Author: theactorvist

I love the Theatre. It's my church. It's my joy. I have been performing in plays and musicals for over half of my life, and I would be lost without it. Now more than ever, people are cutting back on everything that is too expensive or unimportant to their lives. As an actor, heck as a person, I don't know of anything that is more important than the arts. Art reflects history. It shows humanity at its worst but also its best. Every day some artistic program is getting cut from a school or a great show goes unseen. Maybe a talented singer isn't able to audition for American Idol. There are a ton of people who live in the South Bay Area of California, who go unseen or unheard. There are many production companies that are just bursting with talent, but people don't see the shows. I will do my best to bring you interviews with local artists of every kind, send out the call for local companies looking to cast people in productions, and much more. Stay tuned because this is only the beginning.

Joy and Payne…

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Dear gentle reader,

It has been 10 days since the final curtain was brought down on Guys and Dolls.

I have been struggling with a way to reflect on my experience with the Jewel Theatre Company. As of late, being able to sit down to write has been a bit difficult as time does not always allow for such simple requests. However, when I got a little Facebook notice that it was a particular person’s birthday and that same day I opened my mailbox to find a card from that very same person, then the stars are saying I have to do it now!

This is gonna be a bit nuts, but bear with me, k? This post is gonna be wonky…

The Thursday night of our closing weekend, I had a dream. At the time it made no sense, but once I started organizing my thoughts for this post, the lightbulb finally went on.

The Dream: I woke up in the middle of the night because I couldn’t sleep. I pulled up my Facebook account and immediately I get an IM from the one and only Lee Ann Payne, the choreographer for Guys and Dolls. The curious thing was that the message was a video message. She was so excited because she was the proud owner of a violin. Not only that but she can actually play something on it. She says, I am going to send you a video! Then she is gone. I get a link for a video that is titled “I Just Want It To Quack.” I hit play, and sure enough there is Ms. Payne playing her violin and literally making it quack. Like a duck. The video consists of many jump cuts as she joyfully plays her mallard fiddle and everything is lit with purple lights. (Think 80’s dance video if the description isn’t working for you.) This goes on for a brief chunk of time. Even though it is just quacks, I get a complete story; beginning, middle, and end. Then the dream is over. So random! So nonsensical, but very very joyful.

I recall waking up and being full of smiles because it was such a kooky dream. Not only that, it had one of my favorite theatre people of all time in it!

I am sure that I have mentioned this a million times, but it is because of Ms. Payne that I was lucky enough to be a part of the G&D family.

This past year, I have been focused on trying to work with as many new theatre companies as possible and I can say happily that I got to work with 3 plus an independent production team that put on a world premiere opera. Along with new theatre companies, I have harbored the secret wish of actually learning to play the violin which is my favorite instrument.

So now this is how the dream begins to morph into meaning for me. A brilliant choreographer has in her hands something that I want, but don’t own and yet is familiar because of my love for the object which I interpretation as that she hands me a wonderful opportunity doing something I love with with something new (people and places)!

The jump cuts seem to resemble how those 9 weeks of my life were. Flashes of the things I needed to do at the time; work at job 1, go to rehearsal, work job 2, work job 1, go to rehearsal, etc…

I know that purple is the color of royalty, but I also associate it with magic. There is nothing more magical to me than theatre and books. Both take you on journeys that others have imagined, and to be lucky enough to be able to bring those characters to life? Fuhgetaboutit!

The quacking I don’t quite get, I will admit. I’d like to believe that it is for the phrase “lucky duck.” I always consider getting gigs like this to be sheer luck. As I seem to have mentioned above… It could even mean something like “like a duck to water,” because from that very first rehearsal, everyone was friendly and helpful and it was just fun to be around them. So yeah, maybe it does stand for lucky duck.

As this was a whole new group of people that I was going to work with, I was much quieter during this process than my usual self. I had never worked with Linda Piccone, our sassy and funny, but unknown to me, director. I couldn’t tell at first a lot of the time if she was joking or not because she has a really good poker face. Once we moved into the theatre, I finally realized that she was joking the whole time. LOL!

Taking the image of a happy lady playing a violin that literally sounds like a duck quacking automatically puts a laugh in my heart and a smile on my soul. That, dear reader, is what the cast of G&D for Jewel Theatre did for me. Through all the hard work, there were so many laughs. So many times that I had tears in my eyes from all the funny that was happening.

If I were to name all the good things about the show, I could easily write a post this size for every day for the rest of the year and still not touch all of them. So I will tell you every bad thing… you ready?

Nothing
There was not a single thing that I would ask to change or do different. Does that mean I never had a mistake during the show? Oh, I did. Plenty. Someone accidentally made me break character during the sewer scene after Sky Masterson says “… the air in the mission smells better than the air down here.” To which in the background mumbling was heard “Oh that’s my cologne, uh, my colon.” I know! I know! I am still a 10 year old when people make poop jokes. But there was nothing bad; no divas, no drama, no problems. Just a wonderful group of hard working actors that I respect so much.

I will, however, say there are things that I will miss more:

The improv moments that happened nearly every night in the dressing room between two of the funniest men ever, Kurt and Chris!
The men’s dressing room in unity meowing Star Wars music and the exit music for G&D
DTK mic check performances, especially the joke about the bell!
Jordan’s incredible song library brain
Bryan’s silly funny corny jokes
Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat!!!!
The impromptu backstage interpretive dance performance by Lucas and Kurt during Adelaide’s Lament
Corie’s drunken stumble at the end of the “If I Were A Bell” scene. It is one of my favorite perfect moments of the show.
Domonic, DTK, and Lucas’ ending of the fugue. Another perfect moment in the show.
David singing “Luck Be A Lady”
The amazing ladies performing “Take Back Your Mink”
Phil serving FACE during the song above. Like serving it UP!
Domonic and Lucas’ nightly bantering which was always oddly inappropriate (more like naughty) but innocent in a way as only BFF’s can be and hilarious
Chris as Nathan Detroit!
Julie’s rendition of Adelaide’s Lament Reprise
Judith’s movie star entrance at the top of the show. Another perfect moment, IMHO.

Speaking of Julie, when describing the owner of Jewel Theatre Company, inspiring is the word that comes to mind when you have the chance to work with her. She works so incredibly hard and at 100% 100% of the time. How she balanced moving her company into a brand spanking new theater as well as performing such a big role at the same time, all while maintaining her sanity and her kindness, I will never know. Her drive to push Jewel forward reminds me a lot of another theatre owner down in Gilroy that I know…

Just like the name implies, Jewel Theatre Company was a gem to work for and I would do it again in a heartbeat. To Julie James and the rest of the JTC family, thank you for the experience. It will always be a precious memory for me.

The Sitzprobe…

Oh, gentle reader…

Last night, the cast of Jewel Theatre’s Guys and Dolls had our sitzprobe!! Can I just say… don’t forget to buy your tickets!

For those who have never heard the term, it is a German word used in Opera and Musical Theatre which literally translates to “seated rehearsal.” When I first began to perform in musicals I could never remember this word so I called it by its less elegant street name, “Sit and sing” or “Sit/Sing.”

The sitzprobe is often the first time the cast gets the chance to hear the orchestra and vice versa. Apparently, there used to be a beautiful tradition that went along with this wonderful night of the rehearsal process, which you can read about here. The way Opera singer, David Cangelosi, describes it makes me want to be in that community in those days because it just sounds so amazing.

This has always been my favorite moment of putting together a show. Yes, even more than having an audience. Even more than choreography rehearsals. Sorry to all my choreographer friends that I just got the side eye from. Definitely more than auditions. Tee hee.

The orchestra brings so much fun and energy to a show, which is why I adore all those wonderful musicians that I have met while performing. Not to mention, outside of the show, every one that I am lucky enough to call friend are kind and incredible folks.

Of course, the actors work hard at creating a world for the audience to lose themselves in. When you add that live music, though, it makes the dancers leap a little higher and the singers emote a little deeper.

That mighty little band of musicians really blew our socks off last night.

This show keeps getting closer and closer to opening and already I am feeling a bit of the sads knowing that in just a few short weeks we will all move on to the next project.

But for now, I am gonna love every minute of this process!

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN…

9 Days until Opening Night!!

Come and help us celebrate the opening of the Colligan Theater in the Tannery Arts Center, buy your tickets now!!!

Dance Captain Reporting For Duty…

And a part of me just wants to hide out in a cave until the idea passes. LOL!

Whenever I choreograph a show, I usually assign the dancer that asks the most specific questions about details the task of being the dance captain. The main reason I do this is because I know that they are dedicated to making the movements as close as possible to what I am asking for. Usually this person is also technically sound and picks up steps fairly quickly… even when I don’t use counts and “boom kak whoosh” my way through a step. I do try to use counts as much as possible but sometimes I will focus on particular sounds in the middle of the number just to confuse the heck out of my dancers.

That being said, I think that being asked to take on the title Dance Captain is a great compliment for a dancer.

You can bet your boo-tay that I am gonna be up late these next couple of days making some serious notes and possibly spreadsheets breaking down steps to counts. But mind you, I did say POSSIBLY… I just gotta find some time.

Anyone got any extra time that they can spare? I need like 27 hours per day. 24 just ain’t cuttin’ it.

Welp, this has to be short, cuz… well… this kid is a Dance Captain! Hahahaha

Until next time,

I salute you!

Confession…

I probably would have a lot of people complain about this, and I think there may be some hurt feelings…

BUT

I do not like the musicals of yore.

Music Man, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Oklahoma, Kiss Me Kate, Showboat, Camelot and Finian’s Rainbow are just some of the musicals that I don’t need to ever hear again. I understand the importance that some had on society and on the Art Form itself. I am not sure what it is about them, but I just don’t connect with those shows. I tried, TRUST, I tried. I have even performed in some of those show and STILL those songs and stories just bore me to death.

Once upon a time, Guys and Dolls was on that list.

However, I am actually working on this show for the second time. The first time was as a production assistant. I really enjoyed working on that show because the cast was so fun. Now, it didn’t mean that I wanted to hear those tunes on my free time, but I had a good experience.

This time around is a bit different. This time around, I actually CANNOT wait for people to come and check out this show! I had a brief conversation with our amazing choreographer, Lee Ann Payne, in which I pretty much gushed about how much fun I am having. I adore the numbers in this show. Our vocal director, Diana Torres Koss, has been brilliant in breaking down the songs. I feel a sense of joy while I am doing these dances and I love the challenge of these harmonies. I like building a character that has a vice, gambling, and a story of his own that the audience knows nothing about. That is what makes it so much more fulfilling. I have a brilliant partner to dance with and great people to share the stage with, thanks to the vision of our fearless leader, Linda Piccone.

Yes, these rehearsals have kicked. my. ass!

Yes, I love every single minute of it.

And even more yes, this is an old show that I would probably do again BUT it would have a lot to live up to.

Come and see Jewel Theater’s Guys And Dolls opening on November 13!!!!

Get your tickets here!!! Or use this shortcut…

Word of advice, Jewel Theater has a history of selling out their shows, so…

Stepping Into The Limelight…

Hello gentle reader,

My first time walking into Limelight Actors’ Theater was filled with so much anxiety. By now, you probably are thinking “Jeez, what doesn’t make you anxious?”

Touche’ hahahahaha

I was brought into this project by some fabulous friends, so I felt it super important to make a good impression on the director-fella, Kevin Heath, who is also happens to be the co-owner of the company, along with Alan Obata.

Weeeeelllll, walking into rehearsal 15 minutes late was NOT the way that I wanted to start off our first encounter.

Now, lemme ‘splain.

I had my GPS set for the Limelight address… but for one that was from a while ago. LOL! And what, bummed me out is that I circled the block twice with 10 minutes to spare trying to see if I was in the right spot because the only place that looked open was a car repair shop. Then somehow, I managed to recall that our fearless leader had sent an email about the location for our read through.

One minute after the scheduled meeting time, I sent him a message letting him know of my goof and he was kind and understanding. So I drove down the street and made it to the proper spot and shamefully walked into the venue.

Right away, Kevin popped up out of his chair with a big smile and a ready handshake. Easily one of the kindest people, I have had the pleasure of meeting. We traded pleasantries around the table as we took seats to begin the reading. Like the first read through of “Super Villain” at the Pear Theater, I giggled the whole way through, and in the process stumbled on some of the words.

When we reconvened, after a month and a half away, we got to work putting this show on its feet. I felt a little like I was bumbling along through the blocking, because I needed to get my awkwardness into gear. I hoped that it didn’t look too spastic when I panicked. Then when we were told that a piece of the furniture was going to be a bean bag that I jumped on, I felt my stomach flip flop. A big guy like me? Jumping on a bean bag? C’mon!!!!! Talk about panic.

We rehearsed and rehearsed with no problems. Things were piecing together. The motions a bit more natural even though they sometimes were opposite of what I would normally want to do, thanks to my want of being a dancer. Graceful wasn’t what Robert was about.

Preview snuck up so fast! The people that were there got to bear witness to my fear ever since the announcement of the bean bag.

The Bean Bag Incident…

Yes, dear reader. You can probably guessed what is to come.

All I remember is putting the handbag I was suppose to hide in its place then rushing over to get the bean bag. I recall getting my hands on the white, smooth, faux leather and jumping in the air and suddenly hearing “pfwhoosh!!” Then an eruption of laughter.

I flailed around on this ever shrinking bag of beans and the laughter escalates in the midst of my flailing! I finally feel the giggles dying down and calm my motions as well for the scene to continue. Oh boy! When I stand up, there is a mess of little white puff balls littering the stage and I worry that someone is going to fall. GAH!! Why a bean bag? LOL!

Take that bean bag!!! Me :1 Bean bag: 0

It wasn’t until after the performance that I was told that every flail resulted in those little beans flying out of the hole in the bag which happened to be near my crotch, thus making me look like a seahorse on dry land birthing my offspring. Can’t visualize it? Check out the bottom of this post.

After that first audience, I always had to mentally prep myself for the possibility that it could happen again. That’s when I found Leo (image at top). He was just a pattern on the back of the set. The natural lines in a wood pattern that my brain decided looked like a lion. Every night there after though, I would take a moment and run down that particular sequence of events so that everything would be fine. He was like my little mascot for the show.

I really don’t want to gush about how fabulous it was to work for the Limelight Actors Theater Company. Not because it isn’t true. Absolutely not. I had a marvelous time! I don’t want to gush because then everyone is going to want to work there and they should, but I don’t want to have so much competition for roles. Selfish? Totally. I wholeheartedly admit it.

That being said, I think people should experience what it is like to work for someone who cares so much that the actors are able to focus on their roles and fosters an environment that truly feels like we are creating something in tandem. We were welcome to try out as much as we wanted, and believe you me, I took full advantage of that. I don’t think I did anything the same more than twice while we were rehearsing because I kept having different feelings appear in my noggin so I would run with it. Sometimes it worked out better than the last thing I thought of, and sometimes it didn’t. I appreciated that whenever I would say “it feels weird to do…” this motion or that one, I knew that I was heard and got to talk about it.

*sigh* I already miss the place. Not to mention the amazing people that I had the chance to work with! I always love getting to work with my buddy Aaron Weisberg and the superb Cindy Powell, but to play on a stage with the very funny trio; Christine McElroy, Rachel Perry and Heather Bass was sheer joy! Everyone was genuinely interested in our castmates’ lives outside of Boeing Boeing and it was so fun getting to really know these outstanding beautiful people.

So… thank you to Kevin and Alan of LAT for letting me be a part this crazy and kooky show with a whole slew of great people. Alas, now it comes time to depart for the next destination, but I can’t wait to be for a return visit!

As promised!!

SEAHORSE!!!