Thought for the day

On Sunday I met with Colleen Fee for lunch before I left New York and she asked me if I ever considered working at Nancy's theatre. I really do want to do summer stock again next summer because I miss the theatre atmosphere so much and I feel like a part of me has been really empty since I finished working on Wonder of World with Milford Area Players last July. I have been consistently frustrated with looking for a job for almost a year and nothing really seems to be getting any better. I don't even know where I'll be in terms of looking for a job by the winter but if nothing comes up working at Nancy's theatre next summer doesn't seem like half so much of a bad idea. I will keep that plan in the back of my head and then if nothing comes up for me for a job by the first of the year I may email Nancy and let her know I am interested in working for her.  All  I know is that I don't plan to work at the Barn Playhouse again just because it won't be the same experience  I had when I worked there in 2007. It would just feel strange.

YAY

HAIR is nominated for 8 Drama Desk Awards!!! So excited!  Hopefully it will win.. though West Side Story could be in close contention for Best Revival.

See the article with the complete list here

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/128654.html

Shows with multiple nominations

(there's a huge list but these are notable ones for me)

West Side Story 2

HAIR 8

Billy Elliot 10

Shrek 12

9 to 5 15

Blown AWAY!! (comin atcha from the Residence Inn in Times SQUARE)

I don't have too much to say about the Broadway revival of HAIR except for the fact that it left me completely and utterly speechless and I think it is much deserving of a nomination for a Tony Award for best revival. I haven't had so much fun at Broadway Show in a long long time. The cast was amazingly talented. Very much impressed/ JAY JOHNSON THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BACKSTAGE TOUR I <3 you!

Don't have a whole lot of pics from my backstage tour but i will upload them tomorrow when I get home.



Time for bed. Up early tomorrow. Meeting my friend Colleen from the Barn Playhouse for lunch @ 10:30 then headed back home to NH.




Upcoming performances
May 8th Movment Concert @ NEC
May 9th The Boyfriend Riverbend Youth Performing Company
June 11-17th Straw Hat Revue New London Barn Playhouse

2 Days 2 Amazing Shows

Photo Courtesy of Erin Nicholson

The Cast of By The Bog of Cats

Joe Paredez,Alex Preston,Leanne Derosa, Lauren Dummich, Dominique Grant,Mallory Cook Fraser,Ian Allan, Cooper Bowman, Nate Hartley Bill O'Donnell

Upcoming Performances

BROADWAY REVIAL OF HAIR April 25th

Signals An Evening of Movement and Dance May 8th

48 hours 2 amazing theatre performances

1st off .... Peter Pan

Every year my town's PTA does a community theatre production. I've seen shows that the PTA has done since I first moved here though from 2006-2008 I took a brief break because I was busy with school. Favorite shows of mine that they've done in the past are Schoolhouse Rock Live (1998), A Chorus Line (1999), Annie (2004) and Sound of Music (2005) This year's PTA Play was Peter Pan. Peter Pan is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time though the play is based off of the movie version with Mary Martin in it. There is so much talent among everyone in the cast of that play including my sister who was one of the indian dancers and Ashley Hughes who had the lead role of Peter Pan. It was really quite an impressive show. The thing that impressed me the most was how they worked the aspect of flying into the show. Actually if you read the entry a couple days back that's the most article I wrote for the Cabinet you'll see how they create the illusion of flying. It was pretty neat. There were a lot of really good musical numbers including I Won't Grow Up, Tender Shepherd, Hook's Tarentella and Neverland. Congrats to everyone on a show well done!! Next year's PTA Play is Children Of Eden. I look very foward to hopefully helping out with props for that show!

Next By The Bog of Cats

This was my college's Department of Theatre's Mainstage Show. As I have said previously the talent among the underclassmen is amazing which is good because two really strong seniors Rachel Buck and Cooper Bowman are graduating this year. Clearly some big shows will have to be filled. I should know because I worked on shows with them. :D This play is a modernization of Medea which was a play written in ancient Greek times. The main character Hester Swane (Dominique Grant 12') is dealing with rejection and hiding a part of herself from other people that deals with witchcraft. Because of her dealings in witchcraft she is treated as an outcast by everyone who lives in her town. She tries to win her husband back but it not sucessful and is also waiting for her mother who has left her many years ago to return. She is also having a hard time dealing with the fact that her husband Cathrage Kilbride (Ian Allan 10) has left her for a younger woman named Caroline Cassidy (Alex Preston 12') I thought that The Catwoman (Lauren Duminich 12') brought a lot of humor to stage. While this play was a drama it certainly had particular moments in it that were funny.

Overall while the play was sad at the end I thought it was really good.

Congrats to the cast: Cooper Bowman Dominique Grant , Rachel Buck , Mallory Cook Fraser, Leanne Derosa ,Lauren Duminich Ian Allan , Alex Preston, Joe Paredez , Nate Hartley, Bill O'Donnell and Keri Racicot and the crew Alex Picard John Hanks Katie Sullivan, Peter Granucci and his awesome scene painting class, Janet Dare and Mary Corsetti, Chris Mitchel, Sarah Thiel, Elliot Greer and the set construction crew, Lighting Crew (Nate Hartley, Chris Mitchell, John Hanks,Jenn McMann, Katie Sullivan, Wally Pineault and Keri Racicot (double kudos for hair and make up and original music-she's just cool like that.) on an awesome show well done! YAY FOR NEC THEATRE I LOVE YOU GUYS!! :)

Time for bed! I'm quite exhausted!

Love

Janine

Upcoming Events

Happy Easter and Passover

What's upcoming? Let's see...<
Friday I am going to my town's annual community production of Peter Pan. Peter Pan is by far one of my favorite Disney movies of all time aside from Toy Story, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast. My town's community theatre tends to put on awesome shows so Peter Pan should be no different
Pending on if I get my hostess job at Fridays (because obviously  if I get hired I will have to work Saturday night)   I am headed up to Henniker to go see the Mainstage Production of  By The Bog of Cats.  It's my friend Cooper's last  play at NEC so it will be very emotional for him as  working on  Fuddy Meers was for me last year   I seriously almost bust into tears  when the show closed  one of the BEST  shows  I worked on through out my time at NEC.  Should be an interesting show.   Evening of Dance at my high school usually takes place at about this time but  I do not know the exact date of that is yet.

but of course the thing   I am most excited about is  my next Broadway venture....

Next weekend I am going to see the Broadway revival of HAIR  with my boyfriend for our  one year anniversary. I am very very  excited.  I was on crew for this play my sophomore year in high school... the  first play  I ever did tech work on. At that time I  don't think I fully appreciated it because I didn't understand what was going on or the plat of the play. Now that I am a lot more mature I feel I can appreciate it much better. My favorite song from that play has always been Good Morning Starshine. I am also very excited because my friend Jay is giving me a backstage tour.. it will be my first EVER backstage tour at a Broadway show and I am wicked stoked. YAY YAY YAY!! I <3 Jay Johnson :)


Right now I am also trying to work on my schedule for summer theatre going. I am iffy about going to see shows at the Barn Playhouse just because I feel as if things have changed so much there since I left and I would just feel so strange because I am so out of the loop as much as I've tried to stay updated on what's been going on there since I left at the end of 2007 I feel strange. My boyfriend and I are getting a season pass to Interlakes Summer Theatre so I have a feeling I may end up going to go see more shows there then at the Barn... only time will tell though at all depends on scheduling.
So far my schedule looks a little like this
May 9-16th Peacock Players- Joesph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat
Grease at Interlakes Summer Theatre at the end of June


Shows I am contemplating going to see at NLBP but not sure yet: The Fantasticks, The Producers or South Pacific. Can't decide on which one. For Junior Interns either High School Musical or Really Rosie.



Next update will not be for a few weeks.,..... I will have tons to update on by then AND PICTURES FROM MY BACKSTAGE TOUR AT HAIR!!

COUNTDOWN

19 days til I SEE HAIR!!!!

so excited for my backstage tour

  I <3    Jay Johnson :D

Latest Milford Cabinet Article

Come Fly With Me

A chat with Daniel Kondas of ZFX

By Janine Leffler

There are many technical aspects that come together when it comes to putting on a play. Theatre goers are accustomed to props, set design and lighting design. Amherst’s PTA Play Peter Pan has a unique aspect of technical theatre incorporated into it. This aspect is creating the illusion of flying. Are you wondering how the actors can fly above your heads so effortlessly? Daniel Kondas has the answers.

Kondas is employed by a company called ZFX. ZFX is a company based out of California that specializes in flying for theatre shows. They also have offices in Lexington, Kentucky and abroad in the Netherlands. He collaborated with them on various productions for seven years and has been working with them for a little over a year. He has been working professionally for over eleven years and has done over one hundred productions. Since joining forces with ZFX he has worked on fifty productions ranging from Beauty and the Beast to Peter Pan to Jesus ascension plays.

What exactly gets a person interested in the technical aspect of teaching people to fly? In a recent interview Kondas said “I enjoy bringing an effect to different productions that set it aside, from the others. I personally used ZFX as a client before I worked for them, and I enjoyed the way that a flying effect changes the scope of the whole production.” He continued by saying that “We have many different types of flying systems that allow for different types of flying effects as well as allowing people of different weights to fly effectively.” Kondas looks very forward to the upcoming productions and can’t wait to bring pleasure to audiences.

Peter Pan will be performed at Souhegan High School from April 16^th-19^th. Shows are at 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Bring the whole family out for a delightful production!