theatre. It was such a vocal challenge and when I got to enter onto that stage to start the show, I remember feeling a warmth of pure happiness. Just knowing that some of my best friends and I had accomplished something beautiful together and had the blessing of sharing it. That show was very full circle for me in my growth as a performer.

Another wonderful moment for me was dancing with Greg Pschirrer in "Kiss Me Kate" and also in our senior showcase for Box 'n' Hat Players. I didn't get to dance with him much in KMK, but there was a part in "Too Darn Hot" where I had a little moment with him into this lift and I always felt so secure. I didn't feel that way with any other dance partner. He was such a strong lead and a true joy to dance with. I miss that.

However, the most special show for me will always be a tie between "Hansel and Gretle" and "The Secret Garden." Those shows had the most heart and were definately the most fulfilling to me. There were so many young people involved and it just brought me back to that feeling of fresh love. In SG, Ben and I fused our souls into making that show what it was. In that project, I got to see the magic of our love in action.

Other honorable mentions include flashing the guys in "Carousel" at Mead High while they were doing their sailor number. Character developement for "Going to See the Elephant." And getting to slap Joe every night during "Meet Me in St. Louis" (can you say method acting?).

Blame Canada, Blame Canada!

Well don't really blame them but because of an unforseeable setback we will be rehearsing in Toronto, Canada. It will be exciting as I've never been to to Toronto. But it will also be sad as I was hoping to get to spend a while in NYC.

I'm excited to start rehearsals though. On Monday, August 21st I will conduct my first NYC audition along with the Asst. Choreographer and the Asst. Director to find a replacement boy for the ensemble. It should be fun and I'm looking forward to it. Then Monday night I head to Toronto to start rehearsals with my supervisor, director and choreographer and the principles. The full company will start later in the week.

Here's a couple of photos. The first is John, Elizabeth and Austin (Max, Ulla, and Leo) hanging out at the photo shoot.

The second is a pre-run publicity shot. It will be used for the press before we do our official photo shoot once the show has opened. It's taken without the set and after a preliminary Costume fitting. Photo credit Robin Pendergrast/RFP Photography