RAM SLAM Every Monday night - starting TONIGHT!

Slam Nahuatl@ VCU presents...

The Ram Slam Open Mic Night

Musicians, Dancers, Poets, Singers & Performers All Welcome!

Sign-Up starts at 7:30 pm

Monday, January 31st at 8pm and every Monday night to follow!

Shafer Street Playhouse

221 N. Shafer Street, Monroe Campus

First masquerade ball planning meeting RIGHt NOW!!

Second floor - PAC building - student lounge.
BE THERE!!

NOW!!

A message to all Theatre VCU students - Your input is really important to this decision!

We want to hear from you!

A Celebration of Black Playwrights

thru bi-weekly staged readings in February & March 

(Dates & Times TBA)

Directed by: Margarette Joyner
Assistant Director: Brandon Butts

“Wine in the Wilderness”

(3 African American Men, 2 African American Women)

 “From the Mississippi Delta”

 (3 African American Women)

“Happy Endings”

(2 African American Men, 2 African American Women)

“One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show”

(3 African American Men, 5 African American Women)

If you are interested in participating, 

please email your availability to joynerm@vcu.edu

SETC Competition Deadline is LOOMING!!

Short and sweet:

ATTENTION TECHS

If you wish to enter the SETC Design Tech
Competition

You MUST register by this
Friday, 11:00 pm.

You cannot register for this event on-site!!

Two projects can be entered into the craft competition.

Attention seniors! Want to graduate? Really?

Then WAKE-UP!!!!

You have until this Friday January 28, 2011 to COMPLETE your graduation application.

Today is Tuesday.... in the next three days you MUST go on-line to e-services and fill out all 9 pages of the Graduation Checkout. Then you MUST download your degree audit and take it to your advisor.

BEWARE - this is not an easy process. Start today.
Right now, in fact.

Jett emailed every senior screenshots of the Checkout and the Audit pages. This email will be really helpful. You deleted it, didn't you?  Go into your trash and retrieve that email and get on this thing. Really.
Right now.


 Attention ALL Theatre VCU students: the Black and White Masquerade Ball meeting being held on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30pm in the Student Lounge is for EVERYONE!!! First-year students - Fourth-years, and Grad students too. We need all of you to make this a success!! Looking forward to seeing all your shining faces!! (There will be cookies)

The first Theatre VCU audition of 2011! (True?)

Auditions for Nerve

By Adam Szymkowicz
Directed by Thomas Bell
Lighting Design by Sam Updike
Movement Coaching by Tori Bertocci
Production Managing by Katie Davis

“A dark comedy about falling in love on the first date. Elliot has never had an online date before ... at least not one that showed up. Susan has had far too many but would prefer not to discuss them. When they meet in a bar one night, all their personality flaws are revealed, along with a puppet, some modern dance and a desperation that may or may not be love.”

When? January 26TH or by appointment
Where? TBA
Who? 1 male, 1 female

Please provide headshot and resume.

Sign up now in the student lounge! The signup sheet is located on the SALT callboard.

The audition will consist of a cold read of the sides that will be available at the audition.


Any questions or queries? Contact Thomas Bell at belltc@vcu.edu. or through Facebook

Thank you Memphis TN!

Last weekend Ms. Lorri Lindberg ran two amazing workshops at the Tennessee Thespian Conference 2011, held at Cordova High School in Memphis TN.

One workshop was Auditioning for Film, and the other was Auditioning for Commercials.

It was amazing to watch Lorri work with such a variety of young actors and in a mere fifty minutes give them a real taste of what it is like to audition for film. After laying out the process, and conducting mock interviews, she would select a cast for a "commercial".  Three or four takes later - this is what she got out of these wonderful young actors.

Congratulations to the actors and to Lorri. Their work is immediate and honest. The cheer you hear at the end of the commercial is from the awestruck camera-woman who witnessed how much these actors benefited from only 50 minutes with Lorri. It must of been an exhausting, but gratifying weekend.

Well done Lorri!

Senior Showcase 2011

A message from Lorri Lindberg & Walid Chaya

SENIOR SHOWCASE 2011

Our diplomas are around the corner and for me, and the rest of the TheatreVCU senior class, the clock is ticking, and ticking quite loudly!

Lucky for us, we’re the only university in Virginia that offers “Senior Showcases” to major artistic cities, including LA, NYC, Chicago, and DC. During the second week of February and the third week of March, TheatreVCU seniors, and some TheatreVCU alumni, will be attending their Showcases in LA and NYC, respectively, through special arrangements with “Actors Connection”. While we all wish that these trips are a fun, easy vacation, they’re not! Showcase is a highlight in the Senior Year BFA Performance Track and we have been prepping for showcase since last semester via our Business of Theatre class with our professor, who in these terms is our “Agent”, Lorri Lindberg.

The LA Showcase will take place from February 5-13. This program is designed for graduating artists to explore and experience the west coast. Highlights include a thorough exploration of the Los Angeles market; how to THRIVE in LA as well as valuable inside information from LA actors who have made the move; and seminars consisting of one-on-one interviews with the opportunity to showcase to a wide variety of agents and casting directors from some of the most prominent companies in Los Angeles. LA Showcase will offer networking with leaders in the entertainment industry as well as “Cold Readings” and auditions for Agency Representation and upcoming projects. For students on the fence about whether to move to LA and make the transition, this program will help them test the waters and make this important career decision.

The New York showcase will take place from March 12-19. The NY Connection is a Showcase that’s jam packed with the GUARANTEED ATTENDANCE of INDUSTRY GUESTS who are the movers and shakers in the New York entertainment arena. Whether we are considering a move to NYC now or later, this is the opportunity to guarantee us getting networked, improving our auditioning skills and current material as well as showcasing our artistry and talent. This program makes for the perfect time to get our feet wet, introduce us to a wide variety of industry guests, capitalize on being a “fresh face” for “fresh projects”, be seen by some of New York’s Top Agents and Casting Directors and get a taste of what NYC may have in store for us and our future careers.

Last semester, seniors who were interested in the NYC Showcase attended an audition at VCU held by Mark Ramont from Washington, D.C.’s prominent Ford’s Theatre and Phil Adelman of The Gage Group. Ramont and Adelman then cast a group of those auditioned seniors to present a special showcase in NYC for talent scouts. Unlike the NYC Showcase, the LA Showcase auditions consist of “Cold Readings” (a reading aloud from a script or other text without any rehearsal, practice or study in advance), thus a preliminary audition is not necessary.

Our TheatreVCU Seniors have worked hard and are ready to dive into the industry and make a big splash. The next time you see one of these “artiest” give them a pat on the back, because they’re the next generation of art. The support and love in our department is what makes TheatreVCU a special place to be. This is the start of something new! Let the adventures begin.

Look who's running for Homecoming King!!

 

Go Walid Chaya!!! Represent!!!

For more info go here

Final Announcement for the New Year!

Yes.

Theatre VCU's FIRST annual Black & White Masquerade Ball.

For you.
For all y'all.
For EVERY Theatre VCU student.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Raymond Hodges Theatre, Performing Arts Center 

7:30 curtain.

First Meeting to create/design/organize the B&W Ball:
Wednesday, January 26 - 4:30pm
Student Lounge, 2nd floor, PAC

Here's the idea behind the celebration:

It was painfully obvious last May how anti-climatic the School of the Arts graduation was for many of our theatre majors. It was a lovely event, and families enjoyed the cap and gown photo ops...
But four years as a theatre major is such a collaborative, labor intensive, friends-for-life bonding, life-consuming, incredibly creatively challenging experience - it is worthy of a theatrical celebration.

During the summer the bloginator started a conversation with various students: designers, actors, stage managers. Asking: "How would you like to celebrate your experience at Theatre VCU?"

From those conversations the Black and White Masquerade Ball was born!

If this works:

• The Senior Class will hand this down from year to year. You will be the first.
• Every Theatre student is invited to join the party - From Freshmen to Grad Students. (it's a masquerade... no one will know it's you).
• Each ticket will only be $7.00 and will include a complimentary mask for you to decorate. Every cent raised will go towards making this evening memorable.
• All costumes will be white, black, or black and white. (no fuchsia, this time)
• There will be food, music, talent, and dancing, and a million photo ops. (disco ball, anyone?)

• But best of all, there will be you. All of you - working together to celebrate the end of the year, and spring, and graduation, and summer break and, of course,  the joy of being a student of the theatre.

The challenge is: 
In order to make this Masquerade Ball a rousing success we have to create this celebration from scratch ourselves. This will be your night.

Remember:

The first meeting to create/design/organize this fantastic celebration:
Wednesday, January 26, 4:30pm, Student Lounge, 2nd floor, PAC

This is the meeting that will determine your enthusiasm.
Be there... you won't be sorry,  you have the Blogster's word on it..

Announcement Duo....

Before the holidays the Blogster announced the Spring Semester SALT season (here) to much celebration and general Hoo Haa and Woots! That was Announcement Uno.

NOW

(insert trumpet fanfare here)

The Blogster and the cast of thousands who make this mighty Theatre machine work, are proud to announce next year's 2011/2012 Mainstage Theatre.

SEPTEMBER 2011
Shakespeare’s R & J
Adapted by Joe Calarco • Female cast directed by Kiri Wolmald  • Male cast directed by Steven Fried
When a group of students at a repressed Catholic school discover a forbidden copy of Romeo and Juliet, they are transformed from mocking adolescents to soulful re-enactors of Shakespeare’s gripping story. Performed in rotating repertory, Theatre VCU will present two different casts on an alternating schedule.  Steven Fried, is a directing faculty member at The New School of Drama and former Resident Assistant Director at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C whose recent work includes All’s Well That Ends Well, The Comedy of Errors,  and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare Theatre of NJ.  Kiri Wolmald is an award-winning director and VCU alumnus whose work has been produced locally with Barksdale Theatre and internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

NOVEMBER 2011
Grease
Written and arranged by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey • Directed by Patti D’Beck
Winner of 7 Tony Awards, and everybody’s favorite movie musical, Grease! is a nostalgic 1950s celebration. Set at Rydell High School, “greasers” and “pink ladies”  rock out to classic songs such as “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Greased Lightning” and “You’re the One that I Want.”  Join us to watch the romance unfold between Sandy (a nerdy but cute new student) and Danny (the cool greaser king), summer lovebirds from drastically different high school cliques.   Under the direction of Patti D’Beck, who served as Associate Choreographer for the original Broadway production with Rosie O’Donnell, Grease! will prove to be an evening of music, dancing, comedy, romance, and fun!

FEBRUARY 2012
Arabian Nights
In collaboration with Barksdale Theatre, performed at the Willow Lawn Theatre
Adapted by Dominic Cooke • Directed by Casey Biggs
Persian rugs, caves of jewels, and sensuous belly dancers: a bold visual feast accentuates the magic of storytelling and its power to transform people in this RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) award-winning script.  When King Shahrayar discovers his wife in another man’s arms, he vows to ruthlessly murder every virgin in his kingdom.  His brutality is interrupted only by the brave and wise maiden Scheherezade, whose captivating stories just might save her life.  This imaginative show of high adventure, low comedy, peril, death, and life lessons is directed by well-known film, television, and stage performer Casey Biggs, artistic director of the Greene Arts Foundation and member of the directing faculty at The New School of Drama in New York City. Audiences may remember his five seasons as the leader of the Dardassion race on “Star Trek Deep Space Nine”.

An Evening of Stand-Up Comedy
Directed by Stephen Rosenfield
Nationally reknowned comedian, writer, coach and Director of the American Comedy Institute, Stephen Rosenfield, will work with Theatre VCU students to develop two weekends of stand-up comedy  in the Hodges Theatre.  Rosenfield has produced, written and directed comedy shows at Caroline’s on Broadway, Stand-Up New York, The Comic Strip, Don’t Tell Mama and The Improv as well as directed and co-authored the Obie Award-winning musical comedy review, The Present Tense. His students have appeared on The David Letterman Show, The Conan O’Brien Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Last Comic Standing. Both performances  will also feature the best comic/Improv talent from central Virginia as guest artists. Comedy Fans circle these dates!

APRIL 2012
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn • Directed by Gary C. Hopper
A hilarious tale of six geeky adolescent overachievers vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime, this Tony Award winning musical is both tender and quirky. Simple and sweet, “Spelling Bee” features a wide range of misfits varying from a liberal young girl with
gay dads, to a slightly obnoxious speller who uses his “Magic Foot” to spell out the words, to a girl whose parents never seem to notice her. Directed by former Theatre VCU faculty member and award-winning director, Gary Hopper, this fast-paced production will end our season and capstone the Theatre VCU April Alumni weekend celebration!


 WOW!!

The actual dates for these shows will be announced as they become cast in stone. For now, we should all do celebratory dances, because this is going to be one fantastic season - is it not!!??!

Where's Toni?

Theatre VCU's Costume Designer Toni Leslie James has been out and about, designing costumes for Long Warf Theatre's The Old Masters, written by Simon Gray and starring Sam Waterson and Rufus Collins - Longwharf Theater - The Old Masters

At the same time she is designing Horton Foote's Trip to Bountiful at The Cleveland Playhouse.Cleveland Playhouse - Trip to Bountiful

Ms. James will be back on campus Monday,
If we are lucky, maybe she'll share some stories with us. 

Link, Link & A Reminder.

A link of interest:
VCU's Ink
Our own Sophie Solomon Resplandy is featured on the Campus Life page talking about her experience as a member of the  Dead man's Cell Phone run crew.

And you have to love the last quote:

"Techies are not slaves. The backstage crew must do their job correctly for the actors to do theirs. It is essentially two different worlds working together and that is what theater is all about."

Amen sister.


Another link: 
Listen today to win tickets to "Antihero" Private Screening, and an exclusive interview with two lumpy schmucks . . . not to mention they play what you want when you want it.

Remember the world premiere of Antihero is next Tuesday, 7:00 pm at the Byrd. This quirky little indie film features our own Brian Gartland, Joe Carlson, Nicole Carter and Ryan Asher, featuring Nick Aliff and Dallas Tolentino, with original music from Ryan Corbitt and Trey Pollard.

While we are in a reminder frame of mind:

Tonight 11:00, Newdick Theatre, Shafer Street Theatre the spring semester's first No-Shame performance. Short and sweet, and looking for you in the audience.


AND... Monday, January 24th is the last add/drop date. So if you need to pick up that over-ride or run away from the a nightmare class this is IT. Wake-up people!!!

Postponed SALT Meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow!

All you SALT guys and gals...
Tomorrow is  the 
Spring Semester 
Salt Town Meeting
Newdick Theatre 
Shafer Street Playhouse
3:30pm - 4:30 pm

"Invite all your friends too! (There will be cookies....)

Remember: Directors in the Spring 2011 Season are required to attend"

http://shaferalliancelabtheatre.webs.com/

Poster Shoutout!!

All you wonderful Theatre VCU students (current, undergrad, grad, alumni, whatever) - the posters for Legacy of Light are here, waiting for you in the office to be hanged ALL over Richmond.

The Bloginator and her cohorts (well, actually, just the Bloginator) got all cocky and boastful and told everyone who's everyone at Barksdale Theatre that our students are amazing and would hang each and every poster all over town. They were very excited.

I have one question...
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?

Please.

Come to the Main Office meet the lovely Jett, and she will assist you in finding the perfect neighborhood to hang ten (yes, just ten) posters.

Please - we need your help, and you need your hours in order to graduate. Right?

PS -  bribery - dark chocolate to each poster hanger

"Antihero" screening January 25th at the Byrd!

A message from Joe Carlson:
Antihero - Featuring many Theatre VCU alumni - in this fresh funny film, locally made, locally funded, totally independent . . . the screening is January 25, 2011 at the Byrd Theatre in Carytown at 7pm

"Antihero is equal parts raunchy-comedy and heartfelt adventure. A true product of Richmond, VA, Antihero was shot over the Summer of '10, on a shoestring budget, with a two-man crew, and a lively cast comprised mostly of VCU theater students and graduates."

Only $5

"We're also looking for some folks to dress up like super heros outside of the screening beforehand (they get free tickets)."

 

Film Teaser (warning - adult language)

CAKE WRECK for Mara!

Our beloved Mara Elizabeth Smith is leaving the front office for the other side of the building.

Yes, Mara is staying in the building - as a Music Education Graduate student starting this term.

As a thank you we had a tiny little office party and presented her with this amazing Cake Wreck to call her own.

Translation of gorgeous white on white frosting: 

"Congrasson on School Mucus, Mara"

Next time you see Mara be sure to wish her "Congrasson!"
Mara says "For more cake wrecks go here!"

A Sad Note...

Elizabeth Hopper wrote to let us know that Phyllis Holloway, 
widow of former Theatre VCU Department Chair 
Thomas Holloway died in December 2010.

If any of our wonderful alumni have memories they 
would like to share about the Holloway years - please 
get in touch with us by writing gmbrannan@vcu.edu.


Below is the obituary that appeared in the RTD.

HOLLOWAY, Phyllis Hamilton, 82, of Richmond, passed 
away Sunday, December 26, 2010. She was preceded in 
death by her husband, C. Thomas Holloway. She is 
survived by her two children, Chip Holloway and his wife, 
Rachel, and Mary Holloway Needham; her partner, 
Scott Hamel; and four beloved grandchildren, Charlie and 
Charlotte Holloway, Brett and Rebecca Needham; her sister, 
Pat Howard; and brother, Bob Hamilton; and two special 
friends, Cindy Holmes and Nancy Sonne. Phyll graduated 
from Paul Smith's College and worked for the National 
Security Council in Washington, D.C., where she met her 
husband Tom. She worked for VCU's Student Health Service, 
where she retired in 1993. She loved to travel, especially to 
London, and enjoyed her Talking Books, her many friends 
and family, her church and her Happy Wednesday fellowship 
group. A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, 
January 2, at Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church 
(parking is available across from the church in Monroe Park). 
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Virginia 
Voice, P.O. Box 15546, Richmond, Va. 23227.

Lisa Figueroa Crawford has captured the fun, enthusiasm, hard work, adventure, and joy that is Theatre VCU!

A lovely lass from Les Liaisons

This is our ad - appearing on the back cover of the SETC convention program

...START YOUR ENGINES...

Remember playing with those little match car racers?

You'd get all hunkered down and start revving their little match car "engines" and then WHANG  send them careening down the hall, bouncing off the floor molding, zipping towards the finish line, terrorizing the cat.

Remember?

Well that's how the blogster feels about the spring semester.

We're all revving up our engines ready to careen through the Theatre VCU spring semester... and this little bloginator an be seen with sleeves rolled up, knuckles cracked, and ready to get the word out to the masses.

Are you ready?

Let's DO THIS!!!

(I've always wanted to say that...)

Deep breath.....

Let's start with the mainstage - 

Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarias • Directed by Bruce Miller JUST started rehearsal. Opening February 4th at Barksdale Theatre, Willow Lawn. 

The Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre is in rehearsal of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner • Directed by Phil Vollmer • Playing  January 28-30, 2011

We've got students and alumni galore appearing in Hairspray at Riverside Dinner Theatre, Fredericksburg, VA (540 370-4300). Shout out to Third year performance student: Antonio Tillman; Alumni: Sarah Pruden & Matt James. The word is: funny, peppy, lovable and the food is great too!

Wake up Theatre VCU fans! And START YOUR ENGINES!!