Farewell Pasadena Playhouse!

Dear Friends,

It has been a pleasure serving you as the Pasadena Playhouse Public Relations Associate, however, I have recently accepted a new position in Sacramento. I will be the new Communications Director for the California Newspaper Publishers Association, which is in line with my Journalism degree and allows me to be closer to loved ones.

I look forward to staying in touch with all of you as I will continue to follow the LA theatre scene and visit family and friends back home in LA. My new contact information is below and I hope you will all say ‘hello’ from time-to-time.

It has been a great ride!

Sincerely,

Kristen Lowrey
Kristen@cnpa.com

Inside Theatre

"The Scottish Play"

From Wikipedia:

The Scottish play and The Bard's play are euphemisms often used for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Saying 'Macbeth' inside a theatre is often considered taboo, as it is thought to bring on the curse associated with the play. The lead actors themselves are referred to as "Mr. and Mrs. M." The euphemism is so named because Macbeth is set in Scotland. Another variation of the superstition forbids direct quotation of the play while within a theatre.

Now some might say that theatre, given the inherently risky nature of live performance, just naturally spawns superstition. And many people I've spoken to in the theatre claim they don't REALLY believe such nonsense. On the other hand, they also wouldn't say the M word aloud. Why take a chance after all?

Have any of you been witness to, or have a juicy story (apocryphal or not) involving the Scottish Play?

Inquiring minds want to know.

SISTER ACT the Musical - The Making of a Musical

Director Peter Schneider’s three-part column on the development of the world premiere of SISTER ACT the Musical.

Finding a theatrical home to develop a new musical is usually not an easy process, but with Sheldon’s and the Playhouse’s instant commitment that hurdle was cleared.

With a wonderful and award-winning team (Alan Menken, music, Glenn Slater, Lyrics and Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, Book) we created the first draft of our show and then with the assistance of Kappy Kilburn and the Playhouse’ Hothouse reading series we spent 29 hours rehearsing with an amazing group of actors, and presented 2 staged readings of the show with the actors at music stands, script in hand, with no costumes, set or lights.

As with all first readings, the entire creative team was, of course, nervous but excited. The week of rehearsal had been quite magical and inspirational as we all had worked hard to improve and change the first draft.

As with all theatrical development projects, the audience is an essential part of the creation process.

Where they laugh, clap, cry and, at times, get bored, is part of our guide to what is “working” and what needs re-thinking.

Although there is more work to be done, it was a thrilling beginning and I look forward, with much joy, to the rehearsal process that will begin in September and the opportunity to share with you the World Premiere of SISTER ACT the Musical!

Watch for Peter Schnieder’s third installment on the development of Sister Act the Musical in a future post.

SISTER ACT the Musical
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner
Based on the Touchstone Pictures motion picture Sister Act written by Joseph Howard
Directed by Peter Schneider

October 24 - November 26

Awesome play, Furious Theatre Company's Back of the Throat

I saw the Furious Theatre Company's Back of the Throat, on Sunday night and am thrilled to say that I had a great time. I am generally wary of "issue" plays, but this piece (while being wholly political - post 9-11/Patriot Act type situation) was truly engaging and inventive. The actors had difficult chores (having to humanize abusive CIA agents, murderously vengeful girlfriends, spiteful strippers, and potential and convicted terrorists) but rose to the challenge with grace and skill. The directing was tight and centered - keeping the play a play and not a rant - and the set and lighting design added an exciting nightmare-type feel that kept the entire production moving forward. The writing was crisp, energetic, very funny at times, and interestingly balanced. Well done all!

Today's Theatre Joke

Courtesy of Jokes Place.

A man lay sprawled across three entire seats in a theater.

When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the man, "Sorry, sir, but you're only allowed one seat."

The man groaned but didn't budge.

The usher became impatient. "Sir, if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager."

Again, the man just groaned, which infuriated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager. In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and stood over the man. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move him, but with no success.

Finally, they summoned the police.

The cop surveyed the situation briefly then asked, "All right buddy, what's your name?"

"Sam," the man moaned.

"Where ya from, Sam?"

With pain in his voice Sam replied... "The balcony."

Ironman at the Playhouse

This Sunday, June 25th, Playhouse Director of External Affairs, Ken Novice, will be competing in the Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

The race will start with a 2.4 mile swim along a course in Coeur d'Alene Lake, followed by a 112 mile bike ride which includes elevation changes of approximately 600 vertical feet and winds up with a 26.2 mile marathon.

While Wikipedia, gives a decent summary of the Ironman competitions (with plenty of useful links), the common thread for the vast majority of participants is that they are certifiably insane. (Not that Ken is mind you, I'm just saying).

The event starts Sunday a 7am (Mountain time?) and continues until midnight.

You can follow Ken's progress by typing in his name at IronmanLive.com.

And all kidding aside I'm sure I speak for everyone here at the Playhouse in expressing our pride in Ken's ambitious undertaking.

[UPDATE: Congratulations to Ken for completing the race at 15:44:41, 15 minutes under the time he had predicted. His stat page is located here. -SK]

Playhouse History - The Playbox

Even after founding two theatres, at least three companies, a college, and operating as many as four stages simultaneously, Pasadena Playhouse founder Gilmor Brown still didn't feel he had enough outlets for his extraordinary creative energy. Thus, after the Playhouse and College of Theatre Arts were open, he converted his living room into an experimental theatre workshop. There he staged his own productions of whatever interested him, one a week, and nearly every night brought a small crowd of subscribers into his home. This theatre, known as the Playbox, was one of the very first experiments with what we know today as "theatre in the round." This close and personal presentational style was inspired by the philosophy of Emile Zola and the still fresh dramatic writings of Ibsen and Checkov. Over the years, it became known as one of the most adventurous little producing organizations in the country, and with its rapid stagings was able to deliver literally hundreds of world-premieres.

The historical significance of this theatre is discussed at length (208 pages of it) in a dissertation by Dr. Roger Altenberg of USC. Thanks to the efforts of his son, Dr. Lee Altenberg, this document is now available in its entirety online at the following address: http://dynamics.org/Altenberg/ROGER/THESIS/ . It'll also pop up as the first result if you Google "Fair Oaks Playbox" and the Playhouse keeps a hard copy here in our archives if anyone is interested in perusing it. Email Penn Genthner at pgenthner@pasadenaplayhouse.org if you'd like to make an appointment.

Today's Theatre Quote

"You need three things in the theater - the play, the actors and the audience, - and each must give something"

Kenneth Haigh

Sister Act Celebration

Today was the on sale day for individual tickets to Sister Act: The Musical. Choirs, food, a DJ, quite the scene. I (and others I suspect) will have more on this later. In the mean time:

Happy Fathers' Day!

Theatre Around the World

Item-The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced a £100 million ($185 million US) refit of its theatre at Stratford-on-Avon.

The long-running drama appeared to have reached its final act when Michael Boyd, its artistic director, announced that its 1930s cinema-style, fan-shaped auditorium is to be given a dramatic design inspired by the courtyard theatres of the Bard’s time.

A thrust-stage auditorium, seating more than 1,000 people, will be built within the theatre — reducing the distance from the furthest seat to the stage from 30 to 15 metres.

By bringing the audience and actors closer, it is hoped to create a more engaging auditorium, keeping Shakespeare fresh for a new generation.

Item-Today in theatre:

1965 Legendary theatre is made when the husband-and-wife team of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy open in The Cherry Orchard at the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Variety hails this latest production as "the outstanding presentation of the Chekhov classic in a lifetime of theatregoing and would be a credit to any company." Cronyn and Tandy will continue to grace the stage together for many years to come in such productions as Foxfire and The Gin Game.

Fan Mail

I just received a nice note from a patron regarding our recent production of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure:

Just a note, attended the Sherlock Holmes presentation yesterday, June llth, was deeply impressed, and little overwhelmed I realized the begining and end, were a copy of the Radio Broadcast from the 50's made by NBC for the BBC. The title that parts are take from, was titled, "The Final Problem" whereas Orson Wells, played "Dr.Moriarty" Sir John Gielgud, played Sherlock, the lines were almost identical, and the ending was switched from Scotland, to Switzerland, for the final scene of the death scene, between Moriarty and Holmes. Mr. Dietz did his homework well. Just an admirer. edward

Thanks for the kind words.

Tony Contest Results

Brian Colburn said...

Amanda Diamond (Finance Director) won with 20 correct answers!

Kappy Kilburn (Artistic Development) was second with 8 - and there was a three way tie for third with six correct.

Frankly, six correct answers is pretty awful, so I am thinking about whether they get a prize or not.

Coffee cards on the way (at least for Amanda and Kappy)

11:08 AM

Today's Theatre Quote

God comes to us in theater in the way we communicate with each other, whether it be a symphony orchestra, or a wonderful ballet, or a beautiful painting, or a play. It's a way of expressing our humanity.

Julie Harris

An Insider's Guide to the Pasadena Playhouse

The average entertainment consumer these days has a very sophisticated knowledge of what they’re paying to see. Now that everybody has DVDs with hours of extra features on how they were made and documentaries of the creative process and artists at work, audiences have come to expect an “insider’s perspective” on the show being presented. The theatre has always had to pick up where the technology leaves off, but as any enthusiast will tell you: there is a great deal to be said of the emotional power of a live drama versus something on a screen. That’s why the “insider’s guide” to the Pasadena Playhouse isn’t on a disc, it’s right here for everyone to experience.

A tour of the Playhouse will bring you past what the typical patron sees: in addition to firsthand accounts of the glory days of the “Star Factory” and knowledgeable descriptions of the uniquely Californian architecture, tour guests can see our master artisans working on a set for the next show, hanging lights, or renovating the state-of-the-art new performance space on the Playhouse balcony.

No two tours are alike, and our new volunteer tour guides recruited from the Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse are happy to customize tours to particular interests: kids get an interactive experience similar to that of an actor showing up for a first rehearsal, architecture students are taught about the design of the National Landmark building and how engineers, preservationists, and artists are working together to design the new Carrie Hamilton Theatre. For the history buff, the theatre is packed with stories of productions Eugene O’Neill hailed as “extraordinarily impressive,” the famous Playhouse ghost, and one of the first television and radio stations on this side of the Mississippi.

Regular tours occur on the last Friday of every month at 10:30 in the morning. Others happen as per request. The average tour is 45 minutes long, though this often changes depending on group size. The best thing about them is that tours are FREE! For more information or to book a tour, contact Penn Genthner at (626) 792-8672 x214 or by email at pgenthner@pasadenaplayhouse.org.

Managing Director's Tony-Award Contest

Managing Director’s Tony-Award Contest

The 2006 Tony-Awards will air this Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS. Watching the ceremony is a great way to catch up with what’s going on in theatre and to see the best artists in American on stage. If you love theatre, you’re no doubt looking forward to seeing excerpts from the Best Musical nominees and performers like Sutton Foster and Alan Cumming. And if you know nothing about theatre, you might be interested to know that the telecast will also feature the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Harry Connick, Jr.

While the awards are for commercial productions, non-profit theatres like Pasadena Playhouse have a big interest in what happens. First, a healthy and successful commercial theatre industry is important because it is one source from which our artists may earn a living. And because non-profits raise money to take risks and develop new plays, we help to create commercial successes. Some of the honored productions came from our local theatres. Maybe you saw Drowsy Chaperone at Center Theatre Group earlier this year.

Non-profits also play a role in bringing honored plays to American audiences outside of New York. The Constant Wife, for example, will be here at Pasadena Playhouse next year. And you can look for other nominated plays and artists here and at other local nonprofits next season.

And perhaps most importantly, some of the nominated artists have worked at Pasadena Playhouse and are terrific friends of the theatre. We’ll be watching and rooting for them.

Because the awards are important, I am encouraging our Pasadena Playhouse community (staff, Board, friends, supporters) to watch. And to make it more interesting, I’ve created a little contest.

Coffee for a month (otherwise known as a $50 Starbucks gift card) goes to the person who picks the most winners. Second and third place will receive $25 and $10 gift cards respectively.

To make your picks, print out the nominees below or paste them into an email or word doc – or just type your picks into an email. Entries should be handed to me or emailed to bcolburn@pasadenaplayhouse.org before 8 p.m. on Sunday night. (And I’ll check it right at broadcast time – so no cheating on the date/time stamp!)

If you don’t know anything about the plays, there are plenty of Broadway news and chat sites handicapping the winners. So Google away…..

Good luck!

Brian Colburn
Managing Director
Pasadena Playhouse
bcolburn@PasadenaPlayhouse.org


Your name:
Email:
Playhouse affiliation:

Play
( ) The History Boys
( ) The Lieutenant of Inishmore
( ) Rabbit Hole
( ) Shining City

Musical
( ) The Color Purple
( ) The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Jersey Boys
( ) The Wedding Singer

Book of a Musical
( ) Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer
( ) Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys
( ) Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Marsha Norman, The Color Purple

Original Score
( ) Music & Lyrics: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Music & Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, The Color Purple
( ) Music: Matthew Sklar; Lyrics: Chad Beguelin, The Wedding Singer
( ) Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: David Zippel, The Woman in White

Revival of a Play
( ) Awake and Sing!
( ) The Constant Wife
( ) Edward Albee's Seascape
( ) Faith Healer

Revival of a Musical
( ) The Pajama Game
( ) Sweeney Todd
( ) The Threepenny Opera

Leading Actor in a Play
( ) Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer
( ) Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
( ) Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
( ) Oliver Platt, Shining City
( ) David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Leading Actress in a Play
( ) Kate Burton, The Constant Wife
( ) Judy Kaye, Souvenir
( ) Lisa Kron, Well
( ) Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
( ) Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife

Leading Actor in a Musical
( ) Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
( ) Harry Connick Jr., The Pajama Game
( ) Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer
( ) Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

Leading Actress in a Musical
( ) Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) LaChanze, The Color Purple
( ) Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
( ) Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
( ) Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life

Featured Actor in a Play
( ) Samuel Barnett, The History Boys
( ) Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
( ) Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
( ) Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
( ) Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing!

Featured Actress in a Play
( ) Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole
( ) Frances de la Tour, The History Boys
( ) Jayne Houdyshell, Well
( ) Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
( ) Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!

Featured Actor in a Musical
( ) Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
( ) Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple
( ) Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd
( ) Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

Featured Actress in a Musical
( ) Carolee Carmello, Lestat
( ) Fields, The Color Purple
( ) Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
( ) Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple

Direction of a Play
( ) Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys
( ) Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
( ) Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
( ) Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole

Direction of Musical
( ) John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
( ) Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
( ) Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
( ) Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Choreography
( ) Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer
( ) Donald Byrd, The Color Purpleathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
( ) Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

Orchestrations
( ) Larry Blank, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Dick Lieb and Danny Troob, The Pajama Game
( ) Steve Orich, Jersey Boys
( ) Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd

Scenic Design of a Play
( ) John Lee Beatty, Rabbit Hole
( ) Bob Crowley, History Boys
( ) Santo Loquasto, Three Days of Rain
( ) Michael Yeargan, Awake and Sing!

Scenic Design of a Musical
( ) John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple
( ) David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Derek McLane, The Pajama Game
( ) Klara Zieglerova, Jersey Boys

Costume Design of a Play
( ) Michael Krass, The Constant Wife
( ) Santo Loquasto, A Touch of the Poet
( ) Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing!
( ) Catherine Zuber, Edward Albee's Seascape

Costume Design of a Musical
( ) Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Susan Hilferty, Lestat
( ) Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game
( ) Paul Tazewell, The Color Purple

Lighting Design of a Play
( ) Christopher Akerlind, Awake and Sing!
( ) Paul Gallo, Three Days of Rain
( ) Mark Henderson, Faith Healer
( ) Mark Henderson, The History Boys

Lighting Design of a Musical
( ) Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, The Drowsy Chaperone
( ) Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys
( ) Natasha Katz, Tarzan
( ) Brian MacDevitt, The Color Purple

Backstage at the Playhouse

Part of the idea behind starting a Pasadena Playhouse blog (as I understand it) is to give the millions of people following along at home an idea of what we all do behind the scenes, as well as talking about what's on the stage itself. So, to help that along, I'll give you (the millions of people following along at home) a look into what's happening around the Playhouse.

Outside my window, the guys in the shop (Carl, Joel, and Errol) are busy building the sets for our upcoming musical extravaganza, The Marriage Musicals. We are doing two musicals in rep, which means the crew will be switching between The Last Five Years and I Do, I Do on a daily basis (twice on the weekends). Tom Buderwitz, the set designer, has designed a basic stage that they will be adding different scenic pieces to for each show. Hopefully, the final set will tie the two shows together, while maintaining an individual feel for each show.

This Sunday we close Sherlock and start strike (taking down the set and lights, and boxing up the props) right after the evening show. On Monday the carpentry crew will come in and strike out all the scenic pieces, and Tuesday two 53' trailers will arrive to take the set off to Kansas City Repertory Theatre, who will be producing their own production of Sherlock sometime in the next few months. The rest of the week will be spent continuing the build of The Marriage Musicals and getting the theatre ready for a rental event on Friday and Saturday. After that, we begin loading in the Musicals.

Also, Furious Theatre is loading in their next show (Back of the Throat) up in the Balcony Theatre. Check out what's happening behind the scenes with them at the Furious Theatre Blog.

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A Sneak Peek at Sister Act: The Musical

One of the real pleasures of working in a producing theater (even in marketing) is the opportunities you have to witness the birth of a work of art.

Today, an assembly of about 200 group and community leaders, media and staff had the good fortune of getting a sneak peek at the Playhouse's upcoming production of Sister Act: The Musical.

Introduced by Playhouse External Communications Director Ken Novice, Artistic Director Sheldon Epps talked about the genesis of this project through a Sushi and Teriyaki laced discussion with director Peter Schneider "but that's probably too much detail", which eventually lead to the creation of an all-star creative team featuring Alan Menken, Glen Slater, Cheri and Bill Steinkeller, Brent Alan-Huffman and Michael Kosarin.

Following Sheldon's chat and a slideshow preview of the various Sister Act sets, Costume designer Garry Lennon continued a slide show of his own and discussing the disco era feel he was trying to acheive with the costumes. And he also left us with a tantalizing tease about the "vital role" to be played by a pair of purple, platform boots (your guess is as good as mine).

But the highlight of the evening was a pair of songs performed by two of Sister Act's performers. Haven't Got a Prayer, performed with wistfulness, resignedness and a touch of world-weary irony by Elizabeth Ward Land (Mother Superior) is a funny lament against all the 70's era secular temptations she has to battle. And while the litany of disco-era pop references may leave some Gen Y'ers scratching their heads, their elders should find themselves smiling in recognition (and sometimes inwardly groaning as well).

Dawnn Lewis (Deloris Van Cartier) performed Fabulous, Baby, a personal pep-talk, glorious in its brashness, but at the same time cognizant of the long odds on actual stardom.

Both songs were rousingly performed to a warm ovation from the crowd, and left all wanting more.

Sister Act: The Musical
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner
Based on the Touchstone Pictures motion picture Sister Act written by Joseph Howard
Directed by Peter Schneider

October 24 - November 26

For new posters

Welcome to the Pasadena Playhouse blog!

As we here at the Playhouse take a few tentative steps into 21st C. technology I'd like to offer a few tips to folks unfamiliar with the wonderful world of blogging.

First of all relax. A blog post is not a Lit. 101 essay (or at least it needn't be). Blogging should be a joy, not a job.

Write about what you know. Folks here have innumerable talents which they use to support the Playhouse, theater, and the arts generally, we want to hear about who you are.

Write about what you feel. Theater is one of the most visceral of the arts, something that affects many of us on a deeply personal level. Most times that's a good thing, though sometimes it's not, but regardless, it's usually interesting to chat about.

Be honest. Poseurs are not generally well regarded in the blogosphere.

Be courteous. I probably don't even need to mention, given the immensely high quality of person participating in this blog, that, as my grandma said, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar (though, as my wife pointed out once, who wants to catch flies anyway?) But be that as it may, dissent is one of the glories of great conversation, what's more boring than a topic upon which everyone agrees?

Most importantly have fun. There are few things more exhilarating, frustrating, terror-inducing, glorious, pick your adjective, than creating live theater, and everything that involves. My hope is that this blog celebrates that joy.

Welcome to the (semi)official blog of the Pasadena Playhouse

Check back often for updates on current productions on our mainstage, our outreach programs and occasional guest blogs from our artists, directors and designers.

We want to get to know YOU and we hope you will keep the conversation going...