Fuddy Meers at UP

I'm spending my evenings locked backstage these days. What a surprise, right?
I'm working as a stagehand on my university's production of Fuddy Meers, the story of a woman with amnesia who is kidnapped by her severely physically scarred ex-husband and taken to the home of her mother who recently suffered from a stroke debilitating her ability to talk in understandable sentences. There's more, but all you really need to know in that everyone is this show is seriously messed up. It's very funny, though!
Call the UP box office for tix! 503-943-8000

Season Finale of 'Fall of The House'

This week is the season finale of Fall of The House (the live ongoing drama by Action Adventure Theatre). This was the first season I'd ever watched, and I found the whole thing really enjoyable. It's a cool idea, they've got a great set-up going on at Theater! Theatre!, and their show is quite entertaining. It was funny how attached I got to some of the characters, just like I would with a favorite television series! All the actors did a fabulous job, truly. I was particularly fond of Aubrey Jessen as Julie, Bobby Ryan as Jacob, Bri Pruett as Betsey, and Amanda Jensen as my absolute favorite character, Sam. Way to go on a successful season! I will definitely be there when the next one begins!

Leaving Idaho

Last night was the end of KCACTF 2009 region VII in Idaho. The awards ceremony was just about the culminating event (although I am going to a response from the judges of the final round this morning before we take of). I was happy that the full production that was asked to be held by the Kennedy Center (which means its being considered to be shown as a production this year in Washington DC) was The Distance From Here by Colorado State University. Having seen their show on Thursday night, I can honestly say that theirs was my favorite show from the entire festival. So, congratulations Colorado State!
Also, the finals round of the Irene Ryans was very talented, and I was honored to be performing with a wonderful group of people. I'm pleased to announce that one of the Irene Ryans was Philip Orazio from the University of Portland. We're all very proud.

KCACTF Region VII in Idaho 2

This is a photograph I took of our acting coach, Mindi Logan, helping one of our Irene Ryan Nominees, Philip Orazio, work on a scene from Love is a Time of Day the night before the semi-final round. It was too priceless not to post.
The semi-final round, by the way, went very well. There were a lot of talented people in the thirty-two of us that were passed on.
Last night we received the results about who will be performing in the final round of the Irene Ryan competition. Only sixteen out of the original one hundred and fifty compete in this round, and I am pleased to announce that three people from the University of Portland will be competing; Philip Orazio, Brittney Harris, and myself. This is my second year in a row of making it to the finals, and I am so stoked! I'm also really proud that so many of us will be there.
I've seen two university productions since I last blogged. Linfield College from back in Oregon put on their production of Crave a piece by the highly depressed British playwright of the 90's, Sarah Kane, and Boise State put on their production of August Strinberg's famous post psychotic break show, A Dream Play. Needless to say, it's been a heavily psychological last few evenings. Good job to Linfield and Boise for successfully bringing in shows!
Also, yesterday, I watched the keynote speaker of the festival, Oskar Eustis, speak. He is the current artistic director of The Public Theater in New York, and is rumored to be the next Joseph Papp, founder of Shakespeare in the park. Eustis' talk on bringing theatre back to the public and recreating it as an artform was immensily inspiring. He is very hopeful that theatre in the United States will find a rejuvenation in the current time of crisis and change just as it did during the The Great Depression of the 1930s, but that it is up to those of us who practice the craft to create that rejuvenation.

KCACTF Region VII in Idaho

So, this week I am in Idaho. Yes, warm, sunny Idaho, for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region VII. We Irene Ryan nominees competed in the preliminary round on Monday morning. Thirty-two nominees were chosen too move on and compete tomorrow out of the original one-hundred and fifty. I was chosen along with three of my classmates, Brittney Harris, Regina Galbick, and Philip Orazio, to continue competing tomorrow. It's very exciting! Last year I made it to the final round in which only sixteen actors compete, and I ended up winning the Mark Twain Comedy in Acting Award. It was so much fun, I hope that I am lucky enough to make it to finals again this year, but whatever happens, I'm sure with so many University of Portland students competing in the semi-finals, we're bound to have a few move on.
Another perk from this trip has been the opportunity to meet again with the Actor's Theatre of Louisville. I've scheduled an audition with them for their apprentice program on Thursday afternoon which I am really excited about.
One of the cool things about the KCACTF festival is getting to see the full productions other colleges that have been chosen over the last year to perform at the festival. In 2007 the University of Portland was chosen to bring our production of Getting Out. I played Arlie, and it was such a thrilling experience to do a show at the festival that I have been in admiration and envy of those who have been chosen in the last couple years. Last night we watched the University of Idaho's production of Tartuffe. It was very colorful and light-hearted, and I loved finally having the chance to see a production of a show I've had to read so often for classes. Way to go UofI!

Go See 'Fall of the House' With Your Valentine!

Having only experienced Fall of the House for the first time last week, I returned last night eager to see how the story continues. For those who don't know about this brilliant idea, Fall of the House is a live ongoing drama, similar to a television show, only its live and local! This week's episode, being a mix of Friday the Thirteenth and Valentine's Day is packed is great jokes and provocative drama that really gets the packed-in audience going. I know I said this last week, but Fall of the House is really awesome, and easy to get into, so check it out at Action Adventure Theatre!

Company by BrunDog

Last night I was at the final preview performance of BrunDog Productions (in association with JANE a Theatre Company) production of Company. Seeing musicals is a rare treat for me, and I have never seen another production of Company. So I welcomed the opportunity learn. It was entertaining, although, having gone with a group of my peers, I got the sense that we may not be at the stage of our lives, being twenty-something college students in Oregon, to really appreciate a plot that revolves around a desperate thirty-something guy's struggle to escape the pressure of his married friends in New York City. Despite the age gap, there was one number that I really enjoyed. Kelly Stewart did a great job as Amy. Her song, "Not Getting Married" went splendidly. Company just opened tonight and it runs for three weeks!

String of Pearls at ART

Yesterday I rode my bicycle down to Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) to see String of Pearls. My boyfriend came with me, and although he was a little nervous that we might be seeing a "chick play" we both had a lovely time. I was very impressed with how four female actors could create so many women between them. Each actor played at least four characters during the play, and each one was totally different. Elizabeth Huffman, for example switched from exotic party princess, to frustrated business woman, to depressed New York mother, and finally to a lonely, overweight, grave-digging lesbian (my personal favorite).
In some ways, it was a "chick play." It was a story told by women, about women. The journey of the string of pearls was less important than the lives of the women it touched.

Fall of the House and The Usual Awesomes

Yesterday I flew back home to sunny Portland...well, it was sunny when I got here. So what should a jet-lagged, over-extended, exhausted traveler do upon arriving home but go to an evening of back to back raucous, slightly experimental theatre? The first show I saw was downstairs in The Blue Monk on Belmont. It was the last night of The Usual Awesomes by Superego Sketch Comedy. It was just a fun little thing. It was a really great show to watch with a group of friends. I'll certainly go to another production of theirs.
Next I headed across the street to Theater! Theatre! to watch Fall of the House. Personally, I have never been to an episode of Fall of the House, but I was with some real fans of the show. I must say, I think this is the coolest idea ever! An ongoing live drama? How neat! It's like live TV, and it's certainly amassing many Portland followers!
I found the show enjoyable. The way it harkened back toward tacky American Television was almost humorous. It also had an edginess to it as well. Fall of the House is so suited for the Portland scene! Parts of the show appeared to be rehearsed while others seemed to be improvised on the spot. I have to congratulate Amanda Jensen on her work playing Sam. She is a very believable young actor who kept on her toes and was awfully entertaining.
Fall of the House is in the middle of season four, but believe me, it was easy to follow and fun to watch!

Of Course in Chicago, Heather goes to the Theatre: Desire Under The Elms at The Goodman

Having finally finished my auditions yesterday morning with my Yale appointment, it was time for an evening on the town, and of course, to me, that meant going to the theatre. David, my travel buddy, and I decided that we should go see the show the Chicago is raving about, Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms at the Goodman Theatre.
I had previously been unfamiliar with this play, and so I approached it with a blank slate leaving this production to give me my first impressions of the piece. I must say, I was very affected by it. Being classically O'Neill, Desire Under the Elms is incredibly dark. It seems to harken toward Greek tragedy with hints of Oedipus Rex and Medea. There were climactic moments during the play that I may never forget.
Several members of the cast are certainly seasoned actors who did a lovely job with this piece. Carla Gugino played Abbie Putnam. I enjoyed her performance, and I thought she worked well with Pablo Schreiber who played Eben. I particulary enjoyed Brian Dennehy's performance as Ephraim Cabot. While his character was strong and hard like the rocks he'd built his farm on, he seemed to let slip little indications of weariness and age, and in some cases even a little compassion.
This dark story in combination with a gorgeous but hellish set where mountains of ominous boulders tower high above the audience and hang suspended in the air, left us with a hard and heavy feeling. If you're in Chicago before the 22nd, check it out!

U/RTAs in Chicago V

Yet another busy day of auditions. This morning I was auditioning for NYU, in the afternoon I had my audition with The Conservatory at the Act One Studios here in Chicago, and in I just finished my audition with Rutgers. David is in an audition with Birmingham right now, he also auditioned for The Conservatory at the Act One Studios, and he auditioned with the Conservatory in Denver. We are definitely making the most of our trip out here! Can't wait to see all of you soon!

U/RTAs in Chicago IV

Oh man, I am so exhausted! Today was crazy! David and I had our audition for the grad schools in the morning. All of them watched us at once from the stage at Roosevelt University. Immediately following that audition I went to an audition for Houston. Then this afternoon at three all of us who'd auditioned in the morning grouped together in a room in the Palmer House Hotel to find out which grad schools wanted to interview with us. Ohio, Kansas City, and Wisconsin were interested in chatting with me. So, along with all the other U/RTAs participants, I went rushing all up and down the hotel to make it on time to the rooms where my interviews were. I had some great interviews and got to talk about some really cool programs. Tomorrow I have some big auditions lined up, my last one is on Wednesday, and then I will finally be done! Yes! I can relax a little!

U/RTAs in Chicago III

David and I had our U/RTA screening this morning where we went in front of judges and they watched our pieces and decided whether or not we were ready to be seen by the grad schools. Even though we did our audition first thing in the morning, we were not told whether or not we would be moving on to further auditions until six tonight. Luckily, both David and I were selected to move on and will be auditioning again tomorrow!