CCT/2FT Blog

New year, new name, new blog address!

2010-01-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, CCT2FT has change our name! We are now Taking Flight Theatre Company (a much easier name, I'm sure you'll agree!), and as such, we have a new blog address!

http://takingflighttheatre.blogspot.com/

Follow us!

We will also be getting a new website here shortly, and I'll update the new blog with that information. The old website will automatically forward to the new one for a while, but I'm not sure how long that will go on, so I'd go ahead and update your bookmarks when you notice teh redirect kick in.

As soon as I figure out how to redirect this blog to the new one, I'll do that. In the meantime, I have set it up so that all of the CCT2FT posts are also on the Taking Flight blog. Not quite as good, but I'm techno-challenged, so the fact that I even figured that out is impressive to me!

Rehearsal Recap #2, and tickets!

2010-01-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

We're a month from opening. We're a week from being off-book. Last night was Scott's first night in the theatre. It's been a big week for us!

I think I mentioned before that most of the rehearsing we've been doing has been in a classroom, which is, um, not nearly as big as the stage. So it's a big shift to get onstage and realize that you have to cover 20 feet during one line instead of 2 feet. Scott Pafumi (Nick) was taking a class last semester that met on Wednesday nights, which was our only night in the theatre in December. So last night was his first foray onto the Waddell stage. He did very well, the size of the space didn't seem to phase him.

We did notice last night that Michael likes to stop us to give directing notes when we're in a really awkward position ... like when Nick and Martha are making out and he's half on top of her. This is especially awkward because we're still working with a rehearsal set right now, which means that instead of sofas, we have three plastic chairs lined up next to each other. It's really hard to make out with someone when you're trying to keep the chairs from sliding apart (at least, it looked like it was. I don't make out with anyone in this show, so I don't speak from personal experience. Although I do spend an awful lot of time flopping myself drunkenly/petulantly on the sofa, and it's hard to keep the chairs together doing that, so I can imagine it's just as hard when you're making out).

I think I insinuated last week that the hardest part will be memorizing lines. I'd like to amend that. The hardest part of this show will be remembering when we need our glasses to be empty, and remembering where we put them down (on the rare occasions that we do put them down). There's not only a lot of drinking in the show, there are a lot of references to refilling glasses, so we all have to make sure that when someone offer to refill our glasses, those glasses are empty. I told Wynn on Tuesday that I never thought I'd do another show that was as much of a pain props-wise as Noises Off (which I've done twice, and which is a serious pain in the rear as far as props go), but that this one might top it. There are only a handful of props -- I think I have about 4 throughout the entire show, and one is a purse that I leave on the floor about a minute after walking onstage and don't touch again till my final exit -- but the lines reference the props (mostly the drinks) being just-so, so we have to make sure they're so.

All complaining aside, though, I really am having a great time with this show. Come see it -- tickets are now available on our website!

Rehearsal update: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

2009-12-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

So, who's got two thumbs and has been really bad about updating the blog?

This girl.

Sorry, guys. Between work, rehearsal, and the holidays, the blog kind of got away from me. But I'm back, and here is a rehearsal update!

So far, so good. We haven't been able to use the actual theatre much, so we've been doing a lot of our rehearsing in a classroom -- which will get interesting once we're on the stage and have to adapt to having four times the amount of space to work with. I forsee much laughter as we watch ... well, pretty much everyone but me, as I'm the only one who has the luxury of being so drunk taht I don't move for most of the show, tripping over themselves trying to get to where they belong when suddenly the distance from sofa to bar is a lot more than they're used to.

I have to say, this is a delightful cast to work with. Small casts have their pros and cons -- sometimes it's really nice because you all have a chance to get close, and other times it's rough becasue if you don't all click offstage, there's a lot of awkward silence in the dressing rooms while you wait to go on. This isn't one of those casts, though.

We have the luxury of having two Fairfax County Drama teachers on the cast, Chip (George) and Scott (Nick), so they already know one another. They're also both jsut really nice, affable guys who seem to be the type to get along with everyone. Chip and Wynn (Martha) have great chemistry onstage and off, joking and laughing the whole way through rehearsals (which you really have to do with a heavy show like this -- if you're not laughing wheny ou're not acting, it's really easy to get hung up in the darkness of the subject matter and then you just end up depressed and cranky for the whole run).

Our director, Michael Null, is wonderful, and he provides us with lovely rehearsal snacks of Chex mix and some kind of awesome wasabi thing he found at an Asian cafe. Wasabi is amazing. Unless you're not expecting it, in which case it can make you choke on your lines, which is hilarious if you're one of the other people in the room.

Our stage manager Christy has stepped up and filled in whenever we have an actor out for the night, and so far she's rocked out at playing Nick and I'm fairly sure she's had to play Honey, too, since I have a conflict for the first part of Tuesday nights. I'm not sure how she's faring at playing Honey, as I'm not there to see it, but I imagine she's doing well.

This will be the second time I've played drunk onstage, and it's a really different type of drunk. Georgeanne (Five Women Wearing the Same Dress) was just funny; Honey is a manic-depressive drunk. It's definitely turned out to be challenging ... although not as challenging as learning the lines. I'm not sure who has it worse in this show: me, having to learn lines that are mostly non-sequitors, scattered sporadically throughout people yelling and talking over one another; or Chip and Wynn, who have to learn basically a full two and a half hours of non-stop dialogue. Scott has it easy; all he has to do is smile and nod through about 50% of the show. I think probably Chip and Wynn have it harder, though this is easily the most difficult memorization I've ever had to do personally. And we're supposed to be off-book after New Year's (well, we may have another week or so ... I have "off-book" written on at least four days in my calendar, and I'm not entirely sure which one's right, so I'm going to assume it's the earlist one).

Wish us luck, and mark February 12 (opening night) on your calendars!

Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? Cast List

2009-11-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

The official "Welcome to the cast" email has gone out, and the cast stands as follows:

George is Chip Rome

Martha is Wynn Creasy

Honey is Erin Anderson King

Nick is Scott Pafumi

Congrats to all of you, and to everyone who came out to auditions this weekend, thank you as well. We had some strong talent come out and I know this wasn't an easy decision for Michael to make (even if he didn't have to play musical cast members with this particular show).

Rehearsals will be starting up next week, so be on the lookout for cast and crew interviews, rehearsal recaps, and anything else you'd like to see (if there's other stuff you'd like to see here, leave us a comment and let us know!).

Cast List Coming Soon!

2009-11-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

Today, we are all sitting around waiting with bated breath to find out who the cast of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will include.

That's about all, but I realized I haven't posted anything since I was here a few weeks ago to post about auditions, so I figured an update would be good. I happen to know that the director (who is a very nice man, I'm happy to say -- I just met him this weekend) has made the decisions, he's just making the calls. So as soon as I get an official "we have a full cast of people who have been called and have accepted the roles", I will be able to let you all know who those people are.

One thing that's interesting about this show -- normally when you go to an audition, you indicate which role(s) you are interested in, and you indicate if you'd be willing to take another role if you're not offered the part you want. That's not how Virginia Woolf works. Because, you see, there are only four characters, and they are all so specific that there's no "Hmm, would this person be better for this character or that one?" Nick and Honey are, as you'd imagine, a man and a woman, and both are in their 20s. George and Martha are, likewise, male and female, respectively, and are in their 40s-50s. So there's no, "Hmm, I really like that woman for Martha, but do you think she could play Honey?" Because, while I'm sure she could (I actually saw a Martha candidate play Honey brilliantly at auditions, because there weren't enough people in that particular group to properly fill all the roles), it just wouldn't make any sense.

My point here being that this had to have been a relatively easy decision for Michael Null, our illustrious director -- at least insofar as any casting decision goes. He didn't have the issue of "Well, I really like Person X, and he could play any of these parts, so where to put him?" Because anyone who auditioned was either a George, a Martha, a Nick, or a Honey, and it's pretty clear the instant they walk through the door who they're there to audition for.

Do you like how I turned a one-sentence "We have a cast but I can't say who it is just yet" post into a stream-of-consciousness ramble about casting decisions and physical type? Honestly, sometimes I wonder if my readers just kind of want to smack me sometimes.

Anyway, when I can say more, I will. But for now, I will leave you all with this gem:

George: Now that's it! You can take over a few classes from the older men, but until you start plowing pertinent wives, you really aren't working. The broad, inviting avenue to man's job is through his wife, and don't you forget it.
Nick: And I'll be your wife has the broadest, most inviting avenue of the whole damn campus. [long pause] Her father president and all.

Auditions for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

2009-10-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Auditions for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee will take place on the following dates:

Saturday, November 7th from 2-4 pm
Sunday, November 8th from 2-4 pm
Monday, November 9th from 7-9 (the latter half of this slot will be for callbacks)

Auditions will be held in the theatre in the Waddell Building on the NVCC campus in Sterling. Come prepared with a one-minute monologue, and be ready to perform cold readings from the script.

Click here for more information.

Oh, the times, I am behind them.

2009-10-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

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 …

Six Degrees of Separation

2009-10-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all, Michael here! My first post on the blog, and it's not really a substance post - more of a "come see the show post". I'll post a content one eventually I promise!

We're in tech week, ramping up to open this FRIDAY! It's looking really good. We have a wonderful set that...nah...I won't spoil it. You're gonna have to come see it :-) So mark your calendars for...

Six Degrees of Separation
Oct 9, 10, 16, 17 @ 8pm

Oct 11 @ 7pm

Oct 18 @ 2pm

www.cct2ft.com

SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

Cast Interviews!

2009-09-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

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 ...)

Auditions!!!

2009-08-25T15:47:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder -- auditions for Six Degrees of Separation are THIS Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th at 7:30!

(That's really all there is to say ... auditions are Thursday and Friday. Come to them. The end!)

Call for Directors!

2009-08-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. So it's been, what, a month? It's been a slow month theatre-wise for CCT2FT, but we do have some news.

First, two of our board members, Ryan and Shannon, welcomed their first child on July 25th! Baby Aidan is cute as a button, and I just love him to pieces. (I've only met him once, but I'm a little obsessed. I don't think Ryan and Shannon are creeped out by me. Yet.)

Next, we are looking for directors for our 2009-2010 season!

All interested parties: please go to our website, www.cct2ft.com, to view the synopses of the shows and download a director application.

Our season includes:
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Feb. 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, optional {26, 27, 28})

Evil Dead: The Musical (pending availability) (May 28, 29, 30 June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13)

Sabbath Night in the Church of the Piranha (an original work) (October 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, optional {22, 23, 24})

The director application deadline is August 24th. Director interviews will be scheduled for August 31 - September 4th; please be available during this time. All directors interested in directing Sabbath Night in the Church of the Piranha: please contact me at cct2ft.blog@gmail.com for a copy of the script (since it's an original work, you can't find it online or anything).

CCT2FT Named in “Scene Stealers You Should Have Seen”!

2009-07-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

CCT2FT's Flight of the Lawnchair Man was listed in Joel Markowitz's (DC Theatre Scene) list of eleven "scene stealers" from recent local productions.

Cathy Arnold's Amelia Earhart and Ryan Khatcheressian's Big Jack Preston both received nods from Markowitz as being two of his top performances in recent local theatre. Markowitz includes interviews with both actors in his article, as well as a brief interview with Robert Ullian, composer/lyricist for Lawnchair.

Thumbs-up to the cast and crew of Lawnchair for grabbing a critic's notice in such a positive way, and especially to Cathy and Ryan!

The complete article can be found here.

(And yes, I directly copied the exact same text that's on our website. But I wrote it, so it's allowed. I should be able to use my own words multiple time if I want!)

Call for Directors, and New Board Member!

2009-06-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-05-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Meet a Cast Member!

2009-04-21T06:10:00.001-07:00

Today's post is brought to you by Starbucks' Caffe Verona coffee, the number 13, and Light Pringles.

Today's interviewee is Jen Falconer of green is the new black, a cute blog dedicated to finding ways to be more eco-friendly, and also, recently, to showing you cute Target clothes, to making you feel really, really guilty about all the Easter candy you ate recently. (I've only read the few first entries so I'm sure there's more further down, but there you go.)

Also, look at that picture -- Jen's a total hottie. I haven't met her in person yet, so perhaps it's kind of weird for me to be saying that, but it's true. Jen, I'm very jealous of you.

NAME: Jen Faulconer
ROLE: Nena/Ensemble

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) Cinderella in Into the Woods. (Erin says: I love that show. We did it in high school and poor Cinderella lost her voice opening weekend, so she had to speak-sing the whole thing, except for "No One Is Alone", which really needed to be sung-sung, so the girl who played the Baker's Wife sang into a microphone backstage and Cinderella lip-synched. My mom was sitting right next to their mothers, and the Baker's Wife's mom was like, "Why is my daughter's voice coming out of your daughter's mouth?")

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Evita, I could have done that show every night for the rest of my life ... well, until I got too old to be the Mistress, I guess.

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Actually, I boycott GS cookies. Its very hard to do. But have you seen their ingredients? It's bad. (Erin says: Remember what I was saying about making you feel guilty about all the Easter candy you just ate??? If you feel too guilty about your GS cookies, I'll take them off your hands. Except the Thin Mints. Send those to rehearsal and the vultures will descend.)

Who’s cooler, Batman or Superman, and why? Spiderman (Erin says: Jen, Spiderman was not an option. I'd be willing to let it slide, except you didn't tell us why he's cooler. I expect a comment left on this post expounding on this answer, or I'm afraid I'll have to do something very nefarious. I'm not sure what, yet, but I'll get Michael to help me, and trust me, you don't want that.)

A or B? While yes, I agree that B is better, at my house we have to do A to keep my dog from unrolling it across the entire house. (Erin says: Oooh, I just thought of my nefarious thing. Michael, wanna help me reverse all of Jen's toilet paper???)

It's Interview Time Again, Jerry Gorman.

2009-04-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so far, these are the last of the interviews I've gotten ... so cast and crew, remind your fellow cast and crewmates to fill it out, or I'll have to resort to posting pictures of Dudes with Balloons for the next month.

Funny story about Susanna's photo -- she sent me a bunch to pick from, and I was torn between two. One was a really cute pic, and the other was just funny. When I mentioned this to her, she responded with a jpeg of the two next to each other. So that's what I posted :)

And Randy didn't send me a picture, so you all get another lovely MS Paint Creation by yours truly. I call it "Randy as a Lego man".

NAME: Randall Jones
ROLE: Director/Choreographer

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) I was a singing/dancing, Elvis-impersonating, extraterrestrial lizard in Starmites in 1991. Basically, I was an “intergalactic pet” to Lori Staley, FOTLM’s “Little French Boy!”

Jerry’s dream is to fly – what is your dream? I want to play Edna Turnblad in Hairspray with my daughter, Maribeth, as Tracy Turnblad! (Erin says: I want to see that. Let's make it happen.)

Do you speak any languages (besides English) fluently? If so, what are they? I only speak English—and sort of a Missouri Hillbilly version of English—so I speak about 75% of a language.

Who’s cooler, Batman or Superman, and why? Batman—because he doesn’t really have any fake special powers. He’s just smart, strong, clever, and RICH. (Erin says: That is a truth-fact. Batman is way cooler for exactly that reason.)

A or B? BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? Can I just pick Joseph Fiennes as William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love? Can you just allow me to pretend that he hops the fence once Gwyneth Paltrow is sent packing? (Erin says: I want to say no, but if I say no, then I can't post this question, and since somehow all 3 of today's interviewees are the only ones to have answered this question, it would throw off the balance. So I'll give you partial credit, but only because a) I like balance, and b) Gwyneth Paltrow annoyed the crap out of me in that movie.)

NAME: Susanna Todd
ROLE: Gracie

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? Blood Brothers at Elden Street in the summer of 2006. It was just such an overall great experience: great cast, great crew, great production. And it never got old. It’s one of the few shows I’ve done where I haven’t been ready for it to close. And I absolutely LOVED the finale “Tell Me It’s Not True”—it was a wonderful theater moment.

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Oooh, that’s a good one. Jekyll & Hyde. I bet it’d take a while for me to get sick of it because
(a) it’s one of my favorite musical scores and
(b) there are so many good roles that you’d want to do it over and over just to play them all. Emma is one of my dream roles and Lucy is probably up there as one of the best musical roles for women; plus, there’s all the great ensemble work, so being a Red Rat girl or random Londoner would also be worthwhile. (Erin says: Many people have asked me if I mean "do one show over again" -- no, I mean exactly what I said. One show, ever again, for the rest of your life. I had actually meant "You get one more shot onstage and then your feet may never touch the boards again", but I like Susanna's interpretation. You only get to do one show ever again, but do it as many times, playing as many parts, as you want. If you haven't answered the question yet, that's what I mean now.)

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Green Pepper, Black Olives, & Tomato. I also like Ham & Pineapple or Plain Cheese. I’m kind of a bad person to order pizza with because I don’t like a lot of the standard toppings (i.e. pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions).

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Samoas, with Tagalongs and Thin Mints tied for 2nd. Which apparently puts me along with the rest of America since those are the 3 best sellers and comprise nearly 60% of total cookie sales (don’t ask me why I looked that up, I just did). (Erin says: You looked it up cuz you're awesome and a nerd like me ... even though you like Thin Mints.)

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? I like Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, but I think I’d have to go with Hamlet. Can’t really explain why. I guess I’m a sucker for the tragic hero. (Despite the fact that, as my sister said, “Hamlet’s kinda messed up … and his girlfriend went insane.”) (Erin says: I like Hamlet, too. He's in my top three. I probably wouldn't be able to deal with him for the long term, though.)

NAME: Jeffery Miller

ROLE: Ensemble/Parisian

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? Ryan in High School Musical

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Probably How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying with my middle school kids (Erin says: May I assume you teach middle school theatre?)

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni and pineapple (Erin says: Together? Weird.)

Who’s cooler, Batman or Superman, and why? Batman is way cooler!!!!!! A real superhero doesn’t need powers!

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? Haha I like Hermina :) (Erin says: What play is Hermina in? [I am such a jerk.])

Interviews, Part Un (that's "one", for you non-French speakers)

2009-04-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

A new show, a new installment of "Get to Know the Cast and Crew!"

Michael Schaaff has informed me that he is "waiting with bated breath" for my commentary, so I'll try to be funny for you, Michael.

Here we go!

NAME: Shannon Montague
ROLE: FAA Agent (aka Mrs. FAA man)/Ensemble

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) I did Godspell about a year ago and sang the solo for “O Bless the Lord.” It’s such a fun show because it gives a lot of opportunity for improve and just having fun with your fellow ensemble members. In a lot of ways, the process so far with FOTLM reminds me of that.

Jerry’s dream is to fly – what is your dream? My secret dream is to be a cruise ship entertainer. It’s a career I’m pretty sure my family wouldn’t approve of.

Do you speak any languages (besides English) fluently? If so, what are they? The operative word is fluently, in which case the answer would be no. I even struggle with Pig Latin. I teach English and find simply understanding the nuances of it is enough work. (Erin says: Amen. People really don't understand exactly what a complex language English is. Oh, wait, I promised Michael I'd be funny, and that wasn't funny at all. Um ... okay, how many letters are there in the alphabet? 24, because ET went home. Hahaha, I slay me.)

What are your favorite pizza toppings? When I was in high school, the newspaper advisor introduced me to bacon and green pepper pizza. Everything is better with bacon. (Erin says: Um, YEAH it is.)

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? I HATE Thin Mints. Just want to put that out there into the universe. I love Samoas in moderation and Trefoils. There’s also this new lemon flavor that’s pretty tasty. (Erin says: Shannon and I just might be the same person ... I don't know anyone else besides me who can't stand Thin Mints. I once ate one in a fit of "If I don't have something sweet right now I might die, and this is all there is", and it actually made things worse. I ended up running to 7-11 for a candy bar to get the taste out of my mouth. Oh, and Michael, no comment-section war about Girl Scout cookies this time ... after all, if Shannon liked Thin Mints, then you'd have to share.)

NAME: Cathy Arnold
ROLE: Amelia Earhart

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? Must be bare because the cast was amazing and I got to see 2 men kiss and that's really hot!

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? If I could do one show over it would be Cats because there are jellicle songs for jellicle cats (whatever the h*ll [Erin says: Come now, Cathy, this is a family-friendly blog!] that means!)

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni

A or B? Toilet paper roll has to be on the outside (B) . That is only proper!! And it is nice when folded in a triangle for easy access!

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Thin Mint cookies are the best girl scout cookie in the world!!!! You can buy lots of them and freeze them! (Erin says: Uh-oh, Michael, looks like you're gonna have to share.)

NAME: Michael Schaaff
ROLE: NASA Official, Walmart Employee, Ensemble, Assistant Costume

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) Alan in bare: a pop opera (WHERE ARE MY CUPS!!!) and ~~Ken de La Maize in The Musical Comedy Murders of the 1940s~~
(Yes Erin … I did 2!!! I’m a rebel) (Erin says: Strikethrough'd -- what now???)

Jerry’s dream is to fly – what is your dream? TO RAIN TERROR ON DOWNTOWN TOKYO!!! (Erin says: Michael answered this question specifically to justify the inclusion of his "Michael as Godzilla" picture. Whic is why his headshot is, um, him as Godzilla.)

This question un-intentionally left blank because Erin screwed up and hit "Enter" in the middle of a numbered list in Word. I am choosing to answer this question, which is I think the most thought provoking. How does one answer a blank question? I’d say 42. (Erin says: Douglas Adams for the win. Well played, my friend, well played.)

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? VIVA LA THIN MINTS!! (Erin says: Sigh.)

A or B? B! It’s so much easier to find the end cause you can just spin it a little and ta-da. I actually will change it if I go to people’s houses or the public restroom (if I can) cause it bothers me. I’m forcing my choice onto other people!

So, it's been what, 800 years?

2009-03-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA lately folks. Personal stuff, like ensuring I stay employed, has been keeping me busy. But I am (as far as I know) staying employed, so I figured I'd take a few minutes and post the cast list. At some point soon there will be interviews, I promise. I just have to actually think of good questions. Right now, my brain cells are pretty much just coming up with things like "Why are bananas squishy?" -- and while that's a fascinating question, and I'm sure Michael would love to answer it, most of the cast members don't know me and my sense of humor, and probably would not respond to that email. And also, you guys probably don't want to read 15 responses about why bananas are squishy.

The cast list for Dude with Balloons!

Mark W. Gray-Mendes: Jerry Gorman
Susanna Todd: Gracie
Marissa Quintos Dolcich : Mother Gorman
Ryan Khatcheressian: Big Jack
Rebecca Clary: Blaire
Cory Okouchi: Mr. Frankel
Lori Staley: French Boy
Braedon Kulick: Young Jerry
Jesse Baskin: Ens/Lindbergh Baby
Mark Mariano DeGuzman: Ens/Fr. Ann
Jen Faulconer: Ens/Nena
Jeffery Miller: Ens/Parisian
Shannon Montague: Ens/FAA Agent
Carla Okouchi: Ens/TV Reporter/Bimbo
Renee Rabben: Ens/Parisian
Michael Schaaff: Ens/NASA Official
Stephen T. Wheeler: Ens/Thuggish Bully
Christine Young: Ens/Bimbo
Kevin McCormack: Da Vinci
Josh Doyle: Lindbergh
Cathy Arnold: Amelia Earhart

For those who have worked with CCT/2FT before: Welcome back! For those who are new to our group: Welcome ... front?

Five Women Wrap-Up and Dude with Balloons

2009-03-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't been in to update this in some time. My apologies to everyone for that -- I, apparently, am a big old slacker.

In truth, I was so focused on my character and my role in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress that I completely forgot about all of my other responsibilities, what with having to deflect the paparazzi, meet my agent for lunch to discuss my next project, and I've enrolled my dog in this puppy play group that also includes Sandra Bullock and Eva Longoria's pooches, and I'll tell you what, they are such sweet women but man, can Sandy go on for HOURS when you're trying to pick up the pup to take her to the nanny's so that you can get to rehearsal.

That's all a lie. What really happened was that I was really tired and didn't have the brain cells to be funny, so I procrastinated about posting.

BUT. All that said, Five Women... was a great success -- we got wonderful reviews from the audiences, made good friends who we'll all actually keep in touch with (I'm notorious for being horrible about getting together with people, and after most shows I've done, we all go our separate ways -- but I can say for a fact that I will actually make the effort to see all of these women again, because they're amazing and fabulous), and given me enough fodder to create an entire post of ridiculously long sentences.

Special thanks go out to the wonderful team of beauticians at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa in Reston Town Center, who volunteered their time and about 50 cans of hairspray (seriously, they ran out and had to go buy more at the Harris Teeter next door just to finish out the two weekends of the show) to make us look good onstage. Caron, Remona, MariJane, and the rest of the team (I feel so bad, but I don't know the names of the two makeups artists who worked on Brittany and Betsy) were all so kind and welcoming, and I for one hope to work with them all again soon.

For our next trick, we will be flying a lawnchair. Well, sort of. Auditions for CCT with 2FT's spring musical, Flight of the Lawnchair Man (affectionately known by the cast and crew as "Dude with Balloons"), were held this weekend, with callbacks happening tomorrow evening. When I have a cast list, I'll be sure to post it, and a new show means new cast and crew interviews, so stay tuned in the coming weeks for pictures, quotes, and other various shenanigans.

Oh, and on a totally unrelated but totally awesome note, the Great and Wonderful Michael Schaaff has purchased me a BeDazzler, so if there are any requests for BeDazzled items, I am more than happy to staple rhinestones to things for you. My husband told me I'm not allowed to BeDazzle everything in the house, but I think that those rhinestones are probably enough of a pain to take off that if I do it while he's not home, I can probably keep the sparkly potholders and sofa and placemats and all his work clothes. Right?

See how pretty we are?

2009-02-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Check out our trailer video for Five Women..., created by the lovely and talented Shannon Khatcheressian!

Less than 3 weeks out -- WOW.

2009-02-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we're less than 3 weeks from opening (don't panic, cast and crew) and I do have a couple of things to report.

1) Our set is up! It looks great, and we can't WAIT till we get to rehearse on it! Thanks to all who worked so hard on it!

2) We've had another change in the cast: You all remember Felipe. He was the poor lone guy in the group, I posted his interview a couple of weeks ago. Well, turns out, Felipe's auditioning for some really prestigious theatre program (Like, Yale's Master's program or something -- I'm not entirely sure) and if he gets called back, he'll be out of town for one of our show weekends. So we had to find ourselves a new Tripp, and we did! A big, warm welcome to Zachary Lanouette-Opheim (Zach, if I spelled your name wrong, blame Colleen, I copied it off the contact list!).

3) Next week I'm going to try to have our final cast interviews up, for Zach and Betsy Eames, who is playing Frances.

4) I've discovered I'm a big fan of dried mango. Thanks for introducing me to that, Betsy!

(What? You guys didn't actually think I was going to include a post that didn't have anything random or ridiculous in it, did you?)

Meet the Cast: Part ... 4? I think?

2009-01-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we've had some changes to the cast. Do to unforeseen scheduling conflicts, We have a new Mindy. Everyone please welcome Brittany Washington to the cast!

(First, though, let me state that when I wrote these questions, we didn't know the latest developments in Izzie's going-crazy storyline, so the question is slightly dated.)

Name: Brittany Washington
Role: Mindy

Favorite roles you've played already: Nadia in bare! That was such an amazing production to be a part of.

Roles you'd like to play someday: Mae in Reefer Madness, Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, Woman 2 in Edges, CB's Sister in Dog Sees God, and ... this is really embarrassing and I know I'll end up regretting admitting it, but I would possibly kill to play Sharpay in High School Musical. Stop laughing at me.

Does anyone actually like what the writers of "Grey's Anatomy" are doing to Izzie with this whole weird Denny thing? And what happened to George? They've totally slacked off on him this season. Am I the only one who's going to answer this question?! (Erin says: Yes, you are, because I think you and I are the only remaining viewers of that show.) Because I haven't been keeping up with the show this season (Erin says: Never mind, I guess it's just me.), but I heard (SPOILER ALERT) that the whole weird Izzie plot may be a vehicle to kill her off the show, and I hate Katherine Heigl with a passion, so I'm beyond okay with this. (Erin says: Why does every hate Katherine Heigl??? Does she kick puppies or something and no one told me?)

What is your dream job? I think I would like to be a princess. (Erin says: Brittany, get out of my head.) I enjoy tiaras and sparkly dresses and the idea of pretending to rule an empire while someone else actually does all of the work for me. If being one in real life was an impossibility, I'd settle for playing one on TV.

If you had to live for a month off of either corndogs or Big Macs, which would it be? Corndogs! I'm so picky about what goes on my hamburgers that a Brittany Big Mac would just be meat and bread (and cheese? Do Big Macs have cheese? I don't think I've ever actually had one. [Erin says: Yes -- don't you remember the song?]), and I feel like that would get really boring after awhile. Not that corndogs wouldn't, but I really love corndogs.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip, but only if it's the green kind (Erin says: Amen, sister.). I don't care what anyone (Michael Schaaff, I am looking at you) says, the white kind just does not taste as good. Actually, I had blue mint chocolate chip ice cream once, though, and it was acceptable. Does this make me an ice cream racist?

Who's your celebrity cheat? You know, the celeb you heart so much that your significant other says "Okay, fine, if you ever meet that person, you can hook up once just to say you did it, and I won't get mad." Any significant other I manage to pick up is going to have to learn to be flexible, because I have a list, and it is extensive. Adam Brody and Taylor Kitsch are at the top of it.

Our second interview of the day is our beloved Stage Manager, without whom we would be both lost and confused.

Name: Colleen Stock
Role: Stage Manager

Favorite shows you’ve worked on: I think I'll have to go with Le Pas D'Acier or The Steel Step, a ballet done at Princeton University. Ton of fun and very not what I do normally as an SM.

Shows you’d like to do: Well, 5 Women was on my short list, so I'll have to go with How I Learned To Drive by Paula Vogel.

What are some of your non-theatre hobbies? I volunteer for the Flying Circus Aerodrome out in Bealeton, VA on Sundays. They perform a barnstorming show featuring vintage aircraft c. 1940s every Sunday from May through October. It's a fun way to lose weight and get a tan :D

What is your dream job? One where I get paid to do nothing but what I love. Does something like that exist?

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk. I can eat a whole container in one sitting. Sickening, I know ... (Erin says: I frequently eat a whole container of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting. And yes, it is a bit sickening. But so delicious at the time!!!)

Who’s your celebrity cheat? Hugh Jackman.

Interviews: Meet Michael and Erin!

2009-01-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

Michael is hounding me for an update because I promised him that this week would be Michael and Erin week.

I'm honestly a bit surprised he's still excited about these interviews, since this is the third one he's done since this summer. Although at the rate he's going, even if he's not involved in a given show, I just may have to interview him anyway, or break our awesomeness streak.

Also, just cuz I feel like it, today we're Hokie-color-coding our interviews.

Name: Michael Schaaff

Role: Assistant Stage Manager / Assistant Costumes

Favorite roles you've played already: I'd have to say Michael in My Life: A Michael Schaaff Story (not actually a show, but I can't pick a favorite role/show without fear of being attacked by fellow theater people)
Roles you'd like to play someday: Still want to play Rod/Princeton in Avenue Q

If Five Women... was Survivor, in what order do you think the characters would be voted off the island? Why? Tripp (sorry, not enough room for 2 men), Frances (on principle), Trisha (there's only room for one manipulative person here ... me!), Meredith (stay long enough for me to laugh at the emo kid), Mindy (who doesn't love a witty lesbian), Georganne (she's just fun ... and no, I'm not sucking up to the blogger [Erin says: Yes, you are. Don't lie if you can't do it any better than that ;) ]), and finally Colleen ('cause I can't rule the island if I'm assisting someone) ... meaning I WIN SURVIVOR 5 WOMEN!

What are some of your non-theatre hobbies? Sleeping ... that's all my non-theater time allows for.

What is your dream job? To be a dreamer of dreams like Willy Wonka! Not creepy Johnny Depp Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder Willy Wonka. (Erin says: I never thought I'd say this, but you're right -- Johnny Depp is far creepier than Gene Wilder.)

If you had to live for a month off of either corndogs or Big Macs, which would it be? Big Macs ... GOD I love that special sauce. It's like crack ... maybe that's what's in it!

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip! THERE IS NO OTHER FLAVOR!

Now, I have to say, I feel really weird posting myself up here. It feels a touch narcissistic. But, I'm in the show, and anyway, you guys all want to learn about the person who writes these posts, I know you do. So here we go.

Name: Erin Anderson King
Role: Georgeanne

Favorite roles you’ve played already: Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, and Brooke in Noises Off. Last year I was Reggie in Some Girl(s), directed by the lovely and talented Susan Devine ... I'm not sucking up to the director, I swear. (Erin says: Yes, you are. Don't lie if you can't do it any better than that. Erin also says: Michael, this whole commenting on my own interview was a really weird idea, I'm not sure I'm digging it.)

Roles you’d like to play someday: I can’t carry a tune in a bucket (no one believes me on this because they've never heard me sing, but they've never heard me sing because I think it's mean to cause my friend irreparable hearing damage), so I don’t stand a chance of ever playing Elphaba or Glinda in Wicked or Maureen in Rent, but if I COULD sing, those would be on the list. I love, love, love Shakespeare, and would really love to play either Puck or Helena in Midsummer or Katherine in Taming of the Shrew. Oooh, or Ophelia in Hamlet. But my all-time must-play role is Shelby in Steel Magnolias.

If Five Women ... was Survivor, in what order do you think the characters would be voted off the island? Why? I think we’d lose Frances first, because she kind of annoys all of them. I hate to say it, but they’d probably all boot Georgeanne off next cuz she’s so whiny and self-deprecating (I know I could only be stuck on an island with that for so long ... and yet I'm living in her head until March -- joy and joyness!), and then probably Meredith just because she’s so immature, then Mindy because out of this group, Trisha's the “ultimate do-girl”.

If you had to live for a month off of either corndogs or Big Macs, which would it be? Big Macs, if I can scrape off some of the sauce to give to Michael, 'cuz I'd get sick of it after a week or so.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? I am obsessed with Edy’s slow-churned peppermint ice cream, which is the reason this question made it into the interview. Shame they only have it during the holidays. When it's not the holidays, Mint Chocolate Chip. Especially Turkey Hill, that stuff's addicting. Now I want ice cream.

What was your very first email address and/or IM screen name? Why did you choose it? My first email address was skyegirl17@hotmail … when I was 14, my friends and I found this thing at Claire’s in Apple Blossom Mall called “Boyfriend In a Box”. It was basically a box with a photo of said boy, a love note, a movie ticket stub, and other cheesy stuff, so that you could have your very own fake boyfriend. We each bought one, and I got Skater Skye (yes, I know that’s not a very manly name, but it’s the one he came with). I never actually told people Skye was my boyfriend though (seriously, I'm not THAT lame).

Who’s your celebrity cheat? You know, the celeb you heart so much that your significant other says “Okay, fine, if you ever meet that person, you can hook up once just to say you did it, and I won’t get mad.” I have so many, it’s a wonder Kevin married me at all. Nathan Fillion, I think, is the one I’ll choose ... a friend and I actually went to a nerd-con a few years back in hopes of meeting him, but didn’t realize that I was looking in the wrong place on the website for the con, and he’d been a guest the PREVIOUS year. I wanted to cry. But even if I had met Nathan, I probably would have been in such a state of star-struck-ness that I probably wouldn’t have even been able to squeak out a "hi", much less “Will you make out with me?”

Congrats to our WATCH nominees!!!

2009-01-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

WATCH nominations went out this weekend, and CCT2FT people are all over the place!

For CCT2FT productions, we have:

Outstanding Cameo in a Musical - Cathy Arnold as "Claire" - bare, a pop opera
Outstanding Cameo in a Play - Robin Zerbe as "Miss Sandwich" - The Elephant
Man
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play - Hans Dettmar as "John Merrick" - The
Elephant Man

And for other companies/productions, the following CCT2FT board members have been nominated:

Outstanding Choreography - Shannon Khatcheressian - A New Brain (KAT)
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Ryan Khatcheressian as "Roger Delli-
Bovi" - A New Brain (KAT)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play - Matthew Randall as "Norman" - The Dresser (PCP)

And many others whom we know and love -- congrats to everyone who was nominated!

More interviews!!!

2009-01-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

This week we have a cast interview and a crew interview. Sorry I missed last week's update, for those of you who read this blog regularly (Michael) ... it was one of those weeks. But now I'm back!

Before I get into the interviews, I want to take a moment to play Mom: Take care of yourselves this winter. Get enough sleep, drink lots of fluids, get some Vitamin C -- half the cast and crew is fighting something right now, from a mild head cold on up through a lung infection (get better, Colleen!!!!), and it's not fun. I want you all to promise me that you'll do your best to stay healthy. Especially if you're working on our show ;)

That said, on to the interviews!!! First up, we have our costumer!

Name: Melissa Jo York-Tilley
Role: Costume Designer

Favorite shows you’ve worked on: Euripides’ The Bacchae, On Golden Pond, and Ghost Sonata.

Shows you’d like to do some day: I would absolutely love to direct Jesus Christ Superstar. I don’t usually act so I like projects that are challenging technically.

If you had to live for a month off of either corndogs or Big Macs, which would it be? Probably Big Macs because at least you have dairy, protein, and a tiny bit of veggies in there. (Erin says: You know, I hadn't actually thought about that. You make a good point ... you should do marketing for McDonald's!)

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Cookies & Cream!!!!

What was your very first email address and/or IM screen name? Why did you choose it? First name I’ve had is Melsiwelsie. A co-worker called me that one day and it stuck.

Who’s your celebrity cheat? You know, the celeb you heart so much that your significant other says “Okay, fine, if you ever meet that person, you can hook up once just to say you did it, and I won’t get mad.” Brendan Frasier ... YUMMY!!!!

If you were offered free plastic surgery and were guaranteed no complications from it, would you take it? What would you have done? I doubt it. Surgery scares me to death!!!

Name: Lauren Feliz
Role: Meredith Marlowe

Favorite roles you've played already: I was in musicals during high school ... most noteably I was Rapunzel in Into the Woods and Kate/Lilli Vannessi in Kiss Me Kate. Most recently I was Tyler in Some Girl(s) with 2nd Flight Productions.

Roles you'd like to play some day: Eliza Doolittle My Fair Lady ... Christine in Phantom of the Opera ... Other than that, whatever comes across my plate, I'm not too picky :)

Favorite thing about your character in Five Women: She sorta reminds me of myself in high school ... outside the whole spoiled bitchy part of her character (Erin says: Can we say "bitchy" on the air?). I remember trying to establish myself as an independent thinker, as a person who would define herself outside the status quo -- I respect that about her, as well as pity her for trying to do so. It's a hard road to follow ... not to mention that no man (or in this case woman) is an island and every group has rules you follow to be considered part of the group.

What are some of your non-theatre hobbies? I read a lot ... paint some ... watch my shows ... mostly I play with my 7 month old daughter.

What is your dream job? Dream job ... Rich, house/trophy wife? HA! Just kidding. Dream job would probably be an FBI profiler for their violent crimes unit, i.e. stopping super-bad guys.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Coldstone, Birthday Cake Light with white chocolate morsels topping, with raspberries and gummy bears on it too ... Yum!

Who's your celebrity cheat? You know, the celeb you heart so much that your significant other says "Okay, fine, if you ever meet that person, you can hook up once just to say you did it, and I won't get mad." Ahhh, there are so many attractive men in the world ... I would have to go with either Paul Blackthorne or Mark Valley. I don't heart them so much that I'm in love ... but they sure are two yummy men. ;)

(Erin says: Just for you, loyal readers ... pictures of Lauren's celebrity cheats -- Paul first, then Mark. I didn't know who they were, and figured you might not either. Actually, once I saw them, I did know them -- I love Boston Legal.)

Meet the Cast of "Five Women"!!!!

2008-12-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

Or some of the cast, anyway. I'm going to spread these out some over the next few weeks.

Let's start with our lone guy (poor Felipe, he came to rehearsal on Monday night and had to sit through a LOT of us girls talking about all sorts of stuff with regard to our characters -- sexual promiscuity, weight issues, Mommy issues, Daddy issues, all sorts of stuff ... he was a very good sport, but I felt really bad for him).

Typically I like to post headshots of the cast, but I don't have any of today's featured cast members. I did, however, find a cast photo from LTA's The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, in which Felipe played Comet and Laura played Blitzen. So here's that:

Felipe would be the sullen-looking reindeer in the green shirt in the lower left corner. Laura is in the beige suit, with curly black hair.

Name: Felipe Cabezas
Role: Tripp

Favorite roles you’ve played already: Wallace in Women and Wallace; Graham in Cleansed

Roles you’d like to play someday: Jules in Boom; the frat dawg in Red Light Winter; and others whose names I can’t remember right now.

What are some of your non-theatre hobbies? Playing sports, photography, watching stand-up comedy.

What is your dream job? Astronaut

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Anything chocolate. In fact, the more vicious the name, the better. If some company made a “Lethal Fudge Injection Chocolate,” I would be ALL OVER that.

What was your very first email address and/or IM screen name? Why did you choose it? YpshnaAfro. Ypshna was a nickname (which was only really used for a month or two), and I had a 'fro when I made the screen name.

Name: Laura J. Scott
Role: Mindy

Favorite roles you've played already: Favorite role was Veta in Harvey, favorite production was Saturday Sunday Monday at LTA.

Roles you'd like to play someday: Volumnia in Coriolanus

Least favorite thing about your character in Five Women: She's a graceful klutz like me, a little too close to home.

What are some of your non-theatre hobbies? Raising my daughter Hannah. Training my cats to leash walk. Pretending I'm foreign when an annoyingly stupid (American) tourist in DC asks me for directions.

What is your dream job? To be part of a rep acting company where I have the luxury of being paid/getting benefits to act every day.

If you had to live for a month off of either corndogs or Big Macs, which would it be? I'd starve first.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey

Who's your celebrity cheat? David Strathairn (Erin says: Just for kicks, I'll give you guys a pic of him too.)

2009 Season and Director Applications

2008-12-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, all! I think this may be the first time in history that I have updated EARLY.

But we have exciting news that must be shared!!!

CCT with 2nd Flight Theatre Company has announced its 2009 season! You all know that we're kicking off with Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (or you should, since it's all I've been blogging about for weeks), but we have chosen the rest of our season and are ready to begin looking for directors who are interested in working with us on these two shows.

Our second show of the season, going up after Five Women... in late spring, is Flight of the Lawnchair Man by Peter Ullian and Robert Lindsey-Nassif, a fun and slightly campy musical about Wal*Mart employee Jerry Gorman who, with the help of his girlfriend Gracie, achieves his dream of flight by suspending a lawnchair from 400 helium balloons. (Side note: Some Guy in Oregon actually did this.)

Rounding off our season in the fall will be John Guare's award-winning Six Degrees of Separation, a story about a con artist and the relationship he develops with an older couple he's scammed. The original Broadway cast included Stockard Channing and Anthony Rapp (best known for originating the role of Mark in Rent), and the film version starred Ms. Channing and Mr. Rapp (reprising their roles from the stage production -- Channing was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for this film), Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellan, Anthony Michael Hall, Heather Graham, and Will Smith as the con artist, circa The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

If you're interested in directing one of these two shows for us, submit the director application package by December 31, 2008!

And for all you actors, put us on your audition radar.

This promises to be a particularly fun season ... you know you want to be a part of it!!!

Rehearsal Numero Uno

2008-12-17T09:18:00.001-08:00

So on Monday night we had our first read-through at Susan's house, prefaced by the Best Brunswick Stew Ever (thanks to Donna Naybour for the recipe!) and an estrogen-laden conversation about babies and the like that probably made poor Jeff the sound guy want to put his head through a wall, being the only male in the room (the only male in the cast, Felipe, was unable to be there, so poor Jeff was on his own. Sorry Jeff.).

The read-through went well. We talked some about our characters, some about the impact of the play's events on each woman, and touched on some ways we can play with the meanings of and reactions to some of the script's more major happenings. I think we're on our way to a rockin' good show.

On a more personal note, I went into this a little apprehensive about playing the funny Georgeanne (even though it was my most coveted part in the show), as my only truly comedic role to date is Brooke in Noises Off, which is supposed to be over-the-top silly. I was afraid of doing Georgeanne a disservice by trying too hard either to be funny, or not to be funny, but in the car on the way home I realized that out of all the characters in this play, I am the most like Georgeanne, and her experiences are experiences I can actually identify with personally, unlike the other characters. So I'm feeling a lot better about that. I can't speak for the others, but I at least am going to have a LOT of fun getting inside this woman's head. I'm so excited!

Next week's agenda for the blog: begin cast interviews!!! Check back and see who I decide to put on the spot :)

The cast list is out!

2008-12-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry to all who were hoping for an update earlier in the week ... I didn't have anything exciting to report earlier. Callbacks for "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" were Wednesday night, so if I'd tried to do my Tuesday update, it would have just said "Callbacks are tomorrow, and that is all."

We had a really, really strong turnout for auditions and callbacks (I think everybody in that callback walked out thinking "Wow, I rocked out my callback, but so did everyone else, so that's gotta be a tough call for the director to make!!"). But, after what I assume was much deliberation and banging her head against the wall, director Susan Devine has announced the cast as follows, in order of appearance:

Frances: Betsy Eames
Meredith: Lauren Feliz
Trisha: Melissa McConnell
Georgeanne: Erin Anderson King
Mindy: Laura Scott
Tripp: Felipe Cabezas

Congrats to the cast -- it's gonna be an exciting ride!!!

Rehearsal updates and cast interviews will be posted over the next few weeks, as usual. I'm hoping to have some ugly bridesmaid dress costumes to post soon -- at least a couple of the cast and crew members have discussed taking a trip to David's Bridal to take pictures of each other in ridiculous dresses to post up here ... if that happens, you'll be the first to know :)

Auditions are TONIGHT and TOMORROW!

2008-12-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

In the Waddell Conference Room (114) from 7:30 - 9:30 pm.

Actors will be brought into the audition space 2-3 at a time to read sides from the script.

Synopsis: During an ostentatious wedding reception at a Knoxville, Tennessee, estate, five reluctant, identically clad bridesmaids hide out in an upstairs bedroom, each with her own reason to avoid the proceedings below.

Characters:
Frances, the painfully sweet but sheltered fundamentalist cousin of the bride
Mindy, the cheerful, wise-cracking lesbian sister of the groom
Georgeanne, whose heartbreak over her own failed marriage triggers outrageous behavior
Meredith, the bride's younger sister whose precocious rebelliousness masks a dark secret
Trisha, a jaded beauty whose die-hard cynicism about men is called into question
Tripp, a charming bad-boy usher to whom there is more than meets the eye

Characters' age ranges are early 20s through mid 30s.

You do NOT have to be a NOVA student to audition.

Actors will be asked to read both with and without a Southern accent. If you can't do a Southern accent, don't let that stop you -- director Susan Devine told me that she's more concerned with actors being able to pull off the timing and comedy, and that she'll work with them on the accent if need be.

Reminder: Auditions!!!

2008-11-25T05:53:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to any and all that auditions for Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, directed by Susan Devine, are next Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Come prepared to read sides from the script (no need to memorize a monologue -- hallelujah!) and if you can do a Southern accent, be ready to bust it out.

This is one of the lamest updates ever ... not only is it super short, it's also the same information I've put in the last two updates. So, to make it a little more interesting, I'll leave you all with some pictures of some truly awful bridesmaid dresses. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed finding them :)

(This one actually won an award for the ugliest dress at the "Once Was Enough" Ugly Bridesmaid Dress competition. I want to go to this thing.)

Not much new to report ...

2008-11-18T06:36:00.001-08:00

... since we're between shows. (I just typed "shoes" on accident, and almost left it, cuz I thought it was funny, but I figured it would really confuse people.)

We do, however, have the poster for the next show! At least, a draft of it. Once the show is cast, all the "Does" will be removed and real names put in.

Again, audition info:

Auditions are December 2-3 at 7:30 pm. Callbacks, if necessary, will be December 10 at 7:30 pm. Actors will read sides from the script; no monologues need to be prepared. See the post below for more information about the individual characters.

Further clarification on 5 Women Audition

2008-11-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

I spoke to Susan Devine, the director of Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, and this is what she said regarding the ages and the accents:

I don't care about the ages. Meredith should play a little young - that's all. I will work up character descriptions and sides for auditons over the next few days. And - I will ask actors to read without and accent and then with one. I just need to know that they can acquire a little southern accent. But, it's far more important that they can carry off the comedy and character.

So there we go. Meredith and Frances are early-to-mid 20s ish, Trisha, Tripp, and Georgeanne are early 30s ish, Minday is late 40s ish, but those are all flexible.

If you can't do a Southern accent now, start working on it, but it's not a deal breaker :)

EDIT: Reminder that there IS a male character in the show; his name is Tripp. He appears towards the end, and has a good one-on-one scene (and kiss) with Trisha.

Elephant Man and 5 Women

2008-11-06T08:13:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. I promised an update yesterday. But since I haven't been around to know what's been going on, I had to do some digging to get information for you, and it took a little longer than I'd thought.

Thus far, The Elephant Man has been getting great reviews from the audiences; the cast has been getting standing ovations every night, and director Natalie Safley's Master's program mentor came to see the show, which was Natalie's thesis project, and loved it. So Natalie is now a Master of Directing! Go Natalie!

Also, the CCT/2FT website now has an RSS feed. I had to get Michael Schaaff to explain to me what that means, but essentially, it means that you can get automatic updates whenever something new is added to the website. I'm still fuzzy on the details of how that works, but when I figure it out, I'll let y'all know -- it's a good way to keep abreast of audition notices, show dates, etc.

Finally, CCT/2FT will soon be holding auditions for its winter show, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress. Auditions will be held in the Waddell Conference Room (114) on December 2nd, 2008 from 7:30 - 9:30 pm and December 3rd, 2008 from 7:30 - 9:30 pm. Callbacks (if needed) will be held in the theater on December 10th, 2008 from 7:30 - 9:30 pm. Actors will be brought into the audition space 2-3 at a time to read sides from the script.

Synopsis:
During an ostentatious wedding reception at a Knoxville, Tennessee, estate, five reluctant, identically clad bridesmaids hide out in an upstairs bedroom, each with her own reason to avoid the proceedings below. They are Frances, a painfully sweet but sheltered fundamentalist (early-to-mid 20s); Mindy, the cheerful, wise-cracking lesbian sister of the groom (mid-to-late 30s); Georgeanne, whose heartbreak over her own failed marriage triggers outrageous behavior (early 30s); Meredith, the bride's younger sister whose precocious rebelliousness masks a dark secret(early-to-mid 20s); and Trisha, a jaded beauty (early 30s) whose die-hard cynicism about men is called into question when she meets Tripp, a charming bad-boy usher to whom there is more than meets the eye (early 30s). As the afternoon wears on, these five very different women joyously discover a common bond in this wickedly funny.

EDIT: Yes, Tripp is a character who appears onstage. Meaning there is a male part in the show. Meaning we will need guys at auditions :)

The age ranges I just gave are approximate, and my own opinion based on what I've read of the script. If you are younger than mid-20s but look older, or older than mid-30s but look younger, come on out! I'll check with the director about how hard she's sticking to these ages and post back soon.

You do not have to be a NOVA student to audition.

We've also had questions about whether actors should come prepared with a Southern accent; I'll check with the director on this and report back. My guess would be that it can't hurt to start practicing your Scarlett O'Hara voice.

I'm back!

2008-11-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hello loyal readers! I am back, married, and honeymooned, and I logged in to read Theresa's updates over the past couple of weeks and lo and behold, she appears to have forgotten all about you! Bad producer!!! *shakes finger*

Now, of course, it's the end of the workday, so I don't have time for Update Tuesday (sorry guys, still picking up the pieces from my vacation here at work, but the good news is that I think I'm mostly done for the moment). But I promise you that I will update tomorrow. I don't really know what the update will be about, since I've been out of the country and thus have no idea what's been going on Stateside, but I'll figure something out. Wait with bated breath, y'all. With bated breath.

More cast/crew interviews!

2008-10-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all! This will (probably) be my last post for a few weeks. As you've probably all realized, I haven't been doing so well at updating on Tuesdays, because I've been slammed at work trying to get things done early in preparation for my upcoming nuptials. So while I'm honeymooning, Theresa Bender is going to be doing our updates, and I'm going to see if she'll take over next week too (it'll be my last day at work and I know I'll be crazy busy, in addition to not really being functional on a human level since it'll be 4 days from the wedding).

I promise Theresa will take good care of you guys and give you lovely posts :)

Since last week I told Hans that, seeing as he's the lead and all, I would post his interview this week, let's begin with him :) I'm also going to make this a long post, putting in ALL the interviews I've received thus far, as my farewell-for-now gift to you all :)

Name: Hans Dettmar
Role: John Merrick

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? I am always trying to find time to catch up on my drawing and oil painting projects, though I inevitably get into another show and run out of time. Besides that I love swimming and cycling. I am also an avid gamer: PC, console, and board games especially.

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)? Attended 13 schools, moved 14 times, studied piano with 10 different teachers, studied 5 languages, speak 2 fluently (English+German) (Erin says: Damn.)

If you act, what role would you really, really love to play? If you don't act, still the same question. My 2 must-do musical theatre roles are Sweeney in Sweeney Todd and Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. (Erin says: Everyone wants to do Sweeney. It's always on CCT/2FT's table, and the day we actualyl decide to do it, we're going to have to beat the would-be Sweeneys away with a club.)

What was your favorite fairy tale or toy as a child? LEGO -- have been collecting since age 5! So it was my favorite toy then AND now.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? We have Max, our Cairn Terrier and 2 cats: Mosby and Miranda. Presents? What kind of owner do you think I am? Of COURSE they get presents :-)

Name: Robin Zerbe (the only one who sent in a headshot this week!)
Role: Miss Sandwich

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? I'd have to go with fencing, reading, hanging out with friends, watching movies, writing, traveling (when I have the time and money), knitting, and listening to music.

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 lived in Germany for 18 years. Oh, and I like cats. (Erin says: Har har ;) )

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. :) Regarding acting, I really had fun playing Harriet/Kate in An Experiment with an Air Pump. It was not only a great cast and crew, but it was a challenge to have to differentiate the 2 characters, LOTS of lines, and I got my first experience with stage combat (nothing like a good period catfight). As a techie, I'd have to choose being a set dresser on Crazy Eights (horror movie, check it out at imdb). It was a great learning experience and neat to see how they make stuff look the way it does on film. Plus, there's really nothing creepier than working at an abandoned mental institute piled full of random stuff at 3 am. I'll get my first taste at directing next summer when I get to direct a children's play I'm currently writing for the Elden Street Players, Fairytales in Training. I've had lots of fun acting for kids, and am looking forward to this next step.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? I have 2 tailless rescue kitties, Stubbs and Spazz (who some of you had the chance to "meet" at a rehearsal) (Erin says: Best names EVER.). They are spoiled rotten by my mom, leading to their own toy basket and toys all over the place, and are regularly treated to extensive belly rubs. They even have health insurance (ok, stop laughing). (Erin says: Hey, no, pet health insurance is a good thing -- Kevin's dog has diabetes, and if he'd anticipated that, he'd have gotten the insurance and his vet bills would be way lower.)

If you could live WITH any character from a play/book/movie for a day, which character would it be? Why? I'd love to prance around Middle Earth with the elves. Why? Because I can (and yes, I'm a geek, now you all know).

Name: Christy Jacobs
Role: Stage Manager

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? I like to draw, write poetry, dance, drink beer, watch movies, and just be chill.

What was your favorite fairy tale or toy as a child? I had (and still do have) a little cabbage patch doll. She was with me through all of it. I adore her.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? I have a cat named Moseby and another named Bunnie. I buy them catnip because they are stoner kitties. Other than that they get food, litter and all my lovins.

Do you have any little thing(s) you do "for luck" before a performance? I give hugs to all who are willing to get hugs. The contact helps keep me cool. I also say a little prayer.

If you could wear only one outfit for a whole month, what would it be? My sweats, some shorts, and a beater with a comfy hoody just in case

What's your favorite comfort food? Mac and cheese

Name: David Saunders
Role: Will, Porter at the London Hospital

If you act, what role would you really, really love to play? If I were to really get into acting and develop the necessary skills to take on a major role, I would love to play the King from The King and I, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wiz. I am intrigued with how each of these characters (all the same really) comes across as a major asshole (Erin says: Can we say "asshole" on the air? We can? Awesome.) at first but turns out to be a pretty nice guy deep down inside, once a woman gets hold of his heart. Alas, where would we assholes be without the leading ladies in our lives?!

What was your favorite fairy tale or toy as a child? Fairy tale: In the words of Sarah Palin, "All of them!" Toy: I had a LOT of fun with "Mr. Bubble" in my youth (Friday night, the mood was right!) but if that doesn't qualify as a toy, I will go with my beloved hand puppet, Grover from Sesame Street. If every kid had a puppet, the world would be a much better place.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? No pets these days, but I had a ton of hamsters growing up, and they all lived pretty high off the hog in the "Habitrail" palace. If I were to get into pets again, I would definitely go for something on the endangered species list. Are polar bears tameable?

If you could wear only one outfit for a whole month, what would it be? I think a pair of M.C. Hammer pants would be fun to wear for a month, and I would seriously wear them the whole 30 days, assuming I didn't have to leave the house during daylight. (Erin: Well, now, that just takes all the fun out of it for the rest of us.)

What's the strangest gift you've ever received? My dad gave me plenty of geeky gifts from Radio Shack over the years, but the all-time greatest was the metal detector for my 11th birthday. I really stood out in the hood, hunting for gold doubloons or whatever I thought was hidden under the streets of D.C. with that gizmo! Fortunately, it broke just in time for puberty.

Name: Natalie Holmes
Role: Princess Alexandra

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? My hobbies include the outdoors (hiking, running “garden assistant”) (Erin says: What exactly is a "garden assistant"? What do you assist the garden in doing?), music, trying out new recipes, Scrabble, trivia, and school. A self-professed geek (and proud of it!!!), I actually enjoy learning for learning’s sake.

If you act, what role would you really, really love to play? If you don't act, still the same question. Who doesn’t act? We all play roles in this stage of a world, now don’t we? I guess if I had to choose … Margo Channing. (IMHO, Bette Davis was robbed of the Oscar). She was uncompromising in who she was … tough yet vulnerable.

If you could wear only one outfit for a whole month, what would it be? My most flattering jeans and my suede boots and a tee shirt … or maybe my black wrap dress … or maybe the turquoise empire waist scoop neck dress … or maybe … darn, do I have to decide NOW?

What's your favorite comfort food? It frankly depends upon my mood and could be from any part of the food chain and could vary depending on the kind of comforting I need.

If you were to change your name, what would it be? Since my name fits me l would not change it (though it made for some confusion during rehearsals as the director and I share the same first name; I had to stop myself from responding every time someone said “Natalie”) … but … when I am being prickly and snarky, I get called “Natasha”.

New Cast & Crew Interviews!!!

2008-10-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

Again, with the late post. Sorry guys. They've been kicking my butt at work; I've got like 10 documents to finish before I take 2 1/2 weeks off this month, so I'm working furiously (okay, well, more furiously than usual).

BUT, we have new interviews! I actually have about 4, and since last week's post was so long, I'm going to go ahead and only post 3 now, in the order in which I received them. Sorry Hans; I know you're the lead and everything, but Theresa, Natalie, and Alyssa got theirs to sooner. We'll learn about you next week, along with Robin :)

No headshots of these lovely ladies, sorry guys. You'll just have to come see the show if you want to know what they look like!!!

Name: Theresa Bender (Erin says: Theresa answered all the questions and told me to choose five ... which apparently was what I was supposed to do for Jay last week, but I didn't get -- or didn't read, that's entirely possible -- the memo. Oops.)
Role: Producer

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? Belly dance, ice hockey fan, art gallery docent, beer wench at Herndon's Friday Night Live during the summertime, avid reader, cooking. And I just took my first pole dancing class!

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? I have a wonderful, 10-year-old, blond Lab named Max. Yeah I know -- not a very original name. I sure do buy presents for him - and treats. He loves Greenies. Those things are addictive. Doggie-crack!

If you could live one day as a character in any play, which character would it be? The Marquis in Quills or Iago in Othello. What fascinating minds to visit ... for a DAY.

Do you have any little thing(s) you do "for luck" before a performance? It's an OCD thing, not for luck, but I check every prop and every costume piece I will use. I also skim over my lines in my head before the show. Unlike the NHLers during Stanley Cup season, I don't grow a beard. I also find a quiet place and just get away from the dressing room chatter for a few minutes.

If you were to change your name, what would it be? Something more exotic! How about ... Zahira? Or Delilah?

Name: Natalie V. Safley (Erin says: I'm not sure if I'm supposed to pick five for Natalie, so I'll let you all get to know a lot about her :) )
Role: Director

What are your hobbies outside of theatre? What is there besides theater? Hiking, Wine Tasting and Reading

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 am a New Kids on the Block fan, and will attend two concerts in the next two months.

If you act, what role would you really, really love to play? If you don't act, still the same question. Linda Loman, Death of a Salesman

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. :) As a director, I find different aspects of each production that are my favorite. I couldn’t ever pick just one; I like the collaborative process of rehearsal. I like to work with actors who are open to working with others, and make it about the whole production and not just their part in it.

What was your favorite fairy tale or toy as a child? My favorite toy as a child was my blanket: Comfy. I took him everywhere; yes, a blanket can be a "he."

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? Bubba is a buff tabby cat. We rarely buy him presents, but we often play attack cat.

If you could live one day as a character in any play, which character would it be? Snow White because everything is happy, cheery, and full of song. (Erin says: Till the wicked queen tries to kill you! That's not so happy.)

If you could wear only one outfit for a whole month, what would it be? A Black Dress

What's your favorite comfort food? Red Wine

If you were to change your name, what would it be? Natasha

What's the strangest gift you've ever received? An ex-boyfriend’s mother once gave me slippers for Christmas … that were not my size and had been worn. (Erin says: Ew.)

Name: Alyssa Jacobsen
Role: Mrs. Kendal

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)? Something that one probably wouldn't be able to guess just by looking at me is that I'm half Swedish. I certainly don't look Swedish (dark hair, dark eyes) so people tend to be surprised when they find out.

If you act, what role would you really, really love to play? If you don't act, still the same question. A role for theatre that I would really, really love to play would either be Elphaba or Glinda from Wicked. I'd be equally happy with either ;). For film I would have killed to play the role of Lisa from Girl Interrupted -- or any Angelina Jolie role for that matter.

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. :) My favorite role to date was the last show I was in where I was cast as Catherine in The Foreigner. It was such a fun show and the entire cast and crew were awesome. I usually seem to go for dramatic roles, so I was really pleasantly surprised when I got cast in the show to play Catherine and was thrilled to have the opportunity to convey a comedic character.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind? Do you buy presents for him/her/them? I have lots of pets! A dog, six cats, 2 ferrets, 2 guinea pigs, 5 birds -- oh my! You don't even want to know how much work that is ... (Erin says: You're right ... I don't! You poor thing -- well, not really, cuz I know you love them all, but that's like when someone says they have 15 children, I just gape at them like "Why???")

What's your favorite comfort food? My favorite comfort food is anything sweet. You can never go wrong with chocolate. And I looove eating chips -- they're great for ALL occasions :).

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

2008-09-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

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

I'm a bad blogger!

2008-09-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

I forgot Update Tuesday yesterday! My apologies to all my die-hard fans!

Part of why I forgot is that I don't have a WHOLE lot to report. Theresa Bender, producer of "The Elephant Man", tells me that the cast is mostly doing table work right now (for you non-actors, this is when the cast and director sit around with the script at the beginning of the process and hammer out character stuff, plot points, all the nitty-gritty that makes the show what it is and helps them really embrace the characters and story), so there's not many rehearsal shenanigans to talk about at the moment. But I'm sure I'll get some soon.

Actually, Mike Schaaff, whom you'll remember as Alan in "bare", is our Props Master for "The Elephant Man", and he informed me that sometime before next update he will be taking a team of people to the home of a man who is letting us borrow a cast-iron tub. The reason this is interesting is that said cast-iron tub is evidently in the gentleman's attic. So there should be some fun stories/photos of the tub-acquiring adventure.

Theresa is also working on getting interview with the cast like we did for "bare", so you should have some of that coming your way soon.

In other, not-entirely-CCT/2FT-related news, the Little Theatre of Alexandria is holding auditions at the beginning of October for "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues", directed by Susan Devine. I say this is not entirely CCT/2FT related (as opposed to not at all related) because Susan is the director for our winter show, "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress." She's also a friend of mine, so I figure I'll give her show a little plug here :) Go here for more information on the show. LTA is having auditions for another show as well, "Scrooge: The Musical" directed by Lisa Anne Bailey (whom I had the pleasure of hanging out with at Bonefish in Chantilly a few months back following a production of "A New Brain" at Kensington, and she's hilarious and very sweet).

I think that's all for now ... that's not a bad update, in my humble and not at all biased opinion, considering I came in with nothing major to report!

Oh, and p.s. ... this has nothing whatever to do with theatre, but I am currently drinking coffee that is making my mouth and throat go numb. Not that weird numb you get when you burn your tongue on hot coffee and it's numb but hurts at the same time -- no, this is numb like someone spiked it with lidocaine. I think I'm done with this coffee.

New Beginnings and Sad Endings

2008-09-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

With every ending comes a new beginning, and that's exactly what's going on in the life of CCT/2FT right now.

With the (very sad -- half the cast was in tears during the closing number on Saturday night) of "bare" comes the beginning of our next production, Bernard Pomerance's "The Elephant Man". Before we get into the details of the new show, however, let's do a quick wrap-up of the old one.

"I'd like to start with just a ...
If we could take a moment ...
[...]
I tried to find the words to ...
Just the right quotation ...
But I must confess I came up empty."

For those of you who saw "bare", you may recognize those words. For those of you who didn't see "bare", shame on you -- your punishment is that you have to Google the words yourself to get the reference! But in all seriousness, I think with the end of this show, most of its participants feel as though a little piece of them is missing -- not just that they now have evenings free to watch Monday Night Football and eat dinner with their families, but more than that. This was one of the closest-knit casts I've ever worked with -- this cast was truly a family, and I think there will be a bit of separation anxiety over the course of the next few weeks as we all readjust to life without rehearsal (and each other) every night. To me, that right there says more about the success of this show than any review or any box office numbers (not to say that the reviews and numbers weren't good or aren't important; I'm just a sentimentalist). To the "bare" team: I for one feel priviledged to have worked with each and every one of you. This cast had more talent and dedication than possibly any other cast I've worked with, and you all turned out a great product. Be proud of yourselves, and stay in touch!

And now, for our next trick, we present to you "The Elephant Man", directed by Natalie V. Safley. Some of you may have seen the movie with Anthony Hopkins, or may be familiar with the story of John Merrick from your history books or your own research/interest in the subject. For those of you who aren't: a brief synopsis ...

"The Elephant Man" is based on the life of John Merrick, who lived in London during the latter part of the nineteenth century. A horribly deformed young man, who has been a freak attraction in traveling side shows, is found abandoned and helpless and is admitted for observation to Whitechapel, a prestigious London Hospital. Under the care of a famous young doctor who educates him and introduces him to London society, Merrick changes from a sensational object of pity to the urbane and witty favorite of the aristocracy and literati. But his belief that he can become a man like any other is a dream never to be realized.

I'm pretty excited about this play. Safley is taking some interesting directions with it, and the cast list is full of names I recognize from having been in the community theatre world for a while, and you probably will too:

Cast List (in order of appearance)
Ringmaster/Announcer: Asher MillerFrederick
Treves: Stephen Smith
Carr Gomm: Tim Griffin
Ross: Jay Tilley
John Merrick: Hans Dettmar
Pinhead Manager: Eric Garner
Pinheads: Laura Moody, Kara Succolosky, Kyla Waitt
Belgian Policeman: Wayne Jacques
Conductor: David Saunders
Miss Sandwich: Robin Zerbe
Will, porter at the London Hospital: David Saunders
Bishop Walsham How: Phillip Archey
Snork, porter at the London Hospital: Wayne Jacques
Mrs. Kendal: Alyssa Jacobsen
Duchess: Kara Succolosky
Countess: Kyla Waitt
Lord John: Eric Garner
Princess Alexandra: Natalie Holmes

I don't know about you, but I'm curious as to why "Miss Sandwich" didn't make it into the final round of "Clue" suspects. Probably that won't be covered in the script, but maybe there's some back story there for Ms. Zerbe to delve into during character analysis time.

To wrap up: Congrats to the wonderful cast of "bare" for a great show; congrats to the cast of "The Elephant Man" for being cast in our next fabulous production; and keep checking in over the next few weeks for new cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes looks at "The Elephant Man". You'll have a guest writer, too, in the form of "The Elephant Man" producer Theresa Bender -- I know, it will be very sad to not have my charming wit for a few weeks, but she'll take good care of you, I promise.

Coming Up on the Last Weekend

2008-09-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I don't have much to report from a personal point of view this week; I'm a bad board member/costumer/theatre blogger and was not present at the theatre this weekend for the second week's run of "bare". Don't blame me though -- blame my friends who put me in their wedding on Sunday (it was a beautiful wedding, for the record -- one of the best I've been to, and I've been to a LOT of weddings).

Seriously, though, I don't have any personal stories to tell this week, but from what I hear, the show went very well, we had great crowds every night, and the cast had a blast at the cast party on Sunday night after the show. A well-deserved blast, at that -- these guys have worked their butts off, and they deserve the chance to let loose a little bit.

We're gearing up for our final weekend -- this week, the schedule shifts a bit. Instead of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening performances, we are doing Thursday, Friday, and Satruday evening shows. The college tells us that since classes are now in session, parking may be problematic on Thursday night, so arrive early to give yourselves time to find a spot.

Our First Review!

2008-08-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our first review is out!

Another congrats to the cast and crew!

Opening Weekend = A Huge Success!

2008-08-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

Mad props and congratulations go out to every single member of the cast and crew for a FABULOUS opening weekend!!!!

I'm not going to lie, we had some rough rehearsals last week. But man, did you guys pull it all together for a great, great show.

I think the highlight of the weekend was during Sunday's performance (by the way, to anyone who saw the show Sunday evening, the whole cast mentioned what a great audience you were -- not that Friday and Saturday's audiences weren't great, but Sunday's crowd was incredibly responsive for it's size). During "911 Emergency!", one of the running crew came back into the dressing room, where I was patiently waiting to help Rikki Howie (Sister Chantelle) with her quick change, and said, "Where's Rikki's wig?"

Well, the last time I'd seen Rikki's wig, it had been on her head, and since she was onstage, I assumed it still was. So I went to the wings and peeked out onstage, and sure enough, Rikki's out there singing her heart out with a bare head.

There was a mad scramble as everyone backstage tried to locate the missing wig. Michael Shaaff (Alan) finally found it -- onstage, in the archway. Turns out, when Rikki went onstage, the beehive of her wig knocked against the set and it fell off -- but since she only had one hand free, she couldn't put it back on, so she just left it and continued with the scene.

No big deal -- it's live theatre, these things happen. I retreat to the hallway to wait for Rikki's quick change, and as the scene ends, I hear Rikki tell Carla Okouchi (Rory) and Janelle Delaney (Tanya) to "Come on, girls -- and grab my wig!"

Well, the audience thought it was hilarious, so no harm, no foul.

Once again, major congrats and a huge round of applause to everyone who's worked so hard on this show. If you haven't seen it yet, come see it. It's good. I promise.

The Depths of Alan

2008-08-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

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.

The Show is Good, Come See It.

2008-08-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

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.

On a more serious note ...

2008-08-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Piñata Party

2008-08-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2 Weeks Out!!!

2008-08-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

We are almost 2 weeks out from opening night, ladies and gentlemen. Who's ready?

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!).

Update Tuesday strikes again!!!

2008-07-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

I promised two updates, so two updates ye shall have.

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

2008-07-29T05:22:00.000-07:00

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!!!

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 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.

Meet the Cast of "bare": Part 4!

2008-07-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hello once again, loyal readers (and newbies who stumbled on this blog because they were looking for posts tagged with "Sterling, VA", "Improperly Acquired Street Signs," "Awesome," etc.)!

I'm trying to get better about updating this thing. My goal originally was to update every Monday. Well, Mondays are rough days, cuz I'm usually not awake or functional till after lunch, and by then I'm already logged into my personal gmail account, which means to log into blogger on this account I have to log out of gmail, then into blogger, then out of blogger and back into gmail, which is just too much for my brain to handle on a Monday. So I've decided that Tuesdays will be Update Tuesdays, and I will do the update first thing in the morning (unless my bosses have something else for me to do!) before I log into gmail. It's a win-win for everyone (except maybe my bosses).

We're getting closer to the end of the cast list. I think there's only 3 actors left. And whether or not you get to meet them is dependant on whether or not they decide to send me their interviews! Lucky for you, I know two of them quite well, and feel confidant that I could create answers for them and no one would know the difference. The third I don't know as well, but he reminds me a lot of my brother, so I may just have my brother answer the interview on his behalf. Cory, Carla, and Asher, y'all might want to get your questionnaires in ... you don't really want to know what kinds of bizarre answers the Anderson family could come up with for you!

Today, meet Cathy, Felicity, and Michael! (I had originally typed "And now, on with the show!" but that sounded really cheesy, and besides, it's Show Biz Radio's tagline -- I don't want to be a tagline thief unless it's a really, really good tagline. I can't even think of one I'd want to steal right now. Perhaps Tuesday mornings aren't ideal update times either ... )

Name: Cathy Arnold
Role: Claire

What are some of your favorite past roles? Last summer, I played Grizabella in CATS … what an awesome role to play! It was my first time back into theatre since HIGH SCHOOL!

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? ????? (Erin says: I assume this means Cathy has played all the roles she's ever wanted to play. Well, after playing Grizabella, that makes sense.)

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? During the school year, I teach pre-kindergarten at a preschool; I have been singing with a Jazz Combo since 1987; I love water volleyball; I am raising my beautiful 13 year old daughter and 6 year old Shih Tzu.

Anything else we should know about you? I am an M&M freak, I love to watch CSI and Ghost Hunters, and I love to enjoy the outdoors in the summer (as long as it is not camping). (Erin says: Cathy and I might be the same person, except for the part where she can sing and loves the water ... so, not really the same person. But I, too, like M&Ms and CSI, and hate camping!)

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 played on a dodge ball team last winter!! It was a serious sport! Also, speaking of serious, I am a ruthless Scrabble player.

Name: Felicity Ann Brown
Role: Kyra

What are some of your favorite past roles? Topsy in The King and I, Professor Willard in Our Town, Granny in the party scene of The Nutcracker. I loved being an ensemble member in American University's production of Kiss Me, Kate, because the dance routines were incredible. Oh, and chorus member of The Mikado with Washington Savoyards, because that's how I met Guillaume. (Erin says: According to Facebook, Guillaume is Felicity's boyfriend. Probably you could figure that out, but since I had hard proof, I figured I'd pass along that little nugget.)

If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? Kate in Kiss Me, Kate.

What do you do when you're not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I'm the Acquisitions Coordinator for American University's Library. I'm starting library school in the September. I try to squeeze in ballet classes here and there, but I'm also on the Board of the Victorian Lyric Opera Company (shameless plug: http://www.vloc.org/) so I don't get away from theatre much.
Anything else we should know about you? I like alternative and punk rock … and I like it loud.

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? Nerdiest high school moment: I once soldered together a circuit board for my F.I.R.S.T Robotics team while wearing a nun's habit (it was during my dinner break for The Sound of Music dress rehearsal). (Erin says: If there are pictures, I would like to see them. That sounds even nerdier than MY nerdiest high school moment!)

Name: Michael Ehrlich
Role: Priest, and I’m serving as the vocal director

What are some of your favorite past roles? Ali Hakim in Oklahoma and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? Leo in The Producers. If I were MUCH younger, I would love to play Matt in The Fantasticks. I'd like to play the Wizard of Oz in Wicked. Hmmm …There are so many fun roles, it’s hard not to write a huge list.

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I’m the choral director at W. T. Woodson HS in Fairfax. I just finished my 20th year. I’m also the president of the Virginia Music Educators Association. I love to travel, love to cook, bake, read, go to the movies, theatre. Spend as much time as possible with Roger and also with my 1 year old golden retriever Max!

(Erin says: Michael has received all sorts of awards and recognition for his teaching and directing. Too many to list here, but he is quite an accomplished man! Be impressed.)

Anything else we should know about you? I’m not sure … let’s see … I’m a tap dancer. I told color guard for quite a few marching bands for over 22 years. Does that count for something interesting?

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I’ll never tell!! :) (Erin says; Oh, now that's just mean!)

That's all, folks! (See, THERE'S a tagline worth stealing! I knew one would come to me eventually.)

Meet the Cast of "bare": Part Three!!!

2008-07-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, I don't have the script on me, and I know for a fact that the new CCT/2FT website (http://www.cct2ft.com/, for those who don't know) has the cast listed out of order, and my stupid computer isn't letting me access 2nd Flight's old site, so I'm just going to post these in whatever order I want to!

First, I would also like to mention that I am FINALLY going to make it out to rehearsal tonight -- about freaking time, too. I'm skipping class to go, since I ended up digging through costumes at Chantilly High School on Saturday instead of measuring inseams like I had planned to be. So, tonight's the night. Ryan, better prepare, I will have to touch you. Sorry.

And now ... let's meet more cast members!!!

Name: Traci J. Brooks, but my partners in crime refer to me as "Trey"
Role: I play Diana, the "naive Asian." It's one of those stretch roles.

What are some of your favorite past roles? Mayor Maggie in Bat Boy: The Musical (CCT), a dancing student revolutionary in Footloose (LTA) and Liat in South Pacific (LSDT).

If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? When I win my Tony, I would be thrilled for it to be for my stellar performance of Eponine in Les Miserables, the emotional Cathy in Last 5 Years or bratty Marcy in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Or all three at once!

What do you do when you're not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I'm lucky enough that my day job DOES involve theater! I was the Music Director for Lopez Youth Performing Arts Company in Reston for their 2008 production of Seussical, Jr., aand I'm the Acting Teacher for their drama camps this summer. I'm pretty computer-oriented (my Mac is never far from me), and I love graphic design, web design, Photoshop and Facebook. Other than that, I am a professional student, a advanced amateur photographer and gormandizer of all things music.

(Erin says: Gormandizer is my new favorite word, as of this moment. And for that, Traci is my favorite cast member today!)

Anything else we should know about you? I am thrilled to be a part of CCT/2FT in their inaugural production as CCT/2FT! My brother's name is Jason, which makes this "You and I" fun to sing his name over and over ... and ask if he has a date for prom ...? Oh, and I'm allergic to poison ivy ... hmmm does that mean Ivy (the character played by Tara Moore), and I don't get along? Table work time!

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 love hugs, but I hate massages. They make me tense- which I'm pretty sure is NOT their goal.

Name: Janelle Delaney

Role: Tanya

What are some of your favorite past roles? Chiffon (Little Shop of Horrors), Cinderella (Into the Woods), Mama Euralie (Once on This Island)

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? My dream would be Aida , Dorothy in The Wiz or any part in Dreamgirls

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre? I work 2 jobs ; Online Resources and Coach. I am a major movie buff so watching movies is my favorite. Shopping, sleeping, laughing, cooking, eating (I’m a big foodie!) and generally having fun.

Anything else we should know about you? I am a constant source of entertainment but usually not on purpose … it’s just who I am!

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I have been trying to answer this question for over an hour … I can’t think of anything!

(Erin says: Ooooh, that means I get to create something!!!! Ummmmm ... Janelle once participated in a V8 Wrestling Match for charity. Ew, gross.)

Name: Richelle “Rikki” Howie
Role: Sister Chantelle

What are some of your favorite past roles? Narrator - Joseph... Dreamcoat, Vera Charles -Mame, Muzzy Von Hossamere - Thoroughly Modern Millie, Kate - Wild Party, Sarah Friend - Ragtime, Momma Rose - Gypsy, DeeLee - Smokey Joe's Cafe, Charlene - Ain't Misbehavin', Director of The Piano Lesson

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? Deena - Dreamgirls, Cassie - A Chorus Line, Roxie - Chicago

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre? Management consultant to the gov’t. I have over 100 pair of shoes and have a shoe shopping addiction and a Family Guy addiction.

Anything else we should know about you? I cook a killer death by chocolate dessert; I’m busier than a one-armed paper hanger at a wallpaper convention with theatre, usually doing 3-4 shows at once. It keeps me sane.

(Erin says: Oy. I struggle with one show at a time and all the other crap going on in my life. Rikki, you are a rock star.)

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I worked in a theme park outdoor show as Yogi Bear, Cindy Bear, Scooby Doo, and George Jetson in Charlotte, NC, and one show Yogi became decapitated by mistake and I scared a group of kids when Yogi's head rolled off the stage into the audience and I hear "Oh no!!! Yogi’s a black girl!!!!” Trust me, it was hilarious. All characters onstage and singers lost it!!!

Meet the Cast, Part 2!

2008-07-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

So my original plan was to just run on down the cast list as it's listed in the script, but I'm going to deviate from that slightly today. I had a special request for more of my witty writing from my favorite (and possibly only) loyal reader, Michael Schaaff ... who also happens to be in the cast! So he's getting bumped up a little bit, and is in fact today's very first cast member to be interviewed!

(Right now Michael's my favorite because he's the only loyal reader I know of, and because his picture is pretty freaking awesome. And, you know, he seems to be a pretty cool guy. But if YOU want to be the next Michael Schaff, tell me! I like mail, I like comments, and mostly, I like embarrassing pictures from people who will let me post them on the internet! Maybe I can make this a weekly contest ... )

(I just got an email from Michael that Brittany is also a loyal reader, but since she was supposed to be posted today anyway, I figured I'd give her a special shout-out right here. Holla! ... Yeah, I really just typed that. *hangs head in shame*)

Enough about me. Let's hear about Michael and Brittany and Brian!

Name: Michael Schaaff
Role: Alan

What are some of your favorite past roles? Ken de la Maize – The Musical Comedy Murders of the 1940s

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? Princeton/Rod – Avenue Q (pipe dream, I know, but I’d love to do it)

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I’m a Quality Assurance Engineer for Honeywell. I like to go to the movies, play video games, board games, sleeping (that’s my favorite), dining out, and causing shenanigans when with my friends.

Anything else we should know about you? I like long walks on the beach (bet you get that a lot ... Erin says: You know, I do, actually, everyone wants me to walk on the beach with them), cooking outdoors, dodging traffic, being sarcastic, making a scene in public, and I’ll do just about anything for a laugh (I’ve ordered diet water at a restaurant and they came back to say “I’m sorry sir, we don’t offer that here”).

(Erin says: Those waiters are stupid. Really, really stupid. All water is diet, duh!)

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’ve dressed up as Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Superman (full spandex) …not necessarily for Halloween, and looked damn good I might add. (Erin says: Heck yeah, you did! I have the Superman picture somewhere, but for whatever reason, gmail won't find it for me. If it decides to give it back to me, I'll post that one here too ... the world needs more men in spandex.)

(Michael was kind enough to resend!)

Name: Brittany Washington (headshot credit: Traci J. Brooks)

Role: Nadia

What are some of your favorite past roles? I've only just hopped back into theatre this year for the first time since I was in middle school, so I don't really have anything to choose from!

If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? Cathy (The Last Five Years), Helen (Fat Pig), Olive Ostrovsky (Putnam County Spelling Bee), the list goes on but I'll spare you.

What do you do when you're not doing theatre? I'm a receptionist for a company where the phone rings about twenty times an hour max, so I basically get paid for not falling asleep at my desk. It's a pretty sweet gig. (Erin says: You have no idea how jealous I am. No idea. Seriously, her gchat message just said she's watching "Juno" ... at work. I hope her boss isn't reading this.)

Anything else we should know about you? I am pathetically reliant on my TiVo, enjoy singing in the shower, overuse my flat iron, and am a terrible cook unless the only thing you like to eat is toast -- in which case, I can totally hook you up.

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? When I was six, I desperately wanted to become one of the Barney kids -- I knew the words to all of the songs and had my own purple stuffed dinosaur and everything. Obviously it never quite worked out... not that I'm totally bitter or anything.

The other, less-awesome Britney. This was the placeholder headshot until we got a real one, but Brittany and I decided that it still needed to be in here, since when it comes down to it, she and Brit-Brit are essentially the same person.

Name: Brian M. Garrison
Role: Matt

What are some of your favorite past roles? ‘Puck’ in William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream is my all-time favorite … so far. There’s nothing better than playing a mischievous fairy decked out in glitter and bells. (Erin says: It's so true. And again, I'm so jealous. I don't have nearly enough opportunities to wear glitter and bells in my life.) Portraying the ‘Dauphin’ (Prince of France) in Henry V was another awesome experience. I love any role that allows me to speak French and partake in a brutal sword fight. Outside of Shakespeare, ‘Linus’ in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was a ton of fun and my friend made me a blanket for the show. I stopped carrying it to work, but I still sleep with it sometimes. And ‘John Landis’ in Fifth of July was probably the toughest dramatic role I’ve taken on to date. John was a very complex individual with very complex circumstances. He’s the antithesis of me in almost every way, but the experience was priceless.

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? I definitely have a list going: ‘Henry Jekyll’ in Jekyll & Hyde. ‘Mark’ in Rent. ‘Matthew’ ‘Mark’ or ‘Luke’ in Altar Boyz. ‘Adam’ in The Shape of Things. ‘Irwin’, ‘Dakin’ or ‘Scripps’ in The History Boys. I also want a part in any future M. Night Shyamalan film.

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre? Acting is my passion and I would prefer to put it first in my life. (Insert shameless plug here: If anyone wants to subsidize my acting career please feel free to contact me!) I’m a project analyst (accountant) for a telecommunications integrator during the sun-filled hours of the day. It pays the bills and I like my co-workers a lot, but it’s not the love of my life. I also like to hang out with my friends, travel, eat at great restaurants, write the never ending screenplay, party-party-party in DC & NYC, shop, play video games, see a lot of live theatre and spend quality time at home with Netflix.

Anything else we should know about you? I’m in an improv troop called ‘Mission Impromptu’. I’m a ‘totally fierce’ cook and avid wine drinker. I’m also ‘Godfather’ (Erin says: Godfather like Marlon Brando? Cool!) to my best friend’s son, Alex, who just turned 1 in May. In the very near future, I plan to move to New York City to further pursue my acting career.

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I dated a dancer in a vampire theme bar … Wait, no, um … When I have the time, I still read comic books and collect action figures.

Meet the cast of "bare" (Part 1)

2008-06-25T11:28:00.001-07:00

Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be posting some interviews with the cast of "bare". Some of the cast members took the interview more seriously than others (for example, I happen to know that Ryan Khatcheressian's favorite role ever was as my body double in BatBoy, although he failed to list this in his interview ... I am offended.)

This may take a few weeks (or days, depends how often I feel like updating) ... I have to spread things out, create some anticipation ... that, and I can't put the whole cast all in one post. This blog doesn't hold that much awesome.

Name: Ryan Khatcheressian
Role: Peter

What are some of your favorite past roles? The West Springfield HS ensembles of The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and Oliver!

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? Sorting socks and catching butterflies.

Anything else we should know about you? I like funnel cake and tennis.

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!)? In July of 1991, I threw up on the Tilt-A-Whirl at Ocean City and cried.

Name: Tara Leigh Moore (real picture coming soon, promise!)

Role: Ivy

What are some of your favorite past roles? Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Columbia in The Rocky Horror Picture show, Echo in Eleemosynary, Alice in Closer, Shelly in Batboy: the Musical, and Little Red in Into the Woods

If you could play any role you haven’t yet played, what would it be? Eponine in Les Miserables (realistic) and Mimi in Rent (unrealistic since last time I checked I wasn’t the appropriate ethnicity) oh and Daisy in SideShow which will never happen since nobody is my size :)

What do you do when you’re not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? I’m a speech and language pathologist. I work with children who have communication disorders including articulation, receptive and expressive language impairments, reading and writing delays, etc. ... love what I do.

Anything else we should know about you? I love sushi and lobster. Not together. And chocolate – milk chocolate or with caramel is a plus. Favorite TV shows: Lost, Heros and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I’m a pole dance instructor for DivaFit in Ashburn!!! I’ve been pole dancing for two years. It’s the first hobby in my life that’s rivaled theatre for my attention. And yeah, you could guess it on the days that I have bruises up my legs from too many pole classes but it’s worth it!

(Erin says: Tara is my pole dance instructor and she's awesome. If you've ever considered taking pole dance, you should really check out DivaFit. Super fun. And now, back to your regularly scheduled interviews.)

Name: Dan Plehal (Erin says: Dan said I should have made his shirt green, but that other than that it's a pretty good likeness ... so apparently, Dan looks like Charlie Brown mated with a Weeble. Watch out, ladies. This one's a hottie.)
Role: Jason

What are some of your favorite past roles? Pish-Tush (Mikado), Willard (Footloose), Pharaoh (Joseph…Dreamcoat), Papa Ge (Once on this Island), Bobby Child (Crazy for You)

If you could play any role you haven't yet played, what would it be? Leaf Coneybear! (25th Annual…Spelling Bee) and (admittedly) Mark in Rent. If I had the range I would love to play Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, but alas, I do not.

What do you do when you're not doing theatre (day job, hobbies, etc.)? Going to School (senior at William & Mary, studying theatre), doing lighting design and direction, singing with my a cappella group (DoubleTake), taking headshots

Anything else we should know about you? I'm a big fan of food, and Lost, bowling, mediocre pizza at 2am, Wii, mint chocolate chip, and that performing thing :) Shameless plug: if anyone needs new headshots, let me know!

And finally, what is one thing that people would not guess about you upon first meeting/seeing you? I may or may not have a relatively extensive collection of improperly acquired street signs. And a traffic light.

(Erin says: Dan just may be my new hero. Sorry, Ryan. He's got an improperly acquired traffic light. That's pretty rad.)

Dan's REAL head shot (credit Traci J. Brooks) ... not nearly as Charlie Brown-esque.

Oh and also, apparently the traffic light works. Dan wired it himself and it is controlled by a normal 3x lightswitch box.

I am impressed.

And they're off!

2008-06-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

So the cast has been rehearsing for about a week now, and things seem to be going smoothly!

Last week we had a cast meet 'n' greet at Tara Moore's (Ivy) house. I hear everyone got along great and had a lot of fun mingling -- I got there late as I had dinner plans that I had made before I knew about the meeting, so I missed the fun part and was just there for the administrative stuff where everyone got their scripts and talked about how this is going to be a lot of work but SO MUCH FUN!

Rehearsals so far seem to be very music-oriented at this point, which is good, as it's a pop opera (i.e., not much dialogue).

One day soon I'll start posting some cast interviews!

Oh, and yesterday was also Technical Director Kevin King's birthday -- Happy Birthday, Old Man! ;)

Meet the Cast!

2008-06-10T08:42:00.001-07:00

Congrats to the cast of "bare"!!! We're super-stoked to be workig with you guys -- this show is going to kick butt!!!

Peter: Ryan Khatcheressian
Jason: Dan Plehal
Ivy: Tara Moore
Nadia: Brittany Washington
Sister Chantelle: Rikki Howie
Clarie: Cathy Arnold
Priest: Michael Ehrlich
Tanya: Janelle Delaney
Kyra: Felicity Brown
Diane: Traci Brooks
Christy: Carla Okouchi
Matt: Brian Garrison
Lucas: Cory Okouchi
Alan: Michael Schaaff
Zack: Asher Miller

Final Call for Jason

2008-06-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

We are holding our final auditions for the role of "Jason" this Thursday, June 5th at 7:30 p.m. Auditions will be held in the black box (room 106) at Chantilly High School.

4201 Stringfellow Road

Chantilly, Va. 20151

Auditions will consist of sides and songs from the show.

Please pass along to anyone you know who may fit the bill.

Actor must appear at LEAST in EARLY TWENTIES if not younger on stage, have a wide vocal range, and be a strong performer.

For additional details visit www.2ndflightproductions.com or call 703-927-5438.

Auditions, Part Deux!

2008-05-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, auditions went very well last week, and we have most of the roles cast with extremely talented, wonderful people. However, there are a few male roles we still need to fill, so if you wanted to audition but couldn't, or didn't know about it, come on out!

We are holding a second round of callbacks for the roles of Jason, Matt and Lucas.

They will be held this Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. at Chantilly H.S. in room 106.

If you're not a man, but know a man who can act, sing, and dance, send him out!

We're almost there ...

2008-05-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

It's almost that time, folks -- Audition Time!

Next Monday and Tuesday. Bring your acting, singing, and dancing hats.

I'll post back next week to let you all know how things went, who got cast, and so forth. All that interesting stuff!

AUDITIONS for "bare" (a pop opera)

2008-05-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

http://www.2ndflightproductions.com/
or
www.nvcc.edu/CCT
for more information, directions, etc.

When 2 Become 1 ...

2008-05-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been a long time coming. I was supposed to begin this blog a while back, but there's been so much going on with CCT and 2nd Flight that I've been putting it off till everything was a little more settled -- which it is!

First of all, welcome! If you're here, it's probably because you are a fan of theatre, an actor, a techie, or looking to learn more about this fabulous theatre company. Which fabulous theatre company, you ask? Well, that's a tricky question.

You see, really, we're two theatre companies -- recently two became one (do you hear that Spice Girls song playing? Because I do. And if I had any idea how to attach a song to blog posts, you'd be hearing it too, so be glad I'm not as compu-literate as I pretend to be!). CCT, the College Community Theatre of Northern Virginia Community College, Sterling Campus, has decided to join forces with 2nd Flight Theatre Company (formerly 2nd Flight Productions, but too many people though we made movies so we changed it) to form THE GREATEST THEATRE COMPANY KNOWN TO MAN.

Actually, here's how it happened. This past winter, Shannon Khatcheressian of 2nd Flight approached Natalie Safley of CCT and said "Hey, the last time we worked on a show together" (this would be Noises Off, January 2006, which Shannon produced and Natalie starred in) "it was awesome, let's do another one. How about Closer by Patrick Marber?"

The show opened in February 2008, and was pretty darn successful, given that it's a really racy show and this was 2nd Flight's first time performing outside of Fairfax County (and only their second show not in Manassas), so no one had ever heard of them in the Sterling area.

After the sucess of Closer, Shannon and Natalie decided that since CCT has a great space, 2nd Flight was losing their space (the Cramer Center was up for sale), and the show had really gone very well, why not try merging the companies?

So here we are -- CCT with 2nd Flight Theatre Company.