Forget plushy, cartoon-like bugs, and carboard peaches. Our upcoming version of James and the Giant Peach features costumes that bring to mind modern-day goth/punk with renaissance flair! Check out the initial sketches by costume designer Sarah Gahagan. The color swatches in the upper right corner of some of them showcase the colors and type of fabrics Sarah intends to use. Come see the show to see how they turn out!
When starting the Gossamer project I was very hesitant, I had no idea what we were going to be doing. OCT valued the Young Professionals’ opinions. We did not think that our opinions would shape themes in the play and get it up in running. We were able to reach inside Lois Lowry’s head and comprehend Gossamer in a new and different way. A story so imaginative and whimsical that had relevance with teen and children audiences–due to a harsh reality that also came pouring out on the pages.
I, being a Young Professional, have learned many things to improve my acting skills as an actress. I am grateful for those opportunities, and even more grateful to have the ability to see what hard work goes on before the curtain sets the stage for scene one. - Natasha Natraj
OCT is seeking:
Men, 30s-40s & Young men, 17-25 (Baseball skills a plus for male roles) & Women, 30s-40s for roles in “Honus & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure.”
Performances are weekday mornings and weekend afternoons in March. All positions are paid. Please email headshot and resume to info@octc.org with HONUS AUDITION in subject line. Cold reading auditions will be held October 19th. You will be contacted with an audition time.
Thanks to the folks at Comcast for asking us to take part in their Newsmakers program! Learn more about OCT and our upcoming plays in this interview done by local TV personality Ken Ackerman.
Every Fall The Oregonian previews the new “arts” season–highlighting upcoming arts programming in Portland. We are very excited to have Gossamer featured prominently in this issue alongside other regarded theater companies.
A new documentary about Missoula Children’s Theatre’s nation-wide tour opens on Friday, September 5th in Portland at The Fox Tower theater downtown. Read more about this award-winning documentary and watch the trailer. http://www.thelittleredtruck.com/ If you see it — let us know what you think!
…And so it begins! We’ve been hard at work preparing classes for Fall. The Acting Academy has really diversified this season, and it’s exciting to see what we’ve developed in terms of new curriculum. I usually teach improvisational comedy classes, but several new courses we have planned are built to accommodate that style, but from different angles.
Teen Scene: Classic Comedy is a class that goes back to the most important part of comedic acting: its roots. To gain a mastery in modern timing and irony, it’s best to take a lesson from the guys who invented it. Dennis Mosley is our newest teacher, and will be your guide to this laugh from the past.
Comedy Workshop: LOL is a modern take on an old classic. Working with Chris Murray, an established Portland actor and funny-man, the students will take on the most important rules of timing and delivery. It’s a must-have class for anyone aspiring to entertain.
Any students that like improv or comedy, or both should take at a look at those classes. Later this year (in either the Winter or Spring), we’re planning a few new classes that are also a bit out-of-the-box:
On Camera: Meisner
Dance Workshop: Jazz
Mask Creation and Characterization
Lastly, I plan to teach a couple of improv classes myself. We’re still working on the details, but I plan to accommodate both the beginners, and the experts. I know I’m excited about the upcoming opportunities, and I hope you are too!
Some great Young Professionals came in to record some commercials for us to use on our hold music. It was really fun for me as the marketing director to work with them. It was also great to see Stan and Laura Faye Smith doing what they do best! The YPs recorded 5 commercials for us to use as our hold music. Each commercial promotes one of the plays this season. Take a listen! They turned out great. I will post the Petite Rouge commercial as soon as we add the music.
Gossamer Commercial
James and the Giant Peach Commerical
Click, Clack, Moo Commercial
Honus and Me Commercial
June 21 and 22, 2008
Staged Readings and Symposium on Adapting Novels for the Stage:
All of the readings went well with good feedback from the audiences. One of the great surprises was on Saturday when a familiar face walked through the door. Don Lieber a bass player from Portland brought his daughter to the reading. He had seen the listing in the New York Times and his daughter loves Lois. Don had no idea of my involvement in the play, so we both were surprised to see each other. Nice reunion. As Nancy Swortzell said “Only in New York”
On Sunday we participated in a panel discussion about adapting Gossamer and other novels for the stage. I thought an hour and a half would be long, but time flew by. Cecily conducted a workshop and then the reading. A great day lots of learning. David Montgomery and the staff for New Plays for Young Audiences hosted a reception after the reading and then it was time to head out to Portland. My cab driver to the Newwark airport was a self professed psychic and proceeded to tell me about all of things he had predicted in the past including a friends death. He got lost going to the airport, but predicted I would live to be 99. I can’t imagine a better way to leave New York.
Thursday, June 19th, 2008
Hey guys! The show looks amazing. Rehearsal started with a run through of the entire show without stopping. The cast is really coming together. An example of this is how the actress who plays the Young Woman got sick while she was on stage, right after her first monologue and had to leave. Without skipping a beat, Lisha, the girl who reads the stage directions and makes all the crazy soundscape noises, filled in and read her parts, knowing all of the cues. It really shows how much everyone cares about this production, and the wonderful amount of teamwork that is involved.
Near the end of the read through, a theater production class came in to watch and ask questions for Stan, Cecily and Lois to answer afterwards. This was just the kind of thing I needed, because they asked all the questions (and many that I wouldn’t have thought to ask) I would have liked to talk to those three about. Lois talked about how she tackled adapting the book, which she did by writing many stage directions and then taking them out, so she could visualize the show. Cecily explained what her job as dramaturg was and the process she went through in looking at the structure of the play. She was mainly focused on the three major character arcs of the Young Woman, John and Littlest, and would analyze each scene to see if they had moved throughout it. When she noticed that the Young Woman’s arc moved too smoothly, she brought this up to Lois, who eventually rewrote her part so that things were not so easy. She also pointed out that Stan did a very good job of enhancing the actors understanding of their arcs, because he rehearsed each main characters scenes together (All of John’s scenes were acted back to back, same with the Young Womans, as well as Littlest). She had not seen this approach before.
At the end Lois brought up and answered the big question. How do you know when you’re a great writer and a success? Her answer was a little surprising, however very important. She said that it is when you are able to not consider your prose immortal and can cut lines. She told a story about Edward Albee who, when confronted by an actor about a very wordy monologue, was able to simply cut a whole block of his words without thinking twice.
The cast was let out early by almost two hours, because honestly, they have the show down cold. Everyone is very comfortable and happy, and it is very apparent.
Unfortunately, this was my last rehearsal that I was able to watch. I have to go back to Washington DC this weekend and am not able to see any of the final readings. I hope that you all enjoyed this blog, I had a great time writing it! Thank you very much for reading it, and thank you to Stan and the program for letting me come and watch this fascinating process!
Sweet Dreams!
Olivia
