Don’s Blog

I got home late last night after watching the Super Bowl at a friend’s place.  Before bed, I decided it was best to NOT make a list of the things I needed to bring to auditions today. Oops.

I headed to the North Shore Music Theatre auditions and realized on the N train that I forgot something. Not a showstopper, but a problem. I stood in line outside starting at about 6:45am, followed by waiting upstairs for the monitor. There was an interesting occurrence regarding the line inside that really deserves a post of its own. Then finally, at 8:45am I signed the official union-free list. I had one hour to make it to the Broadway stop in Astoria and then back to Pearl.

I foolishly thought this was possible.

I ran like a madman anytime I wasn’t sweating on a train. I made it home, got my stuff, and then headed back. I ended up being about 20 minutes late to “check back”. LUCKILY, I hadn’t missed my number one slot on that union-free list. The monitor was pushing EMCs through at an alarming rate. This was actually looking good!

“Attention all non-Equity actors: it’s not gonna happen today.”

Damn. I ran into a buddy in the hallway and told him the news as he was looking to see what room the North Shore auditions were in. So we both left and he suggested we check out the Disney call across the street at Pearl’s other location. We barely managed to get seen before the lunch time cut off for men.

And to top it off: I got a callback. Thank you, Mickey, for making today more than just a big waste of time.

Some said it was inevitable. Some said it is a bad idea. Some said it is the best idea. In any case:
I now live in New York.
So far things have been good, and lots of doors have been opening, which is very encouraging. And my friends out here have been great! I look forward to seeing all of you in person.

Another year goes by, another summer arrives for Post Playhouse.

This summer is especially exciting with Post offering one of it’s most diverse seasons to date.  Diverse in more ways than one.

First of all, there is diversity in casting. Post Playhouse is offering the folks in the panhandle of Nebraska a look at age appropriate and race appropriate casting.  Often, summer stock theatres cannot provide both of these in any one season. Sure, there are plenty that do, but the majority (admittedly by my own, somewhat informed estimation) do not.

This year, there is also diversity in the shows offered.  For an enjoyable evening of golden oldies, patrons can come see Forever Plaid or The Marvelous Wonderettes.  For laugh-til-you-cry madness, there’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  Yes, it is back for the second year in a row, after having done so well last year. And for an evening of drama, there’s Hank Williams: Lost Highway.  Finally, there’s going to be a cabaret to simply showcase all the talent out here this summer.

We are just about to start rehearsals on the re-mount of Spelling Bee.  I couldn’t be more happy with our season this year.  And through all of that, I actually have the time to write this entry and get back on track with my blog. Nice.

The season at Post Playhouse is coming to an end very soon, and I can’t help but recognize how much I feel a part of the community this year.  Post is located on Fort Robinson in the panhandle of Nebraska.  Crawford, the town next door has about 1,100 people living there, and the next largest town is Chadron: about 30 miles away with a population about 5 times that of Crawford.

The first time I was out here performing was in 2008.  While I had a good time with the cast and the folks at the playhouse, I didn’t really meet too many people outside that realm.  This year, I have had such good times with people like Marge Rotherham and family, the Lamberts, the Hoffs, and the Cummings Family (especially the one with all the sweet dance moves!).  Then there are people from the surrounding community who I know only by first name: Andie, Chance, and Ryann (The Bean Broker), Crystal and Julie and Ron (the Corner Bar)…

It is also pretty amazing how well known the theatre has become in this area since the last time I was out here.  It’s nice to hear the occasional “Hey, nice job in the show,” but more important is the fact that Post Playhouse is not only surviving in bad times, but it is thriving.  The playhouse has made significant strides in the last few years and I hardly recognized parts of the place when I arrived in May.  I know that Tom is planning on some really exciting changes for next year.

But none of that would have been (or will be) possible without the help of the wonderful people out in the panhandle of Nebraska. Maybe this feeling I have of being more a part of the community out here and the growth of the theatre itself are unrelated… but I think the opposite must be true.

Thanks to all my friends in Nebraska for making this summer great!

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day opened to rave reviews today.  And by rave reviews I mean screams of laughter from a theatre filled with kids.  One of the highlights of the show was when the coach of the football team (played by Janos Horvath) was unable to do push-ups.

As a matter of fact, one of the only moments in the show that was met with silence was a somewhat improvised joke about the cheerleader (played by Erin Dickerson) eating too much caffeine. Our director (Kim Furness) cackled, but the kids just politely waited for something entertaining to happen.  Maybe I should have just said, “poop.”

Other than that, the show was a big success! (Un)Fortunately, Church Basement Ladies 2 is also a big success or we might have had room to add some performances.

One of my favorite moments has to be the kid who heckled our team.  I’m sure his mother would have been mortified, but when the “defensive tackle” (played by Bret Churchill) smashed into the edge of the stage and the kid yelled, “You suck!”, I nearly burst into laughter.