Call for Directors, and New Board Member!

CCT with 2nd Flight Theater Company is currently seeking directors for our 2010 season. Directors should fill out the director application (including the show you are interested in directing) by SATURDAY, JULY 18TH. The shows will be selected on August 1st, and the interview process will take place during the first half of August. Please go to www.cct2ft.com to download the application.

The timeslots for the shows are as follows:
Winter Play, 3 weekends in February, 2010 (approximate dates)
Summer Musical, 3 weekends in June, 2010 (approximate dates)
Fall Play, 3 weekends in October, 2010 (approximate dates)

There's been a bit of confusion about this, I think, so I'm going to try to explain a bit. We're looking for shows AND directors -- so if you are interested in directing for us, submit your application including the show you have in mind. We will be selecting shows first, and will consider all shows that are submitted with director applications, as well as shows that members of the board suggest.

Once we've chosen our shows, we'll call directors who have submitted applications to begin the interview process.

If you'd be interested in directing a show other than the show you have submitted for consideration, please indicate so on your application.

Next, we have a new board member! Please welcome Michael Schaaff as our new Director of Communications! We're excited to have Michael on board, and we know he will be a fabulous addition to the team :)

Closing Weekend and RoboMike

The set has been struck, the instruments have been packed away, and the lobby has been cleaned up after a very successful run of Flight of the Lawnchair Man.

Slacker board member that I am, I was unable to actually see the show until Friday of closing weekend, and let me tell you, if you didn't see it you missed a fabulous show. I tend to hold CCT/2FT in higher regard than a lot of amateur/community theatres, and I'm on the board so perhaps I'm biased, but that was one of the most enjoyable nights at the theatre that I've had. I'd like to send out a few particular shout-outs:

Ryan Khatcheressian, you were hilarious. My mom thought you were the funniest thing she'd ever seen, and your ad-lib about "guns are fun!" had me snorting with laughter. (Seriously, I snorted, it was klassy. The K is for Khatcheressian.)

Susanna Todd, not only do you have a helluva voice on you, but you too had me in stitches. I've worked with you before, and seen you in various shows, and while you're always fantastic, I have to say that I think this may have been my favorite role for you yet. How much of that is based on your stellar comedic timing, how much is based on your sensational voice, and how much is based on your awesome '80s bangs, I can't say. But I heart you.

Finally, Michael Schaaff. Oh, Michael. I may have had a minor aneurysm during that show, because of your hi-FREAKING-larious facial expressions. But mostly, way to take one for the team, dude.

For those of you who don't know, Michael did a running-high-kick-leap off the stage on Friday night, landed wrong, and busted the crap out of his ankle. It's still undetermined (to my knowledge) if it's just horrendously sprained or if he actually tore a ligament/tendon (what's the difference between those, anyway?), but he was unable to perform most of his roles Saturday and Sunday as he was in a splint and on crutches (shout out also to Josh Doyle, who covered the role of the Wal*Mart brown-noser). But he made it onstage for his NASA Official scene, turned the splint into a gag, and also made it onstage for the closing number ... where he came out in his rolly office chair and spun in circles for the duration of the number.

Mike is currently off the crutches on into a Robo-boot.

Seriously though, the entire show was excellent, we got great responses from the audiences, and I'm sure everyone is sad to see it end.

We're taking the summer off, so look for us again come fall, when we'll be putting up Six Degrees of Separation. I'll be sure to post information as we get closer to time.

I will take this moment now to say that I can't promise we'll have Update Tuesday all summer long, as we won't have anything to report on, really, but I'll be sure to check in periodically as things happen. We've got some upcoming additions to the company in the form of a new board member and a new baby, but I'm not going to go into details now because I need material for the rest of the summer :)

Actually, at the rate things are going, I could probably post a Baby of the Week. Seriously, what's in the water here in NOVA? Everybody I know is pregnant right now. I have like 14 friends who have either just had a baby or are due in the next eight months. Crazy.

Balloon Dude's First Review!

Kevin reminded me this morning that it's Update Tuesday, and I said it might have to be an Update Wednesday this week, as I wasn't sure how long it would take me to put together a decent post since I was unable to attend opening weekend of the show. All I had to report this morning was that we sold around 200 tickets on opening night -- which is fantastic! But it doesn't make for a very interesting/long post. But well done to the cast and crew for publicizing the show so well!!!

So I'm wracking my brain on the way to work, trying to flesh out "We sold a ton of tickets" into something more, well, lengthy. And I get to the office, and lo and behold, there's a review up already! McCall Doyle has written us a lovely review over at ShowBiz Radio.

Now, I've been getting some grief (mostly from my loving husband!) about how much I link to other sites, so I suppose I should go ahead and post some quotes from the review here so I don't force you all to go to another site to read the highlights. Problem is, every other sentence listed something that someone involved in the show did awesomely, so it's hard to pick just a few highlights and not feel like I'm leaving people out. So here's most of the review, although you can click the link above to read the whole thing (that whole, what, 15 words I didn't include here?).

"[Mark] Gray-Mendes is painfully underused…he was perfectly cast as the sensitive loser, singing with lyricism and depth, but his songs were among the shortest in the show and he spent a lot of time onstage without a whole lot to do. Write his character more songs, please! [Susanna] Todd is a charmer, with a strong belting voice and a perky persona."

"The show was anchored by its two leads, but there were brilliant scene stealers. Ryan Khatcheressian as an egotistical pilot and Rebecca Clary his stewardess bimbette sidekick were hysterical. Khatcheressian has always been known in this area for his vocal prowess, but here he finds the humor in every last aspect of his character and takes it to a new level."

"Cory Okouchi infuses his cameo as Mr. Frankel with life and over the top energy…Josh Doyle as Charles Lindbergh is thoroughly amusing, and Cathy Arnold as Amelia Earhart is a winner. And Lori Staley’s brief turn as the little French Boy is delightful."

"The very functional set (Kevin King) complete with wonderful projections, helps the show along. The lighting design (also Kevin King) is beautiful, with a dreamy, pastel palette."

"The costume design (Jacquin Pierce Allen, Michael Schaaff) was effective and fun ..."

"The surprise second ending (after the curtain call) was the dream child of director Jones … it may have changed the flavor from bittersweet to honey … but was nicely executed by Jen Faulconer."

Well done to the cast and crew!!!

Cluster ballooning?

Apparently, Jerry Gorman is an athlete.

Cluster ballooning is evidently a sport -- and all the rage among a small cult following, it seems.

CNet News reporter Daniel Terdiman gave it a shot as part of a promotion for Pixar's new film Up, only his vehicle of choice was an armchair, not a lawnchair. I feel like that would really just add extra weight to have to lift, but I guess it's a little more stable-feeling than a lawnchair.

(Photo Credit: Raquel Baldwin ... blatantly borrowed from news.cnet.com)

For those who have been living under a rock, CCT/2FT's Flight of the Lawnchair Man opens this Friday, May 29th (that's tomorrow, guys), and the writers of the show are flying in (presumably on planes, though, not chairs) for a special opening night Q&A after the show.

Opening night of Lawnchair Man is also opening night for the new Pixar film Up, about a crotchety old man who manages to cluster-balloon his house out of his neighborhood. But don't go see Up on Friday, come see Lawnchair.

Although it's only fair to note that Lawnchair is rated PG-13 for some adult situations, so if you've got really little kids, make the babysitter take them to see Up and come see Lawnchair yourselves!

Happy 50th post, CCT2FT Blog!

I think it's only fitting that my 50th post be this:

Michael Schaaff is a genius.

I am not yet allowed to say why or how, but let it be known that he is a genius, and that his genius involves Legos and Gaff tape.

Are you curious yet?

It's not actually Thursday.

I woke up this morning convinced that it was Thursday. Imagine my dismay when Kevin informed that it was actually Tuesday.


That's okay, though. Coffee makes it all better.


So I found out like 2 days ago, which is why this is just now being announced here, taht we are actually hosting Peter Ullian and Robert Lindsey-Nassif on opening night of Dude with Balloons (I hope they don't mind that I'm calling it that ... cuz I'm not gonna stop). What's that? Who are Petter Ullian and Robert Lindsey-Nassif? Geez, don't you people pay attention when I blog? I mean, I only mentioned it in December, that's only four and a half months ago. Eesh.


Okay, sorry. I'm trying to make this post long enough to be worthwhile, so I'm having to use some filler. Like "I like coffee" and "Why don't you remember every word I've ever typed?"


Ullian and Lindsey-Nassif are the lyricist and composer, respectively, of Dude with Balloons. I'm not 100% sure of the details, but apparently director Randy Jones has been in contact with them via email, and sort of casually mentioned "Hey, you guys should come see the show." And they were like, "Okay, why not?" Which is kind of a big deal. Having the guys who wrote the show here, that is. One of them is coming in from New York (I think) and one from Illinois (I think ... it's a state that starts with an "I", anyway, and is not near Virginia).


We'll be doing a Q&A with them on opening night, so oepning night would be a good night to come see the show ... get your tickets in advance or we may run out!


Also, we have a video for FOTLM. Behold. (I tried to imbed the video in the post, but Blogger's being a brat and not letting me. Sorry guys.)

In closing, I will leave you with this random factoid: In the past week, I have managed to cut myself twice on things that should not cut a person. Last Monday, I sliced my finger on a wine bottle opener -- not on the sharp corkscrew part, though, but on the little metal thingie that you put against the top of the bottle for leverage to get the cork out. It's not even sharp! I have no idea how I managed to slice my finger open on it. And then last night, I cut another finger on a piece of aluminum foil. Foil! Who does that?

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.