Roop Raps on Shofner, Maupin, Nasteff, Hanover Tavern

We're in the midst of an interesting interview with Maggie Roop, who is playing the ingénue role of Kenni in the new comedy, Becky's New Car, playing now through November 6 at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern. This is Part 2 in a three-part series. In the photo below, we see Maggie with Durron Tyre and Mark Persinger in Theatre IV's 2011 production of Honk!)

Q - Thanks again, Maggie, for talking with us about your experiences in and around Richmond theatre. Enquiring minds want to know.

A - Don't you mean "inquiring"?

Q - Well, yes, but ... It's a slogan used in the 80s by the National Enquirer, so ...

A - Now you're starting to scare me.

Q - I'm sorry. I'll try to sound less like someone who's lurking in the shrubbery with Bat Boy. Do you supplement your acting with a day job? What is it?

A - I'm very lucky. During the day I work at Romp n' Roll in Midlothian. The company is locally owned and provides classes in Gym, Art and Music for children under 5. I'm the manager there and I also get to teach classes. It's a great way to spend my days before I head to the theatre. In addition to my love of theatre, my next great passion is educating children and nurturing their development.

Q - What are your long term career aspirations?

A - Some Richmond theatre community members may not know that Matt Shofner (VCU grad, actor/singer/dancer and all around fantastic person and pal, pictured to the right) has just moved backed to RVA. Matt and I have a strong desire to bring something more to the theatre community so we are currently working on a new project together. We will be producing some exciting new events starting in the New Year which will help to bring the theatre community together and showcase the rich talent that our fair city has to offer. Stay tuned for more news!!

Q - Now you're the one being cryptic. I like that.

A - Happy to oblige.

Q - You've worked with a variety of directors over the years. How much specific blocking / character advice etc. do you like to receive from a director? Or do you prefer a more organic process?

A - I think one of my greatest strengths as an actor is my willingness to be a piece of clay. At the beginning of my process I really like to give in to what the director is offering me and flow with it. This is something I have honed since school. I find it easier to start out not resisting what the director gives me (within reason) and then as the process continues I start to build on that foundation with the character nuances and specific choices I've found along the way. I think this is what makes Billy Christopher Maupin (pictured to the left) and me such a good team. We have a great push-pull relationship and we speak the same language. Which is why, if you look at my resume, you will see his name peppered generously upon it!!!

Q - You recently had the chance to meet the Staadeckers, the couple that contributed the funding to originally commission Becky's New Car in Seattle. What was that experience like?

A - It was, for lack of a better word, magical. Their passion for this play and for the process of commissioning a play is so inspiring. I hope they are paving the way for more people to take a chance and do what they did, so that theatre across the country and the world can continue to flourish in such a collaborative way.

Q - This is your second show at Hanover Tavern. Can you describe for our readers one example of something that makes the Tavern experience unique?

A - There's no denying that it is a wonderful experience to work in such a beautiful, historic building. The story behind the Tavern makes me feel like I am part of something special. I love the Tavern audiences too! Richmond is blessed with an exceptionally supportive and growing base of theatre patrons. But there's something about the folks who come to Hanover Tavern. They have an energy and appreciation for the shows we do that is palpable.

Q - Some people think of Richmond theatre as a closed shop, or Barksdale as a closed shop. What is your opinion about that issue?

A - I think this is an unavoidable issue in any theatre community. But honestly, I feel like I'm meeting new theatre artists and seeing new actors in Richmond theatre all the time. Evan Nasteff (Chris in Becky's New Car, that's Evan peering over Maggie's shoulder in the Becky's promo shot to the right, with Gordon Bass) and Christine Fonsale (Ginger in BNC) are perfect examples of this. Becky's New Car is Evan's first show in a few years, and Christine is a Williamsburg actor making her Richmond debut. They are both new, fresh faces on a Richmond stage. There's always going to be a core group of people at any theatre who are consistently cast because of their talents and abilities, or because directors and producers know how great they are to work with. A wonderful aspect of Richmond theatre, to me, is that we have both--a broad base of experienced professionals always welcoming a new crop of fresh talent. I like the mix, and wouldn't want to lose one for the other.

(the third and final installment coming next Monday)

Maggie Roop Buckles Up for Interview 'bout "Becky's" etc.

Maggie Roop has been earning admiration and loyal fans for a while now at Barksdale, Theatre IV, and other theatres around town. She contributed mightily to the musical merriment of Honk!, Seussical, Annie and Guys and Dolls, played a conflicted nun in Doubt (see photo below and to the left, with Irene Ziegler), and a recalcitrant organist in First Baptist of Ivy Gap. Now, in Becky's New Car, she's the young heiress who longs for a life more real. The Buzz caught up with Maggie to ask her a few questions about her flourishing career.

Q - Thanks, Maggie, for agreeing to take a test drive in our new interview series on the Barksdale blog. Billy Christopher Maupin, the director of Becky's New Car, made me promise not to ask anything that might give away plot points, so forgive me in advance if any of my questions sound cryptic.

A - No problem. I like cryptic.

Q - Before we all fell in love with you on our three stages, you must have come from somewhere. Where?

A - That wasn't cryptic at all.

Q - I haven't gotten to the cryptic part yet.

A - I grew up in Herndon, VA which is in the D.C. area near Dulles airport. My first show was a production of Oklahoma! with a children's theatre company in Northern Virginia in which I played one of a herd of gingham-clad square dancing children and I loved it. Then in High School I was cast as Essie in You Can't Take It With You and I was completely hooked. That was when I really knew that I needed to be in theatre. I originally went to the Boston Conservatory as a musical theatre major. It was an excellent program but it didn't focus enough on the theatre side of things for me. I liked the productions I saw at VCU prior to attending and my friends who went there had great things to say about the instructors. So I applied and ... that's how I wound up in Richmond.

Q - Were there any professors who influenced you significantly?

A - Joe Sampson was my acting professor for one semester my first year at VCU and he really taught be to be fearless. He pushed us to make strong choices and I learned from him how to compose a character in terms of the intensity of that character's needs within a play and a scene. My junior year I had Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates as an acting instructor for Shakespeare. Her instruction, in conjunction with the work I was doing that year with Janet Rogers in Voice and Speech, helped me make a huge step forward in my actor training.

Q - You married a fellow VCU theatre grad, the talented scenic artist, Adam Dorland (see picture to right). How did you and Adam meet?

A - Actually, Adam and I met in middle school. We both grew up in Herndon and became close friends in high school. At first we went separate ways for college but we both wound up transferring to VCU (ok, it wasn't exactly a coincidence). We've basically been together since I first moved to Richmond and then we got married last year!

Q - Like a lot of actors, you made the move to NYC following graduation. What was that experience like? What brought you back to Richmond?

A - I moved to New York for one year after I graduated from VCU. Adam graduated two years prior and had been in "the city" during all that time, so I wanted to be with him and give New York a whirl. I had some really wonderful experiences that year teaching theatre to kids. I loved that opportunity. But the city itself wasn't right for me. The culture was thrilling and it is a dynamic and wonderful place, but we all know how expensive it is. I missed a more intimate city with a more laid back pace, like RVA. Someplace that made sense financially. My experience living in NYC and RVA has created in me a great passion for the smaller theatre community. I am a strong believer in this town and the ability we have as a cohesive and tightly involved theatre community to keep growing and maturing and making theatre that is at the caliber of the larger cities and beyond. So, Adam and I decided to make the move back. And we're glad we did.

(to be continued)

Theatre Gym Returns with Cadence's "Kimberly Akimbo"

Posted by Bruce Miller
With Thursday's preview and Friday's opening night performances of Kimberly Akimbo, our fabled Theatre Gym series will rise again like a phoenix from the ashes. Kimberly Akimbo is produced by Cadence Theatre Company in partnership with Barksdale's Theatre Gym. Directed by Anna Senechal Johnson, this quirky comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire stars four of Richmond's favorite actors: Irene Ziegler, Debra Wagoner, Richard Koch, and Jill Bari Steinberg, joined by recent Theatre VCU grad Matt Mitchell.

Theatre Gym began in 1991 as an indie initiative of Theatre IV. Through our Theatre Gym program, independent theatre artists were given the opportunity to produce edgy work of their own choosing for adult audiences. Theatre IV provided free-of-charge use of the Little Theatre, box office services, and access to our set, costume and prop inventories. One hundred percent of ticket revenues went to the independent producer, and artists were paid a percentage of those revenues rather than a set fee.

Outstanding Theatre Gym productions included My Children! My Africa! by Athol Fugard, The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh, Jails, Hospitals and Hip Hop by Danny Hoch, Oleanna by David Mamet, How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien (pictured with Jill Bari Steinberg to left), Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, Italian American Reconciliation by John Patrick Shanley, Heathen Valley by Romulus Linney, Life Under Water by Richard Greenberg, Lobby Hero by Kenneth Lonergan, Keely and Du and Jack and Jill by Jane Martin, Rules of the Lake by Irene Ziegler, Boom Town by Jeff Daniels, SubUrbia by Eric Bogosian, Jesus Hopped the A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Dead Monkey by Nick Darke, Abundance by Beth Henley, and Raised in Captivity by Nicky Silver, and many others.

One of our 1990s Theatre Gym productions was A Devil Inside, an early work by then novice playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Anna Senechal in her pre-Johnson years. Anna was and is friends with Lindsay-Abaire's wife, Chris, and Theatre IV's Theatre Gym was one of the first companies in the nation to produce his work. Twenty years later, Lindsay-Abaire would win the Pulitzer for Rabbit Hole. Now, once again, Anna Senechal Johnson (pictured to the right with Cadence's cast of Fool for Love) will be directing another of his plays, Kimberly Akimbo, in partnership with Theatre Gym.

There are two major changes in Theatre Gym now vs Theatre Gym then.
1) It used to be that the initiative was named Theatre Gym, but the performance facility was named the Little Theatre. Now, both the initiative and the facility are named Theatre Gym.
2) It used to be that each Theatre Gym production was co-produced by a different independent producer. In 2011-12, and we hope beyond, all Theatre Gym productions will be produced by Cadence Theatre Company in partnership with Barksdale's Theatre Gym.

Barksdale still provides the performance venue, box office services, and access to set/costume/prop inventories free of charge. We also provide limited PR and lots of producing advice. All ticket revenues are still used to pay the artists involved with the production.

Theatre Gym has been on hiatus for the last several years, initially because of interior damage caused by a leaking roof, and then because we were just too busy with other projects to add anything else to our plates. By partnering full-time with Cadence Theatre, we hope to be able to keep the program going without over-burdening our already ridiculous workloads.

If you would like to be a part of history re-making itself, please join us for Kimberly Akimbo, opening this Friday evening. It's going to be a great show, and herald the long-awaited return of an important and innovative Richmond theatre initiative.

--Bruce Miller

Good News for Tom + Latest Reports as They Come In

Posted by Bruce Miller
Latest news as of Thursday 2 pm, Oct 13 - Marie McGranahan, Tom's daughter, reports that Tom will be going home from the hospital in a day or two. In about two weeks, the doctors plan to perform non-invasive surgery on his brain tumor. Basically, they're going to zap it with a gamma knife, keeping that thick skull of his intact. The hope is that the tumor is still small enough that this treatment option should eliminate it completely. It will be out-patient surgery. Visitation is still "family only," please. Tom is tired, and talking is difficult, mainly due to a raspy, sore throat caused by his recent aspiration.

Latest news as of Wednesday 5:30 pm, Oct 12 - Jackie Jones reports that Tom's son-in-law Gayle Turner says that Tom has begun talking. I know he's glad to have that ability back again!

Latest news as of Wednesday afternoon, Oct 12 - Marie McG, Tom's daughter, reports that Tom was taken off the ventilator this afternoon. He is breathing on his own, feisty and smiling at the family! Visitation is still family only, please.

Latest news as of Wednesday noon, Oct 12 - Tom's family would like Tom's friends to know that his doctors have determined that his collapse was due to a previously undetected brain tumor. Tom lost a kidney earlier this year to cancer. He is still in intensive care at St. Mary's, under heavy sedation. He is still not talking, but Kevin is unsure whether this is due to the sedation or the continuing effects of the brain tumor. Tom's doctors are doing tests to learn more about the tumor, and will provide care options to Tom and his family when those tests are completed. To the best of our knowledge, visitation is still family only.

Thank you for keeping Tom and his family in your prayers. We will continue to add updates to this post as they are provided by Tom's family.

Latest news as of Tuesday afternoon, Oct 11 - Tom has been stabilized at St. Mary's. His son Kevin reports that Tom was sitting up in bed (with some difficulty), mostly alert, attempting some give and take with the nurses (that's our Tom!), still not talking. Doctors have yet to determine exactly what is transpiring. I have no word regarding visitation.

Now here's the original post from Tuesday morning.

A million things are going on at Barksdale and Theatre IV this week, but none is more important than taking a moment to offer up a prayer for Tom McGranahan and his family.

Tom collapsed yesterday afternoon in the lobby at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn around 3:50 pm. He had just finished setting up the chairs and tables for Coffee & Conversations. After a call to 911, the emergency medical technicians were there in about five minutes and Tom was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, where he is being cared for now. I don't know his status regarding visitors.

There is not a more generous, caring and kind man in the world than Tom, who celebrated his 80th birthday just a few months ago. When anything happens, he never thinks "what can I get out of this?" He always asks "what can I do to help?"

When I last heard from Tom's family, the doctors still were trying to determine what was happening.

If ever there were a good Irish Catholic who believed in the power of prayer, Tom is that man. I hope and trust that all of us will hold Tom and his family in our hearts during this difficult time.

Thanks.

--Bruce Miller

Working Hard to Earn Your Support

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our exciting new partnership with Cadence Theatre kicks off this week in our intimate Theatre Gym space with Kimberly Akimbo, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay Abaire. This quirky, poignant comedy stars Irene Ziegler, Debra Wagoner, Richard Koch, Jill Bari Steinberg, and Matt Mitchell. As that show opens, it's hard to believe that the first show of our Signature Season is about to close. Lend Me a Tenor has six performances this week (including a Wednesday matinee and evening) before wrapping up its hugely successful six-week run on Sunday. If you haven't joined in the laughter yet, you have this week only to catch the comedy hit of the year. Finally, our first special offering of the year, a movie-themed cabaret entitled As Time Goes By, will be presented this week for the Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau on Thursday, and the Virginia Rotary Convention on Friday. And of course, on Sunday, the RTCC Awards will return to the Empire Theatre. All told, we're offering 56 performances this week. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Monday, Oct 10
Frog Prince - 1 show York Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Fairfax Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Chesterfield Co VA

Tuesday, Oct 11
Coffee & Conversations - 9:30 am Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Prince William Co VA
Snow White - 1 show VA Beach VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Spencer Wisconsin

Wednesday, Oct 12
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 2 pm and 8 pm Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 1 show Dinwiddie Co VA, 1 show Prince George Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Powhatan Co VA, 1 show New Kent Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Towson MD
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Mamaroneck NY
Snow White - 1 show Lancaster Co VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Wautoma Wisconsin

Thursday, Oct 13
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
As Time Goes By - 8 pm RCVB
Frog Prince - 1 show Bedford Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Albemarle Co VA, 1 show Madison Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Hartford CT

Friday, Oct 14
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
As Time Goes By - 8:30 pm VA Rotary Convention
Frog Prince - 1 show Hanover Co VA, 1 show Powhatan Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 1 show Prince William Co VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Hartford CT
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Henrico Co VA, 1 show Goochland Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Loudoun Co VA

Saturday, Oct 15
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Kimberly Akimbo - 8 pm Theatre Gym
Snow White - 1 show Westhampton Beach NY

Sunday, Oct 16
Becky's New Car - 2 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 2 pm Hanover Tavern
Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards - 7 pm Empire Theatre

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Learn More About "Lend Me" Over Coffee and Danish

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our first regularly scheduled Coffee & Conversations event is tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11, in the Barksdale Willow Lawn lobby. I hope you'll join us for this fun and informative program. Doors will open at 9 a.m., and the continental breakfast buffet will be set up by 9:10. The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last one hour.

Tomorrow's program will be Behind the Scenes of Lend Me a Tenor. Jill Bari Steinberg will moderate a panel comprised of three members from the Lend Me a Tenor cast: Nick Ciavarella, Frank Creasy, and Susan Sanford.

Nick (pictured to right) plays Max, the young, eager beaver assistant to the general manager of the Cleveland Opera. Nick himself is a dashing, NYC-based newcomer to Richmond theatre. He earned his Equity card with this production. Acting and other theatrical pursuits are his only job. His perspective will be a little different from the local professionals we all know well and love.

Frank (pictured below and to left) plays Saunders, the general manager, father of the beautiful young woman whom Nick's character would like to wed. Frank himself has been working in Richmond theatre for the last 30 years, and is one of our most respected and reliable character actors. He is not a member of Actors Equity. Frank is married, owns a home here, and is employed full-time by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Susan (pictured below and to right) plays Maria, the passionate Italian wife of the world renowned operatic tenor of the title. Susan herself is, in terms of her life's commitments, somewhere between Nick and Frank. She's one of the finest comic actresses you'll find anywhere. She is married to another theatre artist, Foster Solomon, and they are the proud parents of two sons. She earned her Actors Equity card a few years ago, I think, in either a Barksdale or Theatre IV production. She is Richmond-based. She tries, and mostly succeeds, to earn her living exclusively with work in the theatre. As she'll tell you, it ain't easy.

One of the defining features of professional theatre in Central Virginia is that we're sort of betwixt and between. Ever since the collapse of TheatreVirginia, we haven't had a LORT theatre that uses full-time professional theatre artists almost exclusively. In my opinion, and I think I can be trusted on this one, Richmond doesn't have a LORT theatre today because Richmond cannot support a LORT theatre under current realities. When you add up the resources available in terms of contributions and ticket sales, and divide those resources among ten professionally-striving theatres, there simply is not enough money to elevate any one theatre to LORT status. If you want a #1 reason why TheatreVirginia went belly up, in my opinion, that's it.

So at Barksdale and Theatre IV you'll see a mix of AEA artists and non-union theatre professionals who earn their living working 9 to 5 somewhere else. Out of town professionals who come here to work are frequently stunned that we rehearse only in the evenings. Personally, I LOVE the mix, and think it's a strong part of what makes our theatre community so rich. The majority of theatre artists you'll meet in a Richmond theatre are REALLY invested in our community.

One of the reasons we have programs like Coffee & Conversations is so that we can talk about the unique aspects of Richmond theatre, and the impact these realities will have on the future of our artists, audiences and institutions. Everyone I know who comes to Coffee & Conversations has a REALLY good time. I hope you'll join us for this and subsequent programs, so that you can see what really goes on behind the scenes. We hope to see you there, sometime before 9:30 a.m. I know you'll be glad you came.

--Bruce Miller

Emergency Escape Routes Shut Down to Keep Casts Cool

Posted by Bruce Miller
If you happened to be driving down Broad Street not too many days ago, and you noticed it was blocked off to traffic, and you wondered why, here's your answer.

Theatre IV finally replaced the giant air conditioning unit that sits atop what historically was the Little Theatre and then the Maggie Walker Theatre. This is the unit that provides cooling to our dressing rooms, costume shop and rehearsal hall. Fortunately, it was this unit, not the one that sits atop the Empire and provides cooling to the theatre itself, that went on the fritz just prior to the final two weeks of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

There were a couple of cast members who would not agree with me about the "fortunately" part. When the cooling suddenly stopped in the dog days of August, our initial plan was to repair the unit and immediately restore a livable environment backstage. We tried, but were quickly told that repair was no longer possible. The unit was dead; no one of this world was going to be able to bring it back to life.

So we rented a portable air conditioning system that had giant plastic tubes that I could crawl through running down all the hallways, and enormous fans creating gale force winds that were capable of cooling the backstage spaces while at the same time blowing your wig into Kentucky. It was not an ideal situation. But it was manageable, and we thanked our hard-working cast profusely for putting up with it all.

There were a couple folks who wondered aloud why we didn't just replace the unit that had died, as if it were something you could just pop out of a window and toss into the dumpster. The reasons it took us several weeks were:

1 - money (it cost $22,000 and we didn't have that amount just sitting in a drawer),

2 - finding a final resting place for the old unit which was about the size and weight of a '68 Buick, and

3 - getting the necessary permits to close off Broad Street so that we could hire a crane to take down our old deceased buddy and hoist up our new one.

If you've ever tried to close off Broad Street, you know it's not the easiest thing to do. Probably since the Civil War, Broad Street has been THE legally designated emergency escape route that will allow hundreds of thousands of Richmonders to flee whatever and head to Charlottesville. Look out UVA, we're comin'. It takes practically an act of Congress to shut it down. Well, more accurately, it takes about seven weeks.

But finally all the pieces and parts were put into place, including the giant crane pictured above.

So now, all that ominous tubing that looked like something pulled from where IT lived in A Wrinkle in Time has been removed. And if you'd like to come cool down in our rehearsal hall, dressing rooms or costume shop, please, as Lumière and all his kitchen companions would say, be our guest.

--Bruce Miller

"Scoundrel"'s McCarthy Takes on Challenge in New Tuner

Posted by Bruce Miller
At least two reviews are in as of this writing (Saturday morning), and it looks like Jeff McCarthy, the dashing Broadway-leading-man star of Barksdale's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, has created another critically acclaimed character. In the New York premiere of the new musical, Southern Comfort, which opened last night, McCarthy stars as Lola Cola, a real life, transgender woman currently living in rural Georgia.

McCarthy is no stranger to playing dynamic leading roles on Broadway. Before earning his Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Actor in last summer's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Barksdale, Jeff created memorable leading man roles in the Broadway productions of Urinetown, Side Show, The Pirate Queen, and Smile. He also replaced male leads on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Zorba, and The Pirates of Penzance.

This is the first time that Jeff, with all his athletic baritone masculinity, has played a woman.

Jeff co-stars with Annette O'Toole (pictured with Jeff to the right), who received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance in the ABC miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts. She is best known for her co-starring role as Clark Kent's mother in the hit CW series Smallville, and has had a recurring role on Nash Bridges, in addition to numerous TV guest appearances. With her husband, Michael McKean, she received an Oscar nomination for co-writing the song A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, featured in A Mighty Wind. Her Off-Broadway credits include Kindness at Playwrights Horizons and The Seagull at the Classic Stage Company.

Here's what this morning's critics have to say:

"As touching as it is idiosyncratic, Southern Comfort effectively redefines the term 'family musical.' Based on a 2001 Sundance award-winning documentary, it features perhaps the strongest family to be seen on a New York stage. The show movingly depicts the characters’ constant struggle for respect and tolerance from both family members and the community. The patriarch of the clan is the 50-something Robert (Annette O’Toole), who’s dying, ironically enough, of cervical cancer. His partner is Lola (Jeff McCarthy), a hulking figure who struggles to wear blouses that downplay her massive shoulders. The gentle country/bluegrass-flavored score, performed by a four-piece band whose members also play minor roles, is filled with a few too many emotive ballads of self-empowerment. But some of the songs, such as Bird, Lola’s lament about “the cruel sound of my own voice,” are very touching. If there was ever a show with its heart in the right place, it’s this one. The comforts it provides are far more than just the Southern variety." - Frank Scheck, New York Post

" The strapping, deep-voiced McCarthy strikes a resonant chord in Bird as Lola bemoans the disparity between the "pretty little thing" she knows herself to be "when I see behind my eyes" and her actual, physical being, which will never come close." - Sandy McDonald, TheatreMania.com

The new musical is based on Kate Davis's 2001 documentary, also named Southern Comfort. Davis's film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Subsequent awards included First Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and Special Audience Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Southern Comfort tells a true story about transgender friends living life openly, honestly and courageously in rural Georgia. After an initial reading at Playwright's Horizon, this is a limited run AEA Approved Showcase produced by CAP 21 Theatre Company, which bills itself as "America's Musical Theatre Conservatory." The showcase is supported in part by the National Fund for New Musicals (a program of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre) and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Also in the cast is Richmond theatre alum Allison Briner. Since her work here at TheatreVirginia and the Haymarket, Allison has appeared on Broadway as Rosie in Mamma Mia!, and in the national tours of Mamma Mia!, Titanic, and Les Miserables. Off Broadway, Allison starred in Forbidden Broadway, Listen to my Heart, Pete 'n' Keely, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Song of Singapore, and Return to the Forbidden Planet.

Jeff seems to be having a grand time in this terrific new role. He checked in to say that rehearsals were going well, and he was excited for Opening Night. We're really proud of him for taking on this challenge. We wish both Jeff and Allison all the best.

--Bruce Miller

Interview with "Lend Me a Tenor"'s Frank Creasy - Part 3

This is the final installment in a three-part interview with Frank Creasy, one of the stars of Lend Me a Tenor. We greatly appreciate his taking the time to talk with us. The picture to the right is a recent promo shot Frank made for the Virginia State Fair.

Q - You've played some terrific parts over the years, and your current role in Lend Me a Tenor is certainly among them. Are there any dream roles that you'd still like to play?

A - Can I send you the complete list in an Excel spreadsheet? Okay, okay...truth be told, I’ve had some dream roles already, such as George Schneider in Neil Simon’s Chapter Two at CAT (that's a role I’d like to do again, actually). And although I love character parts and I love comedies (see previous question and answer in yesterday's installment), I’d like to have the chance to tackle the role of Johnny in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally. Probably without the nudity. As a “man of a certain age,” I’m not sure that would appeal to ANYONE. But I absolutely love the play and the role.

Q - Have you dabbled in any other arts activities?

A - Believe it or not, I did a semester with the modern dance company at Longwood. You’ll notice I’ve never been asked to dance in any Richmond theatre productions; I guess that speaks to my skill as a dancer more than anything else I could say.

Q - Does your wife Carol (pictured with Frank to the left) share your interest in the arts?

A - Carol sang in the UVA women’s chorus and still has a lovely voice to match those beautiful eyes. She also did all the interior design and decorating in our home. Guests always ask who we hired. "I didn’t hire someone," I tell them, "I married someone."

Q - When you're not at work at Anthem, or acting in a production at a Richmond theatre, what are your other interests? What other aspirations have you pursued?

A - I was a “jock” in school – wrestling was my thing, and during my first year of college at George Mason (before Longwood), a pinched nerve in my neck led to an x-ray. That’s when I learned about an injury two years before that had caused a dislocated cervical vertebra. I'd been wrestling for two years with a dislocated vertebra! I'm very lucky that I didn't wind up in a wheelchair. I quit wrestling after that, under doctor's orders. I got healthy, took up acting after transferring to Longwood, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Q - Why do you think theatre has held your interest all these years?

A - I just really enjoy it, I guess. I come to the theatre to have fun. But I approach what I do very seriously. It could be a farce like Lend Me a Tenor (the picture to the right shows Frank with Tenor co-star Jan Guarino), or a violent epic like The Spanish Tragedy (Henley Street Theatre), or a brand new avant garde piece where I’m playing an apartment building, like I did in Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake), a show I did last year at the Firehouse. Whatever show it is, first and foremost, I try to be entertaining and interesting because the people who work hard and pay for their tickets deserve that.

I try to be versatile, to honor the play and the role and the direction, to create a character who is unique, who has a little bit of “Frank” in him, but is still, hopefully, different from anything else I’ve done before. I'm not really interested in rehashing a previous performance or falling back on some schtick from my acting “bag of tricks."

To me, my highest achievement would be for an audience member to see my name in a playbill and think, “Frank Creasy is in this play. That should be fun. Wonder what he'll do this time.”

Creasy Talks More about "Tenor" and Richmond Theatre

We're pleased that Frank Creasy, one of the leading actors in Lend Me a Tenor, agreed to talk with us about his experiences on and off stage. Both show shots are from Lend Me a Tenor (the first picture also features Aly Wepplo, the second also features Chris Stewart). This is Part 2 in a three-part interview with Mr. Creasy.

Q - Thanks again, Frank, for responding to all these questions. You've been in a lot of shows, and participated I'm sure in a lot of auditions when you weren't cast. What advice would you give to actors who feel like they audition and audition, and seldom get offered the roles they want?

A - The same advice I give to myself. Be ready to give your strongest audition initially so that you're invited to call backs. Listen carefully to the directions given during call backs. Come prepared to read the character you want to play in a variety of ways, based on what the director asks for. If you get to read several times, try it slightly differently each time. Perhaps most important, be ready to throw out everything you’ve prepared and do something completely different on the fly if requested.

You can’t control whether you’re too tall or short or skinny or fat or young or old for a role. Just be flexible, commit to your choices, and have fun. And by all means, be pleasant, friendly and courteous to everyone in the theatre. No one wants to work with someone who’s a pill or a pain in the neck.

Q - What's most fun about performing in Lend Me a Tenor?

A - I don’t think you'll have enough space to include all the things that are fun. Some highlights: the role (Saunders) is a gem; the script is extremely well written, every single character and scene; the actors I work with are absolutely first rate, top to bottom, and I love and respect what each one of them brings to the production. Our director, Scott Wichmann, put together an amazingly tight, funny, wonderful production, and behind the scenes, our stage manager Rick Brandt and our dresser Caron Sinnenberg keep things running seamlessly.

Q - Other than that Opening Night wine bottle, has anything else funny or unusual happened thus far in the run?

A - Usually things go smoothly, but with that much running around something is bound to happen. One night, as I ran into the bedroom with Max (Nick Ciavarella) in Act II, I pushed the door open and accidentally caught my jacket on the door handle, suddenly getting yanked backwards. In “Saunders fashion” I blamed Max and barked at him as if it was all his fault.

Q - What don't people in the rest of the world realize about Richmond theatre?

A - The vast amount of talent we have here. Truth be told, there are some folks at auditions or in some local productions and, honestly, I don’t believe they're all that wonderful. But then-- and this happens all the time--I'll see someone I've never seen before, and they just impress me greatly with their talent. All in all, it confirms for me how lucky I am to work so often with such talented, interesting, fun people.

Q - Do you prefer comedies or dramas, classical works or contemporary pieces, musicals or non-musicals? Why?

A - TOUGH question, and I know so many actors would say “Oh I love them all” and such...but if I had to choose one, I’d probably say contemporary comedies. I love Neil Simon and I love well written comedic roles and I love to hear audiences laugh, because then I KNOW they’re enjoying it. Hard to tell if they’re enjoying an intense drama until the curtain call and the applause lets you know where you stand.
Doing comedy well is really hard, because timing, delivery, expression and body language all have to come together in just the right way to tickle the vast majority of people. And some of those skills, sorry to say, are innate: you have to feel it. I don't think it can be taught.

Comedies don’t usually win lots of acting awards, but they’re tremendously challenging. They entertain and make people happy. What could be better than that?

(to be continued)

Interview with "Lend Me a Tenor"'s Frank Creasy - Part 1

Frank Creasy is among Central Virginia's most reliable character actors, and he's now playing the leading role of Saunders, the opera manager, in Lend Me a Tenor. The Buzz caught up with Frank to discuss his background, his three decades in Richmond theatre, and his backstage experiences during the run of this riotous farce. This is Part 1 of that interview.

Q - Thanks for talking with us today, Frank. You're doing a terrific job in Lend Me a Tenor. (That's Frank in Tenor to the left, with Nick Ciavarella.) It's so much fun to watch you work.

A - Thanks. All of us are having a great time because the audience is having a great time. I'm going to be really sorry when this one closes on October 16.

Q - Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you go to college? What was your major? What brought you to Richmond?

A - I grew up in Winchester, VA, and went to Longwood, majoring in sociology. I first moved to Richmond in the summer of 1979, between years at Longwood. I've always had relatives in the Richmond area. My father's mother grew up on Church Hill and attended St. John's Church all her life. Several aunts and uncles also live in Richmond. When I was growing up, my family always came to Richmond every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also, a lot of the friends I made in college were from here. It just seemed like a natural place to settle down, I guess. Although I'm not sure exactly when the "settling down" part happened.

Q - What was your first job after graduation?

A - Believe it or not, my first job out of college was at Theatre IV in the 1982 production of Mister Roberts. (That's Frank in the picture to the right, just a couple years before Mister Roberts.) Theatre IV rented the Little Theatre a few years before buying the entire Empire complex in 1986. Ford Flannagan was part of that cast, along with some other terrific actors.

Q - Where do you work now? Are your co-workers aware of your theatrical activities? Do they come see you in shows?

A - Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is my employer. I work as a help desk manager supporting the Anthem website. At least three co-workers have come to see Lend Me a Tenor, and others at Anthem outside my department have seen it and very graciously stopped by my desk to tell me how much they loved the show.

Q - After Mister Roberts, what were your next theatre jobs in Richmond? How did it feel to audition in a new city where you were not that well known?

A - I was cast in Mister Roberts almost right away, in the spring of 1982. Auditioning back then was a little scary for me, right out of college. I auditioned once for Muriel McAuley, one of Barksdale's co-founders, when she was casting Elephant Man at the Tavern. She called to tell me that I read wonderfully but I was just too young for the role. It was a lovely rejection--the first of many to come. Muriel's kindness sticks with me to this day.

Q - Like many actors, you started out in smaller roles, and over time worked your way up to leads. What was that experience like?

A - You know, I played my fair share of leads in college (Paul in Barefoot in the Park, Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace, among others). And I've had good experiences playing leading roles at other theatre companies in town. But as a character actor, supporting roles are often where I land, and I'm glad to do them. (That's Frank to the left, as Charlie Martin in On Golden Pond at Barksdale Hanover Tavern.)

I would like to think that my talents have improved, because I've worked purposefully to get better show by show. I've tried to take direction and carefully watch what successful local actors do onstage: David Bridgewater, Scott Wichmann, Joe Inscoe, to name a few who I've watched and worked with, studying how they approached their performances.

I've always believed that if you want to be one of the best, there's no better training than watching what the best in the field do and then modeling your behavior accordingly. It works in all walks of life; acting is no different. Of course, those guys I mentioned have talents some of the rest of us may only aspire to but never fully achieve. My hope is that one day I'll be close enough, in that regard, that someone would think of actors of that caliber as my "peers." To me, that would be the highest compliment.

(to be continued)

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Posted by Bruce Miller
A bit of a grab bag today.

If you want to know the best diner in the city of your choice, or the best auto repair shop in Richmond, go to Gordon Bass (pictured to the right in our current production of Becky's New Car). In addition to his acting assignments, Gordon is the full-time Tour Manager at Theatre IV. If you ask him for restaurant and mechanic tips, he won't send you to the fancy schmancy places, usually, but he'll give you the names of reliable and affordable places. He toured with us for something like twelve years, eating a gazillion meals on the road, and during the ten or so years since, he's been managing our fleet of nine tour vans.

Anyway, on Saturday, 15 minutes before auditions, one of our actors called to tell me that my daughter's Buick, which he was driving during his stay in Richmond, was making a terrible noise. Chase was just about to start his pre-audition instructions, so I called Phil to ask him to take care of it.

Phil made arrangements for our actor to take the car to a Merchants on Broad. Phil then went to Merchants, gave the actor his own car, learned from the Merchant's mechanic that my daughter's car was dead. Fugetaboutit. It was all over accept for the weeping.

Phil then remembered Gordon's car guy, Abe's Auto Service on Chamberlayne Ave. Phil paid the Merchant guy, drove the car (very slowly and noisily) to Abe's, and Abe just called me this morning to tell me that he thinks he can fix it good as new for $320.

You gotta love Gordon. And Phil. And Abe.

Today's the first day of the big GiveRichmond campaign at the Community Foundation. I hope it worked for other people. I decided I'd make my $50 contributions to the three theatres that emailed me (plus Barksdale and Theatre IV), and used the link provided in the email from Firehouse to connect with the GiveRichmond website. I registered. I clicked Find, found the theatres I was looking to support, I clicked Give, and nothing happened. I spent 40 minutes trying to make contributions, and never made it past first base.

Granted, I'm a computer dunce. But I was really trying, and there are a lot of people a lot worse than me. I hope the rest of you were more successful than I was.

Today is our first student matinee of the year--Lend Me a Tenor. I LOVE seeing shows with students. Couldn't go today, but I'm excited that we offer these. Student matinee sales in early October are never any good, but throughout the rest of the year, we should have a full crop of highschoolers coming to see our shows. Hopefully I'll be able to join them for My Fair Lady ... and beyond.

Today is also the annual trade show for one of our sponsors, The Supply Room. Terrie Powers and David Powers have been creating lots of painted cardboard displays and design elements for the trade show. We get free office supplies during the year, and they get free scenery for their biggest annual business event. It's a win/win.

Tomorrow the Whiteways and the Millers make it out to the Firehouse for Hot Tin. Can't wait.

Hope to see you at a theatre!

--Bruce Miller

PS - I tried again today to log onto GiveRichmond, this time using the Triangle link, and had no problems. Perhaps there was a glitch yesterday morning during heavy traffic. Whatever happened, it appears today that Triangle and Henley Street made it into the first group to bring in 50 contributors and therefore receive bonuses of $2,500. Congratulations!

Audition Report

Posted by Bruce Miller
Our first Open Call was a good learning experience for us. All in all, we were pleased and thought that the auditions went well. Many thanks to all who participated.

Our only significant problem, on the day itself, was that from the first auditionee we began to run late. Saturday was supposed to end at 4 pm. It ended at 6:15. There were a few actors (two or three, I think) who registered, arrived, waited for 60 to 90 minutes, and then had to leave to be on time for another commitment. We are very sorry.

A record-breaking 302 actors registered for the auditions. We saw 281. Most of the 21 we didn't see were no shows, due to illness or some other unanticipated complication. We know from past experience that 5% to 7% of all registrants won't show up. Most contact us with their explanations and regrets.

Directors in attendance were Anna Senechal Johnson (Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas, Cadence Theatre), Chase Kniffen (Seussical, Spring Awakening), Billy Christopher Maupin (The Stinky Cheese Man [that's his show, not his nickname]), Joe Pabst (Always ... Patsy Cline), Steve Perigard (A Year with Frog and Toad, Scorched Earth), Bo Wilson (God of Carnage), and Keri Wormald (August: Osage County).

Sandy Dacus played piano for almost everyone, with Kim Fox filling in when Saturday afternoon ran long. Kate Belleman, Katie Monfet, Caron Sinnenberg, Brittany Taylor and others whom, please forgive me, I'm overlooking provided invaluable support. I was there also, and Phil Whiteway was in and out as his schedule allowed. Again, many thanks to all.

We learned that it takes, at a minimum, 3 1/2 minutes per actor when actors are asked to prepare a 2-minute audition. For our next Open Call in January 2012 we will schedule 15 actors per hour, which should allow us a 7 minute 30 second break at the end of each hour. If we go 9 to 5, that should allow us to see 110 actors and still take a half hour break at lunchtime. Since we suggest that Richmond-based actors attend at least one audition per year, we do not anticipate more than 110 actors registering in January.

There were several of Richmond's leading players whose work we know very well who came to the auditions: Ronnie Brown, Larry Cook, Matthew Costello, Frank Creasy, Ford Flannagan, Jan Guarino, Michael Hawke, Audra Honaker, Tamara Johnson, Jackie Jones, Jennie Meharg, Adrian Rieder, Susan Sanford, Ali Thibodeau, Aly Wepplo and many others. We greatly appreciate their attendance. As we've stated before, we're trying to level the playing field, and we're asking all Richmond-based actors who'd like to work with us to come to at least one of our three Open Calls during the year.

The most popular playwright for monologues seemed to be Neil Labute, and the most popular musicals from which songs were selected were American Idiot, The Last Five Years, Next to Normal and Spring Awakening. We were auditioning for Spring Awakening, so none of this came as a surprise.

Of the 281 actors we saw, the majority were fairly or completely unknown to us. Virtually everyone presented a respectable audition, and quite a few people impressed us greatly. There were only a couple auditions that could be described as bizarre. That's sort of a record low, percentage-wise, and we were grateful.

We invite any and all comments regarding how we can make our audition practices and policies more effective. We thank everyone who joined us for last weekend's Open Call.

--Bruce Miller

Why "Becky's New Car" Made It onto our Tavern Season

Posted by Bruce Miller
With millions of plays out there, each one yearning for production, how and why do I pick the plays that wind up on one of our Barksdale and Theatre IV seasons? That is our #2 FAQ. #1 is, "Why did you guys name it Theatre IV?"

Beginning with Why "Lend Me a Tenor" Made It onto our Signature Season (9/08/2011), I'm starting a new blog series to address that #2 question. Each post in the series will be tagged with the label "Why," so if you ever want to go back and read previous posts in the same series, you'll be able to do so by clicking on the "Why" label that will follow each article.

Barksdale's mission is to produce in Central Virginia national caliber productions of the GREAT comedies, dramas and musicals--past, present and future. In other words, we seek to produce plays that have significance and import, plays that leave a lasting impact on the field.

If the assessed "greatness" is in the arena of literature or art, we tend to present the play in our Signature Season at Willow Lawn and the historic Empire. If the assessed "greatness" is in the arena of entertainment or popularity, we tend to schedule the play at Hanover Tavern.

Re-reading, them sounds like fightin' words--and I'm in no way seeking a dispute. Yes, I think Becky's seeks and achieves "greatness" as literature and art. I also know for a fact that it clearly has achieved already "greatness" as popular entertainment. It is one of the most frequently produced new American plays created between 2000 and 2009. Securing 24 regional productions in three short years is a feat of which most playwrights could only dream.

Only time will tell whether Becky's New Car will earn its place as one of the artistically great American comedies of the aught decade of the 21st Century. I think it might.

There is another rationale that led to our selection of Becky's New Car.

Our goal at Barksdale Theatre is to establish in Central Virginia a major, nonprofit, professional theatre of national standing. Three years ago, during strategic planning sessions, our Board of Trustees asked various stakeholders what new initiatives were needed to grow the national reputation of our company. Our audience, our artists, our funders and our colleague organizations suggested that there were four things Barksdale should do to participate more fully in the American professional theatre community, thereby enhancing Richmond's profile among the nation's great theatre cities.

1. We should create on a regular basis world premieres of new comedies, dramas and musicals that originate here and then earn productions at other professional theatres around the country.

2. We should further support new work by being an early producer of new plays created at other regional theatres, relying less on plays that have already been successful on and off Broadway.

3. We should recruit theatre artists of national standing to come to Richmond to work side-by-side with our outstanding local professionals.

4. We should mount national caliber productions here and then seek to transfer the best of those productions to New York or other major national markets.

Following in the footsteps of our productions of Boleros for the Disenchanted by Jose Rivera (2009-2010) and Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarias (2010-2011), Becky's New Car by Steven Dietz (2011-12) is our third effort to fulfill the second objective noted above. In the coming months, we will address the first objective with our world premieres of Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas and Scorched Earth.

This is an exciting time for Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV. We're taking seriously our goal of increasing the national impact and prominence of our theatre. We're choosing not to rest comfortably on the status quo. If we (and that "we" involves a LOT of people) are able to create a theatre of national prominence here in Central Virginia, I believe it will benefit greatly every theatre, theatre artist, and theatre lover in town.

I hope you'll buy tickets to both of our current comedies: Lend Me a Tenor at Willow Lawn and Becky's New Car at Hanover Tavern. They are fun and exciting shows. We need and are working hard to earn your support.

--Bruce Miller

Barksdale Theatre / Theatre IV - Next Week's Schedule

Posted by Bruce Miller
Fall is here! This is the week our touring operation begins to run on all cylinders, with in-school performances of The Frog Prince, Hugs and Kisses, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tales as Tall as the Sky, and The Little Red Hen. More on each of those productions later. We'll be presenting 49 performances next week. Here's some of what's happening at your theatre.

Sunday, Oct 2
Becky's New Car - 2 pm matinee - Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 2 pm matinee - Willow Lawn
Open Call Auditions - 6 pm to 11 pm - Empire

Monday, Oct 3
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Brunswick Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Manassas VA
Tales as Tall - 2 shows Henrico Co VA

Tuesday, Oct 4
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Tales as Tall - 1 show Bedford Co VA, 1 show Lynchburg VA

Wednesday, Oct 5
Becky's New Car - 2 pm matinee - Hanover Tavern
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Richmond VA
Little Red Hen - 2 shows Wilkesboro NC
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Spotsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 1 show Dinwiddie Co VA

Thursday, Oct 6
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 2 shows Newport News VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Powhatan Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 1 show Baltimore MD
Snow White - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA, 1 show Richmond VA
Tales as Tall - 3 shows Vevay IN

Friday, Oct 7
Becky's New Car - 8 pm Hanover Tavern
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Frog Prince - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA, 1 show Hanover Co VA
Hugs and Kisses - 2 shows Prince William Co VA
Little Red Hen - 1 show Chesterfield Co VA
Sleepy Hollow - 2 shows Pittsylvania Co VA
Snow White - 2 shows Bedford Co VA
Tales as Tall - 3 shows Vevay IN

Saturday, Oct 8
Lend Me a Tenor - 8 pm Willow Lawn
Snow White - 1 show McLean VA

Hope to see you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Where Are They Now? - The Asian Adventures of GnG

Posted by Garrett Weeda
Just a little background information, my name is Garrett Weeda and I toured with Theatre IV from September 2006 until May 2009. My wife, Grace Abele, also toured with Theatre IV from September 2008 until May 2009. After finishing our tours, we both ended up working at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (I was a Stage Manager while Grace was a singer in several of their shows).

Enough of the history lesson, now onto the good stuff!

Last September Grace and I accepted jobs in South Korea, working as “edutainers" at Gyeonggi English Village. An “edutainer” here means that we are responsible for the park’s educational entertainment. Along with performing, our department is in charge of creating shows and activities to help Koreans learn English following our central parkwide theme, which we decide on every three months. We have never had a job that has allowed us to be so creative. Grace and I are performing in our fourth show. Grace is currently writing our next show, which is a take on Robin Hood, and so far she has gotten to compose the music for our past two shows. Currently, I am in charge of props for our next two shows and was fortunate enough to direct our winter production, called The Nanny. We love our jobs so much we decided to extend our contracts another year, but hopefully we will be returning to the U.S. sometime next May.

*Sidenote – We were able to bring our beautiful pup, Zuri, and so many of our friends here have dogs that she always has someone to play with.

Now onto the GREAT stuff!

On March 21, 2011, Grace and I got married in Seoul! And you know what that means…it was time for a honeymoon! One huge perk of our job is that we are given twenty vacation days each year (and five extra because we got married). We took twenty of them in one big chunk and spent an entire month traveling Southeast Asia. In all we visited six major cities in four different countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bali.

The best part by far was while we were in Chiang Mai, Thailand during Songkran. That was an unforgettable adventure; anyone who has the chance must experience it. Songkran is the annual water festival during the hottest days of summer in Thailand. AKA city-wide water fight! Everyone parties and splashes each other with water in the streets. With music blaring, there are people of all ages, genders, and races dancing, singing, and spraying water everywhere. There is so much genuine good will that it was an absolutely amazing experience.

Our travelling didn’t stop there. We went to Hong Kong to celebrate the Chinese New Year and what a city! Amazing architecture, beautiful sights, wonderful food, and probably the best public transportation in the world. One day we hope to return to try living there for a year or two. But our travels will continue. We took a week to explore different areas of Korea in July, will follow that with a week in China in October, and to cap it all off, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Songkran in Chiang Mai again in April.

All-in-all life is good, even though we miss our friends and family in the States. We wish everyone could have an experience like this. We do have one favor to ask of Theatre IV and Barksdale. Can you guys stop putting on these amazing shows until we get back? We are totally jealous that we can’t see you all in these terrific productions.

--Garrett Weeda

Sorry-Grateful, Regretful-Happy

Posted by Bruce Miller
We are both excited and overwhelmed by the huge response we've received to this Saturday's (October 1) Open Call. Over 290 adult actors have called to register for auditions. Our previous record, or at least the largest number of adult actors any of us can remember at a previous Barksdale audition, was 110. The norm is 40 to 60.

We were prepared for about 120 interested actors. We were not prepared for this wonderful response. WE APOLOGIZE. This will be our first Open Call in our new audition process. We will learn from this experience. We will do better next time.

As of yesterday morning, Katie Monfet, our WONDERFUL intern who is handling all registration requests, had registered 136 auditionees (representing about 400 phone conversations), and was still in the process of registering the remaining 155 actors who had called and left a message, but had yet to connect person-to-person with Katie.

It remains our intention to see ALL actors who are interested in auditioning. We will schedule additional auditions to ensure that we meet that goal.

We have heard from tens of actors who are growing increasingly angry and frustrated, who have called back repeatedly to schedule a time for their audition, only to be sent to voicemail because Katie is on the phone with another actor. We understand, appreciate and regret your negative reactions. We are doing, and will continue to do, all we can to address and correct the situation.

Please know that Katie is working very hard to keep up with the calls. She is in no way at fault. It is my inadequate planning that has caused these problems. Please direct all your frustration at me. In the future, after our three-open-calls per year system is fully in place, I anticipate we will not face numbers this large.

If you are registered, you have been given a one-hour time slot during which your audition will take place. We are registering 30 actors in each hour. We know there will be some no shows. Your prepared audition should not exceed 120 seconds total.

Please arrive at the Empire no later than 15 minutes prior to your appointed hour. If you are able, please bring seven resumes and headshots. If you don't have seven copies (if you don't have one copy), don't panic. It's not a deal breaker.

Some of you will undoubtedly feel swept in and swept out. It is not our intention to disrespect anyone. It is our intention to keep things moving efficiently so as to be able to see all interested actors. Casting will happen principally in callbacks.

We will be feeding directors both breakfast and lunch, and you may notice directors eating during your audition. Again, we mean no disrespect to either actor or director.

If a director is in the restroom during your audition, Chase Kniffen and I will take special notice of all auditionees who demonstrate talent and meet the needs of the play. For example, if Bo Wilson is in the restroom during your audition, and you fit the character descriptions for God of Carnage (which Bo is directing), and you're talented, we will be sure that Bo includes you in his callbacks for God of Carnage.

In 2012 and beyond, we will have Open Calls in January, May and September. It is our intention to cast all roles approximately six months in advance. We ask all locally-based actors to participate in at least one open call each year.

Thank you for your interest. Thank you for your understanding as we embark on a new way of doing things. I apologize for planning poorly for this Open Call. I will do my utmost to make things better in the future. In January and May, we will include fewer shows in each audition, assign more staff members to man the phones to take your calls, schedule only 15 actors per hour (our original plan) instead of 30, and build in breaks for the directors.

I invite and will welcome your additional suggestions and comments as we try to strengthen our audition practices as Greater Richmond's resident, nonprofit, professional theatre.

--Bruce Miller

Coffee & Conversations - Fun, Free, Starts Friday

Posted by Bruce Miller
Today I'm excited to announce our 2011-12 Season of Rostov's Coffee & Conversations. If you've never been to one of these free, fun and informative events, you don't know what you're missing. We hope you'll mark your calendars now and plan to join us. It's a great way to start your day and connect with your theatre.

To kick off the series, we're having a Special Event this Friday, Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. in the Barksdale Willow Lawn lobby. Melissa Johnston Price, star of Becky's New Car, will join in a panel with Charlie and Benita Staadecker, the amazing couple who originally commissioned this vibrant new play by Steven Dietz. They are visiting us this weekend from Seattle. I will moderate the discussion, and our director, Billy Christopher Maupin, will be on hand to offer additional insight. It's free. No reservations required. Please join us.

Now--back to the rest of our Coffee & Conversations season. Each program will focus on a fresh and lively panel discussion, providing a fun behind-the-scenes look into the shows and operations of Barksdale/Theatre IV--Central Virginia's nonprofit, resident professional theatre.

Following our Special Event this Friday, the Rostov's Coffee & Conversations series will take place on the second Tuesday of each month, October through July (excluding June). There will be no programs in August and September.

Rostov's coffee, tea and pastries will be provided free-of-charge at each event, with the continental buffet opening at 9:15 a.m. Moderated panel discussions will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and last one hour, with lots of opportunity for audience Q & A.

Events are normally held in the lobby of Barksdale Willow Lawn. If attendance approaches 70 or more, the program may be moved into our comfortable 204-seat theatre. Average attendance has been around 35, but we're hoping to grow the program this year. Please note that the July event will be held on the set of Spring Awakening at the historic Empire Theatre, located at 114 W Broad Street, downtown.

All Rostov's Coffee & Conversations programs are free and open to everyone. A $3 free-will donation is gratefully accepted from those who have the means. Donations are welcomed in the glass urn that sits on the pastry buffet table.

No reservations are required.

The 2011-12 Season is as follows. Panelists and moderators will be announced on this blog and elsewhere on our website about two weeks prior to each program.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Behind the Scenes of Lend Me a Tenor
Moderator - Jill Bari Steinberg
Panelists - Cast members Nick Ciavarella, Frank Creasy, Susan Sanford

Tuesday, November 14, 2011
Working Out - Our Theatre Gym Partnership with Cadence Theatre Company

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Behind the Scenes of My Fair Lady

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Build It and They Will Come - Barksdale's Set Construction Team

Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Behind the Scenes of God of Carnage

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Public Funding for the Arts - Where Do Greater Richmond and Virginia Stand?

Tuesday, April 10, 2012
All in the Planning - The Future of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Behind the Scenes of our World Premiere Production of Scorched Earth

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 ***This program will be held in the historic Empire Theatre
Behind the Scenes of Spring Awakening

For more information, or more timely information, please visit www.BarksdaleRichmond.org. We hope you'll join us for each of these fun and informative programs.

--Bruce Miller