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List of Shows & Photo Galleries
- Aida (Stage Manager) (September 2006)
- Carousel (July 2006)
- Clearly Cole (Spring 2006)
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Greetings (December 2005)
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Gypsy (September 2005)
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Disney's Beauty & the Beast
(December 2004)
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If You Loved Me
(September 2004)
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Big River
(May 2004)
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Beau Jest
(April 2004)
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The Hairy Ape
(February 2004)
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Cinderella
(December 2003)
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Jekyll & Hyde
(October 2003)
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Oh, Rats!
(June 2003)
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Radioland
(March 2003)
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Titanic
(April 2002)
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Our Town
(October 2001)
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Sweeney Todd
(June 2001)
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Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch
(May 2001)
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Macbeth
(March 2001)
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Scrooge: The Musical
(December 2000)
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The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (intermittently
during 1999 & 2000)
I've been involved with theatre since I was twelve years old. That's live
theatre, in front of an audience, not film or television. I've been told that
the difference between theatre and theater is that theatre is
done live in front of people and theater is mostly for film and the like. Who
knew? I do primarily musicals right now (where I get to sing and act, with
occasional dancing). Straight plays (what we call a play without the singing
and dancing part) are fun, too.
My first production outside of school was Irene, with the St. Andrew's
Players at St. Andrew's Methodist Church, a musical set in 1930s New York City.
It is a rags-to-riches story with the poor Ninth Avenue piano tuner falling in
love with the Fifth Avenue social elite. I played the roll of a débutante when
I was thirteen.
My next production was The Me Nobody Knows, a joint production between
the Jewish Community Center and the San Antonio School for the Performing Arts.
This musical was written in the 1970s and won several off-Broadway awards. The
show doesn't have a plot so much as vignettes of the lives of inner-city kids
and their daily struggles. I honestly don't remember the name of the character
I played. I think her name was Agnes. I remember I was terrified both nights we
performed the show. It was the first time I'd ever had a solo in a show and
apparently I wasn't ready for it yet!
After The Me Nobody Knows , I took a ten year break from theatre to be a
student. I got through high school (we didn't have a theatre department), then
started college. I kept up with my singing throughout this period, and went on
several auditions, but never found my niche.
I did finally make back into theatre in the cult classic The Vampire Lesbians of
Sodom. This over-the-top story of two female vampires who hunt each
other over 2,000 years, ending up in 1920s Hollywood and ultimately 1970s Las
Vegas is one of the longest running shows in San Antonio, Texas. I played the
role of Rene/Tracy, a supporting role that is actually two difference
characters. In 1920, Rene is a rising starlet who has fallen under the spell of
the Succubus (the original vampire). Later on in 1970, Tracy is a
cheerleader-type ditz who has hooked up with Madeliene Astarte (also known as
the Virgin Sacrifice). After Rene/Tracy, I played the role of Madeliene
Astarte, one of the female vampires. It was an absolute riot and I enjoyed my
run with the show immensely. There are a few photos in the Vampire gallery.
Then, in November 2000, I went and auditioned for Scrooge: The Musical.
The San Pedro Playhouse was doing it as their Christmas show. I auditioned and
got the role of Mary (Scrooge's Nephew's wife's friend). The production was
amazing and ran for eight weeks. There is an extensive gallery of photos from
the show, if you care to look.
After Scrooge, I was cast as Lennox in Shakespeare's Macbeth in a
production being done by my acting professor at the University of Texas at San
Antonio. That show has an extensive gallery, as well. Lennox is actually a male
character, but we were fresh out of men, so I got to make Lennox a woman. It
actually worked very well, and added a some nice gender-constrast to our modern
production.
Once Macbeth was over, it was back the Playhouse in May 2001 for Cellar
Theatre the production of the melodrama Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch.
Though usually a straight play (though if melodrama is ever played straight,
shoot the actors!), the director added song and dance to the show to liven
things up. It was a simply wonderful production and a great experience.
In June 2001, I was lucky enough to perform in the ensemble of Stephen
Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Even as an ensemble performer, there was a lot
of challenging singing and even acting to experience and learn from. I dubbed
myself "Lunatic No 12" and had a raving good time that summer!
October 2001 saw me playing Emily Webb in Thorton Wilder's Our Town.
Emily was my first "lead" role and quite a doozy of a character. Nothing like
going from childish innocence to making the audience cry in about two and a
half hours! It's surprising how such a simple play can still have so much
meaning and emotion decades later.
April 2002 was the opening of Titanic (the musical) at the San Pedro
Playhouse. I played Caroline Neville, a wonderful role with just enough stage
time to be substantial, but not enough to make me feel like I'm overwhelmed (I
still had school after all).
After the close of Titanic, I took a break from theatre and focused on
completing my undergraduate degree, which I did (yeah!) in December, 2002. Now
that I've got that pesky education out of the way and am gainfully employed
(for now anyway), I can focus more fully on theatre.
My first post-graduation show opened in March 2003 at the Sheldon Vexler
Theatre, and was an original production created by the directors at the theatre
entitled Radioland. Set in a 1940s radio station, the cast of the show
was the cast and crew of the radio station WVEX. We performed a variety of
shows from the time, such as Flash Gordon and The Shadow, as
well as sang an assortment of songs that would have been heard on the radio. It
was my first show at the Vex and a great time all around.
After Radioland, it was time for the rats. That's actually Oh, Rats!,
a never-before-seen musical based loosely around the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The
creators of the show chose the Vexler as the first theatre to produce this
hilarious musical. My character of Fritzy is actually one of the *gasp* bad
guys (or girls). It's my first stint at a villian and was a very interesting
challenge for me. The show opened mid-June 2003. I heard it was given a staged
reading in Broadway in the Spring of 2004, but it's nice to have originated a
role.
Once Oh, Rats! closed, it was back to the San Pedro Playhouse with me,
where I took up residence for the next few shows on my resume. It started out
with Jekyll & Hyde in October 2003 as a member of the ensemble. I
jokingly called myself "B Prostitute" and named my character "Beatrice," since
one of the other characters was "Nellie, A Prostitute" and we sang in Bring on
the Men together. A fun number, let me tell you, and an intense and
amazing show.
I went immediately into their Christmas production of Cinderella, which
opened December 2003, as Portia, one of the wicked stepsisters (the ditzy one
with an annoying laugh as it turned out *teehee*). This was the first
production with the Playhouse's new Artistic Director, Frank Latson, and an
absolutely wonderful experience. He's by far one of my favorite people these
days.
Then I headed downstairs to the Playhouse's Cellar Theatre in February
2004 to do Eugene O' Neil's The Hairy Ape, again directed by
Frank Latson. The Cellar is an intimate theatre perfect for small cast
productions like this one. I played Mildred Douglas, the disillusioned daughter
of a steel-magnate in 1920s America, looking for excitement in the bowels of an
ocean liner. The show was quite fabulous and the character unlike anything I've
ever done before... makes me want to do more like that, though!
At the same time, I was also Assistant Costumer for Cabaret,
which was playing on the San Pedro Playhouse's mainstage while Ape was
in rehearsal and then production. Running upstairs and downstairs, being
actress and costumer, is really a ton of stressful fun!
While Ape was in production, I started rehearsal in New Braunfels,
Texas for Beau Jest at the Circle Arts Theatre. I played Sarah
Goldman, a slightly neurotic Jewish girl who will do anything to make her
parents happy, even hire an actor to play her made-up Jewish-doctor boyfriend
(you can imagine the plot that comes from that scenario!) The show opened to
glowing reviews and was my first lead role outside of college.
Back to San Antonio and the San Pedro Playhouse for the opening of Big River
in May 2004. This is the story of Huckleberry Finn set to wonderful Roger
Miller music. I play Miss Watson, the bible thumping spinster who tries to
civilize Huck. In the second act, I play one of the four tarts. Quite a
contrast, but super fun!
At this point in my life, theatre and acting is more than just a hobby. When I'm
totally honest with myself, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life
(along with writing and being happy). I hope if I keep working at it now, it
will pay of in the future. Even if it doesn't, though, the process of trying is
splendiferous and about all that keeps me sane some days!
Last updated April 27, 2004
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