Last night, Seadogs Brewery in Brunswick hosted MSMT’s cast party – a celebration of the wonderful, fabulous, highly artistic endeavor of THE WIZ filled to the brim with costumes, set pieces, and talent that will amaze you.
Company members gather around Steve Peterson to sing him a rousing version of Happy Birthday!
Costume Shop Manager Emily Rose Goss poses with Intern Director Chuck Ragsdale and cast member Eric Jackson
Music Intern Jon Marro with Assistant Music Director Samuel Bagala and cast member Allison Semmes
Costume Designer Kurt Alger with Costume Shop Manager Emily Rose Goss and Gwen Stewart
LaQuet Sharnell (Dorothy) with E. Clayton Cornelious (Tinman)
Ensemble members AJ Davis and David Foster with Company Manager Kathi Kacsinki
Well that’s pretty super…stitious.
Monday, July 25th, 2011
Theatrical people are very superstitious. Maybe it’s the anxiety of performing in front of others or just the way that’s its always been. Whatever the reason, there are some long-standing traditions in the theatre that most of us (in the theatre) are aware of. And for those of you who aren’t – well, here’s some interesting information!
The biggest superstition is not mentioning that “Scottish play.” Many believe Shakespeare’s Macbeth is cursed. Not only is the name cursed, but even saying lines from the play inside a theatre. There are several reasons the play is to be cursed, none more valid than the rest. However, the main underlying theme is that the show deals with witches and witchcraft. Some believe the song of the Weird Sister’s is an actual spell that will bring evil spirits. In actual fact, Constantine Stanislavski, Orson Welles and Charlton Heston all suffered some catastrophe during or just after a production of “The Scottish Play.” Abe Lincoln read this play the night before he was assassinated. Whether all coincidences or a real curse, just don’t ever say the title in a theatre or around those superstitious folk.
Oddly enough, it is considered bad luck to wish somebody “good luck” in theatre. Instead, the phrase “break a leg” is used. The Shakespearean theory of “break a leg” comes from the fact that in that time period to break meant to bend. So, bend your leg – take a lot of bows! Or you can simply wish the cast member to have a good show. Although silly, some believe getting rid of the “good luck” curse is to go out of the theatre, spin around three times, spit, curse, then knock on the door and ask to be readmitted into the theatre setting.
No matter how happy you are – no whistling! The idea of no whistling backstage comes from an earlier time. Actor Ed Romanoff, playing Danny Maguire/Zeus in XANADU, says, “[Whistling] traces back to flymen and riggers who were sailors and communicated through whistle cues as they did on schooners and clipper ships. Not so much today with modern technology; you know, headsets! Besides, the ghosts like a little music every once in awhile!”
One superstition that I haven’t heard, but Romanoff mentioned as well as Rashaan James II (ensemble in XANADU) is no shoes on the table! Bree Branker explained this one to me, “…Shoes on a dressing station. It’s a legend that that’s how chorus girls got fired, back in the day when getting a dancing job on Broadway was as easy as showing up and looking nice. If you came downstairs from a number and your shoes were on your station, it was time to hit the road.”
So whether old information or new, a few tips to remember! Or just some interesting factoids to ease your theatre-loving mind.
Xanadu Cast Party
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
MSMT rolled into Back Street Bistro to celebrate a hilarious opening night of XANADU – playing now through August 6.
Assistant Musical Director Sam Bagala with Musical director Jason Wetzel
Cast members Lara Seibert, Buddy Reeder & Katie Hagen
Assistant company manager Missy Patterson & cast member Eric Jackson
Director Marc Robin with cast members Charis Leos & Chuck Ragsdale
TV Personality Kim Block with cast member Ed Romanoff
Angel Bethenny, box office worker Bekah, and cast member Buddy Reeder
Art Available at 2011 Silent Auction
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
MSMT’s 2011 Silent and online auction will feature many wonderful pieces of art. The pieces are from local artists, as well as some based in Florida, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. The art is a mix of oil, acrylic, and pastel paintings and photographs. These art pieces, along with other items, will be available to bid on at the 2011 Silent Auction held during the run of XANADU at the Pickard Theatre. XANADU runs July 20th through August 6th. Below is a list of some of the pieces that were on display at People’s National Bank.
“Puffin Life”
Donated by: Lisa Sahlberg, Duxbury, MA
“Lilacs in a Copper Bowl”
Donated by: Susan Rayfield – Brunswick
“Lobstering at Cribstone”
Donated by: Camera’s View – Diane Morris
“Lupines”
Donated by: Ann B. Hutchins – Bailey Island/Brunswick
“The Reading Room”
Donated By: Brad McFadden – Long Reach Gallery
Other artists include Kathy Curry Scott, Brad Sevaldson, and Carol B. Brown. I had the chance to look at the art work on display and each piece is amazing. It’s definitely worth a glance at (and a bid on) at MSMT’s 2011 Silent Auction.
Roller Skating Through the Years
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Ever think to yourself – gee, I wonder how roller skates got invented? No? Well, maybe I don’t always think about that either but with XANADU in rehearsals here at MSMT, I can’t help but have images of rollerskates well…. Rolling through my head. So I got to thinking where rollerskates originated. More importantly, where roller disco came from. Unlike in XANADU, I have trouble believing the Greek gods and goddesses had anything to do with it.
A Belgian inventor – John Joseph Merlin introduced the roller skate in 1760. With a little modification by James Plimpton in 1863, the roller skate came to be what it is today. In the 1880s, rollerskates began o be massed produced in America – the first of the sports boom periods.
Historically, the roller disco is pretty self-explanatory. Dancers wear roller skates and dance to disco music. The fad originated in the 1970s ad peaked at the early 1980s. XANADU brings us wonderful roller disco memories.
Roller discos have morphed into something called Jam skating, which is popular today. Jam skating is a combination dance, gymnastics, and skating.
Rollerskating has definitely evolved over the decades into something tat just makes you say, “Wow.”
ANNIE Cast Party
Saturday, July 2nd, 2011
The opening night cast party for ANNIE was held at the Captain Daniel Stone Inn this past Thursday. For those of us who hadn’t been fully entertained by the show, star Lauren Weintraub was leading her orphans around the inn, singing stars and entertaining the crowd that was there to celebrate the amazing production.
Director Mark Robin with ensemble member and dance captain, Buddy Reeder
Fresh from Easy Street: Music Intern Jon Marro with stars Danielle Erin Rhodes and Morgan Smith
Star Lauren Weintraub poses with executive director Steve Peterson
Splatter your day with a look inside the Paint Shop!
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
Ever comment on how detailed the sets of our productions look? Well, that’s all thanks to our paint shop! They spend countless of hours getting covered in paint as they make backdrops and set pieces come to life. Check them out as they work on our production of ANNIE, running June 29th through July 16th.
A Look Inside the Costume Shop
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
Mikey and his trainer Brian Hoffman
Friday, June 17th, 2011
Mikey plays Sandy in MSMT’s production of ANNIE (June 29 – July 16).
His trainer, Brian Michael Hoffman tells us a bit about himself and Mikey.
CLICK….CLACK….MOO!
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
by Kaytlyn Hunt
Myself and an almost sold out crowd were PROUD TO BE BOVINE for the afternoon. CLICK CLACK MOO came to MSMT and performed on the stage of Pickard Theater for a morning and afternoon performance today by Theatreworks USA. Cows that type? Who ever heard of such a thing! Well, you hear it loud and [moo] proud in this mini-musical based on the book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin.
The show stars Farmer Brown, who has the state’s best milk thanks to his cows Darlene and Maddie. But when the cows get cold at night and demands blankets, Farmer Brown doesn’t comply. This leads to a strike, which involves the chicken and even the duck! With the risk of the farm shutting down, Farmer Brown must learn to compromise and everyone lives happily on the farm thereafter.
The theatre was, of course, filled with kids who were just dying to hear [read?] what the cows had to say…errr… type. A child behind me jumped up and cheered when the cows got the best of Farmer Brown. The little girl next to me was humming along with the music, obviously enjoying herself. By the end of the performance, a lot of the little audience was dancing along with the performers as they celebrated on stage. The theatre was filled with laughter throughout the show and it was a light-hearted way to spend the middle of the week.
