Press Release & Production Note: Spinoff

Press Release:
This July as part of the “Escape the Ordinary” adult summer reading program the Friends of the David A. Howe Public Library will be sponsoring a Valley Theatre production of Jack Sharkey’s wacky, bank-heist comedy, Spinoff. 

                Tired of his middle-management job at the bank Willy Nicholas (Eric Mikols) devises a scheme to rob the bank and ride off into the sunset with his flighty girlfriend Vicki (Kendra Mikols).  In order for the heist to work, however, Willy needs the help of his employee, Peter Colton (Nic Gunning).  He manages to switch their brief cases, causing Peter to unwittingly carry the money out of the bank!  Things seem to be going according to plan until Peter’s daughter Laurel (Anna Schilke) and her boyfriend Carlos (Ben Layman) discover the stolen money and hide it, assuming Peter was behind the robbery.  Just as everything begins to get sorted out, a curve-ball in the form of Sheila Mahoney (Meg Specksgoor) shows up.  Instead of Rio, Willy and his unwilling accomplices might just end up in jail!

                These special performances will be free of charge and will run in the Nancy Howe Auditorium on July 25 at 7:00 p.m. & July 26 at 2:00 p.m.

I didn't do a typicall director's note this time around, but here's my production note from the program:

We are very excited to be back in the David A. Howe Public Library as part of the “Escape the Ordinary” Adult Summer Reading Program.  We want to add a special thanks to the Friends of the DAHPL for sponsoring our show.  We have had a great time working on Spinoff and have enjoyed the new challenge of doing a farce comedy, a first for us.  If you’d like to hear about future productions, send us an email at thevalleytheatre@gmail.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

 

Odd Couple Debrief

     I guess my thing is doing debriefs way later so that they are no longer relevant or interesting. Odd Couple debrief.  The road to The Odd Couple has been a long one.  We brought the scripts and planned it as a follow-up to our first show, She Loves Me.   It stalled because of casting.  We picked it up again a few years later, even had an audition, then two people dropped, and we were out again.  Following last year's production of the female-driven Steel Magnolias, we really wanted to do a male-centric show and decided to just roll the dice and hope we got the guys we needed.  We did, but before I go there, more on the process.
Welcome to my unnecessary

      In the original cast, we envisioned me as Felix, Ethan as Oscar, Noelle Winkens and Kari Teno as the Pigeon Sisters, and Mike as one of the poker buddies (probably Vinnie).  None of that happened.  The potential poker buddies were always in rotation.  We had a few randoms in the mix.  One time, we did a read through with Ethan and me as Oscar and Felix, Mike as Vinnie with Dan Cristo and Steve Rudd sitting in as Speed and Murray.  I would have loved to have been a part of that show.  It was dynamite.  Dan and Steve were great, but they both lived out of state.
      By the time we got around to doing it, not only were Eric, Michael and Ben gone, but Ethan too.  Obviously, that presented a casting issue.  Considering our run in Art, we decided to switch it up and put me as Oscar and Mike as Felix.  We did auditions for the rest and ended up with a fun cast, both iterations of it. (We had to do some recasting for the Angelica shows.)

     I try to imagine how it would have felt playing Felix.  I think I would have liked it.  It would have been more of a challenge for me.  I think I would have gotten into it.  I'm definitely better suited to Oscar though.  Luckily, Mike as Felix was just so good.  Hilarious and unpredictable.  I've been in lots of plays with lots of people.  (It's true.)  I've had a few great stage partners.  (Heather Nicholls, Ethan Stowell, I'm looking at you.)  Mike is definitely near the top of that small list.  We adapt well to each other's rhythm and occasionally communicate telepathically.  Doing the show for as long as we did and in multiple venues really solidified those roles and our stage relationship.  I feel confident we will do The Odd Couple together again.   Maybe next we should try The Producers.  Maybe in 30 years, The Sunshine Boys.  

     To sum it up, The Odd Couple was good.  We had fun.  It was exciting to do a tour of three venues.  That's something I hope to explore again.  The problem I face with acting now is that I can't help but miss directing.  I love Neil Simon and this script particularly.  It's a guys show.  I would have loved to have directed it with a cast of fellas I've worked with before.  Maybe I'll do that someday too. Maybe I'll direct Hilary and Amanda in the female version. Maybe I'll play Felix someday. Regardless, I don't think The Odd Couple and I are done with each other just yet.

For more on Neil Simon tune in to this special episode of my podcast!

Press Release: The Odd Couple

We finished our three-city tour of The Odd Couple in Angelica.  We had a a few weeks in between that and our shows in Houghton & Wellsville.  We had a few cast changes and had to adapt to a significantly different space.  It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.  Here's my press release for the final set of shows.

This month the Angelica Players will be hosting The Valley Theatre for a production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple directed by Amanda Cox.  The Odd Couple (made famous by the movie starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon) is one of Simon’s most enduring and well known plays.  With a script full of clever characters and zingy one-liners, it remains popular nearly 50 years after it first debuted on Broadway.

Felix Ungar (Mike Cox) is shocked to discover that his marriage of twelve years is over.  Homeless and distraught he shows up for his weekly poker game, hosted by the sloppy Oscar Madison (Nic Gunning), looking for a little sympathy.  Oscar reluctantly offers his pal a place to stay.  Felix wastes no time whipping Oscar’s messy bachelor pad into shape, much to the dismay of Oscar and his poker buddies (Chris Tetta, Jon Brennan, Dave Brubaker and Will Tetta).  The close quarters begin to test the boundaries of Oscar and Felix’ friendship.  Things go from bad to worse when Felix botches a double date with Oscar and their ditzy upstairs neighbors, the Pigeon sisters (Ksa Curry and Anna Schilke), leading to a bombastic and hilarious confrontation of epic proportions.  Can this mismatched pair patch things up in time to save their once great friendship?

Shows run at the Angelica Free Library on Friday, December 12, and Saturday, December 13, at 7:00 pm with a matinee at 3:00pm on Sunday, December 14.  Tickets are $6 each and can be purchased at the door or ahead of time at the Angelica Sweet Shop.  For more information contact thevalleytheatre@gmail.com or find them online at facebook.com/valleytheatre.

For more on Neil Simon tune in to this special episode of my podcast!

New Job

I mean, at this point it's not that new.  It will be a year on January 13.  In that time, I've gotten pretty settled here at the David A. Howe Public Library.  There are things I miss about Houghton.  I miss Chris and Sharleen.  I miss having student workers.  I miss the semester schedule.  But I don't fit into an academic library setting, particularly that one.  I started in public libraries and it's good to be back.  This is really the setting I belong in.  I'm free to try to new things, get creative.  If things work, great.  If they don't work, then it's back to the drawing board.  No big deal.  

At this point, I've overused this line, but people go to academic libraries because they have to and public libraries because they want to.  It makes a big difference.  I'm enjoying leading the book clubs.  It's been fun booking authors.  (So far Archer Mayor, Julia Spencer-Fleming and Joyce Carol Oates!  #stephenking2016)  It has it's drawbacks, but they are far outweighed by the good.  We are getting ready to hire some new staff members, which I'm hoping will be good.

The building itself is great, despite it's lack of office and staff space.  There is a 300 seat auditorium attached where Valley Theatre performed Steel Magnolias and one stop on our three-city tour of The Odd Couple.  Having a genuine theatre space available is great, and is an excellent job perk.  

All in all it's a pretty good deal.

Proof that Odd Couple is actually happening

    Since we wrapped She Loves Me in 2008 we've been planning to do The Odd Couple.  Well, 2014 is the year it happens! This isn't the official press release or anything, just a little blurb I wrote for the library newsletter.   Still, I thought it ought to be preserved since it is the first official news of our long-awaited production of The Odd Couple. 

After their well-received production of SteelMagnolias earlier this year, Valley Theatre returns to the Nancy Howe Auditorium with Neil Simon’s classic comedy The Odd Couple, directed by Amanda Cox.  The Odd Couple (made famous by the movie starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon) tells the story of two friends, sloppy Oscar Madison and fussy Felix Unger, who are forced to move in together after their marriages crumble.  The close quarters begin to test the limits of their friendship and put their unexpecting neighbors and pals right in the middle of their domestic squabble.    Shows run November 21-23.  For more information contacting thevalleytheatre@gmail.com or find them online at facebook.com/valleytheatre.

(We plan to have shows in Houghton too, but the specifics are still being worked out.)

For more on Neil Simon tune in to this special episode of my podcast!

Steelymags Debrief

                Better late than never I guess.  Also, I’m doing this out of order.  I should have done a post on my huge job change first.  I’ll catch that another time.  For now, Steel Magnolias. 

                The show went really well.  The audience loved it.  The cast was excellent.  We had a great venue in the Nancy Howe Auditorium.  (You’d know the story behind that if I’d done a post on the job change.)  Anyway, the Howe Auditorium is great.  Vintage look, perfect sized stage, huge back stage, cast bathrooms and dressing rooms!  As much as I like the Houghton Fire Hall (and I really do, that isn’t sarcasm), it was nice to be back in a traditional theatre space.

                All that sounds great, so why didn’t I like Steel Magnolias?  That’s not quite right, because I did like it.  I just didn’t love it.  There are many factors as to why, but it boils down to script issues.  Thanks to the far superior movie, the play has become this sentimental favorite, and because of that the inherent weaknesses in the script get glossed over.  But they are there.  First, the format of each scene is nearly identical.  Characters enter one-by-one, usually in the same order and all scenes end with everyone still in face.   There’s no deviation.  No one leaves a scene to allow the vibe to change.   It’s tough to work with that.  Also, it is written so that each of the 5 scenes takes place up to 16 months apart.  Which means a lot of the growth and drama happens off stage in between scenes.  This also causes problems.  The emotional conclusion feels forced to me because I don’t think you ever really get to the point where you care enough to be moved naturally.  In the hands of a capable actress (which I had) you can still make it work, but you should have the character journey to back it up, even with a lousy actress (Thankfully I didn’t have any of those!).  Bottom-line, it’s a fun show to do, but not that great to direct.  I had trouble connecting to the story and the characters.  I couldn’t find my hook.

                To be fair, I knew that going in.  I just figured I’d find it or make it work.  I think it’s fair to say that I made it work. It was a good show.  I just feel conflicted about it because I always felt like I was on the outside of it.  I feel strongly that a director shouldn’t direct a play he doesn’t like.  I broke that rule, and learned a valuable lesson.

                Again, let me be clear, it was a good production.  Cast if you are reading this, you each did an excellent job.  Really.  I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.  My issues with Steelymags are with the script and my connection to it.   

                Anyway, sorry to be such a downy-clowny.  On a positive note, I’m really looking forward to finally starting work on The Odd Couple.  That’s about 10 years in the making, so I can’t wait to dig in.

               

Press Release: Steel Magnolias

The Valley Theatre presents Steel Magnolias

            This April the Valley Theatre will be staging Robert Harling’s classic play Steel Magnolias.  This hilarious and occasionally tear-jerking tale centers on the strong friendship of six women dealing with life’s ups and downs.

            The wedding of town sweetheart Shelby Eatenton (Sarah Badger) and eligible bachelor Jackson Latcherie is big news in the town of Chinquapin, Louisiana.  As the day approaches the ladies of Chinquapin rush in to the salon of Truvy Jones (Sally Murphy) to make sure they look their best for the lavish wedding.  Luckily for Truvy, she has just hired a new beautician, the meek and private Annelle Dupuy (Megan Specksgoor)! As the ladies, including the former first lady of Chinquapin, Miss Clairee (Debbie Young), fawn over Shelby, trouble is brewing at the Eatenton house.  Shelby’s father Drum and their cantankerous neighbor Ouiser (Nancy Murphy) continue a long-standing feud regarding the ownership of the large magnolia tree that sits on the property line.  Shelby’s mother, M’Lynn (Amanda Cox) tries to keep the peace all the while making sure that Shelby doesn’t jeopardize her deteriorating health by overexerting herself with the wedding plans.

            As the years roll by we see the bonds of these women tested.  Together they celebrate the simple joys of life and come together to face the inevitable tragedies.             
           Performances at 7pm on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, at the Nancy Howe Auditorium (155 N. Main Street, Wellsville).  Tickets are $8 and will be available or the door or for presale at the circulation desk of the David A. Howe Public Library. For more information contact director Nic Gunning at thevalleytheatre@gmail.com or online at www.facebook.com/valleytheatre.