Theater Hell aka the Student Matinees

The student matinee.

Correction.

The. Dreaded. Student. Matinee.

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not .... There are so many things surrounding a student matinee that go against protocol or standard practices that it's now wonder that so many fear it. Who the hell wants to wake up early in the morning, after an exhausting two-show day that ended just short of midnight for the uncharted waters of the ... 5-18 demographic?! You know, the same demographic that makes folks not want to become a substitute teacher? Not all of us are born with Sister Mary Clarence gumption... or want to have to tap into that "check-a-kid-that-should-have-had-corporal-punishment" strength.

Unlike the geriatric early bird performance (big-ups to AARP), or the rambunctious Friday evening post-work-week crowd aka one shot/two shots/ three shots/ a dollar, or even the appreciative family midday Saturday audience - an early morning student performance is. the. realest.

Bus line wraps around the theater as. It's gonna be an epic performance.

Ask any actor if they're excited for their student matinee and you'll see their eyes glaze over  with apprehension as they mentally go through the following questions:

• Will they cooperate? 
• Will they understand it? 
• Will they talk back? 
• Will they fall asleep? 
• Will they use their phones? 

Even though the same questions exist for a "regular audience" (let's be honest, they can be mad disrespectful as well), there's something about this younger demographic that gives people ulcers.

How do I feel about student matinees?  I. Love. Them.

In my experience, most are experiencing live theater for the first time. For them it's still an exciting novelty. Seeing them react to the show and spit responses to the ensemble is thrilling. They're... still innocent. Receptive and Responsive. Honest and Untamed. They don't yet feel the social pressures of donors and benefactors. Feeling them embrace to the enormity of an epic show in an epic space is humbling. I'm always reminded of my own feelings of awe. Whether it's during the first table-read, aka, the first day of school, or during the tech rehearsals that transform a barren space into a bustling new worlds (both "on-stage" and "off-stage), or even experiencing the lights dim before a show begins, that feeling *never* goes away.

It's magic. It's fascinating. It's everything.

And hearing my young audiences respond to the show, sometimes with the most... worldly of vocabularies (note the euphemism) is eye-opening and inspiring. Student matinees remind me of the birth of my passion for theater and live performance. That's where my desire to be a storyteller came to be. Seeing students have their first taste of what I had excites and rejuvenates me.

Yes, we've got our fair share of nappers -- can you blame them, it's dark and cold in there. And yes, we've got whisperers and live reactions. But dammit, I like performing for the little rascals. They live. THEY MUTHAF*CKIN LIVE. What more would you ask for?

So I promise, never to be afraid, of the matinee. Why? It's gon' be lit.

PS. Hearing a bunch of teenagers lose it over a kiss, or the lights going down is hilarious. I forget that those things were once unchartered territory for as well.

What You Didn't Know about Tony and Olivier Award-Winning Choreographer Stephen Mear

I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with Stephen Mear, the brilliant choreographer of Milwaukee Repertory Theater's current production of Ragtime and boy did we have a great time! He squeezed in some time to meet with me post rehearsal, both of us exhausted, to have a real conversation about art, life, and the pursuit of happiness. As you read, imagine us both laughing hysterically... or rather me... laughing (unattractively) in hysterics. Both in and out of the rehearsal hall, He has taught me so much about performance, work ethic, movement, storytelling, and being a great human being. Little did I know that this wonderful spirit is also a two-time Olivier and one-time Tony award winning choreographer. If you get the chance to work with him, hell talk to him, you are definitely in good hands.

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Stephen, what's up? Thanks so much for letting me do this. Well the first thing I wanted to know is, what drew you to dance in the first place?
When I was 3, my mum was a dance teacher at a school. She just used to help out. And so I used to run in and out of the class. And I just joined that way. She never wanted me to. I just chose to do it.

Did you just keep taking classes?
Yeah, and also I'm dyslexic. It was a way I could express myself through dance. So that's why I kind of pursued it more.

You told me that sometimes it goes back and forth with how often travel between the UK and the US. What's your preference?
I like both. I think I'm very lucky, I think I'm so lucky. Oh my God. Most of my work the last few years has been in the UK.

What do you think the difference is between English performers and American performers?
I think [England] has the same amount of talent. They used to say that English people didn't have the talent as much as Americans. I mean [England] fits into Texas three times, so the talent [England] has got is snapped up straight away. Whereas in America there is so much more talent. That's what it is. And I think in England because they are paid such crap money, I think they must love it if they do it there. Everybody I know who's in the West End teaches or does another job

How comes you guys don't have Equity there or a union?
We do, but you don't have to be a part of it. Wish is such a shame because if you were it would be stronger. So people can come in off the street and audition and have no training, nothing. Normally it doesn't work for them like it does for people who are trained.

What's it like to be in Milwaukee? 
Fabulous!

Did you think it was random?
It's not because, I work at a rep theater in England called Chichester Festival Theatre and it's very similar to that which is outside of London. It's kind of the same feel. It's a massive city with no cars on the road. They have these wide roads and hardly any traffic.

Stephen Mear (R) teaching a sequence for Tateh & Little Girl in "Ragtime"

So you're going to New York after this?
Yeah, to audition dancers for the Met, the Metropolitan Opera for a few days. I'll be back over there for Christmas and New Year.

What would you encourage a young dancer to do? Why do it? Is it even worth it?
If you are a dancer I would encourage you to do it if you wanted to do it. I deal with musical theater people so I prefer triple threats that can act, sing and dance.

How is it working in the show dealing with different skill levels and body types?
I'm so used to it because I've done a lot of musicals where we've had to just have actors. It's just giving them confidence to believe in you and trust you. Like I always say to everybody, I will never make anybody look stupid. I really believe it. But also, I think once you say that to somebody, people will open up to you, even if they make a fool of themselves in rehearsal, they are willing to do that to see how far they can be pushed.

What's your biggest pet peeve about performers or dancers?
When people say no. If someone says "no, I can't do that" "or no I wouldn't" and they start getting defensive, that's when you know you're in trouble and I'm not good with people like that.

I am a little curious, not to backtrack too much, but you mentioned you were dyslexic. Have you ever made any pieces about being dyslexia?
No I haven't actually. And when I decided to do "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in Mary Poppins [on the West End], Matthew Bourne said to me "are you mad?" Because I couldn't spell it. We had to have all the letters on the mirror while I was doing it!

Were you ever teased about being dyslexic?
.......
More on this and the struggles of being a performer in Part II of our conversation here.

Opening Night! The Festival is Here!

So.. we have officially opened both shows (Antony & Cleopatra and As You Like It) of this season's Houston Shakespeare Festival and I couldn't be more thrilled. The festival is held at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park outdoors, in the heat, of a Texas summer! Luckily, as the sun settles, the heat index does as well... AND the actors can benefit from air conditioning when they are not on the proscenium portion of the stage. Attendees who choose to sit in seats under the metal canopy and not on the lawn also benefit from a bit of AC breeze and fans spinning form up above.

During the dinner break on opening night, I walked around the park filled with families, couples, and workout enthusiasts. After an hour of profuse sweating, the universe told me to calm my behind down with all that movement, so I sat on the lawn for a good hour as audience members began to congregate. It was so exciting to have a little secret, that I, sitting on the lawn, was actually going to be on stage in an hour. I like to do this when I'm in shows because it grounds me. That, and jammin' to Jay-Z, Macklemore, or B.O.B. What can I say, this girl likes her bass.

This, however, was not the best part of opening night. After I got myself decked out in Egyptian gold (because Cleo's girls always look good), forced the dressing room to have a dance party with me (why would I not.. Antony & Cleopatra starts at a party!), creating a whole-bunch of unnecessary sweat (what was I thinking), and running to the stage when I got the call for places (I was last... #diva), the curtain went up. Never in my life have I seen that many people looking at me! I'm supposed to be frozen and I nearly broke. To remedy the situation, instead of having my eyes cast forth across the horizon, I had to drop my focus to my breasts... because they are no longer shocking to me.

And off we went. I'm truly grateful. At the moment, I get to act for a living, I have some great friends and loved ones, a roof over my head, food in my belly, and spend a significant part of my day outdoors and. As I walked around before call time, I became somewhat overwhelmed by it all and I'm not ashamed to admit it -- tears fell from my eyes for a few minutes. Gravity. (lol)

What can I say... I'm lucky.

(Also... my mother wants to enlarge this photograph, frame it, and put it in our family home. Cleavage and all. Ha)