DISNEY'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND & 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

HEY BOULDER AREA-
I'm directing two shows at Reel Kids in Superior this summer-
Alice in Wonderland, and Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The Alice is the Disney version, and is for younger actors. Spelling Bee is for High Schoolers. These are two fantastic shows, and great characters, songs, and stories. Why not join us?

I mean, imagine being in this number:

Or This:

All I can promise is one of the best times of your life-
see you at Reel Kids.

SUCCESS

Last Thursday night, I wanted to explode. It was the final dress rehearsal for How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying at StageDoor Theatre in Conifer, and things were not going so well. The actors were forgetting their lines. The scene shifts were taking so long they felt like waiting in line at the DMV. The band was hitting a couple of clunkers. And the hardest working actor that night- a young man understudying the lead role of Finch who was set to perform opening night due to the tennis schedule of the other Finch- came down with some sort of virus and almost collapsed during "Brotherhood of Man", the big final number.  We had added twenty minutes to the show- not with new dialogue or bits of business. Just with delay. I really wanted to explode.

But things can, and do, get better.

The understudy Finch had to take the next night off. But the other Finch was available due to not going to State Finals- usually a sad thing but for the show, a godsend. Friday night, we opened. Things started to click. We erased the twenty minutes we had added to the show. The band played sublimely. The cast  got back into the groove of things. And the audience really liked it. By Saturday night, our Finch understudy was back in good health, relatively speaking, and wanted to go on. I looked him in the eye, and asked him is he felt ready. He said yes. It was up to me whether or not we let him perform. I decided to go with it, based on my gut. Something felt right. There was electricity in the air, or something like it. Some weird sort of energy was filling the theatre. I don't know why, but sometimes, in theatre, a strange magic happens. Maybe it happens everywhere, but being a theatre person, I have experienced this rare sorcery through the stage. For whatever reason- hard work, confidence, rehearsal, and/or a set of un-named theatre gods who smile down on us from time to time- there are certain performances and shows that go to this other place- a level of existence where everyone is psychically connected, where every member of the cast is fearless, inspired, and brilliant. Saturday night, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying became one of those shows. Every single member of that cast took exponential leaps in their performances. I don't remember at exactly what moment I realized that something special was happening, because I was too busy enjoying the show, laughing and clapping and shouting along with the rest of the very enthusiastic crowd. But every time another cast member went the extra mile, it would inspire one of their fellow actors to take an equally daring leap of faith in both themselves and the show.

So now, the show has become one for the ages, one of those productions I will speak of fondly, and tell legends about, and refer to when directing other productions.

As my wife always says, leap and the net shall appear.

ROSE RED DANCE WORKSHOPS MAY 11 & 18

Come join us for Rose Red dance workshops!

Learn stylized choreography specifically for the New Musical Rose Red…ballet, folk, musical theater, and new choreography created just for this new musical!

Learn about the choreographic process as well as receiving dance technique for shining on stage as an actor and dancer. All done in a supporting, fun atmosphere!

Actors for Rose Red, this is a time you can get ahead for call backs and meet the choreographer.

Free for registrants; $10 Drop Ins

May 11th 4-6pm – Ages 12 – 18
May 18th 3-5pm – Ages 12 – 18

May 18th 1-2pm – Ages 8 – 12

To register, email info@offbroadwayfinearts.org or call 720.244.8760.

http://www.offbroadwayfinearts.org/2013/05/02/rose-red-dance-workshops/?fb_source=pubv1

ROSE RED AUDITIONS

AUDITION NOW FOR ROSE RED:  A NEW MUSICAL (Ages 8 - 12 & 12 - 18)
















Rose Red is a new musical by Kelly McAllister & Kari Kraakevik based
on the classic fairy tale “Rose Red and Snow White” by the Brothers
Grimm, “Rose Red” is the adventure of two sisters: the wild Rose and
the obedient Snow, who live in the forest with Mother Chrysanthemum.
When the malicious Imp and the cursed Timberwolf enter their world,
life becomes much more interesting…and dangerous. With the help of the
noble but confused knights Sir Lost, Sir And, and Sir Found, Rose and
Snow confront the evil Endorra Belle, the dreaded Wolf King and the
Armies of the Night. Some hearts are shattered, some redeemed as
secrets are revealed, and destinies fulfilled.
This is a 4 week summer camp (9 - 4 with options for pre- and after-
care) in downtown Boulder June 3 - 30.  The show will be double cast
by age (ages 8 - 12 & 12 - 18). Days will be filled with singing,
acting, dancing, workshops, improv, and more!  Upcoming auditions are:
SUNDAY, APRIL 21 ( 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.)
MONDAY, MAY 13 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.)
MONDAY, MAY 20 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.).
CALLBACKS SATURDAY, JUNE 1 (10 a.m. – 8 p.m. - students will be called
only for a portion of the day)

FREE Dance workshops for registrants prior to callbacks will be held:
May 11th 4-6pm - Ages 12 - 18
May 18th 3-5pm - Ages 12 - 18
May 18th 1-2pm - Ages 8 - 12

Auditions, callbacks, and the camp will be held at the Pine Street
Church (1237 Pine St.) in downtown Boulder. Tuition is $1075, and
scholarships are available based on need. Please email Off Broadway
School of Fine Arts Director Catherine Compton to schedule an audition
time:  compton@offbroadwayfinearts.org.

ROSE RED AND GLEEKFEST AT SOFA

This summer, two plays for young people I wrote will have productions with SOFA in Boulder.
Rose Red is a new musical based on the fairy tale Rose Red and Snow White, with book by yours truly and music by Kari Kraakevik. Rehearsals and performances are in June.
Gleekfest is a show inspired by the hit tv show Glee. Rehearsals and performances are in July.
Remaining audition dates are:
Monday May 13
Monday May 20

Join us- it's going to be fantastic!

For more info, go here:
http://www.offbroadwayfinearts.org/summer-stage-2013/

Mariela in the Desert

reviewed by Ariana, Queen of the Stage

Mariela in the desert is a play based in the 1950's about a mother who tells her daughter, Blanca- who lives in Mexico city- to come back home to help bury their dead father. Blanca arrives back in the desert with her lover, Adam, to find her father not dead, but dying. The family must struggle with the past, secrets are revealed, and a son’s ghost seems to roam the empty desert. It was an emotional drama that had its spikes of energy and excitement, but there were the few times I did not feel the emotion needed from the actors.

Though the play did run in 2005, Mariela in the Desert's writer, Karen Zacarias, felt that it needed improvements. So with the help of Bruce K. Sevy, they wrote a whole new script, keeping the same story line. Though I have never seen the original play, I felt this version needed more emotion. Or maybe it was just the actors, but I never really felt like they meant it. Jean-Pierre Serret, who was Carlos, is the one actor you could really feel the emotion emanating from, and I really believed he was a boy who was scared and sad. But for the rest of the cast, it really took them along to find the emotion necessary. Yetta Gottesman, as Mariela, built the emotion really well in the second act, but the first act was a bit bland and silly at parts.

The story was a bit predictable early on, and they tried to reveal the story bit by bit, but the emotion really didn't give that feeling of hidden jealousy and grudges. I felt as though it took a while for the pace of the play, and the underlying emotions, to pick up. But at the end it really let all the emotions burst out and everything felt alive, which really made the play both exciting and emotional.

All together I felt the show was distant, but kept alive by actors Jean-Pierre Serret and Geno Silvia. Also, Yetta Gottesman did a great job of holding the suspense until it all came out like a volcano. I would suggest it to a friend, but not for the impatient and short attention span people out there.

Nine

reviewed by Luke the Nuke

I am not a fan of musicals. I have never liked them and I have not seen one to prove my thoughts wrong. I was hoping that Nine would change all that. The storyline sounds intriguing enough. A famous director, Guido Contini (played by Randal Keith), goes to a spa with his wife, Luisa (played by Megan Van De Hay) to try and save their troubled marriage. Guido is a womanizer, there is really no other way to put it, and his mistress, Carla Albanese (played by Anna Hanson) decides to follow him to the spa to tell him some great news. Guido is supposed to have a script written by the next day for his new movie, and madness ensues when his producer, Lilliane La Fluer (played by Zina Mercil), comes to the spa demanding Guido to get his script done by tomorrow, when the crew is coming.
I had very high hopes for this production. From what I had heard there was going to be humor, sexuality, emotion, and everything else you would want from a musical or play. I was sorely disappointed. This play lacked tension and sexuality (and you know it is bad when an 8th grade boy says that). It also just lacked that Intangible x-factor that any good play has. Director Rod A. Landsberry took what is supposedly a good musical (I have not see the movie or any other rendition of it, and the musical has won 5 Tony awards) and butchered it. The actors just didn't seem entertained, and it made me feel bored and glad when it was over. When the actors sang, they hit most of the notes and it sounded fine, but they were acting like Eric Clapton and just standing there. The only performance that I liked was that of Ronni Gallup, who played Sarraghina, a whore. She was the only one who was really into her role, and even though she was a big woman, she was sexy in her movements and I loved it when she sang "Be Italian". I disliked the set very much, it felt like someone had taken a tetris game and jumbled up the blocks, throwing them everywhere. About a quarter of the time I could not see someone because they were being blocked by a piece of it. The one good thing about the set is that it distracted me from the overall boringness of the play. My group thought that it was so bad we were the only ones who were not standing up while clapping during curtain call.
This play was the one that I was the most excited about coming into the week. I was very disappointed and it took much assurance on my teacher, Kelly's part to tell me that the normal rendition is much better and that I should see it. For your own sake, don't see this play.