Oh, the times, I am behind them.

I know, the show closed (and it was fabulous, BTW), and I have still not posted all the cast interviews. I apologize. The cast and crew all know I've been a wee bit busy in the past two weeks, so I'm hoping they'll give me a pass *grin*.

Name: Mike Bertone
Role: Doug
Favorite show: The King and I
Role I'd Kill For: "Scar" - The Lion King

Coffee or tea, and how do you take it? Tea. Twinings English Breakfast tea to be specific. I like mine with milk and sugar.
What is your favorite Pop Tart flavor?My favorite Pop-tart flavor is the classic strawberry because I used to eat them on the way to the beach as a kid. So now, whenever I eat one, it makes me think of the beach.
Let's play "Desert Island": If I was stuck on a desert island I'd have these items with me:
3 Books: the last 3 books of the Harry Potter series
5 Movies: The Lion King, Aladdin, Gladiator, 300, and A Knight's Tale
1 Food: peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich (Erin says: A single sandwich? someone's not gonna last long!)
1 Person: the guy from Survivorman or Man vs. Wild (is that cheating?) (Erin says: Probably, but I'll allow it. It's probably the only way you'll survive, is to have someone who knows how to kill his own food, since that sandwich isn't gonna keep you going forever!)
What is your greatest fear? My biggest fear is that I'll die before I do all the things I want to do in my life.

Name: Nicole Jacobs (Erin says: As with the last round of interviews, if the actor didn't send me a headshot, I went looking. I do actually have a headshot for Nicole, but she didn't send it to me. And this is funnier.)
Role: Tess
What was your favorite show: Favorite show to perform, Abigail in The Crucible
What role would you kill for: probably Maureen in Rent

Coffee or tea, and how do you take it? Coffee, iced, lots of half and half
What is your favorite Pop Tart flavor? Chocolate, and I eat it frosting side-down
It's football season -- who do you cheer for? Colts -- I'm born and raised in Indianapolis!! (Erin syas: I knew there was a reason I liked you, Nicole!)
What are you allergic to? Any bee/insect sting/bite
What is your greatest fear? Octopi and squid. I have NO idea why, but I didn't realize how morbidly terrified I was until my friend Patrick came to visit me and I took him to the Natural History Museum. They'd just done some renevating and put in an entire oceanic section. I thought it'd be neat and harmless since, well, who DOESN'T like water? Well, I didn't realize that they had on display the largest captured squid. In a big, scary, nodescript glass case. So naive little me approaches said case, thinking it's some big exhibit with lots of pretty little sea creatures. No. I wouldn't be so lucky. After walking from one end of the case to the other, I finally realized what the pale, mangled, disgusting figure was entombed within the case. I immediatly went pale, my ears started ringing, the room became fuzzy, a sweat broke out on my forehead, and I went rigid. Patrick, who also happens to be a linebacker, immediately scooped my motionless body into his arms, carried me out of the exhibit, and placed me onto a nearby bench. Passersby stopped and asked if we needed help, and eventually a paramedic was called (much to my embarassment). After a brief black-out, some water and oxygen were enough to revive me and I insisted it was simply time to leave the museum. Still haven't gone back ... (Erin says: Wow. I think Nicole wins for best story.)

Name: Colleen Stock
Role: Producer
What was your favorite show: Ever of all time? Secret in the Wings
What role would you kill for: Um ... none

Six Degrees of Separation is all about connections. Do you have a favorite personal connection in Six Degrees or less? (think Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon): With this show, I have three...which is kinda cool.

First: 1) I volunteer at the Flying Circus with Joe and Joey Callen. 2) Joe Callen takes piano lessons from Mrs. Piper. 3) Mrs. Piper's son Joel is in Six Degrees of Separation which I am producing.

Second: 1) I volunteer at the Flying Circus with Joe and Joey Callen. 2) Joe Callen is heavily involved with Scouts in Loudoun County where he knows Ian, who was a boy scout with his troop. 3) Ian is working on the set for Six Degrees of Separation.

Third: 1) I went to Virginia Tech, where I met Buck Linton. 2) Buck Linton worked for TheatreVirginia prior to coming to VT, where he was part of the team that also employed Steve Barker. 3) Steve Barker is the Lighting Designer for Six Degrees of Separation. Theatre is such a small world ...
Coffee or tea, and how do you take it? Coffee, cream and sugar.
It's football season -- who do you cheer for? Let's Go HOKIES! (Erin says: Heck yeah!)
What is your greatest fear? Heights and enclosed spaces. I have this insane fear of having to walk to the top of a suspension bridge and then taking an elevator back down....it's giving me the heebie jeebies writing this. However, I go up in small aircraft and even go upside down in them to help overcome my fear.

Name: Joel Piper
Role: Rick
What was your favorite show: West Side Story
What role would you kill for: Roger in Rent

Six Degrees of Separation is all about connections. Do you have a favorite personal connection in Six Degrees or less? I can connect myself to Rex Harrison through a friend. (Erin says: What, that's it? No story about HOW you can connect to him? Lame, Joel. So lame.)
Coffee or tea, and how do you take it? Coffee: black
What is your favorite Pop Tart flavor? Brown Cinnamon Sugar
It's football season -- who do you cheer for? Green Bay or Redskins (Erin says: So, you like bad teams. Okay, I guess Green Bay isn't THAT bad, but they lost to the Bengals. Oh well. at least they didn't lose to the Lions. [I think I probably just offended 4 teams' worth of fans, there, and they'll probably all hunt me down. But that's okay. If they fight liek tehir teams play, I can take 'em. BURN!])
Let's play "Desert Island":
3 books: The Realms of the Unreal (15,000 page novel); A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Erin says: I LOVE THIS BOOK.); The Bible
5 movies (assume you have a solar-powered tv/dvd combo player): Fight Club, Burn After Reading, Young Frankenstein, Clue, and the Led Zeppelin documentary music video
1 food item: steak …
1 person/animal : a parrot, because it’d outlive me and therefore I’d always have some company. (Erin says: This is actually quite a brilliant answer. I approve!)
What are you allergic to? People with drama in their lives
What is your greatest fear? Being alone, so the desert island would really suck for me. And Needles, I hate needles. They are probably the worst thing ever. There isn’t much of a story behind it and they don’t even hurt that much. It’s more of a fear of the needle breaking while in my skin …

Cast Interviews!

Hi all! It's been about a month since my last update -- sorry. Work has been uber busy and I have not had as much downtime to post as I used to before I switched jobs. And I'm never actually home (just ask my husband) so I can't post there, either. BUT Michael Schaaff has agreed to be co-blogger because he just can't stand having even a millisecond of free time, apparently, seems he's doing so much for this company as it is that there just can't possibly be any other excuse. Hopefully that means you'll be getting more frequent updates, since if I'm slacking off he'll be able to step in and help me out (instead of just sending me chats that say "Eeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnnnn, where's my blooooooooooooooog pooooooosssssssst????").

Anyway, we're gearing up for the opening of Six Degrees of Separation, and you know what that means -- interviews!!!!

I don't have nearly as many pictures of people as I would like to have, so I took it upon myself to find pictures for those who didn't send them over. If it looks like a picture that can't possibly actually be of the person whose name it is next to, chances are good that I just did a Google image search for that person's name and posted the first picture that came up. You're welcome :)

Name: Joseph (Joe) Helein
Role: The Hustler, aptly named Rocky

What was your favorite show: A Midsummer Night's Dream

What role would you kill for: Macbeth

What are you allergic to? I am impervious to everything. (Erin says: Oh, Joe. You don't know me well enough to know that now I'm going to test you on this. With Michael's help. Beware.)

Let's play Desert Island. What would keep you company for the rest of your life is you were stranded?
3 books: Songs of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (now a 4 part series but eh) (Erin says: My husband has me reading A Game of Thrones right now. I'm not 100% sold. More like 30%.)
5 movies (assume you have a solar-powered tv/dvd combo player, because really, this question was just a fancy way for me to ask what your 5 favorite movies are): V for Vendetta, Braveheart, Last Samurai, Se7en and Life Aquatic
1 food item: Steak (rare) (Erin says: Yeah, that sounds about right, given that while I did grant you a TV/DVD palyer, I did not great you proper cooking tools. Oops!)
1 person/animal: My woman Adriana

Coffee or tea, and how do you take it? Tea, refined and sugared with a hue of honey drop.

It's football season -- who do you cheer for? Anyone who isn’t the Steelers, Eagles or Ravens. (Erin says: I can support that, as it means you DO cheer for my Hokies, my Colts, and my Cowboys.)

Name: Matthew Randall (Erin says: I really, really wish that this was actually the picture that Matthew gave me. But alas and alack, I had to go digging through Google for it.)
Role: Flanders Kittredge

What was your favorite show: Always, the one I am currently doing.

What role would you kill for: I Am My Own Wife, by Doug Wright (one-man show)

Favorite Six Degrees connection:
1. I did Love! Valour! Compassion! at Elden Street Players, Rich Klare produced.
2. Rich and I were in The Lion in Winter, the first "College Community Theatre" show. I was asked to direct the next show, and also to teach classes at NOVA in photography and Improv comedy.
3. I directed La Bete, and Natalie Safley joined the board.
4. After Natalie directed me in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, we were both in Noises Off with Second Flight Productions.
5. CCT and Second Flight Productions merged to form CCT2FT.
6. I am in Six Degrees of Separation, [an important for reasons that cannot yet be announced]show under the CCT2FT name. (Erin says: Matthew, don't SPOIL it!!!)

Desert Island:
3 books: the complete works of Shakespeare; the complete Mark Twain; the complete Edgar Allan Poe
5 movies: Gone With the Wind; Rear Window; Dinner at Eight; The Lion in Winter; Auntie Mame
1 food item: avocados
1 person/animal: MacGuyver

Allergic to: Poison ivy, I've already said too much, I'm going to break out soon.

Greatest fear: Heights, falling from heights, anticipating hitting the ground after falling from heights, actually hitting the ground after falling from heights.

Name: Marianne Meyers (Erin says: Marianne actually gave me a picture. Go Marianne!)
Role: Ouisa Kittredge

What was your favorite show: The Underpants at CCT a few years ago. I played Gertrude and we all laughed and laughed!

What role would you kill for: I don't really have one now. (Erin says: That means Marianne's gotten to play all her dream roles. That is so not fair.)

Coffee or tea, and how do you take it? Freshy brewed decaf (preferably french press) with a healthy dose of skim milk.

It's football season -- who do you cheer for? Baltimore Ravens all the way, we even went to training camp this summer. (Erin says: I'm selling tickets to the fight that will ensue between Joe and Marianne upon my publishing this post.)

Let's play "Desert Island":

3 books: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; Bhagavad Gita, Stephen Mitchell translation; Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Erin says: You had me at Jane Eyre, but then you lost me at Walden. Though I do find it an apropos response to Desert Island.)
5 movies: The Producers with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder; On the Waterfront; Amelie; Double Indemnity; Buena Vista Social Club
1 food item: calamata black olives

1 person/animal: person -My husband, Hans; animal - our Cairn terrier, Max (Erin says: Look at Marianne, trying to smuggle two companions onto her desert island ...)

New Interview, some backstory, and some really delicious chicken

Sorry for the late update (Michael) ... it's been one of those weeks where logging out of my personal blogger account has just seemed like so much effort. I've been very busy this week with non-theatre things, like shopping for clothes (I think I fixed our economy last night, BTW, if the number on that Banana Republic receipt is any indication) and cooking (see recipe below).


First on the agenda -- some backstory on the real Dude(s) with Balloons. A lot of people ask us what, exactly, Flight of the Lawnchair Man is about. Well, now you know, and knowing is half the battle (G.I. Joe!).


Next up, an interview!


NAME: Josh Doyle (Erin says: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that, while I have not actually met Josh and thus am not entirely sure which person he is in this picture, that he is not the girl or the dog.)
ROLE: Charles Lindbergh

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) Hmmm. I can’t choose, so I’ll put one word or so of the titles of my favorite shows into the title of a brand new show. That would be How to Invent a Blood Honk Tick. It’s a really gross show. (Erin says: I'm intrigued, Josh. What is the plot of this show? What is the cast size and makeup? When will rights be available?)

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Glengarry Glen Ross. I love it! Someday …

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni, olives, onions and crushed red pepper (Erin says: Those are some of my favorites tooooooooooo!!!! Crushed red pepper, mmmmm ... now I want pizza.). Check out the Firecracker at Fireworks in Leesburg.

A or B? B, I don’t know why, but it’s always the way it’s been.

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? I would pick the typical answer and say Juliet, but she’s like 14 and that’s creepy. So it would have to be Miranda in The Tempest. Those island chicks are hot!

And finally, I have a recipe I would like to share with all of you for really delicious, good-for-you chicken.

Mix 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a dash each of salt and pepper, and about a teaspoon of freshly chopped rosemary, and brush it over chicken (I got 3 chicken breasts out of this recipe). Slap the chicken on the grill (or bake it, or whatever -- I used my Foreman). While it cooks, mix 3 tablespoons of whole-grain mustard with 3 tablespoons of lite mayo, and add just a touch of water to make a sauce. When the chicken is done, top it with the sauce and enjoy. DELICIOUS. Serve it with a salad or some roasted broccoli or asparagus.

I realize that chicken has nothing to do with theatre, but for all you cast members who are living off of Wendy's before rehearsal, this takes 15 minutes and is way better for you. For you theatre-goers who want to go out to dinner before the show but are trying to save money (although, remember, I fixed the economy!), put some candles on the table and serve this instead -- it's healthy, and a whole lot cheaper, and you won't have to worry about the leftovers making your car smells like stale fries and barbeque sauce while you're at the show.

See how I tied that all together? I'm awesome.

I'm not so good at the updating, am I?

Before I begin, I'd like to say that some people have really odd names for their blogs. When I went to log in just now, blogger had a ticker of recently updated blogs, and some were just weird. One was actually really inappropriate, involving the vernacular for a part of the female anatomy. I think blogger needs to be a little more discriminating when mentioning their recently updated blogs on their homepage.

That said, I'm back! Only two days late! Kevin and I closed on our new house (!!!) on Tuesday, so I was not near a computer to do an update, and when I got to work yesterday I had 67 gmail messages and about 12 work emails to sort through, in addition to everyone stopping in to ask how the house is. And, you know, work. I actually had a lot to do yesterday, work-wise, so I didn't get a chance to update.

BUT, I have a chance now, so here you go! Our fabulously fantastic producer, Theresa Bender, has been working on getting me cast and crew interviews. So far we only have 2, and I am going to post them both here today, so this'll be an ultra-long post as a mea culpa for my being late with the update.

The original instructions were "pick 5 of these questions to answer", but apparently Michael and Jay can't read, because they both answered all of them ;)

Name: Michael Schaaff (I'm BACK! Erin says: For those of you just tuning in, Michael was Alan in bare.)
Role: Props Master

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? Movies, long walks on the beach, causing shenanigans, pretty sure this answer is the same one I put for bare ... (Erin says: Yep, so am I. Way to be original, Mike.)

What's something we wouldn't be able to guess just by looking at you (this must be something you haven't said yet, and should be something interesting -- 'I like cats' isn't very exciting, but 'I have been to every country in Europe' or 'Mariah Carey is my cousin' is)? I'm manipulative to the point where I can get anything. How do you think I got into the blog ... again. (Erin says: Well, now I'm on to you. I thought I was putting you in because you're AWESOME, but it turns out, I'm just being manipulated. Apparently you're not as awesome as I thought.)

If you act, what role would you really, really love to play? If you don't act, still the same question. I'd love to be Peter in bare ... (still have songs stuck in my head from that show). Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q. Corny Collins in Hairspray. (Erin says: I can totally see that. That's it, next year we're doing Hairspray.)

If you act, what is your favorite role to date? If you're a techie, what is your favorite show on which you've worked to date and why? If you're a director, which show has been your favorite to direct and why? If you're all three, feel free to answer one, two, or all of those. :) Acting: Ken de la Maize in The Musical Comedy Murders of the 1940s. Tech: Stage Managing Black Comedy. Directing: My life.

What was your favorite fairy tale or toy as a child? Toy: LEGOS!

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? I have 2 dogs (that live at my parents' house): a collie/lab, and a lab/golden retriever. They're super awesome and I spoil them whenever " go visit them ... and my parents.

If you could live one day as a character in any play, which character would it be? Princeton. How fun would it be to be a puppet for a day? Minus the having someone's hand shoved up your a$$ all day. (Erin says: Inappropriate! But true, so I'll let it slide.)

If you could live WITH any character from a play/book/movie for a day, which character would it be? Why? Um ... Richie Rich. Cause he's ... rich ... duh.

Do you have any little thing(s) you do "for luck" before a performance? Nope; I do, however, have a routine that I do: I check everything I touch onstage. Walk the set once, and then tense my whole body, hold it for about 3 seconds, and then release. Then I'm ready to do a show.

If you could wear only one outfit for a whole month, what would it be? If it was socially acceptable to wear capes, I would wear my Superman costume. Everything is more dramatic with a cape.

What's your favorite comfort food? Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

If you were to change your name, what would it be to? ... Odd question, but I'd say Armando Vega, cause it just sounds cool.

What's the strangest gift you've ever received? My brother gave me a life-sized Silver Surfer (the one from the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie display) ... it is currently sitting on my balcony overlooking my apartment complex. He will be dressed up for Halloween! (Erin says: This thing scared me half to death the first time I visited Mike. I went out to the balcony to wave down Asher, and when I turned around, there was the Silver Surfer, staring me coldly in the face. Creepy.)

Name: Jay Tilley

Role: Ross

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? Theatre definitely takes up most of my free time, but I would say walking, fishing, writing, tennis, rooting for and following my favorite sports teams (Go Cowboys, Braves and Gamecocks!) (Erin says: Another Cowboys fan! Woo-hoo!), comics (Batman and Superman are my favorites), caring for exotic pets, and studying the paranormal. I actually think it would be cool to be a paranormal investigator one day!

What's something we wouldn't be able to guess just by looking at you? Since I'm still a very large man, probably that I've lost nearly 75 pounds since the beginning of this year. But I have indeed lost that much and hope to be down 100 pounds by the end of the year. And my goal is to eventually lose 188 pounds. (Erin says: Awesome, congrats! That's not easy to do!)

What role would you really, really love to play? Without a doubt, the Phantom and Sweeney Todd in musical theatre. In Shakespeare, the Scottish King. In contemporary drama, Stanley Kowolski. There are many others, but those are my major dream roles.

What is your favorite role to date? I have been blessed to play many great roles thus far, but I would have to say Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days. That role and the production I was in at Vpstart Crow will always hold a special place in my heart.

What was your toy as a child? I was big into Star Wars, Transformers and GI Joe. Out of all those toys, I would have to say my Darth Vader tie fighter! What can I say? It was too cool! ;-)

Do you have any pets? My wife and I have two dogs (a red-ticked beagle and wolf/husky mix), an aquatic frog, a betta fish and a bearded dragon. They're like our kids and we spoil them rotten! ;-)

If you could live one day as a character in any play, which character would it be? I played God once, so I would say the Almighty. I would definitely make some changes and pay some old adversaries a visit! :-P

If you could live WITH any character from a play/book/movie for a day, which character would it be? Why? Bruce Wayne/Batman. He intrigues me more than any other character I've ever encountered in any form of literature. I've just always been fascinated by his duality, darkness and his insatiable desire to keep others from suffering the same loss he suffered as a child when his parents were murdered. Plus I think it would be cool to take a ride in the Tumbler or on the Batpod! ;-) (Erin says: I find it interesting that so far both of our respondees [is that even a word?] have chosen movie characters. Well, I guess Batman could be a [comic] book character. I may have just disproved [disproven? What is wrong with my English skills today?!] my own point.)

Do you have any little thing(s) you do "for luck" before a performance? Honestly? Not really. I have a process I go through, including when to put on my costume and makeup, check props and warm up, and I always take 10-15 minutes by myself just before curtain to just get focused and get into character. But I am superstitious, so I don't, for example, say the Scottish King's name in a theatre around me unless we are actually performing in the play! ;-)

If you could wear only one outfit for a whole month, what would it be? Ha! Probably shorts and a T-shirt!

What's your favorite comfort food? Seafood is my favorite food but my favorite comfort food is probably pizza and hot wings!

If you were to change your name, what would it be? Maximilian King, which was once upon a time going to be my stage name. King is a family name, and I've loved the name Maximilian ever since I saw Disney's The Black Hole as a kid. It featured an evil red robot named Maximilian, who was actually named after the actor who played Dr. Hans Reinhardt (the evil scientist who created the robot) - the great Maximilian Schell.

What's the strangest gift you've ever received? When I was a kid, my paternal grandmother gave me a horn, the kind you squeeze, for my birthday. Not sure what was up with that since I was almost in junior high at the time! :-P