I am finally back in NYC and AIDA has come to a close.
As difficult as it was rewarding. But, man am I happy to be back home. The mountains were beautiful, the audiences were great, the cast was ridiculously fun to work with, and I'd go back to Denver in a second. I also got to work with Julie Reiber (Brooklyn, All Shook Up). Amazing pipes on that one. So, yeah, I really lucked out with this gig.
Special thanks go to Rod Lansberry and Gayle Seay for giving me the opportunity.
So...what's next?
I'm going to sleep.
For two weeks.
Due to schedule changes in Full Monty rehearsals, I'll have to step out of my role in Pinocchio at Drury Lane Oakbrook. The show will run until May 14th and the role of Lampwick will now be played by Chris Petschler.
So, if you're interested in seeing me don a tail and some donkey ears whilst rapping....you've got one more chance this Saturday.
For more information on the show, click here.
The little show that could.
It's 2 years later and I can't tell you what a great experience Let There Be Light..! has been. Getting to create a role right out of college. Paintballing in a forest with my fellow castmates. Taking the show to New York and tricking the NY TImes into showing up and reviewing it. Surviving New York primarily on Centrum and $2.00 pizza.
Even with no money and no advertising, the show just kept coming back. The original run. The extension. The benefit performances. The New York International Fringe Festival. And then back in Chicago.
It's something I'm really gonna miss. Tonight I laid "PFC Jeremy Friend" to rest and I'm melancholy. Honestly? Probably one of the best roles I'll ever play. But, hey, I got to work with some great people and some great writing. Can't ask for much more.
And now onto the next one....
And tonight, Drury Lane's Fiddler on the Roof came to a close. Once again, it's hard to even describe what I took away from watching so many of the older and more experienced actors. And once again, I have to give my sincerest thanks to Ray Frewen, Diane Van Lente, and Tom Joyce. Not to mention all the cast and crew. It's been a wonderful summer. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And, once again, I'd like to mourn it...but I leave for FringeNYC in just a few days =)
Tonight, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat came to a close. I'll definitely mourn this show seeing as I made so many new friends, it's almost ridiculous. Special thanks go out to Christy Laron, Greg Gyllsdorff, Pauline Urso, Jessica Schultz and to the entire cast....for making the past month a blast. I literally laughed so hard I hurt my stomach.
*whew*
......ok, Fiddler. Here I come.....
I'm completely exhausted.
Rehearsals with Joseph have overlapped with Man Who Came To Dinner...thus 2 show days have become 2 show days with a 4 hours rehearsal and a 2 hour commute thrown in there. Going non-stop since last May is a little bit tiring. But I swear I'm not complaining! The key phrase here is: "thankful to be working." =)
The Man Who Came to Dinner closes tonight and I've had a great time. I was lucky enough to work with some wonderful Chicago-work horses who really taught me a lot. Thank you to Ray Frewen, Diane Van Lente, and Tom Joyce for making my stay at Drury Lane a good one. Though I have a feeling I'll see them again sometime soon.......but I'll get to that tomorrow.
For now, I'll continue packing. Tomorrow I move out to Rockford, Illinois to continue rehearsals for Joseph.
More updates as they come......or after I get some sleep.
Let There Be Light..! officially closed tonight. I had a wonderful experience and it helped me grow so much, I don't even know what to say. My sincerest thanks goes out to everyone at WNEP Theater, especially Don Hall and Jen Ellison for giving me this opportunity. Normally, I'd be depressed about a show closing....but unfortunately, there won't be any time....
In 4 hours, I will board a plane and fly to Vancouver, BC to beging filming The Zoo Project. Once the butterflies in my stomach quiet down, I'm sure I'll be beyond excited. I can't say much....but I found out that I'm one of only 2 actors in the movie sorounded by a lot of technology and special effects. Otherwise, I'm really not at liberty to talk about it now that my contract is signed. Expect to hear about it sometime between now and 2006.
Also! As some strange twist of fate would have it, the day I fly back from Canada, I will start rehearsals for The Man Who Came to Dinner.....on my birthday!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me and given me opportunities this year. It truly has been an amazing couple of months in Chicago.
Only a few more weeks for you to catch WNEP's Let There Be Light..! Click here for all show information.
Thanks!