April 27, 2013
by ESW
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Open Call Auditions: Chance Theater’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Open Call Auditions

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Monday, May 6  and Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00pm.

To make an appointment, send your headshot & resume by May 3 to casting@chancetheater.com, or mail them to: Attn: Casting, Chance Theater, PO Box 3309, Orange, CA 92857.

 

 

“BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON”

Directed by Kari Hayter, Choreographed by Kelly Todd, Music Direction by Robyn Wallace

LOCATION:  Chance Theater   5552 E. La Palma, Anaheim  92807

PREPARE:  16 bars of pop/rock song

BRING:  Headshot, resume and sheet music. Accompanist provided.

Note:  Performers can accompany themselves, if preferred

REHEARSALS:  Begin May 13. Weekday evenings and weekends.

PAY RATE:  There is some pay.

PERFORMANCES:  July 5 – August 11, 2013  Wed, Thu, Fri 8pm; Sat 3pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm & 7pm

SYNOPSIS:  This fiery satire recreates and reinvents the life of ‘Old Hickory,’ from his humble beginnings on the Tennessee frontier to his days as our seventh Commander-in-Chief. A Wild West grunge-indy pop rock musical that tells the story of America’s first maverick president, who kicked British butt, shafted the “Indians,” and smacked down the Spaniards, all in the name of these United States.

Note:  This show contains adult language and themes.

 CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

Andrew Jackson:  Male, 22-32 yrs old. Range: Bb2 – Bb4 – A roguish, man’s president who is deeply charming and sexy, yet is also an extremely violent, arrogant, bigoted idiot that fights for what he believes in. Playing guitar is ideal.

Black Fox:  Male, 25-35 yrs old; Non-singing role, but may double as other roles that sing.  Native American chief who is intelligent and somber with a hint of danger. He used to have an alliance with Jackson.

Female Soloist:  Female, 20-30 yrs old Range: G3 – B4 – Self-confident, attractive singer with powerful, emotive indie rock voice. Dark, mysterious, hip vibe. Can double as other roles. Will double as other roles

Henry Clay:  Male, 28-36 yrs old Range: D3 – A3 – An over-the-top, vivacious, tall, cadaverous, and villainous senator with greasy hair who wears weasel pelts. Will double as other roles.

James Monroe:  Male, 30-40 yrs old – Foppish and overwhelmed old-school President of the United States. Will double as other roles.

John C Calhoun:  Male, 25-35 yrs old. Range: B2 – F3 – A sinister, good-looking, charming, and brilliant gentlemen senator from the South who is a vain mastermind. Will double as other roles.

John Quincy Adams:  Male, 22-32 yrs old. Range: B2 – E4 – The former President’s whiney, spoiled, and demanding son who really wants to be president. Will double as other roles.

Lyncoya:  Male, 5-8 yrs old – Adopted Native American son of Andrew Jackson who has a sweet disposition with a wild streak.

Male Bandleader:  Male, 18- 25 yrs old. Range: D3 – E4 – Brooding, intense rocker with powerful, emotive indie rock voice. He is angsty, good-looking, young, and hip. Playing guitar is ideal.

Martin Van Buren:  Male, 25-35 yrs old – Jackson’s right hand man who is in over his head. He is a well-intentioned buffoon who is utterly lovable. Will double as other roles.

Rachel Jackson:  Female, 25-35 yrs old Range: A3 – B4 – Jackson’s deeply religious and devoted wife who is strangely alluring, yet not overtly sexual. Will double as other roles.

The Storyteller:  Female, 35-55 yrs old – A milquetoast, oppressively good-natured, history-loving narrator that has not had much excitement in her life.

Ensemble:  to play various Frontiersmen, Indians, Soldiers, etc.  All Ensemble will sing, dance, play various roles. Playing musical instruments is a plus.

 

April 3, 2013
by ESW
3 Comments

Ticket Giveaway for BOATS at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

The joy of expressive imagination is alive and well within the talented troop at Terrapin Puppet Theater.  Let go of the rope holding you to the dock and let your imagination set sail as you watch Boats this weekend at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

BOATS 2 Terrapin Puppet Theatre - Performers Quinn Griggs and Jeff Michel © Peter MathewBoats, from Australia’s Terrapin Puppet Theatre, is a story of Nick and Jof, two life-long friends who meet through bizarre circumstances involving a chicken, a deserted island and a sombrero. The two mariners are fleeing their pasts and embracing adventure. The ingenious production is enacted with puppets, acrobatics, singing and sound effects created onstage with two microphones, one of which goes in the water. Watch as magic unfolds from simple objects that would be found on a boat’s galley. Sound effects are created live, a boat is cut from bread, a bird tied from a rope, a circus hides in a jacket and, finally, a storm is made with a teacup.

Enter a comment for a chance to win a family four pack of tickets for this Saturday’s 1pm show – April 6.

February 28, 2013
by ESW
3 Comments

Theater Ticket Giveaway for South Coat Rep’s The Whale

There comes a time where the stars align and the universe shouts at me to pay attention and it’s happening right now.

candy bar stressWeight. Why is it such an issue with me?  I’ve eaten to escape from pain, celebrate my successes and to deal with emotions from grief to boredom.  I’ve joined a support group of sorts to embrace a healthier me (and boy, is there a lot of me to embrace these days), and then I learn my acting teacher, Matthew Arkin, has been cast in the starring role at South Coast Rep in The Whale.

The Whale is the story of a morbidly obese 600 pound man.  Charlie, since the death of his boyfriend, has confined himself to his small Idaho apartment and is eating himself to oblivion. With his health quickly failing, Charlie becomes desperate to reconnect with Ellie, his estranged and angry teenage daughter whom he has not seen in 17 years. He would give her anything: his love, his money….maybe even his life. Written by OBIE Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale is a tough, humorous and emotionally powerful play about how we cope with loss, and how new definitions of family, friends and religion shape our lives.

Tonight (Thursday, Feb 28th) at 7 p.m. I’m going to attend SCR’s audience enrichment lecture where audiences and artists gather for insightful discussion and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at SCR and The Whale, moderated by SCR literary manager Kelly L. Miller, Matthew Arkin, along with director, Martin Benson and fellow cast member Wyatt Fenner.

SCR and I have teamed up to giveaway two tickets to see The Whale!

 To enter, leave a comment about an experience you‘ve have had about emotional eating or family relationships. The winner will be announced 7pm on Thursday March 7th.

 

Plus special $26 ticket offer for Enter Stage Write Readers!

Select Discount Ticket Performance Dates for The Whale – use Promo Code 8177 for discount

Sunday, March 10   2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 12   7:45 p.m.

Wednesday, March 13   7:45 p.m.

Thursday,  March 14   7:45 p.m.

Sunday, 3/17   7:45 p.m.

Tickets: May be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run March 10-31. Ticket prices range from $20 to $70. Low-priced preview performances run March 10-14.

 Location:  South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available on Park Center Drive, off Anton Blvd.

February 24, 2013
by ESW
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Oscar BINGO Night!

You know why we watch the Oscars:  it’s the dresses, the stars, the glamor…and the flubs.   So let’s chill the wine, get the snacks ready and keep track of all the fun with  Oscar BINGO!

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BINGO

Click the link above and follow the instructions to print out various game cards.  Play along on Twitter with hashtag #ESWoscarBingo.  And the Oscar goes to…

February 21, 2013
by ESW
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Oscars to be a Movie Musical Love-Fest

There’s going to be LOTS of singing at this year’s Oscars. 

Oscar Les Miz Chigago Dreamgirls

Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) will be belting out their Oscar-winning songs on Sunday’s Academy Awards as part of a celebration honoring the resurgence of movie musicals of the last decade. In the same segment this year’s Best Picture contender Les Miserables will be represented by several of the film’s key cast members including Oscar nominees Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway along with Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tevit, Samantha Barks, and Helena Bonham Carter.

craig-and-NeilThis year’s Oscar show producers are Musical Theater mover/shakers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.  They’ve produced musicals for film like Chicago and Hairspray, for television films like Cinderella and The Music Man, on Broadway with How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and Promises Promises, and on series TV with their current NBC drama Smash.  So, naturally their Oscar show will be all about music, music and more music.

Producers Zadan and Meron have promised even more entertainment segments than usual; with an all-star cast of singers, dancers, presenters to honor all 24 Oscar categories. Zadan and Meron compare it to opening a Broadway show “with a cast we could never afford”.

barbrastreisand,jpgIt’s also been revealed that even Barbra Streisand will be performing on the Oscars for only the second time in her career. That negotiation must have been more choreographed than any Broadway number.

 Amazing.

February 1, 2013
by ESW
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Oscar Nominated Animated Short Film “Paperman” Breaks New Ground

On Jan 29, 2013, Disneyanimation uploaded this Oscar Nominated Short  on YouTube

Here’s what Disney said:

Introducing a groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with the Oscar®-nominated short, “Paperman.” Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him. Created by a small, innovative team working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Paperman” pushes the animation medium in an exciting new direction.

 

The Making of “Paperman”

January 29, 2013
by ESW
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2013 Oscars!

Official 2013 Oscar Promo Poster

 

2013 Best Picture Nominations

I’m still processing thoughts on how I’d  vote for Best Picture.  I usually like voting for a movie with less CG and more ol’ fashioned movie making, a great story line with unexpected twists.

Argo seems to be the Academy’s favorite right now, with everyone swooning over poor Ben Affleck not getting a Best Director nomination, but I didn’t think it was all that great or even very suspenseful. People kept saying it was ‘edge of your seat’ and ‘I was holding my breath and forgot to breath it was so compelling’. Seriously? I kept thinking, Ben looks kinda odd with a full beard and why did he cast himself in this role? I never got lost in his performance. Great pains were taken to cast and costume the actors to look extremely close to their real life hostage counter parts…all except Ben and Tony Mendez. Weird. I would’ve had more respect for Affleck as a director if he’d cast someone like Javier Bardem, Joaquin Phoenix, Wilmer Valderrama or even Freddie Prinze, Jr as Mendez. I think that’s why he didn’t get a nom for Best Director. He made a selfish choice in casting himself in the lead role. There, I said it.

My vote is currently wavering between Les Miserables (my all-time favorite story, full of heart ache, redemption and patriotism) and Django Unchained - a fun ride with Spaghetti Western nuances laced with the ballsy quirkiness only Quentin Tarantino can bring to film – it’s a great movie making mash-up. The climax has such a blood bath it surpasses anything serious and becomes a hilarious juxtaposition of humor and gore. I love me some Tarantino.   Go figure.

Still need to go see Lincoln. Love, love, love Daniel Day-Lewis, who will no doubt win Best Actor.  Now that’s an actor who gets lost in his roles. Even in the trailers I only see Lincoln, not DDL.   Ben Affleck, take note.