Michael Schaaff, who plays Alan in "bare", sent this to me yesterday, so I am giving you all a Thursday Update :)
Originally this was going to be a journal of sorts of Alan's thoughts throughout the show. It turned into more of an essay, but Mike says it really helped him with the character even this late in the game. I think every actor should do this for their characters about halfway through the rehearsal process -- it's amazing what you discover about the character, the show, and yourself.
When I was cast for this show, I was really excited about the concept. From what I had heard, it sounded great. Once I read the synopsis I was sold. I was playing the nerdy kid. Huh, I can play that cause that's what I was in high school. Long shot for me, I know. So we started up rehearsal. Initially I kinda just classified myself as ensemble and was content with just being moving scenery. As we were progressing along with rehearsals I started to wonder were Alan fit into this group who has known each other "since 7th grade". He had to be more than just moving scenery. Alan is considered the nerdy guy, counterpart to Diane. He's the standard smart, follow the rules, good student, which in high school is a nerd. He's the norm that the other guys are branched off of, making him seem plain. What makes this character special? One of the themes this show has is "hear my voice". It's about young people wanting acceptance and the way I see the Alan character, he wants to be accepted as more than just the nerd and maybe more than just a friend. Most "nerds", and anyone for that matter, can relate to the feeling of wanting to be with someone but going unnoticed. In Alan's case, it's Diane. She clearly likes Jason and Alan can't compete with that. So he remains content to be her friend, always hoping one day to be seen. When the Jason/Peter/Ivy stuff goes down, I feel that Alan is on the "intellectual" side of the responses to the situation. How would/should he respond? He's got scientific facts. There are all kinds of case studies and data showing that being gay is genetic with some influence from environment. It's the old nature vs. nurture question. Does he choose scientific fact over religion? An even more posing question is, does he choose religion over a friend? What's right? Does he go break free of the "rule-following obedient kid" mold? While he doesn't have the lines to express his feelings, as he is just an ensemble character, I feel that a friend to Alan is everything. As a nerd in high school you come to cherish your grades and your friends. High school is rough and you need support to make it through. I don't think Alan would be the kind of person to throw away a friendship. Social acceptance is vital to a "nerd". Have you ever really met a mean nerd? If you have they are very few and far between.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Show is Good, Come See It.
It's hard to believe we only have three days left until we open (sorry to all cast members who read that and had a heart attack).
Everyone is working really, really hard on this show. This cast is so dedicated, and the crew is working their tails off to put the cast in the best light possible. Metaphorical light, I mean. Literal light too, as well as props, costumes, hair, and all that, but really, I meant the crew is working hard to make the cast look as good as they are.
I would like to give a special shout-out to our assistant director, Keith Ryder, to thank him for the sinfully delicious margarita truffles last night. And, you know, for all his hard work, but seriously, those truffles were possibly the most incredible thing I have ever eaten -- and that's saying a lot, because I really like food.
In the coming weeks we will probably have journals from some of the characters, as written by the actors playing them. I'm hoping to do this; we'll see if the cast is too burned out from performing 3 nights a week to chronicle their adventures for me (can't really blame them if they are, especially given how hard they've been working up to this point, but since they're the ones who suggested these journals to me, I'm assuming they will write them).
I feel like this isn't really a very exciting post. I would like to share some pictures, but I don't have any (too bad, too, those are always good for making the post look longer!). At this point we've all been at the theatre until so late that I think everyone is on auto-pilot, including me, so it's hard to make my brain think of anything to say besides "the show is good, come see it."
So.
The show is good.
Come see it.
Everyone is working really, really hard on this show. This cast is so dedicated, and the crew is working their tails off to put the cast in the best light possible. Metaphorical light, I mean. Literal light too, as well as props, costumes, hair, and all that, but really, I meant the crew is working hard to make the cast look as good as they are.
I would like to give a special shout-out to our assistant director, Keith Ryder, to thank him for the sinfully delicious margarita truffles last night. And, you know, for all his hard work, but seriously, those truffles were possibly the most incredible thing I have ever eaten -- and that's saying a lot, because I really like food.
In the coming weeks we will probably have journals from some of the characters, as written by the actors playing them. I'm hoping to do this; we'll see if the cast is too burned out from performing 3 nights a week to chronicle their adventures for me (can't really blame them if they are, especially given how hard they've been working up to this point, but since they're the ones who suggested these journals to me, I'm assuming they will write them).
I feel like this isn't really a very exciting post. I would like to share some pictures, but I don't have any (too bad, too, those are always good for making the post look longer!). At this point we've all been at the theatre until so late that I think everyone is on auto-pilot, including me, so it's hard to make my brain think of anything to say besides "the show is good, come see it."
So.
The show is good.
Come see it.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
On a more serious note ...
Up till now these posts have been full of jokes and witticisms, but I want to stop and take a moment to be a little more serious.
We open in (according to Leah's Facebook status) 10 days. Wow.
From what I've seen of rehearsals so far, this cast is amazing. So strong, so dedicated. I'm really proud to be a part of this show. You guys are awesome. Even in the face of health crises, exhaustion, and family emergencies, you're still giving it your all and rocking it out every night.
To the crew: You guys rock just as hard. The set looks amazing; Molly Hicks has done an incredible job turning Styrofoam into stone; Kevin King and Rick Wilson have constructed a truly awesome set with all sorts of moving pieces; Theresa Bender has thrown herself into props to the point of driving all the way from Herndon to Rockville at 9 AM to acquire free silk rose petals; Colleen Stock is hands-down the most cheerful and dedicated stage manager I've ever had the pleasure of working with ... the list goes on and on.
I haven't heard the band yet, but I know they're going to be fantastic as well; they always are.
And to ramp it back up a notch to my usual irreverence, the penis piñata is dead. I believe it went down something like this:
Scene: Onstage, during a rehearsal. Cast members are attacking each other with the penis piñata.
Voice from the house: Guys! Stop beating each other with the penis!
The cast member holding the penis piñata drops it on the floor. It cracks. The head now dangles lifelessly from the shaft.
We will be duct-taping it back together for rehearsals and making a new one for the shows, but still, this is a sad day. Let's all please take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of this beloved new cast member.
We open in (according to Leah's Facebook status) 10 days. Wow.
From what I've seen of rehearsals so far, this cast is amazing. So strong, so dedicated. I'm really proud to be a part of this show. You guys are awesome. Even in the face of health crises, exhaustion, and family emergencies, you're still giving it your all and rocking it out every night.
To the crew: You guys rock just as hard. The set looks amazing; Molly Hicks has done an incredible job turning Styrofoam into stone; Kevin King and Rick Wilson have constructed a truly awesome set with all sorts of moving pieces; Theresa Bender has thrown herself into props to the point of driving all the way from Herndon to Rockville at 9 AM to acquire free silk rose petals; Colleen Stock is hands-down the most cheerful and dedicated stage manager I've ever had the pleasure of working with ... the list goes on and on.
I haven't heard the band yet, but I know they're going to be fantastic as well; they always are.
And to ramp it back up a notch to my usual irreverence, the penis piñata is dead. I believe it went down something like this:
Scene: Onstage, during a rehearsal. Cast members are attacking each other with the penis piñata.
Voice from the house: Guys! Stop beating each other with the penis!
The cast member holding the penis piñata drops it on the floor. It cracks. The head now dangles lifelessly from the shaft.
We will be duct-taping it back together for rehearsals and making a new one for the shows, but still, this is a sad day. Let's all please take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of this beloved new cast member.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Piñata Party
So I promised you all a Thursday post if Asher sent me the pictures Michael told me he was going to send. Well, he didn't, but Brittany did, so Brittany is today's official Blog Superhero, and she gets extra superhero points for being as nerdy as me to the point of Googling the word "piñata" so that she could paste it into an email and have the proper accent on it. I thought I was the only one that anal retentive -- good to know I'm not!
Okay, so this post is about the piñata-making party a few of our cast members had earlier this week. During the show, there is a birthday party, and at this birthday party is a piñata shaped like a penis. Now, this is not an easy thing to acquire, nor is it cheap, so the cast decided to make their own penis piñata. Below, find pictures from this endeavor, courtesy of Brittany Washington (who says the piñata is apparently pretty heavy, so we're going to hope she doesn't take out and cast/audience members while she swings it around onstage!).
Early on in the process (pre-papier-mâché [see, I can Google for accents too!]). Michael concentrates very hard. I'm fairly certain he's trying to create the head, but I really don't know.
Now that the head is attached to the shaft, Brian begins to cover it in papier-mâché.
Yes, this is slightly out of order, but it would take a really long time to delete this picture and go back and left-justify it, because I'd also have to delete all the others and re-justify them, because my computer is being really slow. At any rate, this is Michael, peering at us through the penis. A little weird, that.
Asher blow-dries the papier-mâché once the penis is assembled.
These next few photos are actually from set building on Sunday, but I figured I would include them as well.
Our lovely set -- that's me on the left, laden down with bags of costuming paraphernalia, then Brittany, Michael, and Kevin's dad Mike.
Michael and Theresa being craaaaazzzzzyyyyy.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
2 Weeks Out!!!
We are almost 2 weeks out from opening night, ladies and gentlemen. Who's ready?
I actually watched this in rehearsal, and in person, it was even funnier than this picture. Poor Tara and Dan were trying to sing lovingly to each other, paper in hand, while Dan grabs Tara's butt to keep her from falling. Without the paper, she'll be able to hold on better, so he won't have to grip so hard, so it won't look as funny. But in rehearsal, it made me laugh.
This is one of two classic Ryan onstage poses. The other pose looks like Superman posing on top of a building with his cape billowing in the wind (though usually there's no billowing cape, for Ryan). When I go to see Ryan onstage, I always look for these poses -- I don't think it's on purpose that he does them, it's just that the roles I've seen him in lend themselves well to these "I'm singing very passionately out ot the audience" types of poses. I'm not making fun of you, Ryan. You know I love you.
A rare tender moment between Ivy and Nadia. I'm not entirely sure if this is actually Ivy and Nadia, or Juliet and the Nurse, but regardless, it's one of the few times Brittany's character isn't calling Tara's character a ho-face.
It's a scary time for a theatre group, to be 2 weeks away from opening. Kevin King (our technical director) and I were talking last night, and he said "I feel like we're behind, but if you think about it, in the old theatre we wouldn't have even been in the space yet, so I guess we're actually ahead!"
It's true. When 2nd Flight was just 2nd Flight, and we performed at the Cramer Center in Manassas, we wouldn't even move into the space until 2 weeks before the show went up (which would be this coming weekend). We'd build stuff ahead of time, but we wouldn't be able to really put it together until we were in the space.
And I have to say, this set is going to kick butt. Right now it's not painted or anything, it's just the skeleton, but it's awesome. Mad props to Kevin and Rick Wilson (our other technical director) and all the others who helped work on it so far (Theresa Bender, Brittany Washington, Asher Miller, Michael Schaaff, Kevin's dad Mike, and I'm sure there are others but these are the people I have actually seen working on it).
On another tech-related note, if you ever need cheap fabic, go to Wal*Mart. Their dollar-a-yard racks have costumed more shows for me than I can count. Go in with an open mind regarding color and weight of the fabric, and you're bound to find something that will work really well. Don't go in planning to be picky; you'll never find exactly what you want. Looking for something specific in the dollar-a-yard rack is like looking for a vintage Versace evening gown at the Sterling Goodwill. Not gonna happen.
That's about all I've got for today, but I have it on good authority that I may have some fodder for a Thursday update coming my way. I won't make promises, since it's not within my control whether or not the photos I've been told of appear in my inbox, but if they do, there will be an exciting story about the making of a certain special prop.
In the meantime, here are a couple more rehearsal photos, courtesy of Traci J. Brooks.
I actually watched this in rehearsal, and in person, it was even funnier than this picture. Poor Tara and Dan were trying to sing lovingly to each other, paper in hand, while Dan grabs Tara's butt to keep her from falling. Without the paper, she'll be able to hold on better, so he won't have to grip so hard, so it won't look as funny. But in rehearsal, it made me laugh.
This is one of two classic Ryan onstage poses. The other pose looks like Superman posing on top of a building with his cape billowing in the wind (though usually there's no billowing cape, for Ryan). When I go to see Ryan onstage, I always look for these poses -- I don't think it's on purpose that he does them, it's just that the roles I've seen him in lend themselves well to these "I'm singing very passionately out ot the audience" types of poses. I'm not making fun of you, Ryan. You know I love you.
A rare tender moment between Ivy and Nadia. I'm not entirely sure if this is actually Ivy and Nadia, or Juliet and the Nurse, but regardless, it's one of the few times Brittany's character isn't calling Tara's character a ho-face.
And finally, we have a not-so-tender moment between Ivy and Jason. Ivy looks like she's about to stab him in the face, then laugh about it. I'm not 100% sure what's actually going on here, but I can tell you that Ivy does not actually stab Jason in the face. Unless Debbie took some interesting directorial liberties that I'm not aware of. Which I don't think she did.
That's all for this particular update Tuesday! Come back on thursday and see if Asher sent me what he was supposed to (and if he didn't, you'll know it's his fault you don't have a story, not mine!).
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Update Tuesday strikes again!!!
I promised two updates, so two updates ye shall have. 
Ryan Khatcheressian (Peter) and Dan look very studious. Dan must be taking better notes, though, cuz his hand is moving faster. Step it up, Ryan!
Photo credit: Traci J. Brooks
Assistant Director B. Keith Ryder and Stage Manager Colleen Stock (greatest stage manager ever, from what I can tell) take notes. Lots of note taking going on at rehearsals. Kinda makes you wonder if they ever actually sing or dance or act, doesn't it?
Yes, they DO rehearse! Here, Ryan practices being a hummingbird while the rest of the cast practices choreography for "Rolling".
In this update, pictures from rehearsal!!!
Director Debbie Niezgoda offers direction (cuz that's what directors do, ideally) to actor Dan Plehal (Jason). I think he looks like he's not paying any attention, but I'm sure he's actually committing her every word to memory; right, Dan?
Photo credit: Traci J. Brooks
Ryan Khatcheressian (Peter) and Dan look very studious. Dan must be taking better notes, though, cuz his hand is moving faster. Step it up, Ryan!Photo credit: Traci J. Brooks
Assistant Director B. Keith Ryder and Stage Manager Colleen Stock (greatest stage manager ever, from what I can tell) take notes. Lots of note taking going on at rehearsals. Kinda makes you wonder if they ever actually sing or dance or act, doesn't it?
Photo credit: Traci J. Brooks
Yes, they DO rehearse! Here, Ryan practices being a hummingbird while the rest of the cast practices choreography for "Rolling".Photo credit: Brittany Washington
Meet the Cast: The Last Installment
Welcome back! We have some exciting news here in the CCT/2FT blogosphere (that's right, we have our very own blogosphere!). This blog has been recognized by showbizradio.net for being awesome! Well, okay, the blog itself wasn't, really, but the fact that we have one was. Check out the writeup here. This is pretty exciting for me; I've been doing theatre in this area a long time and this is the closest I've come to having showbizradio actually mention me for one of my theatrical contributions. Unless you count "Noises Off" back in 2006, when Dave kicked the railing onto my head and the review mentioned the great breakaway set, but it's too bad that actress was standing in the wrong place (in their defense, they didn't know, but for the record I'd like to state that I was 100% in the right place -- the railing was in the wrong place [i.e., on my head instead of on the second story]). But yeah, exciting!!!
Name: Carla Okouchi
Role: Rory
What are some of your favorite past roles? It was an honor to play Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, our first show as 2nd Flight! Ms. Casewell in Mouse Trap was the most deep and interesting character I've had the pleasure of bringing to the stage. Poppy in Noises Off ... yes, Matthew watch out ... "I'll make it my own!" Mayor Maggie, Ron, and Clem must round out the list from Batboy: The Musical ... it's not often one can flirt with one's husband the Reverend as Mayor, play his brother, and get killed along with the rest of the cast.
If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? Elphaba in Wicked; I actually met Stephanie Block a couple months ago after the show. She was fabulous as Elphaba, and if you've seen my Halloween picture from last year, you'll know it's a dream role of mine. (Erin says: Yes, the picture posted here is from Halloween last year ... Carla is not typically green.) Mimi in Rent -- another show that I would LOVE to be part of in the future. Velma in Chicago and Kim in Miss Saigon.
What do you do when you're not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I'm a music educator by day and spend any free time outside of working on shows ... dancing or playing billiards ... I actually have a couple trophies from APA league. Rack 'em!!
Anything else we should know about you? Making a movie "Ninjas versus Zombies" with my husband and friends. Check out http://nvzmovie.com/ for a sneak peek! And no, my character is not a ninja or a zombie.
And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I'm an animal lover and should have studied to become a veterinarian ... too bad I can't stand the sight of blood. If we could own a farm I'd have plenty of horses and dogs running about! Ever since I was little riding horses had been my favorite outdoor activity.
Okay, this week we have our final installment of Meet the Cast interviews, and I think, because I'm feeling particularly update-y today (and I kind of want to make Michael's head explode with the sheer power of Update Tuesday), I just might post ANOTHER entry after this one. You'll have to wait and see!!!
Name: Cory Okouchi
Role: Lucas
What are some of your favorite past roles? Scrooge, Sagot, Lucentio (short shorts picture Shannon found -- Erin says: I tried to find this picture to post but alas, I could not. If I can track it down in the future I will post it. It's pretty hilarious.)
If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? Sweeney, Hamlet
What do you do when you're not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? Boring engineering work and making feature films! I'm kinda eclectic.
Anything else we should know about you? Nope.
And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you (can't be something you've said already; make it good – "I'm allergic to cats" is lame, but "I once worked as a dancer in a vampire theme bar" is awesome!)? I'm from Idaho but I've never grown a potato. All my plants die.
Name: Asher J. Miller 
Role: Zack - The Jock
What are some of your favorite past roles? Heck Tate, the Sheriff in To Kill A Mockingbird and Lewis in the musical Pippin
If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? The Farmer in The Crucible (Erin says: Exactly which farmer, Asher? I'm pretty sure they were all farmers.)
What do you do when you’re not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I work with my production company to put webisodes online, I DJ, and try and find other movie- and music-related projects.
Anything else we should know about you? I enjoy pie a great deal.
And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I am Samuel L. Jackson … I used to be a huge comic geek. On a more interesting note, my cousin was Miss World 1969 and my mom partied with Grateful Dead, no seriously. (Erin says: Asher's mom has facebook. Who knows what comes next??? Michael? Brittany?)
Name: Carla OkouchiRole: Rory
What are some of your favorite past roles? It was an honor to play Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, our first show as 2nd Flight! Ms. Casewell in Mouse Trap was the most deep and interesting character I've had the pleasure of bringing to the stage. Poppy in Noises Off ... yes, Matthew watch out ... "I'll make it my own!" Mayor Maggie, Ron, and Clem must round out the list from Batboy: The Musical ... it's not often one can flirt with one's husband the Reverend as Mayor, play his brother, and get killed along with the rest of the cast.
If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? Elphaba in Wicked; I actually met Stephanie Block a couple months ago after the show. She was fabulous as Elphaba, and if you've seen my Halloween picture from last year, you'll know it's a dream role of mine. (Erin says: Yes, the picture posted here is from Halloween last year ... Carla is not typically green.) Mimi in Rent -- another show that I would LOVE to be part of in the future. Velma in Chicago and Kim in Miss Saigon.
What do you do when you're not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I'm a music educator by day and spend any free time outside of working on shows ... dancing or playing billiards ... I actually have a couple trophies from APA league. Rack 'em!!
Anything else we should know about you? Making a movie "Ninjas versus Zombies" with my husband and friends. Check out http://nvzmovie.com/ for a sneak peek! And no, my character is not a ninja or a zombie.
And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I'm an animal lover and should have studied to become a veterinarian ... too bad I can't stand the sight of blood. If we could own a farm I'd have plenty of horses and dogs running about! Ever since I was little riding horses had been my favorite outdoor activity.