Author: Charleston Stage

Playing Brooke Wyndham will probably rank as one of my favorite and most challenging roles. Brooke’s energy and no-nonsense attitude have been so much fun to embody and I have loved playing such a powerful female character. But, of course, the most challenging part of this role is Brooke’s big number “Whipped Into Shape.” Several months ago, when I found out I’d been cast as Brooke, I immediately went to the nearest sporting goods store, bought a jump rope, and started practicing. I’ve spent countless hours on my driveway and in my garage jumping up and down and singing….I’m sure my neighbors were thrilled.

All of us who participate in that number made it a point to practice every chance we got. We would arrive 10 minutes early to rehearsal to get in a quick run through. We would use our breaks to practice double jumps. I’m sure all of us were jumping rope in our sleep! “Whipped Into Shape” takes laser-sharp focus and we’re all a little on edge every night until that number is finished. But all that hard work has really paid off and I’m so proud of how far all of us have come.

 

 

 

What better way to open our 35th season than with a show that celebrates individuality and the success you can only find by being yourself. I am not sure what our Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Julian Wiles, envisioned for his company 35 years ago, but I doubt it included this much pink! I do know that he laid the foundation and nurtured this unique and wonderful theatre and I am grateful to have a place on the team and to direct Legally Blonde.

Legally Blonde is one of those movies that you can’t help but watch every time it comes on, even if you don’t admit it! How can you help but to root for Elle Woods as she stays true to herself, even when it would be easier to give up and become just another stereotype. This movie has made a wonderful transition to the stage. Its upbeat pop score is more like an operetta than a traditional musical and the singing rarely stops.

And what a cast! They only pause long enough for costume changes amidst the choreography that combines cheerleading, hip-hop and Irish stepdancing. Almost half the members of the cast are performing with us for the first time.  We are also happy to welcome back Vanessa Moyen (Resident Actor from last season) as Elle Woods and our six new Professional Resident Actors (Arielle, Lauren, Scott, Devon, Harrison and Josh). These fine actors as well as a talented ensemble of Charleston performers make up a very exceptional and energetic cast. Every season we are amazed at how many great actors live right here in Charleston, and they join the 100s of actors that have worked with Charleston Stage over the past 35 years.

Not only did Julian follow his own dream of building a thriving theatre company for Charleston, but he also built a place for countless actors, designers, technicians and musicians to follow theirs. What more can I say?

Omigod You Guys! Happy 35th Anniversary!

Marybeth Clark,
Associate Artistic Director

 

 

 

 

 

Charleston Stage is delighted to announce our 35th Anniversary Season and our 2012-13 Director’s Circle Reception and Performances. We have a terrific line-up of Tony Award-winning musicals, plays, comedies and enchanting shows including Legally Blonde, the Musical; Nevermore; A Christmas Story; A Woman Called Truth; Boeing-Boeing and Anything Goes.

As a Director’s Circle member you will receive 6 exclusive evenings with pre- and post-show receptions, including dessert with the cast; a tax deduction; exclusive ticket exchanges and much more. And we have added some extra perks this season for our Director’s Circle members including: a full bar, food brought to you by Charleston’s best caterers (including Cru Catering and others), discounted $5 parking and a member’s reward card to be redeemed at Charleston’s finest restaurants.

And if that were not enough, longtime patron Dr. Fred Pittman has committed $20,000 to Charleston Stage if 20 new members join our elegant Director’s Circle by August 1. So join now and gain all the benefits, help underwrite our vast education programs that reach over 15,000 Lowcountry youth each season and help us reach this generous $20,000 match to support our many wonderful programs.

You can join today by contacting, Kristin Schert at (843) 647-7363 or join online by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

Founder and Producing Director Julian Wiles’s original play Helium will be published next fall by Dramatic Publishing and made available for production by theatres around the country. Already, there has been a production in Greenville and a number of other theatres have been inquiring about the rights. “I’m excited that this play will have a life beyond Charleston,” Julian noted. “In many ways this is my most personal play and perhaps the best I have written. Nothing I have created has touched people more.” Helium becomes the sixth of Julian’s plays to be published.

This is a photo from the 2011 production at the Dock Street Theatre.

 

 

 

 

 

Q: Where did you grow up? Were there any activities you did as a child that led to you to be involved with the arts?

A: I grew up in Lewisville, TX where I joined band in 6th grade, and have been involved in the arts ever since.

 

Q: Where did you go to school? How did this prepare you for your work in the arts?

A: I have a Bachelors of Music Education degree from Baylor University, and a Master of Music in Musical Theatre from Arizona State University.

 

Q: Describe briefly what your position is with Charleston Stage and what your job will involve.

A: As the Resident Music Director at Charleston Stage, I will be responsible for all musical aspects of each production (cast music preparation, orchestra preparation, conducting, accompanying, etc.).  I will also serve as the Director of Music Education for all of our youth programs, classes, etc.

 

Q: What were some of your past jobs/experiences in the arts?

A: After college, I was a high school band director in the Fort Worth (TX) area.  For the past two and a half years, I have served as the Resident Music Director at the Copperstar Repertory Company in Gilbert, AZ, as well as being a staff music director and teacher in the Lyric Opera Theatre program at Arizona State University.

 

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

A: I attend as many live performances as I can, and I spend time with my 14 year old Jack Russell Terrier (Sherman) and my cat (Adelaide).  I also love to travel!

 

 

 

 

Q: Where did you grow up? Were there any activities you did as a child that led to you to be involved with the arts?

A: I was born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia- As south as you can get before you hit Florida.

I grew up in the arts. I have been dancing since I was three years old- everything from classical Ballet to Modern and Hip-hop. My mom was a ballet dancer and later taught high school drama. My brother John Michael went to North Carolina School of the Arts for High School and now is a professional dancer with the Trey McIntyre Project. My brother David is a musician and my stepmother Marti is an opera singer. In my family you are either an artist or a serious supporter. I was born into an artistic family and with their support I have been lucky to stay connected with the arts.

 

Q: Where did you go to school? How did this prepare you for your work in the arts?

A: I attended the University of Georgia. While in school I continued to dance by taking dance classes through the University’s amazing dance program and through performing with student dance organizations and Greek Life.

I graduated with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in Child and Family Development. That may sound a little off for someone in my position, but I think the degree taught me a lot about people and how they think and live. I think this an essential skill to have in the non-profit world. It’s all about relationships when it comes to creating and sustaining a successful non-profit.

 

Q: Describe briefly your position at Charleston Stage and what your job involves?

A: At Charleston Stage I am the Development Assistant. I process contributions. I handle Business Memberships, Director’s Circle Memberships, Education Sponsorships, and Show Sponsorships. I also help plan the Director’s Circle Opening Night Galas, as well as, our Annual Gala in the Fall and the Spring fundraiser.

 

Q: What were some of your past jobs/experiences in the arts?

A: Since I was 16 I have taught dance to children ages 2 to 14. In 2009 I came to Charleston for my last semester of college and to partake in an internship with the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs. After my internship ended, I was lucky enough to stay on for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival where I became the Outreach Coordinator for the festival. Later I was hired as the Marketing/Development Assistant and Ticketing Coordinator for Piccolo 2010. I soon became the Assistant to the Director, Internship Coordinator, and Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant Coordinator. I think the experience I received with the Office of Cultural Affairs more than prepared me for my future in the arts and especially in my role as Development Assistant with Charleston Stage.

 

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

A: As I mentioned earlier, I have been dancing since I was three. I currently dance with Dancefx, a local non-profit dance company that performs many times a year around Charleston and the Southeast. It’s a good way to stay active and have fun at the same time. When I am not dancing, I love to experience all Charleston has to offer, the food, the shopping, and the water. I am so lucky to live in such an amazing city.

 

 

Way before jack-o-lanterns and Fourth of July fireworks, I was celebrating Christmas.  In June, I began work on a new score for this year’s A Christmas Carol.  While I had music directed and performed in A Christmas Carol over the last two years, musically, I wanted to do something different this year.  I suggested that, instead of relying solely on traditional carols, we create totally new and original production numbers for this year’s rendition of Dickens’s classic.  Julian Wiles, who wrote this adaptation, embraced this idea.  I was honored to be asked to compose original music (and a bit terrified as well), so I went straight to work.  I ran to the library to do extensive research, which ranged from rereading Dickens’s original classic to watching the original Muppets Christmas Carol.  (Who doesn’t love Statler and Waldorf as the two singing Marleys?!)

This year, we have sought to bring new life to this piece by going back to the three elements that make A Christmas Carol resonate with audiences of all ages:  the great characters, a moving story, and heart.  As I wrote these new songs, I wanted to focus on what the folks around Scrooge where thinking and saying about him,  which quickly became great fun.  Adding the comments of townspeople and Scrooge’s servants began to broaden and enhance this well-known story.  Working with Cara Dolan, our choreographer, and Marybeth Clark, the show’s director, we worked to make sure each musical production number told its own story—almost like little musical plays within the play.  Of course, along the way, there was a lot of tweaking—a new lyric here, more fiddle there, and place to add more dancing, but all of these new musical numbers have come together with the sole purpose of making this A Christmas Carol fresh and new.  Adding a vibrant cast of 33, a live orchestra, some new scenery: a brand new version of A Christmas Carol was born!

This season’s audiences will be the first to hear this music.  They will be the first audience to see this version of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey, often as seen through the eyes of those around him.  Perhaps they will have a new favorite character this time around.  Perhaps they’ll have a new holiday song stuck in their heads.  We hope they enjoy all of the new surprises and revel in their favorite classic moments.

Happy Holidays!
Amanda Wansa
Composer and Music Director for A Christmas Carol

 

 

The Woods Family (Mom, Dad, and three daughters) saw DRACULA at our final Sunday matinee. In addition to enjoying the performance, the girls were especially impressed with one small actor named Louie. Today they came to our Mount Pleasant Rehearsal Studio and met Louie in person. He was a big hit, but took a special liking to the youngest sister Paige and spent the visit snuggled in her arms or on her shoulder. He may miss the stage, but will have plenty of opportunities to learn new things with his family because they home school. Thanks to the Woods Family and the Charleston Animal Society, Louie has a forever home. We’ll miss you at Charleston Stage buddy!

 

 

Dracula has probably more accents than almost any other show. They range from Transylvannia (Rumanian) for Dracula, to proper English for Dr. Thomas Seward, to Dutch for Abram Van Helsing, cockney for Renfield, even Irish for Margaret Sullivan the housekeeper. Amanda Wansa, Charleston Stage’s music director (who has a great ear) has served as the dialect coach for the cacophony of accents needed in this show.

“Coaching actors on dialects is really a two part process,” said Dialect Coach Amanda Wansa. “The first is identifying the general ‘feel’ of a dialect and the second is dealing with actual sound substitutions. What most audience members don’t know is that there is a difference between ‘putting on an accent’ and speaking in a dialect on stage. For example, a real person from Germany who happens to speak English speaks with a German ‘accent’ – their take and pronunciation of the words; this is going to vary from person to person.  To teach Josh (Van Helsing) a Dutch (which is very close to German) dialect, we work on changing specific sounds in the speech (i.e. the “th” sound goes to a “D” or a “T” sound) to make him sound like he’s from that area, but still well understood onstage.”

“Each actor trained privately with me–sometimes hours at a time–on their specific dialect. We worked sentence by sentence, word by word, focusing on the language and pronunciation. Then, they were instructed to simply focus on their acting in rehearsal and I would give them notes after each night on specific sounds and nuances.”

 

 

 

Dracula is a very physical show. Vampires and their minions do seem to like to slap folks around. There are actually 11 different fights or confrontations in this production, all of which have been carefully staged and choreographed by Resident Actor Derek T. Pickens.

“My first real experience with stage combat was back in 2008 while working at Theatre West Virginia,” said Pickens. “I was an actor in a few of their shows and in one of them I had a combat scene, but I was only taught the fight choreography for that specific fight and nothing more. It wasn’t until my first quarter of grad school at the Savannah College of Art and Design that I took a class in stage and film combat. My instructor, Martin Noyes, taught us the ins and outs of many styles of combat including hand-to-hand, rapier, and dagger.”

“When it came to choreographing the fights for Dracula, I was relieved to find that most of the combat were simple slaps and throws, which I’m very comfortable staging. There were also a few fight sequences that involved a bit more, and for those I spoke through the fight with our Director, Julian Wiles, and created what he thought should be in the fight, while also adding a few cool moves I had learned at SCAD. The process was extremely smooth, which I was grateful for as this was the first show I had ever been fight choreographer for.”