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Tech Weekend - Cabaret - Sundown Supper

3/31/2013

Thursday started tech weekend for Cabaret and while the process has been slow, it has been incredibly detail oriented. We now have three days of tech behind us and are on the way to doing a run of the show this evening! The costumes are incredible! The kit-kat girls costumes far out-shine the men, and for good reason! They are scandalous and sexy and quite captivating (though of course I love running around with my midriff exposed, surely among the many reasons to keep up the gym workouts.) Jen Caprio, the costume designer for the Broadway production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, has done such fine work on this show! We all sparkle and pop, and one can tell by the detail in all of the work that Jen is very well versed in her profession (not to mention the fact that she is an incredibly kind and roaringly hysterical individual.)

Since it is the last day of tech, Playmakers always treats the whole production team to a catered meal called Sundown Supper and has volunteers from the community to come in and assist with the festivities. The meal was catered by East End Martini Bar in Chapel Hill, NC and it was quite scrumptious. We had chicken Berlin, roasted potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise, and about fifteen different deserts. (Naturally I have stashed a little bit of everything for later.)

My first tech in the professional arena on the performers side has been delightful. This is the time when we all really get to know one another, shed our insecurities, and let loose. The time for fun is now and we are all pretty adept at that skill!

Cabaret opens April 3 and runs thru April 21. Get your tickets today!!
Box Office Hours are 12pm-6pm Monday-Friday, and two hours prior to every performance. 919.962.PLAY (7529) Visit the Playmakers website for more information.

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Working on Your Birthday

3/27/2013

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From Left to Right (Mason Cordell, Max Bitar, Nathanial Claridad, Me, Taylor Mac, Angela Sibille, Brandon Garegnani)

The scrumptious cake that Sarah Smiley made for me!

Maren Searle and Me

I found out on Saturday that at Playmakers Repertory Company it is a treat to work on your birthday! It was my 22nd birthday on Saturday and we were doing a full run of the show for the first time in our actual show space, the Paul Green Theater! That was a spectacular treat in itself, but the fun did not stop there. When we were coming back from our twenty minute break, the piano started up, the cast started singing happy birthday, and the stage managers, Chuck and Sarah, revealed the sparkling marble angel food cake with chocolate frosting and the chocolate chip cookies! It was quite a delicious day. Naturally, as we performers do, we huddled around the goodies and chatted for a bit, relishing in our extended break and enjoying each others company. I found it quite adorable how everyone kept coming up to me thanking me for having a birthday on this particular day (we all love breaks, and we all love to eat.) I have to say the extended break was well deserved for all of us who have been working so hard on this production!

As we go into tech starting tomorrow, I can happily say we are in such a good place and I firmly believe the community is going to be happy with the finished result. We have yet to sing with the orchestra, mics, lighting, or costumes, but if where we are now is of any indication of the strength of the production, I can just foresee all the elements adding up to something truly spectacular. I cannot wait to share this show with all of you! Thank you in advance to all of you who have already bought tickets in anticipation! And thank you again to the cast and crew for an incredible birthday! May we all have the fortune of being employed on our birthdays from here on out!

Cabaret opens April 3 and runs thru April 21.
Box Office Hours are 12pm-6pm Monday-Friday, and two hours prior to every performance. 919.962.PLAY (7529) Visit the Playmakers website for more information.

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Im Cabaret, Au Cabaret, To Cabaret

3/13/2013

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    An incredible journey has begun. My first show with Playmakers Repertory in my last year at UNC Chapel Hill: "CABARET" While it is a tremendous step up for me as I transition to professional theater, I have to say my experiences with undergraduate productions at UNC were almost as skillfully run. What I love about the Department of Dramatic Art here at UNC is the extraordinary dedication to seeing a project through to the end and giving all of oneself no matter how small a role. It is with all of our experiences, not just one, that we learn. I have worked with some incredible talents who have not even shared the stage with me, but who amaze me with their visions and readiness to go without sleep until a show can live and breathe without them. Zachary Meicher-Buzzi my three-time stage manager and former roommate will entertain you, keep you on track, and be there for you 100%. Kate St. John has done inconceivable work on designing sets for LAB! Theatre. As a "Stone" for "Eurydice" I had no trouble at all imagining the scene of the underworld. I digress, but my point is that I have been fortunate to work with some wonderful individuals whose kindness and artistic craft have kept me inspired and actively seeking more!

    When Joe Haj, Artist Director of Playmakers, cast me as "Herman" the Kit Kat Boy, I was truly full of the most intense excitable energy and that fire has in no fashion died out. Getting a chance to work with the incredibly gifted and most humble Lisa Brescia (Sally Bowles) has been a joy. I met Lisa in a musical theatre workshop in the fall and my class was just amazed at how encouraging and warm she was towards us all. We apparently were under the impression that this would not be the case, but I blame the media for such unsanctioned interpretations (though I haven't met a true diva yet, so I might have to apologize to all of the media for my previous statement). Working with both Lisa and Taylor Mac (Emcee) has been hilarious and moving at various points throughout the rehearsal process. One never knows what to expect in rehearsals because the whole cast is seldom called at the beginning of the process so each time we see a scene we get a genuine glimpse into these character's souls. (That was deep, I do not apologize). Being a working actor reminds me every day why I am in love with what I do! And when all the artists are collaborative and ready for anything like "Cabaret" has been, we never forget to have fun. We love to play and that is what we show up to do!

     I invite you to come experience "Cabaret" and witness the talents of the entire cast and my remarkable professors Julie Fishell (Fraulein Schneider), Jeff Cornell (Herr Schultz), and Ray Dooley (Max)! I must not forget the incomparable stage management of Sarah Smiley and Chuck Bayang. Only two more weeks until we go into tech! Stay tuned!

The show opens April 3 and runs thru April 21.
Box Office Hours are 12pm-6pm Monday-Friday, and two hours prior to every performance. 919.962.PLAY (7529) Visit the Playmakers website for more information.

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Tech Weekend - Cabaret - Sundown Supper

Working on Your Birthday

Im Cabaret, Au Cabaret, To Cabaret

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