In the End

Working with Vyacheslav Dolgachev was a brilliant experience. Simply brilliant. I learned so much. Thank you, Slava!

Drunken Sailor: The Seafarer at ART

A couple nights ago I was at the dress rehearsal for The Seafarer at Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) which opens officially tonight and plays through March 8th. This dark Irish comedy by Conor McPherson was more than I'd bargained for. Having known little about the show going in except for the simple fact that it was Irish and took place in North Dublin, I was pleasantly surprised by the startling plot I recieved. McPherson's play is very interesting, and strangly lovely. Its dankness and despair somehow easily lends itself to laughter, and the characters sour and sad as they my be are intriguingly likeable. Director Allan Nause and his four person cast (Bill Geisslinger, Tobias Andersen, Todd Van Vorris, Leif Norby, and Denis Arnd) have obviously put a lot of work into this piece.
Anyone with a sense of irony, a taste for the unexpected, a love of theatre, and a strong stomach for alchohal should see this raucus Irish show. It's well done.

Slava

I just began my second time training with Vyacheslav Dolgachev at the University of Portland. Vyacheslav, or Slava as we American students call him, directed Chekhov's The Seagull off Broadway at The Classic Stage Company in New York last March. In addition to being a successful director, Slava is a professor of acting who has instructed many students in Moscow and New York.
His workshops at the University of Portland consist of several days of exercises which build in intensity with each class period, and a look at how Chekhov's work is produced on stage through working on some of Chekhov's short stories.
This is my second workshop with Vyacheslav, and I am so happy to have the opportunity to train with such an experienced theatre artist. I am so grateful to have the chance to grow as an actor.

It is a Wonderful Life!

I just got back from a matinee performance of It's a Wonderful Life by the Public Playhouse which is being performed at CoHo. I loved it. It's was the classic story that I adore so much around this time of year with a brand new twist. It's a radio show! Set in Portland! And it has only five actors playing the fifty roles required to have a production of It's a Wonderful Life! All the lovely moments of the story come to life before you. Believe me, even my all time favorite part tugged at my heart the way it did the first time in this show! I've always loved the moon monologue when George and Mary are out on a summer's walk after the dance. The images and feelings connected with George lassoing the moon and making Mary swallow it have always intrigued and touched me. In this production Chrissy Kelly (Mary) and James Sullivan (George) capture this entire scene beautifully. Even in as entertaining and touching a show as this one, that scene sparkled as an obvious gem.
Mary McDonald-Lewis, a friend of mine, and the director of this production is also a voice actor, and her understanding of both theatre and voice acting behind a microphone gave this show the gleaming quality it so readily displays. Good show, indeed. When there's theatre like this, it is a wonderful life!
The show is running tomorrow and next week as well, so please check it out! http://www.publicplayhouse.org

Greenhouse School of Theater

So, Portland Center Stage has this great thing going on. Hopefully most everyone is aware of their Greenhouse School of Theater. I just finished a voice acting class their with local expert Mary McDonald-Lewis, and had a wonderful and informative time. Actually, our whole class had a great time, and we were sorry to see it come to an end. I've had several friends take classes from them and they have always enjoyed themselves!

Holiday Revelry

For the first time last night I went to see The Christmas Revels at the Scottish Rite Center. Set this year in Scandinavia, The Christmas Revels was an enjoyable little show. I'm a friend of the set designer, Larry Larsen, who has designed the annual revels for many years, and I was rather impressed with his work. I particularly enjoyed the birch trees.
I thought the production was fun and cute with a lot of lovely music, dancing and folklore. The kids in the audience were having such a good time, though, I think this is one of those Christmas productions where you really have to have your family along to enjoy it.
My personally favorites in the show were the featured performers, the Karelian Folk Music Ensemble. Every time they took the stage I was mesmerized. I also loved all the culture and folky feeling brought to the show.

Shout to Louisville

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my dear friends Ami Jhaveri and Jacob Wilhelmi who are in the acting apprentice program at the Actors Theatre of Louisville right now! They are both performing in the theater's production of A Christmas Carol, and Jake has a role in their upcoming show, Shipwrecked! Break a leg to both of them! They sound like they're having a blast!