According to many actors who consider themselves a triple threat, “A Chorus Line” is high, if not on top of, the bucket list of musicals-to-be-in.
Publicity started early. Buzz was palpable in the musical theater community for months before the actual auditions. I got the idea it might be somewhat ironic, if not clever, to share with you the experience of community members auditioning for a musical about auditioning for a musical.
Read MoreNot getting to achieve your dreams doesn’t mean that you aren’t successful. Not getting to achieve your dreams doesn’t mean you are a failure. Sometimes, it means that something better, and meant for you, is waiting.
Read MoreFormer actress Charlotte Thornton is the author of Talent Isn't Enough, a book which, by introducing ten key strategies, helps aspiring actors to turn their talent into careers. “There are a lot of books about how to get started in acting,” Thornton comments, “but the trickier part is making a success of it once you’ve trained.”
Read MoreOne of the great things about theatre is that it can encompass many different disciplines. Those who work or play in theatre know that it is so much more than meets the eye. If there was ever an art form where the tip of the iceberg metaphor applies, it is the theatre.
A college student or any student can sometimes seem overwhelmed with the choices of electives thrown their way. So here are some electives that I have found can help develop skills that can carry over into the theatrical world.
Read MoreTheatre history, script analysis, and dramatic lit are vital areas of the art-form for you to understand…and to strive towards expertise in. I know that that sounds daunting and intimidating. I understand that these classes require long hours of reading and studying, paper writing and research. I know that it’s more fun to be plotting a set design on Vectorworks, or doing Suzuki movement exercises, or sewing, pulling props, or building. But the foundation that you are laying now will shape those designs, help you to use that intense energy, and help you to find the correct props. You can do this. Your professors are here to help.
Read MoreWhile attending the Vancouver Web Fest this March, I discovered a brilliant web series called “Empty Space.” This comedic look at the inside world of theatre features a full-out fight between the actors and the technical crew, each blaming the other group for the play’s issues.
As a theatre artist, this moment was both hilariously extreme and bitingly realistic. Why does it so often seem like those in all black and those donning costumes stand at opposing sides of the stage?
Read MoreDuring the rehearsal process for a play, most actors spend time digging into the psychology and physicality of their character. How do they sound? How do they move? What was their childhood like? For Brian Owen, star of “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” at Long Wharf Theatre, that process is a little more difficult than normal. That’s because he plays 17 distinct characters in Ken Ludwig’s madcap retelling of the famous mystery.
Read MoreKyle Scatliffe is currently starring in the second National Tour of Hamilton, playing the roles of Marquis de Lafayette/ Thomas Jefferson which recently began performances in Seattle at The Paramount Theatre. Mr. Scatliffe is known for playing Enjolras in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Miserables, and Harpo in the 2015 Broadway Revival of The Color Purple. He also has performed on the West End in The Scottsboro Boys playing the role of Haywood Patterson which earned him an Olivier Award Nomination for “Best Actor in a Musical”.
I had a chance to chat with Kyle about his journey as an actor. But first, I had to ask him what went through his mind when he got the call that he was cast in Hamilton.
Read MoreI'd like to offer some suggestions of musicals that I feel would be better suited to Spielberg than the dance-heavy, New York City set (Spielberg just doesn't scream NYC to me), ultimately very intimate West Side Story.
Read MoreJan Maxwell deserved more. She deserved to win the Tony in 2012. She deserved to be just as highly praised on screen as she was on stage.
She deserved many more years on this planet than 61, dying of breast cancer last week.
But she certainly didn't deserve the treatment she initially received from the Broadway League in the ongoing guessing game that is who is deserving enough to have the tribute of Broadway dimming their lights.
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