From the Inside Out

Wow, I can’t believe that “Leaving Iowa” opens this week! Since returning from Maui, we’ve been rehearsing like crazy! We had a four hour rehearsal on Saturday, eight hour rehearsal on Sunday, and four hour rehearsal tonight. It’s tiring, but at the same time, I’m glad we’re doing it. I missed an entire week of rehearsal while I was in Maui, so I really need it.

Tonight was our first night to be in the Courtyard Theatre in Plano (where we’ll be performing starting on Thursday). It’s an awesome venue, and I’m really excited to be performing there. We have a spacious back stage area, good dressing rooms, and a separate green room. It’s great to have so much space for the cast and crew.

The tech crew joined us for this evening’s rehearsal, so we got to practice with the lighting, sound, and multimedia. It’s great to see it all finally come together. We still have lots of work to do before Thursday’s performance, but I know it will be great!

If you enjoy theatre, please come out to support us. I really like the play. It’s a great story that is both funny and touching. And, I think almost everyone can relate to the family road trip scenes. If you’ve ever traveled with your family in a car, this will bring back memories…and make you laugh. And if that’s not enough, you get to see me act as a “mom” which is a stretch for me…haha!

For more information and to get tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/cGs2qL

For a few blurry iPhone pictures from our rehearsals, see below.

Practicing the Civil War re-enactment scene — just one destination on the family road trip

Shaw and Pam at the diner

Our director and Gary working very hard…or not.

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String games!!

First night in the Courtyard Theatre

The actor’s viewpoint

I’m happy to report that Gary and I were cast in the upcoming production of “Leaving Iowa” presented by Imaginary Inc. After auditioning last week, we received a call from one of the Producers on Saturday, and they offered both of us roles in the production!

I’m excited and a little nervous. We only have only four weeks until opening night, so the next few weeks are going to be very hectic. They want all actors to be off book (have all lines memorized) as soon as possible. I’m hoping I can keep up with everything — work, Saturday Night Life, church, family, travel, and Leaving Iowa rehearsals — without completely stressing out.

We met the other cast members tonight and had our first read through of the script. There are a total of six actors (3 men and 3 women) in the play, including me and Gary. The script is great. It’s a comical and sometimes touching story about the classic family road trip. Here’s a brief synopsis:

Leaving Iowa is the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home and decides to finally take his father’s ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma’s house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place. This road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don’s memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever found himself or herself driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of youth.

Performances will be held on September 1-4 and 8-10 at the Courtyard Theatre in downtown Plano. Tickets will be available soon. The website should go live tomorrow.

No, I haven’t been abducted by aliens, locked in jail, or banned from blogging. If you are wondering where I’ve been lately, I’ve been busy working on the Summer drama production at ALC (in addition to being overworked on my day job and helping with my dad).

Johnny Unforgettable premiered this weekend at ALC. It’s a film noir murder mystery set in the 1940s, and it features detective Johnny Howland who is trying to unravel a mystery while dealing with an untimely case of amnesia. It’s an entertaining and family friendly play — and we had great fun performing it.

The audiences were amazing; they made it worth all of the effort. I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours we invest into these productions, but by the end of the show, I’m always happy we did it, even though I feel like I need a vacation.

Here are a few highlights from the show:

Putting the final touches on the set

Sid finds a confused Johnny in the park

Vivian and Laura explain the details of the case…again.

Laura confronts Johnny

Veronica sings at the Skullking Rooster Cafe

Johnny questions Veronica about her husband’s death

Laura and Johnny find themselves in a little bit of trouble

The action begins…

And here’s my favorite detective with his New Jersey waitress

It’s the final week of rehearsals for Plaza Suite at McKinney Repertory Theatre.  I can’t believe that opening night is only 3 days away!  It’s coming up so quickly.  I don’t feel quite ready yet, but that’s how I always feel during the last week.  Hopefully, I’ll be 100% ready to go by Friday!

Last night we worked on stage set-up before rehearsing our acts. Here are the hotel windows going into place.

Loading in the furniture.  It’s starting to come together!!

Taking a short break

One of our cast members rescued a stray dog last night.  He brought him into the theatre to get him out of the rain.  He was so cute and sweet.  We affectionately named him “Simon” in honor of our playwright.

Jesse, the “famous Hollywood producer staying in the Plaza hotel and signing up Francis Ford Coppola for his next picture.”

One of my favorite Broadway plays of all time is The Phantom of the Opera. I’ve seen it many times — even in the original playhouse in London’s West End — but I never lose my awe for it. I’m mesmerized by the music, acting, grand costumes, and amazing set design. If you’ve never seen it, buy tickets today and go as soon as you can. You won’t regret it. It’s a fantastic production!

The Phantom of the Opera is the winner of seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has been seen by over 80 million people in 124 cities in 25 countries. On January 9, 2006, it became the longest-running show in Broadway history surpassing Cats’ record-holding run of 7,485 performances. Since then, the Broadway and US national touring companies have played more than 20,000 performances in the US! In 2008, the show celebrated an unprecedented milestone when it reached its twentieth anniversary on Broadway. And if all of that wasn’t impressive enough, the Phantom has grossed more than any film or stage play in history, surpassing Hollywood blockbusters like Titanic, ET, and Star Wars. Wow!

This year, Dallas Summer Musicals is celebrating 70 years of Broadway, and The Phantom of the Opera is kicking off their new season. Gary and I have season tickets, so we were really excited about the opportunity to see the show again. We trekked downtown tonight to enjoy it one more time before the tour ends. Once again, it blew me away. I absolutely LOVE this show. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.

You can’t take pictures during the show, but here are a few images I captured with my iPhone before the opening and during intermission. Enjoy!

Opening stage set for the auction. The chandelier is covered in the middle of the stage.

Our souvenir tickets and the playbill

Inside the Music Hall at Fair Park before the show

Resetting the chandelier during intermission

The ornate facade of the majestic “Paris Opera House”