A Theatrical History

“The only life worth living is one that you are really passionate about.” That pretty much sums up my feelings about why I do theatre. I have been involved with theatre for one way or another since elementary school, starting out with my fifth-grade production of Once Upon a Lily Pad. Clearly I was not meant to be an athlete – that was my brother. I, on the other hand, am the “artistic” child, and my passion is theatre.

During my middle-school years I was actively involved each summer with the Troy Players Youth Theatre through the City of Troy Parks & Recreation. After a few cheesy productions, my aunt introduced me to Deborah’s Stage Door Center for the Performing Arts, where my cousin took dance lessons. So in the summer of 2003, I auditioned for Bye Bye Birdie, my first large-scale production. What an eye-opener that production was. I fell in love with the entire process, from rehearsals to tech week and of course, being onstage in front of a large audience.

I then followed the director of Birdie, Stacy White Cleaveland, back to Deborah’s for her acting classes during the school year. This is where I became even more in love with the art of theatre. Through improvisation, scene study, character development, and the final workshop production, I learned many of the skills and techniques that form a good actor. I then went on to enroll in her musical theatre class as well, and continued each school year then on.

I returned each summer with Stacy to participate in her Summer Theatre Conservatory musical production, performing as Barnacles in Honk!, Prince Dauntless in Once Upon a Mattress, The Cat in Seussical the Musical, The Lion in The Wiz and Mr. Bucket in Willy Wonka.

Along the way at Deborah’s I started taking voice lessons with Tara Sievers, who introduced me to her community theatre company, Project DayDream, based out of Birmingham. So in the summer of 2007 I auditioned for The Sound of Music and played Rolf that June. After The Sound of Music, I performed again with Project DayDream as Warbucks in Annie Jr., Combferre in Les Misérables, as well as Jafar in Aladdin Jr.

I also had the opportunity to experience the production side of things when I served as the stage manager for Madeline’s Christmas, another Project DayDream production. I was able to combine my love of theatre with my skills in organization. This is where I think I found my true calling, theatre production. Though I have always had fun performing onstage, being behind the scenes working with the creative team felt like something I could see myself pursuing as a career. So when auditions came around for Project DayDream’s next production of Beauty and the Beast, I knew exactly what part I wanted: on the production team.

For Beauty and the Beast, I served as Assistant Producer, my favorite theatrical role thus far. As the assistant producer, I was responsible for working with the producer and director to provide support and assistance in a number of areas: coordinating and managing committee volunteers, holding meetings, managing the tech crew, maintaining costumes and props, recruiting volunteers and working to raise funds and sponsorships from businesses throughout the community.

I also had the ability to express my creativity by designing all marketing materials, flyers, forms as well as the playbill for the show. Publication/media design has always been a hobby of mine, and to be able to combine this with my passions for theatre and organization made this past summer truly unforgettable.

So when it came time to prepare myself for the next step in my life—college—I began wondering where my future would take me and what opportunities I would be able to take advantage of. I’m lucky enough to have upperclassmen friends who were able to tell me all that MSU has to offer. Even just one week into the first semester, I was already being presented with numerous production opportunities, from assistant stage-managing Palmer Park to stage managing Freshman Showcase. I am thrilled that I was able to get such a head start on my theatrical career here at MSU, and I’m ready to make the most of the next three years.

As a theatre major I often wonder where my degree will take me. When I’m asked what my dream job would be, I would have to say a Disney Imagineer, specifically working for Disney Creative Entertainment, producing shows for Walt Disney World. With that in mind, I am excited about the freedom a BA in theatre can offer me, and the range of classes and electives I am able to take.

Summer Fun

Summer is in full swing here in East Lansing! Immediately following the end of classes, I started a one-week gig as a stage manager for the 14th annual Young Playwrights Festival at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. I stage managed three of six plays, written by high school students and chosen by a committee to be produced in a collaborative effort between the Department of Theatre and the MSU Federal Credit Union Institute for Arts and Creativity at Wharton Center.

Following a week of long days of rehearsals at the Auditorium and the Pasant Theatre, the Young Playwrights Festival had two successful performances. Then I dove right into my summer class and my summer job, stage managing the Summer Circle Theatre's 50th anniversary season. This summer, "Blithe Spirit," "The Drunken City," and "Alice in Wonderland" will all be presented on the banks of the Red Cedar River in the annual free outdoor theatre production.

Rehearsals for all three shows are going quite well. It's fun jumping from show to show on a daily basis, because each show is unique and I get to work with three different directors. The cast of eight actors performing in these shows is so much fun and makes the long days go by so much faster. The first of the three productions, "Blithe Spirit," opens in less than two weeks, and then it's a weekend of "Drunken City" and a closing weekend of "Alice."

With the end of Summer Circle will come the end of class for the summer, and THEN I will finally get to go home, spend some time with my family and get ready for my Disney College Program! In less than three months I will be on my way to Florida to start my semester at Walt Disney World! I definitely can't wait!

Until then, there's rehearsal, class and summer fun. I'm definitely enjoying this summer and all the fun it has presented me so far.

You Can't Take it With You -- Or Can I?

What an interesting freshman year, to say the least. I served as assistant stage manager for Palmer Park, stage manager for Freshman Showcase, stage manager for Speech & Debate, and then an actor in You Can’t Take it With You. I feel so lucky to have been able to be involved in such a wonderful production. And I didn’t even have to audition to be in it! When one of the assistant stage managers had to drop out, I told the stage manager that I would be more than happy to fill in. Then one of the actors also dropped out, and I was offered a small role in the play. With nothing to fill up my evenings, I jumped at the offer and I am so happy that I did so.

Yes, my role was quite small; I only had two lines. However, I do not regret becoming involved, despite the long nights at the theatre and time spent sitting backstage before my entrance. The cast made both the onstage and backstage experience simply wonderful, and the director made the entire process worthwhile. John Lepard has a great attitude and made the rehearsal process very smooth and positive. Having worked with many directors in my theatrical career thus far, I feel quite lucky to have been given the opportunity to work with John. 

The show itself proves entertaining and enjoyable. With a cast of wonderfully talented actors, there is never a dull moment onstage. From the crazy Ed and Essie to the more “grounded” Tony and Alice, the range of character types and emotions blend delightfully together. All of these actors perform their roles with sincerity and truth, despite the wacky personalities and over-the-top characteristics.

Leslie Hull as Penny delivered all of her lines with perfect comedic timing. Her gestures, facial expressions and overall joyous attitude made some of the less-interesting scenes worth watching. Andrew Harvey as Ed was also hard to look away from. His non-stop fidgeting and eccentric style add to the humor, and when he and Essie get together, the fun doubles. Michelle Meredith as Essie blended brilliantly into the action, without being too outrageous.

The use of the Arena Theatre can prove difficult for many productions, but John Lepard beautifully directed all of the action in a way suitable for all to see and enjoy. In this theatre-in-the-round setting, the need for the performers to use their space wisely was especially important, and John made sure of this in his blocking of the scenes. The scenic design also added whimsy and character to the show; there were myriad details that create a warm, comforting environment that accurately reflect the lighthearted tone of the show.

From rehearsals to performances, You Can’t Take it With You has been a great experience both onstage and off. Though performance may not be my primary involvement with theatre here at State, I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity to perform in this show. With a lovely cast and crew, I have thoroughly enjoyed my first performance experience here at Michigan State, and I look forward to working with these actors in the future.

"Cause everything is RENT!"

What an interesting experience working on Rent has been. As assistant stage manager, I have been with the production from the beginning, and have seen the show through the entire rehearsal, tech and production process. From the start I knew this would be a great experience, given the director was a personal friend of playwright Jonathan Larson. It was interesting to hear Scott, the director, talk about his days living in New York with Jon and actually being there during the time Jon was writing Rent. He had many funny and charming stories to share with the cast and crew about his days in New York, struggling as an actor, and how so much of Jon’s life was incorporated into his work.

As many people know, the rights for Rent are extremely well guarded by the Larson estate and the publisher. There are a number of rules that come along with this show that most productions don’t have to deal with. Yet Scott had ideas for this production – ideas that most other productions would get in trouble for attempting. He wanted to rearrange the order of the second act, because he felt the voice mails interrupted the dramatic action and made Angel’s death seem less significant.

But the Department of Theatre warned Scott about attempting to do such a thing, especially with their issues regarding the production of Tommy last year. Scott said not to worry, because he would get it cleared with Jon’s parents and would show the publisher that he had the right to do it. Well I’m not quite sure exactly what happened, but he never ended up getting it cleared with the Larson family. I think he felt bad for pestering them about it, and just decided to make do with what he had. He did end up cutting almost all of the song “Contact,” but don’t tell anyone!

This production was also special to me because it was a chance to work with a few actors with whom I’ve previously shared the stage. I performed in Seussical the Musical and The Wiz with actors Kellyn Uhl and Michelle Meredith in a community theatre back in high school. So it was fun to be able to work with them again in a college setting. Plus, both of them – as well as the entire cast – are extremely talented, which made the experience just so much more enjoyable.

Another element of this production that I appreciated was the director’s statement that “this is not the Rent from Broadway. This is not Rent the movie.” He told the cast not to listen to the soundtrack or watch the movie (or filmed version of the final Broadway performance.) He wanted to start from scratch, and take a fresh look at the material, instead of giving audiences the “standard” Rent that most would expect. No, Mark would not be wearing his famous striped scarf. No, Angel would not be wearing the famous Santa jacket. This was not to be a recreation of the Broadway production.

He wanted it to be a period piece, so the designers examined the script and pinpointed a year – 1994/1995. A central theme to the design concept was the idea that even when you’re not in focus, your life continues. Scott wanted a beehive-like community. For costumes, the designer wanted authentic clothing; she wanted it to look how the characters would have found and dressed themselves using what was in their closets.

Yet another interesting element of this production was the incorporation of video and projections. It was a great concept, and was wonderfully executed by the designer and film team. It was neat to be able to experience the filming at the Com Arts studio in front of a green screen, and see how it transferred so well onstage. All in all, Rent has been a truly wonderful experience from start to end, and I feel quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such talented actors and designers.