Playwright, A Definition

Today, in our first class of the day with SoS staff/teacher Natasha Smith, I learned the true meaning of the word playwright. To wright something is, by definition, a "maker or a builder". Therefore, a playwright is more than just an author of a play; playwrights are fabricating and producing art that can be supported in formats that go beyond the paper. 

Shoutout to Bella and Natasha, thanks guys.

SoS 2014 Cast List!

SoS Student Guest Writer: Maddie Miller

    I am not positive of any method of writing that will make this not sound like an angsty blog entry of a preteen in 2003 so I might as well just take that and roll with it. 

    Ugh, *sigh*. *Logs into Myspace* *opens up AIM and logs in under "AngstyGurl1993"*     

    Auditions. Some actors are shaking with excitement at the mention of the event. That wasn't the case for me. At all. I cannot stress that "at all" enough. 

    My parents raised me to have a "if not me then who else" attitude. In short, I was taught to always approach situations as if I already had the job. Smile. Straight posture. Eee-nun-see-ate. 

      So auditions should feel like a breeze, right? Well, that's wrong. My hands always shake. I begin to feel like I have a hazy vision. Walking into the room full of Arizona Theatre Company professionals, wheeeeew. Nearly 6 times? WHEEEW. I had slight comfort in the idea that these people had already built a relationship with me, but there's always going to be that BUT. 

      But after the audition experience had passed, I felt this wave of accomplishment. It's tough, yes, but that's what makes the entire result worth it. You have to give them your all so you can continue to meet the high standards at which they produce pieces of art. 

       Waiting 3 hours for a cast list was a different story, but let's just save that for another day. I feel so unbelievably lucky to get the chance to work with ATC in their production of Laurence Boswell's Beauty and The Beast: a fairy-tale thriller. I'm stoked for the next couple weeks and I know the audition process- although it made me have an undeniable urge to cry and puke at the same time, was just one big learning experience.

Bananas, lint rollers and music

Mat Balicki, Dani Ochoa, Kim Laney, Maddie Miller, Danielle Turnbull and I are ready for audition day! 

The company of SoS 2014!

The first of many to come!

Who's ready for round two?

Hello again! My name is Alec Coles-Perez, and I am a second year participant in Arizona Theatre Company's Summer on Stage program for young actors. Last year, I began this blog to document my journey through SoS, and I am so honored and ecstatic to be back online. First, a little background on myself and why I chose SoS, and then we'll get to the awesome stuff.  I am eighteen years old, and a recent graduate from Marana High School. At Marana, I was given incredible opportunities and exposed to amazing theatre within our Arts Academy, which inspired my plans for next year; I plan on attending the University of Arizona to study theatre in the BFA Acting Program. At Marana, the arts building is held in the "F" building, and I am proud to say that I am what Marana Folk refer to as a "F Wing Kid."  I am an avid believer of the community that is created by and thrives within the fine arts, and truly feel that theatre is a vital social, creative, and learning process that can benefit people of all ages, whether or not they intend to take theatre into their professional lives.

That being said, Summer on Stage is a place where such an idea is not only a belief, but it is a living, breathing entity created by the students and its faculty. Last year, SoS gave me the best summer of my life. As soon as the curtain closed, it wasn't even a question that I would be returning again for my final year of SoS. The culture that is created during these classes is unparalleled. SoS pushes their students, and makes them think beyond what they even believed was capable. Not only are our brains challenged and our skillset expanded, but we are taught how to take the lessons and skills we learned, and how these abilities can benefit us outside theatre. Among many things, we learn collaboration, innovation, and how to  reflect on ourselves and our own personal journeys.

Today was the first day of SoS 2014, and I guess you could say I had high hopes for the first day. I am happy to tell you I wasn't disappointed.

There are so many new faces to the program this year. As I walked into the lobby of the Tornabene, the energy and the atmosphere was entirely different, yet the faces of our phenomenal leaders, such as April Jackson and Stephen Wrentmore, to name two of the many brilliant artists on the team, were a familiar sight. First day jitters were quickly pushed away with orientation and the obligatory name games and  get-to-know-each-other ice breakers. The group was fun, excited and ready to begin. That's the best part of the first day,  meeting new people who share the love for what you're all doing together. Everyone is friendly and smiling, and we get to do our own artsy kid, weird versions of introductions. We do weird voices, shoot each other in games of Bang, and we reenact Beauty and the Beast in anime style, it's what we do. Speaking of Beauty and the Beast, this season's shows were announced: Beauty and the Beast, directed by Katherine Monberg, and Anyone Can Whistle, directed by Amber Tibbitts. The students were presented with the concept ideas for both shows, and then read through both scripts, and that's when the second best part of the day was realized: there is so much work to do in the next five weeks. As each scene was read, and new layers of both stories were uncovered, you could see the excitement in the room grow. That's why we're all really here, to get to work, and to create beautiful art together.  Or be each other's speed bumps, but you had to be there to get that one.

Day one was a success. I can't wait for the rest of my summer with my old, and new, friends.

How do you School?

It's been almost an entire week since our show. I've had the weekend to breathe (kind of) and now I'm sitting here thinking, is this it? How do you end a blog? And how do you go back to a normal high school, where kids don't walk up to each other in the morning and improv before yoga? So, this is the beginning of the goodbyes, the write offs that will leave us crying until next summer, and the thank yous that we hope will be heard. Have your tissues handy.

SOS Returning Student Guest Writer: Sierra Rose of Elephant's Graveyard

The last time I wrote about Summer on Stage, it was day four, and I had just put my life on the line - so to speak - and auditioned, along with the 30-plus other kids whose names I was still struggling to get right. Now, it’s a Monday, and I’m sitting in my pajamas at three in the afternoon, mourning the fact that I’m not currently working my butt off in rehearsal. Our set has been broken down, our costumes dismantled and sent back to their proper places, animal puppets auctioned off to victors of “bang,” “ninja,” and “bippidy bippidy bop.”That’s right, folks - Elephant’s Graveyard is a wrap!

It took us four weeks, falling off boxes, suffering colds, dropping people during trust falls, day-before blocking changes, and Katherine threatening to throw things at us, but guess what? We did it. We went from paper cutouts, taken directly from the script, to fully-fledged, three-dimensional characters with emotions and individual quirks and motives, who interacted and meshed with each other without words, could shine under their own spotlight or knit the ensemble tighter. We made people laugh, cry, feel anger and fear, horror and remorse, took the audience on an hour ride that plunked them back down in their seats at the end of it and questioned their own morals, asked them what they would have done in our place. Elephant’s Graveyard achieved what we intended it to achieve, and more, and I couldn’t have been more proud to look around me during curtain call and call the cast around my my friends.

I’m not sure when it began, really, that friendship and camaraderie. Somehow, during the long afternoon rehearsals at the U of A, and the grueling hours of tech where we literally stood on boxes for three hours straight, I became friends with those people. I trusted them, I laughed with them, I cried with them, and at the end of the day, I wished I could spend more time with them. That’s the thing about Summer on Stage, I’ve learned - these friendships don’t smack you in the face the first day. They grow, and continue to do so, long after you've said your goodbyes.

I could write pages and pages about what went on in the weeks of rehearsal, all the laughs, all the frustration, all the triumphs, but a) I don’t want to cry and b) I don’t think anyone wants to spend the next three hours waiting for me to hop off my soapbox, so I’ll keep this brief and say that these weeks of my summer have been some of the best of my life.  The last moments I had up on stage as the Ringmaster were some of the proudest. The hours spent standing in the corner of stage right with Melissa and Patrick and goofing off in the dressing rooms with my roomies were some of the funniest. And the moment we got on that stage and killed it was definitely the most exhilarating. I started this experience with trepidation, worried that I would let people down, wouldn't be able to do this role justice, anxious that I would be written off as the newbie, but, of course, I can look back now and say how silly I was. I truly felt like I was part of a family in this cast, no matter how many times we took issue with the script or grumbled about new blocking. We created something beautiful and haunting with just our words, our bodies, and the emotions we channeled through our characters, and I couldn't be more grateful.

So thank you, Elephants, for giving me the best summer of my life, for making me feel like I could do anything, for giving me the chance to stand on a stage on which I’d always dreamed of performing and make an audience of 400 hurt like my character did, for inspiring me beyond words. Thank you for hanging an elephant with me. (Too soon? Yeah, too soon.)

SOS Student Guest Writer: Chris Fernandez of In Your Eyes

Three days ago, Summer On Stage 2013 officially concluded. The cast of In Your Eyes opened and closed their show in one single night. The curtain may have closed and the program may have ended, but the excitement, pride, and passion we possess for this show lingers. Throughout the process of preparing for this musical, we established strong connections with each other. Prior to the commencement of the program, each member of In Your Eyes could be thought of as an isolated puzzle piece, waiting to find where it belonged. Well, I can tell you on behalf of the entire cast that the second the spotlight shone, the first piano chord was struck, and the first lyric was sung, the puzzle pieces connected and a truly beautiful image was formed.

Constituting the original cast of a debut musical was an honor none of the cast members were ever expecting to hold. Each member was given the opportunity of portraying their respective character for the first time in history. Even more, the diversity of the characters was refreshing and thrilling in itself. The interactions of our characters attributed a dynamic tone to the overall effect of the production. We were all able to portray kids our age in an environment we were well accustomed to. How many actors in a musical are able to say that?

The cast of In Your Eyes was composed of such unique and interesting people who all possess immense creativity and insightful imaginations. Jesse Rubin, who portrayed Brad, had such a powerful effect in his performance, masterfully taking the cliché character of the “jock” and attributing believable layers and dimension to the role. Similarly, Leah Harris, who portrayed Taylor in the production, was given the task of playing the “dumb blonde.” Leah imbued this role with a hilarious comedic undertone, while still conveying her character's inner struggle.

Noah Woods gave a fantastic performance not only as the school's unqualified counselor, but also as the Principal Voice, Bullhorn Voice, Police Officer, and Barbara's drunk dad. Taylor Schlicht played Riley, the class' religious fanatic. She portrayed this character truthfully, and with the added effect of her angelic voice, the role greatly influenced the musical's overall impact. Alec Coles was cast as Ethan, a typical adolescent boy. Not only did Alec make Ethan an interesting and captivating character, but he also contributed a great amount of aid in all regards of the production; from the singing, to the dancing, to the acting, Alec demonstrated how inherently brilliant he is when it comes to musical theater.

Christina Kroell is a star in every sense of the word. Knowing Christina to be such an amiable person, everyone was taken aback upon watching her transformation into her hostile character, Barbara. Every time Christina opens her mouth to sing, everyone is immediately mesmerized by how powerful yet ethereal her voice is. The character of Jack, a boy overwhelmed by internal conflict, was portrayed by Hayden Wilson, one of the funniest and most passionate actors in our cast. Prior to being cast in the musical, Hayden did not necessarily consider himself a “singer.” However, in only about five weeks, he demonstrated exceptional growth in his vocal abilities, learning his vocal range fell under that of a high tenor. Hayden invested heartfelt, honest emotion into every scene he was in, successfully conveying an extremely convoluted conflict many young adults struggle with today.

Alyssa Whatton portrayed Mary Jane with an energy that diffused throughout the entire cast. One could observe Alyssa's character merely standing in the background and still be wildly entertained; she really delved into her character and never failed to fully commit. Ben Klinkenberg's character was Spencer, a creepy, technologically proficient boy always clothed in a black trench coat. It would have been very easy for Ben's character to remain one dimensional and static throughout the musical. However, Ben performed this role in such a way that explicitly showcased Spencer's personal growth as a result of the lockdown. Noam Shahar's character, Benny, did not possess an abundance of immediately accessible characterization, yet Noam managed to make his character incredibly realistic. Furthermore, Noam's particular talent is quite unique and heavily distinctive from anyone else, which greatly contributed to the varying dynamic of the production.

One of the most surprising talents within the In Your Eyes cast was none other than Samuel “Hap” Nardi, who played Chad. Hap's mature vocal ability blew us all away and his effort to attain perfection inspired us all. Hap taught us all so much about performing and also a great deal about ourselves. He is truly a special person. Finally, there is Alyssa Furtado, who played the quiet girl in the corner, Darcy. In person, Alyssa is ray of sunshine; she naturally just makes you happy. As such, the maturity with which she portrayed her character was surprising and quite impressive. The purity and innocence of her voice made her performance one of the most memorable in the show.

Of course, this musical would not have been possible without our director Amber Tibbitts. Amber is a very unique director. She provided each cast member with the freedom to develop our characters independently. However, she never allowed us to become idle in a scene, especially when the focus was not necessarily on us. She cared about each character equally and invested great effort in guiding us to unlock each of our respective characters. One of the best qualities of Amber's approach is that she genuinely makes you excited about your character and his or her influence on the production as a whole.

In Your Eyes was a very important musical. Initially, the infancy of the show may have intimidated us, but due to the hard work of our amazing musical director, Sarah Ross, our passionate director, everyone on crew, and each cast member, we collectively were able to achieve a great feat. This musical was extremely ambitious, but then again, so were we. With each day that passed, we drew closer and closer towards our goal. We all solidified, as a cast, as our characters, and as people. We began to understand each other, to feed off of each other's energies. When the first spotlight shone on Ben as he opened our show, we all felt unified and fulfilled; it almost felt magical, as if we began to breathe as one, sing as one, move as one. We became a living, breathing entity, and as this single entity, we conveyed a captivating story. This amazing experience may have come to a close, but the memory of it will live forever inside each and every one of us.