The Upper Room Theatre Ministry has put together another stellar production with their Muny version of The Wizard of Oz. This version is based on Frank L. Braum’s novel and the music and songs of the 1939 movie adaptation. This version has more choral numbers, ballet, no Prof. Marvel, Toto or Miss Gultch, and may leave you wondering as to whether they really get back over the rainbow at the end of the show.

The cast and crew gave an amazing performance. Tons of energy and total dedication to the emotions of the story of a girl who wanted to find out what happens over the rainbow. However she soon realizes that Kansas is not so bad after all and longs to return home.

Dorothy Gale was played by Sarah Zapiain. Sarah was eager, and played Dorothy with much sincerity and emotion. She had a big smile and a strong voice, with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” the highlight of the first act.

Joseph Duran as the Scarecrow did some absolutely amazing gymnastic moves as he was rescued from his post. He seemed to be one big pretzel that could leap, stretch, roll, and tumble any which way, all while keeping time to the music and smiling. Alex Taylor as the Tinman, was a bit more reserved, but still defended Dorothy from the Jitterbugs, ghosts, and anything else that stood in her way. Last, but not least and perhaps the funniest of all Dorothy’s comrades is the Lion played by James Majewski. Lion had probably the best expressions and the most comedic anxiety of the group. Always ready to turn tail (pun intended) he later proved himself to be a champion of the forest and the Land of Oz.

Both the Good Witch (Maria Davis) and the Wicked Witch (Leslie Zapiain) had strong characters. Maria Davis performed two ballet numbers that were complex and well choreographed. Leslie Zapiain had the most evil laugh and her green makeup made her appear all the more sinister.

The crew was great and the set changes were smooth. The bridge scene was a delight, as it rotated under Dorothy and the Scarecrow as they crossed it on their way to the Emerald City. The bridge’s revolve was a stunning effect. The computer animated “Great and Powerful Oz” was also very well executed, timed to move with the actors as they cowered beneath him.

Many of the dance scenes in the second act, though well performed, seemed to go on a bit long, a problem with this version of the script. The Dance of the Ghosts was a feature, with Allan Rush as the skeleton Tibia. There were a few minor opening night mic problems, but those will surely be corrected. The orchestra was admirable, and never overpowered the singers’ voices. The set was fabulous, with beautiful backdrops and very functional set pieces. The witch’s appearances were perfectly executed in huge clouds of smoke that quickly were removed from the playing area. Jessica Kresge’s costumes were wonderful. Pay close attention to the cauldron late in the show!

A wonderful production that was well cast, sung, and danced. It is not the Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow,” but is a great family-friendly production nonetheless.

Director’s Note

The Scarecrow seeks brains, the Tin Man seeks a heart, the Lion seeks courage while Dorothy seeks a way back to Kansas. Jesus tells us those who seek will find and if we knock, the door will be opened. He gives each of us the gifts we need, if only we take the time to discover them and use them. The Wizard helps the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion discover that the gifts they journeyed after were with them all along. In the end, it is the Wizard’s sacrifice of his rule in the Emerald City that allows Dorothy to be led back home. The Wizard of Oz has been a delightful production to be a part of as we open the All Saints’ P.A.C. My prayer is that in some small way, we can always be reminded that God gives us the gifts we need to faithfully follow the road and eventually be led back home. Blessings to you and your family!

Photo Gallery

Dorothy in Kansas	Munchkin Land
Off to See the Wizard	Good Witch Ballet
In Witch’s Lair	Wizard

Photos provided by Upper Room Theatre

Cast

• Dorothy: Sarah Zapiain
• Scarecrow: Joseph Duran
• Tinman: Alex Taylor
• Lion: James Majewski
• Good Witch: Maria Davis
• Wicked Witch: Leslie Zapiain
• Aunt Em/Gloria: Emily Dwornik
• Lord Growlie/Uncle Henry: Samuel Bookwalter
• Peeping Munchkin/Visitor Witch 1: Nicole Kardaras
• Munchkin 2/Visitor Witch 2: Katie Miller
• Munchkin Farmer/General: Connor Kleb
• Munchkin Mayor/General: Patrick Koehr
• Braggart Munchkin/Oz Lady: Diana Allocco
• Sneezing Munchkin/Oz Girl: Gabrielle Buonocore
• Farmhand/Father Munchkin 1/ForeGeneral: Patrick Hilleary
• Farmhand/Father Munchkin 2/General: Brian Teller
• Farmhands/Mother Munchkin/Ozian: Kelli Hutchison
• Farmhand/Coroner Munchkin/General: Ben Jacobeen
• Munchkin 1/Oz Girl: Magali Palmer-Young
• Farmhand/Jitterbug/General /Ghost: Christian Kleb
• Farmhand/Jitterbug/Private/Ghost: Joe Zapiain
• Jitterbug/General/Tibia: Allan Rush
• Farmwife/Jitterbug/General/Ghost: Alayna Nagurny
• Farmwife/Jitterbug/General/Ghost: Kayleen Nagurny
• Farmwife/Jitterbug/General/Ghost: Kelly Rush
• Farmwife/Jitterbug/General/Ghost: Teresa Elmore
• Farmwife/Jitterbug/General/Ghost: Rachel Rollins
• Farmhand/Tot Munchkin 1/Oz Girl: Jeanne Myers
• Farmhand/Tot Munchkin 2/Oz Girl: Kathryn Knoerl
• Farmhand/Tot Munchkin 3/Oz Girl: Maria Zambrana
• Farmhand/Tough Munchkin 1/General/Ozmas: Brian Majewski
• Farmhand/Tough Munchkin 2/General: Jack Geiran
• Farmhand/Tough Munchkin 3/General: Jim Harbour
• Munchkin/Ozianl: Martin Kelly
• Munchkin/Ozian: Jude Vandevoorde
• Farmhands/Munchkins/Ozian: Marisa Michak
• Farmhands/Munchkins/Ozian: Hannah Foster
• Farmhands/Munchkins/Ozian: Marie Tessier
• Farmhands/Munchkins/Ozian: Kirstin Kleb
• Farmhands/Munchkins/Ozian: Esther Tennyson
• Farmhands/Munchkins/Ozian: Haylea Wisniewski
• Miniature Witch: Anne Tessier
• Wizard: Fr. Jeb Donelan
• Wizard’s Voice: Matt Moore
• Miniature Witch: Anne Tessier

Artistic Team

• Director/Producer: Rob Tessier
• Choreographer: Vickie Taylor
• Music Director: Cathy Drummond
• Vocal Director: Chris Zavadowski
• Production Stage Manager: Brian Sledz
• Deck Stage Manager: Elizabeth Perretta
• Assistant Director: Melissa Land
• Assistant Choreographer: Teresa Elmore
• Accompanist: Brian Nagurney

Technical & Design Team

• Technical Director/Set & Crew Director John Sledz
• Asst Technical Director: Andrew Heller
• Asst Tech Director: Dale Walsh
• Master Carpenter: Mark Heller
• Costume Designer: Jessica Kresge
• Costume Director/Munchkin Designer Kelsey Kleb
• Assistant Costume Builders: Mary Myers, Eileen Callahan, Eileen Hilleary, Joan Lopacki, Maggie Palmer, Connie Zaipian
• Properties Master: Jay Wells
• Assistant Props Master: Jenny Branly
• Scenic Art Director: Bernadette Wunderly
• Asst Scenic Art: Monica Loesel
• Lighting Designer: Dan Martin
• Sound Designer: Harry Post
• Make-Up/Hair Designer: Kyna Hollis
• General Manager: Cathy Sledz
• House Managers: Jane Carroll, Veronica Rollins
• Concessions Director: Myra Hayde
• Publicity Directors: Janis DeVore, Chris Zavadowski
• Poster Design/Oz Video Production Matt Moore
• Program Designer: Joan Lopacki

Orchestra

• Clarinet: Allen Howe
• Keyboard: Brian Nagurny
• Trombone: Chris Carroll
• French Horn: Chris Short
• Trumpet: Dave Russell
• Bassoon: Donna Peck
• Cello: Fernando Argont
• Violin: Gina Quintiliani
• Bass: Justin Christian
• French Horn: Kyle James
• Violin: Mel Waddy
• Saxophone: Mike Morch
• Violin: Gwendolyn Pfouts
• Drums: Phil Quinan
• Trumpet: Shaun Hydock
• Clarinet: Steven Darling
• Violin: Susan Bardenhagen
• Percussion: Wil Humpfries

Disclaimer: Upper Room Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

‘I like him…’ With those words Sancho confesses his unwavering devotion for the crazy old “knight” Don Quixote. Man of La Mancha is the 11th summer production by the Upper Room Theatre Ministry of All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia. Written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, Man of La Mancha is an infrequently performed story involving love, bravery, and a disagreement with a wind mill.

The cast, crew, and live orchestra gave an outstanding performance on opening night Wednesday. The cast all did a great job of staying in character even when not the focal point of the action. Indeed, as you enter the gymnasium, you are greeted by a huge set, the prison of the Spanish Inquisition. Several prisoners are milling about, and throughout the production, there were always a few extras ignoring the happenings on stage staying in their own little world in their character.

Joey Clem as Miguel de Cervantes/Alonso Quijana/Don Quixote gave an extremely believable interpretation of the kindly prisoner/knight/lover/windmill fighter. A few times he was hard to hear, but what he lacked in diaphragm he made up for in emotion and passion. Cervantes has been thrown in prison, and now must plead his case to the other prisoners, for they have accused him of being an honest man. Cervantes pleads his case by telling a story, transforming the dank prison into an inn, fields, and a forest. As he tells the story, he is transformed from kindly playwright and tax collector into the confused adventurer.

His sidekick and faithful friend Sancho Panza was played by Sean Bartnick. Bartnick was hysterical. Always ready to defend his master, without being too manhandled, the two made a great acting pair. They both seemed quite at ease on the stage and moved well. Bartnick’s scene with Aldonza was hilariouos, with excellent timing for the delivery of the missive.

Most of the action took place (besides in Don Quixote’s mind) at an Inn in Spain. The waitress was an angry woman named Aldonza, whom Don Quixote started calling Dulcinea upon their first meeting. Played by Kara Hollis, the angry young woman kept her dander and her fists up for most of the performance. Her songs were touching when needed, but also angry and resentful about the life she was forced to lead. Aldonza was fun to watch as she slowly came to realize her feelings for the odd knight.

There was quite a bit of detail put into this production as well. The fight scene in act two was well choreographed. The cast had their assignments and timing down great and the movement looked real. Bodies were falling all over the stage! The scene changes were also done well and quickly. Moving from the prison to the Inn was a matter of flipping over some tables and rearranging a few chairs and you had an inn complete with patrons, soup, and drinks. Try to find the many “hidden” entrances on the stage before the show begins.

Don Quixote’s horses were also creative. Using head pieces made from wires allowed for Esther Tenneyson and Jessica Goodman to have something to hold on to, but their field-of-vision was not hindered. Set Designer Rob Tessier used much creativity in the building of the set for Man of La Mancha. The various textures and levels made for a fascinating performing space. Hidden entrances, moving stairwells, a “fire” that smoked throughout the show all combined for an excellent performing space. Lighting director Dan Martin made good use of colors to illicit different moods during the performance. There were a few numbers where the orchestra overpowered the volume of the singers. This may have been a technical problem with the microphone system, but the problem only occurred a few times.

Great songs, a hard-working cast and crew, and a strong but not overpowering orchestra all made for a delightful evening of fantasy, love and of course, the Quest.

Director’s Note

The Christian mystery gives us hope. We are reminded that death is simply a transition to new life, struggle is simply an opportunity to rise above, and those things we cannot see are more essential to who we are than the physical world itself. One who has been blessed with vision is one who can see the goodness of a person where others see sin. Don Quixote stirs each of us to seek treasure where others see trash and to love our neighbor by arousing within them a sense of God-given mission and purpose. Like St. Paul, St Augustine, and so many others, Aldonza serves as an example that even the hardest of hearts can be changed if we allow ourselves to live life as it was meant to be lived because “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, if only you follow the quest.”

Rob Tessier

Photo Gallery

The Company	Don Quixote (Joey Clem) & Sancho (Sean Bartnick) on trial
Don Quixote (Joey Clem)	Muleteers
Aldonza (Kara Hollis)

Photos provided by Upper Room Theatre Ministry

Cast

The Players of the Inquisition

• Miguel de Srvantes/Alonso Quijana/Don Quixote: Joey Clem
• ManServant/Sancho Panza: Sean Bartnick
• Captain of the Inquisition: Bruce Philips
• Horse/knight’s Attendant: Esther Tenneyson
• Horse/Knight’s Attendant: Jessica Goodman
• Prisoner/Hooded Inquisitor: Elizabeth Hayde
• Prisoner/Hooded Inquisitor: Marisa Michak
• Prisoner: Magali Palmer-Young
• Prisoner: Haylea Wisniewski

The Inn

• Aldonza/Dulcinea: Kara Hollis
• Governor/Inkeeper: Patrick Hilleary
• Pedro, the leader: Johnny Myers
• Anselmo: Jon Laird
• Paco: Brennan Penders
• Jose: Brian Teller
• Juan: Ronald Ramos
• Tenorio: Garrick Suemith
• Maria, the Inkeeper’s Wife: Nicole Kardaras
• Fermina, Serving Girl: Gabrielle Buonocore

Quijana’s Family

• Duke/Dr. Sanson Carrasco/Knight o f Mirrors: joe Zapiain
• Antonia: Jeanne Myers
• Housekeeper: Christine Laird
• Padre: Fr. Peter Nassetta

Travelers on The Road

• Barber: Christian kleb
• Gypsy Soloist/Hooded Inquisitioner: Amelia Gil-Figuera
• Moorish Girl/Knight’s Attendant: Kayleen Nagurney
• Moorish Dancer: Kathryn Blair
• Moorish Dancer: Hannah Foster
• Moorish Dancer/”Esta Fuego” solo: Kathryn Knoerl
• Moorish Dancer/Knight’s Attendant: Maria Zambrana

Production Team

• Director/Producer/Set Designer: Rob Tessier
• Music Director: Cathy Drummond
• Choreographer: Vickie Taylor
• Vocal Director: Chris Zavadowski
• Technical Director: John Sledz
• Production Stage Manager: Jay Wells
• General Manager: Cathy Sledz
• Set Director/Sound Consultant: Dale Walsh
• Costume Director: Kelsey Kleb
• Lighting Director: Dan Martin
• Sound Director: Harry Post
• Properties Manager: Jennifer Branly
• Scenic Art Directors: Bernadette Wunderly & Monica Loesel
• Assistant Technical Director: Andrew Heller
• Deck Stage Manager: Brian Sledz
• Assistant Director: Karen Kelleher
• Assistant Costume Directors: Mary Myers, Lizzie Rogers
• Assistant Props Manager: Elizabeth Perretta
• Assistant choreographer: Teresa Elmore
• Accompanists: Brian Nagurny and Peter Kadeli
• Calling the Show: Robin Dalusung
• House Managers: Jane Carroll & Veronica Rollins
• Concessions Director: Myra Hayde
• Publicity Director: Janis DeVore
• Assistants to the Tech Directors: Tucker Stroh & Robbie O’Brien
• Make-Up& Hair Director: Nocole Kardaras
• Scenic Art Consultant: Candace Penders
• Poster Design: Matt Moore
• Program Designer: Joan Lopacki

Orchestra

• Music Director: Cathy Drummond
• Trombone: Chris Carroll
• Bass: Justin Christian
• FluteL Kathryn Dagley
• Guitar: Ken Hall
• French Horn: Sarah Howe
• Oboe: Jane Hughes
• Trombone: Wil Humphries
• Trumpet: Shaun Hydock
• French Horn: James Kyle
• Bassoon: Andrew Loerch
• Flute/Piccolo: Claire Loerch
• Timpani: Keil McMurray
• Saxophone: Mike Morch
• Drums: Phil Quinan
• Trumpet: Dave Russell
• Percussion: Melanie Waddy

Disclaimer: Upper Room Theatre Ministry provided four complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

This was a strong performance with the cast and huge crew putting a lot of effort into the production. Really the only drawbacks were in some of the lighting and sound areas.

The prince of the crapshooters, Nathan Detroit, was played by Producer Rob Tessier. Usually behind the scenes, Tessier chose to reveal his hidden talents as an actor and dancer for this production. Tessier gave an above average performance as Detroit. He kept in character, responded to the other characters with high emotion and even when not the center of attention stayed alert to the action going on around him. Likewise, Nicely Nicely Johnson, played by Jacob Higginbottom, gave a great performance. Like Tessier, he too kept the emotion high and always knew how to play to the audience.

If Nathan Detroit is the prince of the crapshooters one could say that Sky Masterson, played by Brennan Penders, is the king. Penders played the role of Sky Masterson with style and class. He came across as a real high roller with a quiet calmness and strength that was deceiving. He was gentle and sincere one moment (when singing to Sarah Brown) then could turn ugly fast when threatened (delivering a collection of sinners to the Save A Soul Mission).

The two female leads and love interests of Sky and Nathan were Miss Sarah Brown and Miss Adelaide. Brown played by Shannon Bartnick was pretty straight-laced (at least until the Dulce de Leche kicked in). Bartnick was strong and passionate about her work in the mission. She came across as no nonsense and forthright. Detroit’s fiancé of 14 years, Miss Adelaide, was played by Kelly Craige. Craige was spunky and passionate about her love for Nathan, which sometimes led to utter exasperation over his crap game. One down side was that her “cold” seemed to come and go.

Some really fast set changes and terrific scene designs kept the show moving. Audio problems, such as the mics being left on when actors were off-stage, turned down too low, and some crackling that was distracting (not to mention hair raising), ocurred throughout the show. The lighting was well executed overall, although there were a few times when the lights and the music did not always end at the same time. Ocasionally the lights faded to black a beat too quickly, preventing the audience from seeing the last moment of a scene. Lighting Coordinator was Andrew Heller. Balancing the technical issues is of course difficult in the found space of a gymnasium.

The choreography was well thought out and some dances were fairly difficult to perform. The scene to start the second act did not live up to the expectations, s the choreography ddn’t quite match up with the music or lyrics. I was hoping that the Hot Box girls would take all their stuff with them after the song. They didn’t and it made the set looked messy. The Choreographer was Vickie Taylor. The singing, under the direction of Cathy Drummond, was surprisingly clear, although at times the volume of the orchestra overwhelmed the cast on-stage.

Overall, the Upper Room Theatre’s Guys and Dolls is a show to go see with the family. You will enjoy it and get your money’s worth.

Disclaimer: Upper Room Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Seussical the Musical is a musical with music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Aherns and book by Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flaherty. It is the musical tale of some of the favorite Dr. Seuss stories including: Horton Hears a Who, Green Eggs and Ham and even an appearance by the Grinch.

Although there were a few kinks to be worked out (mostly microphone problems) the show itself was delightful with lots of energy and dancing.

John Rogers, in the role of Horton the Elephant, wore a heavy costume that needed air conditioning. Rogers was a real trooper. His character was tender and he was full of compassion towards all people, not just the Whos. The Cat in the Hat, played by Matt Schaad, was presented as a more kind hearted approach. While he was likable and easy going, he also displayed his mischevious side, such as when he was the doctor “helping” Gertrude with her problem.

Jojo, the rebel Who from Whoville, was played equally well by Gabrielle Buonocore. She had an energy which she conveyed even when she did not have speaking lines which made her part more believable. Some of Jojo’s scenes were removed from the production in order to keep the length of the show manageable for younger audience members.

Gertrude McFuzz, the bird with the one feathered tail, was played well by Melissa Land. Land was charming and had an obvious crush on Horton. The two actually made a good pair and had a touching song at the end of the show.

All of the cast really seemed to have a great time. There was a bit of nervousness as it hit home that there was now an audience out there and not just each other. However once the stage lights hit everyone seemed to have a good time.

The set for Seussical The Musical was colorful. The stage was painted in bright colors and the set pieces were rotated in place along the upstage wall to present either the Jungle of Nool or Whoville. The set was designed and painted by Candace Penders.

Seussical The Musical ran an hour and forty-five minutes with one twenty minute intermission. It is playing through Sunday July 19th, Wednesday through Saturday evenigns at 7:30 pm and matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm at the All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia. This is a bright colorful show that children will enjoy and adults may come away with some deeper meanings.

Cast

• Horton: John Rogers
• Gertrude McFuzz: Melissa Land
• JoJo: Gabrielle Buonocore
• Cat: Matt Schaad
• Sour Kangaroo: Diana DiCicco
• Maizie: Caitlin Collins
• Mr. Mayor: Sean Bartnick
• Mrs. Mayor: Kelleher
• Wickersham Brother: John Myers
• Wickersham Brother: Brennan Penders
• Wickersham Brother: Alex Taylor
• The Grinch, Yertle the Turtle: Jay Wells
• Who, Dr. Drake’s Nurse: Nicole kardaras
• Who, Vlad Vladikoff: Drew Prendergast
• Who Citizen: Michael Hill
• Who Citizen: Taylor Stults
• Who Citizen: Shannon Bartnick
• Bird Girl: Kelly Craige
• Bird Girl: Maria Davis
• Bird Girl: Kelly Morrison
• Jungle Animal (Zebra): Neesha Karanth
• Jungle Animal (Hippo): Brian Kelly
• Jungle Animal (Tree Frog): Colin Land
• Jungle Animal (Lion): Cat Rogers
• Jungle Animal (Giraffe): Sarah Wykowski
• Thing 1: Molly Loesel
• Thing 2: Lexi Smith
• Thing 3: Meg Slovenkay
• Thing 4: Jennifer Torres
• Thing 5: Kirsten Kleb
• Thing 6: Kayleen Nagurny
• Thing 7: Genevieve Sheffield
• Thing 8: Lauren Perez
• Thing 9: Keziah Higginbottom
• Thing 10: Sarah Zapiain
• Thing 11: Cristina Zambrana
• Thing 12: Mikey Wittlinger
• Special Appearance by Peter Tessier

Crew

• Director/Producer: Rob Tessier
• Music Director: Cathy Drummond
• Choreographer: Vickie Taylor
• Assistant Director: Nichole Dalusung
• Technical Director/Prop Master: Jimmy Conroy
• Production Stage Manager: Jay Wells
• Scenic Artist: Candace Penders
• Costume Designers/Coordinators: CJ Kardaras, Jessica Mooney
• Assistant Technical Director: John Sledz
• Set Director: Paul Reynolds
• Properties: Jacqueline Penders
• Lighting Designer: Dan Martin
• Lighting & Sound Coordinator: Joseph Coyne
• Deck Stage Manager: Brian Sledz
• Assistant Stage Manager: Tucker Stroh
• Make – up & Hair Design: Nicole Kardaras, Eileen Bartolozzi
• Assistant Scenic Artist: Bernadette Wunderly
• Production Caller: Robin Dalusung
• Sound Board Operator: Jonathan Ferraro, Megan Hoffer
• Lighting Board Operator: Andrew Heller
• Spotlight Operators: Matt Golazsweski, Brian Stascavage
• House Managers: Jane Carroll, Veronica Rollins
• Box Office Manager: Sonia Ferraro
• Concessions Coordinator: Anna Marie Conroy
• Poster Design: Matt Moore
• Stage Crew: Lauren Hatmaker, Christian Kardaras
• Stage Building Efforts: John Sledz, Brian Sledz, Joe Sledz, Paul Sledz, Andrew Heller, Jonathan Ferraro, Ben Jacobeen, Jay Jesse, Brian Dunleavy, Alisha McCole, Colin Land, Joshua Schneider, Patrick Schneider, Joseph Dalusung, Mr. Morris, Alex Taylor, Steven Mehr, Brian Incheck, Tucker Stroh, Deacon Ed Bresnahan, and Matt Golazsweski
• Assistant Costumers: CJ Kardaras, Diana DiCicco
• Stitchers/Wardrobe: Justa Alfaro-Jansen, Deacon Ed Bresnahan, Deb Ramsden, Molly Ramsden, Sharron Land, Mary Beth Rogers
• Scenic Arts Crew: Noreen Schulke, Holly Schwarzwalder, Vivienne Penders

Orchestra

• Conductor: Cathy Drummond
• Keyboards: Alec Davis (Wed., Sat. Night, Sun.)
• Guitar: Father Thompson
• Bass Guitar: Ricky Drummond
• Violin: Melanie Waddy
• Violin: Helena Okolicsanyi
• Viola: Tara Foley
• Drum Set: Phil Quinan
• Percussion: Ben Martini
• Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Clarinet: Mike Morch
• Flute, Piccolo: Claire Sutherland
• Trumpet: Will Humphries
• Trumpet: Dave Russell
• Bassoon: Donna Peck
• Trombone: Chris Carroll

Photo Gallery

Jungle Citizens	Elephant Bird & Horton
Gertrude & Horton	Mayzie & Cat
Thing Chorus & Horton

Laura: This is the ShowBizRadio review of The Music Man, performed by the Upper Room Theatre Ministry in Manassas, Virginia. We saw the performance on opening night, Wednesday, July 16 2008.

Mike: The Music Man was an enjoyable evening. It was a very family friendly show. Most of the cast was part of the All Saints Catholic Church Youth Ministry in Manassas. They did a good job and it was a fun show.

Laura: I think you should go see this show, it was a lot of fun. It was very lively and I really liked the dance numbers. I thought there was a lot of enthusiasm. I think everybody did a pretty good job.

Mike: The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Wilson, based on a story by Meredith Wilson and Frank Lacey. Fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill tries to con the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boy’s band that he vows to organize, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian.

Laura: The shyster who came into River City, Iowa, Harold Hill, was played nicely by Mike Duda. I liked his reactions even when he was not the center of the action on stage. He was still engaging in what was going on on stage. He had some pretty good facial expressions.

Mike: The librarian, Marian Paroo, was played by Nicole Smith. She was very dismissive of Harold Hill at the beginning, but later grew to like and respect him and later to love him. The transformation in her ended up also transforming Harold Hill. This was portrayed nicely on stage. I liked her singing voice, although it seemed that a couple times she did strain a little bit. I did like the number she did with the barbershop quartet. They were played by the Prince William Sound. All the voices joined together into a nice harmony.

Laura: This was a large cast. There were children as well as adults on the stage. Everyone seemed to have a good time and were really enthusiastic about this musical.

Mike: I really like the choreography in this show. The choreographer was Vickie Taylor. One of the dancing scenes I liked the best took place in the library where Harold Hill was trying to woo Marian Paroo. They were talking over on one side of the stage while the other characters were reading books and looking through the bookshelves. Then all of a sudden people would start exchanging books with each other. Then they would change places at the tables. The next thing you knew everyone was dancing in circles around the stage and getting Marian Paroo caught up in the action. It worked really well. It was a fairly complex number and I am impressed with how it all came together. No one seemed to be tripping or stumbling.

Laura: The set for The Music Man was pretty creative and well done. There were three sections. On one side you had the home of Mrs. Paroo, her mother and younger brother. At times it could open up and be the parlor room where piano lessons were held. The middle section was the town hall/gymnasium of the school. The far side of the stage was the pool room that did not open up, but was very nicely painted. The set directors were Paul Reynolds and John Sledz. There was a really creative scrim that was used throughout the evening. I think it was hand painted, I am not sure. It was really well done. Scenic artists were Candace Penders and Mary Ellen Semat.

Mike: The Music Man ran two hours and forty-five minute with one twenty minute intermission. It is playing through Sunday, July 20, at All Saints Church in Manassas Virginia. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 and matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm.

Laura: We’d like to invite you to join our free mailing list so you can stay informed with community theater events in the Northern Virginia region.

Mike: And now, on with the show.

Cast

• Harold Hill: Mike Duda
• Marian Paroo: Nicole Smith
• Mrs. Paroo: Karen Kelleher
• Marcellus: John Meyers
• Mayor Shinn: Gabe Duda
• Eulalie Shinn: Shannon Wahler
• Alma Hix/7th Voice: Sarah Wykowski
• Maud Dunlop/5th Voice: Mary Wines
• Ethel Tofflemeyer/6th Voice: Nicole Kardaras
• Mrs. Squires/3rd Voice: Diana DiCicco
• Tommy Djilas/Led Dance: Dominic Viera
• Zaneeta Shinn/Lead Dance: Kelly Craige
• Gracie Shinn: Shannon Bartnick
• Charlie Cowell: Tommy Marshall
• Constable Locke/Salesman #5/8th Voice: Sean Bartnick
• Winthrop: Tommy Smith
• Amaryllis: Maria Zambrana
• Jacey Squires: Ralph Johnson
• Ewart Dunlop: Glenn Dockery
• Oliver Hix: Al Litchfield
• Olin Britt: Al Elkins
• Man #1/Salesman #3/4th Voice: Brian Dunleavy
• Man #2/Salesman #4: Matt Golasweski
• Woman #1/10th Voice: Danielle Lozano
• Woman #2: Jennifer Holowecki
• Woman #3/(Grandma)/2nd Voice: Mel Land
• Woman #4: Ashley Towne
• Young Girl/ Lead Dance: Caitlin Collins
• Young Girl #2/Lead Dance: Kelly Morrison
• Young Girl #3/Lead Dance: Bridget Mulhern
• Young Girl 4: Neesha Karanth
• Young Girl 5: Kirstin Kleb
• Young Girl 6: Meg Slovenkay
• Young Girl 7: Ani Lucas
• Teen Boy/News #2/11th Voice/Lead Dance: Christian Taylor
• Teen Boy 2/News #3/1st Voice/Lead Dance: Alex Taylor
• Teen Boy 3/Conductor/Lead Dance: Brennan Penders
• Teen Boy 4/Salesman #2/9th Voice: Patrick Jacobeen
• Teen Boy 5/Newspaper#1: Michael Heller
• Wagon Driver/Salesman#1: Fr. Thompson
• The Boys’ Band: Christian Kardaras, Rohan Karanth, Connor Kleb, Jeremy Kleb, John Paul Kleb, Jack Tessier, Peter Tessier

Crew

• Director/Producer: Rob Tessier
• Choreographer: Vickie Taylor
• Music Directors: Cathy Drummond
• Assistant Director: Nichole Dalusung
• Production Stage Manager: Robin Dalusung
• Technical Director: Jimmy Conroy, Jay Wells
• Costume Designer/Coordinator: Jessica Mooney
• Set Directors: Paul Reynolds, John Sledz
• Scenic Artists: Candace Penders, Mary Ellen Semat
• Lighting Designer: Dan Martin
• Sound Designer: Ben Porter:
• Deck Stage Manager: John Sledz
• Assistant Deck Stage Manager: Melissa Teller
• Property Master: Jimmy Conroy
• Property Assistant: Jacqueline Penders
• Make-up & Hair Design: Nicole Kardaras, Eileen Bartelozzi
• Lighting Board Operator: Alec Haddinger
• Spotlight Operators: Courtney DeVillier, David Heller
• Sound Board Operator: Trey Repetski
• House Manager: Jane Carroll, Veronica Rollins
• Box Office Manager: Sonia Ferraro
• Concessions Coordinator: Anna Marie Conroy
• Photo Video creator: Deacon Stephen Schultz
• Poster Design: Matt Moore
• Stage Crew: Andrew Heller, Joe Coyne, Brian Sledz, Lauren Hatmaker, Christian Kardaras, Matthew Jacobeen, Nicole Stalker, Jonathon Mundell, Ben Kolodjek
• Set Crew: Joseph Coyne, Christopher Carbone, Diana DiCicco, Jennifer Holoweki, Joseph Sledz, Brian Stacscavage, Lauren Hatmaker, Kevin Sledz, Catherine Sledz, DJ Drummond, Cooper Drummond, John Dean, Rob McCormick, Andrew Heller, David Heller, Paul Sledz, Jay Jesse
• Assistant Costumers: CJ Kardaras, Diana DiCicco, Theresa Fortman
• Stichers/Wardrobe: Katy Arnold, Clara Bergeron, Julie Fioramonti, Deb Ramsden, Molly Ramsden, Christina Zembrana, Telma Zambrana, Cathy Sledz, Sharron Land, Joann Wines, Sue Collins, Grace Van de Voorde, Fran Van de Voorde, Cassie Malato, Connie Zaplain, Marsha Jacobeen
• Hat Designer: Nicole Kardaras
• Scenic Art Crew: Noreen Schulke, Laurinda Lucas, Holly Schwarzwalder, Kaitie McCormick, Vivienne Pendeers, Diana Cramer, Genenieve Lucas, Chloe Semat, Mitchell Semat

Orchestra

• Conductor: Cathy Drummond
• Keyboards: Scott Glysson, Meredyth Stirling
• Drum Set: Russell Lucas
• Bass Guitar: Justin Christian
• Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet: Mike Morch
• Trumpet: Will Humphries
• Percussion: Johnathan Ferraro
• Flute, Piccolo: Kathryn Dagley
• Trumpet: Dave Russell
• Trumpet: Rickey Drummond
• Bass clarinet, clarinet, flute, violin: Julie Holtzer
• Clarinet: Melissa Gard
• Bassoon: Donna Peck
• Violin: Amanda Koman
• Violin: Melanie Waddy
• Violin: Helena Okalacisanyi
• Trombone: Joe Wahler
• Trombone: Brandon Kyker
• Trombone: Chris Carroll
• Assistant to the Orchestra: Sarah Clements

The Music Man, this week will be the seventh summer musical production in as many years by the Upper Room Theatre Ministries at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas.

The performances will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at 9300 Stonewall Road, Manassas.

Read the complete article at: The Music Man is seventh All Saints summer production.

Laura: This evening we saw Upper Room Theatre Ministry‘s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Manassas, Virginia.

Mike: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical written by Tim Rice; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s the retelling of the biblical story of Joseph. A young man whose brothers are jealous of his ability to tell the future. They feel threatened by it because he is predicting that for some reason he will be worshipped by the brothers. They decide to kill him, but instead of going through with it they sell him as a slave to a band of passing Ishmaelites. Joseph ends up in Egypt and through no fault of his own ends up in prison. One thing leads to another and he is released from prison and becomes an assistant to the pharaoh. A famine strikes the land and the brothers are starving so they go to Egypt to get some food and end up before Joseph.

Laura: This was a spectacular show. I would rate this as a standout. The energy was just outstanding. The dancing and singing was fabulous. It was just so much fun. The kids showed so much enthusiasm. It was just outstanding.

Mike: The Upper Room Theatre Ministry is part of the youth ministry at the All Saints’ Church in Manassas. Everyone on stage was part of the youth group from high school through college. They did a great job with this show. There were some very minor technical problems with some of the microphones and some of the lighting cues were a little late or a little early. But the energy that was coming from the performers on stage, both the performers and the musicians, the dancers, the choir. All of it was fantastic. If you can get tickets to this show, do it, but it might be kind of tricky. They added extra seats tonight because there so many people who showed up. If you can get tickets you need to go see this show so that you can see how creative Joseph can be.

Laura: The role of Joseph was played by Sean Bartnick. He did a great job. His emotions were outstanding. His expressions when he was realizing that he was about to go before pharaoh. His singing and remembering about the visions he had had and that they’re coming true was just really good. He had a good strong voice and so much energy. I just really enjoyed his performance.

Mike: There were three narrators in this story. The narrators were the wives of Jacob. At the beginning of the show they were telling a bedtime story to their children who were, of course, the sons of Jacob. The narrators were Laura Myers, Melissa Land, and Diana DiCicco. They did a pretty god job. They were on and off stage a lot. Their parts were a bit smaller than the narrator usually is because they were sharing it with two other people. However it worked really well. There were times when the two of them would gang up together. When Joseph’s mother would be telling a part of the story, they would be like,”What’s going on? What is she going on about?” It worked really well. I really liked early on when Joseph’s mother was singing about the coat of many colors. The other two mothers were looking through the Bible trying to keep up. Every time they would list one of the colors they would change the page. It just worked really well. It was a really nice touch. It was a small touch, but it added a lot to those characters.

Laura: Everybody did a great job. This is one of the largest casts we’ve seen. Over 60 performers, orchestra, choir, the brothers, everybody. It was a huge cast. They all just did great job. There was so much energy. The dance numbers in the scene of “One More Angel in Heaven” was the cowboy scene with lots of great square dancing. It was really fun. So much energy. It was great.

Mike: The choreographer for the show was Vickie Taylor. She did a great job. Partially because it was such a huge cast there was a lot to coordinate. And in this show there is no speaking. It is all sung. There is dancing throughout. She did a great job.

Laura: The set for Joseph was also very well done. So many bright colors. It was almost cartoon like. The Scenic Designer was Candace Penders and the Sound Designer was Dan Martin. They both did a really good job. Because you had a choir on each side of the stage that was nicely balanced. At various points in the show they would put up posters of various things. It just made it really alive and very colorful. Joseph’s coat of many colors was really nice. It was really sparkly and bright.

Mike: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat lasted about an hour and forty minutes with one intermission. It’s playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm at the All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia. If you can get tickets to this show you need to go see it. This was a great show. It’s a very family friendly production. There were a lot of youngsters in the audience and it seemed like most of them were paying close attention to the show and were really following what was going on.

Laura: And now, on with the show.

Laura: We saw the Upper Room Theare Ministry‘s production of Pippin in Manassas, Virginia.

Mike: Pippin is the story of Charlemange’s son who is looking for his meaning in life. So he experiments with everything you could possibly think of. Battle, education, physical delights. He finally comes to a decision of what he should do to make himself happy.

Laura: This musical was a lot of fun. There was a lot of energy. The audience got into it. The set was well done. The dancing was really incredible. The sound had some issues, but otherwise I really enjoyed the musical very much.

Mike: I really enjoyed this show. It was very well done. Unfortunately, there were some sound technical issues. So there were times when the sound system just seemed to turn off. You couldn’t hear what was going on. Most of the singers could do ok without that if you were listening really closely. Some of them did just disappear and that was really awkward.

The main character is Pippin who is played by Alec Davis. He did a really good job. I felt very sorry for him. I felt a lot of sympathy for the situations he got himself into. He was very effective in portraying that fear of not being successful in life. I especially liked his dancing and singing in the song “With You” where he had to confront the seven deadly sins. Using the seven deadly sins was a very effective way to show what he was fighting against.

Laura: Pippin’s girfriend was Catherine, a widow. She was played by Nicole Dalusung. I enjoyed watching her very much. I could see her love for Pippin. Her wanting to make him happy, but also her spunk. I thought was really good. She had a nice singing voice, too.

Mike: The Evil Leading Player was performed by Matt Schaad. He was very good. He had a very nice singing voice. He had a very commanding presence on stage. He was very expressive, especially when he was ordering the ensemble around to do different things, such as to move the set pieces.

Laura: The Good Leading Player was played by Meghan Bartnick. She did a very good job. She had nice dance numbers. She had a good singing voice. She was a bit soft during the first act. So when the orchestra got cranked up she was a little hard to hear, but I think that improved a lot in the second act because she was much easier to hear.

Mike: One thing that was obvious in the show were there were a lot of people in the cast. The playbill lists twenty-nine different actors and performers. That is a really impressive number of people to coordinate and to choreograph. Some of the dancing numbers were very complex.

Laura: The set changes were good. It was a simple set, but everybody knew what they were supposed to do and when they were suppose to bring props on and off. They did that very smoothly. The orchestra was in the back behind a curtain so it wasn’t overpowering. It was a thrust stage with the audience was on three sides of the stage.

Mike: I really liked the costumes in this show. The ensemble members were wearing white outfits with black or gray accents on them. The patterns of the accents were different for each character which was a really nice attention to detail. The main charcters, though were wearing costumes of different colors. The Evil Leading player was wearing black. The Good Leading Player was wearing white. That was very nice. During the number of the seven deadly sins each of the dancers when they came out, their costume was appropriate to that deadly sin.

Laura: Pippin is playing through Sunday in Manassas, Virginia. I do recommend you call ahead to get tickets because it was nearly sold out tonight.

Mike: Laura and I interviewed the director of the show, Rob Tessier. That interview is available on ShowBizRadio.net.

Laura: And now, on with the show.

Mike: Today we’re having our spotlight on Rob Tessier.

Rob: Hello. How ya doin’? It’s good to be here.

Mike: Thank you. Glad you could come talk to us for a little bit today.

Rob: Thank you.

Mike: Rob is the producer and director of the Upper Room Theater Ministry based out of the All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia.

Laura: Ok. So Rob, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Rob: Ok. I’m a native, which is uncommon in this area. I went to school at Miami University of Ohio. I got my degree in theater. Love acting, but I discovered I have more of a love for directing. Even though I like being on stage, I think that’s where more of my ability lies is in directing. However, when I was a senior in college, I discovered that there were auditions for this thing called Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College. I thought that was kind of cool so a friend of mine and I skipped a class one day and went down to Cincinnati and auditioned.

We thought there would be no shot at all to get in because they only take thirty out of three thousand applicants a year. They also pay for your tuition which is great. So we just did it for fun. It was like a three hour audition included a lot of improv. We just had a great time. Two months later we both got a call and we both were able to do it. So we did that for awhile. Afterwards I ended up marrying the first person I met in college. My wife Carol. I now have four children and live in the Manassas area.

Mike: Tell us about clowning. Clowning is something most people only have a vague recollection of from being a kid.

Rob: I think I only went to one circus as a child. Some people ask me if I always wanted to run away with the circus. I had no aspirations to go to the circus. It was really a whim even in college to even go and audition for clown college. But I learned a lot. First of all the application for clown college was a lot more complicated than any other application I filled out for any other school. They asked questions like,”When was the last time you cried and why?” They asked who your favorite comedian was and why. They really asked all these analytical things. They wanted to probe. We also had to send in pictures of ourselves in bathing suits, which was kind of weird. I’m not sure why they did that. I guess they wanted to see our body type actually.

When I went to clown college one thing I learned was that being a clown, you don’t actually put on a different personality. What they’re looking for is to know who you are. They want to try to get you to emphasize one aspect of your personality, to a point where it’s exaggerated. The exaggeration becomes the manifestation of the clown. There was a process that we went through where we were working with the directors at clown college. The costume director would also watch how we worked. And they would read these answers to our questions. Through that they would design for us our unique and individual costumes and we would become our character through that. I really learned a lot about how much there is behind clowning. It’s not just goofing around. There’s really a lot to it with the goofing around. I think that just makes it more powerful for kids who are watching.

Mike: So the clown was you?

Rob: The clown is an exaggerated me. I discovered my clown personality is a Dick Van Dyke-esk personality. The thing that I’m strong with is physical movement. I also kind of have a shy side and I also love to trip and to fall and to get myself into situations, kind of like a Bert from Mary Poppins or a Dick Van Dyke. So the costume was an exaggeration of those physical things. My character then became one who was somewhat of a fumbler.

Mike: Did you actually perform with the circus? Did you actually go on the road?

Rob: Yes. Clown College was six days a week. Fourteen hours a day of training. Eight AM to ten PM with an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner. There were thirty of us in the clown college. There were at least thirty instructors. We had the acrobatics instructor from China. A cirus’ instructor from Russia. We had Broadway actors and performers like Bill Irwin, Kenny Raskin. People who had played Lefou in the original production of Beauty and the Beast came in to teach us all these different elements and aspects of theatrics, but also related mainly to clowning.

Then after two and a half months the producer Kenneth Feld and the vice presidents of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey. They came to watch our graduation performance. From that they chose fourteen of us to offer contracts to and perform. I was offered a contract. I did go to train with the circus and perform. We performed about ten or twelve shows per week. We had one month of rehearsal. The rehearsals were eight to ten hours a day. Then we performed. I performed for nine months. I figured well over 300 performances in that nine months.

We did a different city almost every week. The only place we stayed for a significant amount of time was New York City. We were there for three weeks. They kept us very busy. We did as many as fifteen shows a week, including doing the Good Morning America, Rosie O’Donnell, and a bunch of other promotional type things since we were in New York City. It was a very busy schedule. I learned a lot. Definitely learned never to complain after a long rehearsal. That was probably the max. I don’t think we could have ever worked any harder than I did in the circus.

Laura: Are there routines that you do, are they new every time or do you have a set schedule of things that you have to do during the performance?

Rob: Here’s the deal. In the process of rehearsal, we develop the routines. The Boss Clown, which is an official term, helps to develop the scripts of the clown routines. For the actual show of the circus, we improv them. We play with them for awhile until we develop them into particular characters for that scene and then we develop costumes around it. So we have set scenes that we do in the actual circus show. For three months following opening night we have extra rehearsals every week in which things are still being looked at. The producer could come in and say, and he did this, come in and see that we’re doing a clown penguin act and two months into it and say, “You know, I don’t like that. I don’t think that’s very funny. I’m cutting that.” So we had to cut it and not only cut it because there was space in the show we had to write a new one and we had about a week to do it. Sometimes things do change.

Also at the beginning of the circus, if you’re familiar with how Ringling Brothers does this, they have an hour pre show which is called the Circus Adventure. Families can bring their children and they can come and walk the circus floor and interact. And those acts can change all the time. Actually we’re encouraged to change those all the time so that we keep it fresh.

I developed my own act. One thing I do is I do a human marionette. One of the acts that I did was one of the other clowns would be holding my puppet strings and I would do human marionette act together. The other thing I do is a limbo. Part of the opening in the beginning I would bring in like 30 kids and we would all go under the limbo rope together. I would end up doing the limbo under about the length of my knees. I have a fat suit on as a clown and I have not lost the limbo yet. Now I’m over thirty and I have done the limbo a few more times since. I’m getting kind of close. I get a little worried every time I invite kids to challenge me to a limbo, but so far so good.

Mike: So you stole that from Dick Van Dyke in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? the marionettes?

Rob: That’s right. Dick Van Dyke is definitely one of my idols in terms of his ability to move. Actually even his off stage personality. He’s just a good guy. I really respect him.

Laura: Is clowning a form of mime?

Rob: Mime is a technique that is well utilized by a clown. But it is not miming. The difference in miming is obviously you don’t speak and you’re wearing a white face. Everything is a very calculated pantomime. Clowning is a little more let loose. There is a lot more coloration to the costume and you can make sounds and even say words when you’re clowning. You don’t have to be silent as a clown. And, what also is different in clowning is you tend to use very large props, oversize props. Foam props when you get hit in the head by a hammer and things like that.

But the use of miming is very helpful because the use of your body. We learned mime everyday were trained. I was trained by someone who was trained by Marcel Marceau everyday in mime technique. That becomes very useful for clowning as a tool. But it’s only a tool, it’s not the end. The beauty of clowning that I appreciate is that I’m not particularly skilled at anything, in terms of juggling and all that kind of stuff and even miming, but the great thing about clowning is that you can make fun of yourself and that’s actually good. So if you mess up and make fun of yourself it’s actually funnier than if you were good at it. Try clowning. It’s definitely better.

Mike: So you left the circus.

Rob: Yes, they uncuffed me from my trunk and I was able to go off and get married and live happily in the sunset.

Mike: So what did you do after that? Did you get a real job, did you….

Rob: I’ve never had a real job. I actually went back to what I was doing before I went to Clown College and that was working for the church. Throughout regular college every summer I was running ministry programs for St. Mark’s in Vienna. I actually started their theater ministry there while still in college. The Work Camp Program for College students and Jr. High students. This is something that I really loved. I loved my involvement in my church. I love promoting the arts and service and such through the church for young people.

After I finished the circus a pastor called me from St. Marks. Actually he called me while I was in the circus. He asked me if I would leave and come back and take on the full time position to direct the youth program at St. Marks. That’s always been my calling since college to work with young people. That to me was more important than going around the country performing and signing autographs and doing these crazy things. To me that was great. I was excited about that and I wanted to do that. It seemed like it fit perfectly. My wife was coming back from Bolivia after doing a year long mission in Bolivia, at that point my girlfriend. Everything was kind of falling into place.

So I came back and I got a full time job as a youth minister. While I was at St. Mark’s I continued the theater ministry that I had already started there. We continued to do a winter cabaret, a showcase with a one act play and other scenes, and a summer musical. We continued to do that until I left St. Mark’s in 2001. Now I’m here at All Saints. I’ve been here for five years. Pretty much doing the same thing, building the youth ministry here and also an active theater ministry.

Mike: How large is the theater ministry here at All Saints?

Rob: That’s a tough one to gauge because I could do it in a couple of different ways. One is through auditions. We tend to get about seventy people to audition for our shows. In terms of audience, we get about a little over 2,000 people in to see our productions. We normally sell out our shows. We only do it for a week, not like some other theaters who go for several weeks. We pack them in. About five or six performances in a week. In terms of our involvement, we’ll have between 30 to 45 folks in the cast. The off the stage involvement is incredible. I would say over 150 people are involved with some aspect of the show. Whether it be building, ushering, publicity, painting, costuming, all those activities. Involvement can be measured in may different ways. I feel it is very active, though.

Laura: So how do you start a drama or an arts ministry in a church?

Rob: That’s a great question, one I’m trying to figure out the best answer to because I’m actually going to Las Vegas in November to talk about this with a group of youth ministers. I’ve started a drama ministry twice now. Both times I used Godspell. The quick answer is do Godspell. Godspell is great because it taps right into the Gospel. You can use it as a great teaching tool. The message is strong. People will come and see Godspell. The music’s easy to learn. You can have a cast of eight or you can have a cast of thirty.

Both places that I went, St. Mark’s and All Saints, I think we had less than 20 people audition for the first year. So doing Godspell is great as long as you can find Jesus, that’s the tough part. You do have to find a good Jesus. It really requires, and I had to do this, really going out and bringing some people in for the first time. To make sure you’re mixing in some really strong talent in with some rookie talent. And develop the rookie talent. That’s part of the ministry, too is to bring people in who have not done any theater because we want to introduce them to the art. And we want them to have an experience that is professional.

So everything we do is we really emphasize high quality. If it means spending a little more money in the budget. We emphasize high quality to make sure their end experience is really strong. If they had a great high quality experience and if the audience had a high quality experience, then every year after that is easy. They want to come back. Then they bring their friends. They want to come audition for it. They’re testing the waters.

The first time we did Godspell at St. Mark’s we started out with fourteen people in the cast. Seven of them dropped out at some point because they had no frame of reference about what we were going to end up doing. We were requiring them to come to five rehearsals a week for three hours at a time. It was very hard for them to visualize what was going to happen in the end. A bunch of them came back and they were sorry they had dropped out. They came out and saw the show. We had brought in this professional lighting. The audiences were sold out.

The next year we did Joseph and we had 60 people audition. That’s the only way to start is to know that it’s not necessarily meet your highest expectations the first year, but if you do a good job with it, it’s just going to build. People are going to want to be a part of something that’s exciting. That’s my best advice to someone starting a theater ministry.

Mike: So what is the purpose of a theater ministry? Is it just to teach people to go out and be better actors and performers? Or are there other benefits?

Rob: The purpose of a theater ministry, well ultimately is to draw kids closer to Christ. That’s my purpose in theater ministry. Also to tap into the gifts they’ve been given. We’ve all been given diferent gifts. Some kids really love it when we do sports and that’s great. Some kids don’t. Some kids love to be involved in drama. Some kids that have done the theater ministry that don’t go to church here regularly. But by doing it and meeting other kids who are active they beome more active and more involved.

It’s a great way also to also build a community, an ensemble as folks in the theater world know. A strong ensemble is the key to a good show. We can build an ensemble based on these Christian principles of working together, looking out for one another, gifting the other actors, building others up. These are all principles that are part of the theater world, but they are also very much a part of our Christian world. We pray together as a cast at the beginning and end of every rehearsal. It’s something that’s important to us. Just last week we took time out of our schedule instead of working on the show, we had mass together. We had a priest come in and do mass just for the cast and crew. It was just a way to connect our faith lives and recognize that God gives us the gifts and we do the best we can with it to produce something that’s going to be wonderful for the community.

The other is to bring forth messages that are very positive for the families that come. So whatever show we do, we always pick productions that we know we’re going to be able to emphasize a very positive message. So every show is chosen very carefully for that reason. We can use it as a teaching tool for the cast when we’re going through rehearsals. The audience, too has an opportunity to benefit from the message.

Lastly we do all of our shows for charity. Anything we make on our tickets we give to a chosen charity. At St. Mark’s that was the St. Patrick’s Foundation in Kingstown Jamaica. A very poor area where they’re doing a lot of work with the poor. Here at All Saints we do it for the medical missionaries. They go to Haiti and bring medicine to the people of Haiti. We are probably able to profit about $5,000 per year that we give to those organizations. Over the last ten years well over $50,000 has been donated because of the theater ministry program at St. Marks and All Saints.

Mike: So let’s go to Pippin the actual show you’re doing right now. It’s opening next week. The big question that’s jumping at me is Pippin has a lot of stuff in it that’s not real churchy. It’s got some good messages, but it also has violence and some adult situations.

Rob: So you’ve seen it then?

Mike: Yes, we have.

Rob: Usually when you’re producing a show you hope that people know the show because that will help them come see it. This is probably the first show I did where I was hoping the people in the church had not seen it before. I’m hoping they come see it because you know we’ve done other good shows before. Don’t come because you know the show. “If I’m never tied to anything. I’ll never be free.” That’s the line Pippin uses at the end of the show to express the fact that he’s finally figured it out. It’s not about glamour. It’s not about prestige, it’s not about simple joys in your life. It’s not about filling yourself with lots and lots of pleasure. It’s about finding that one thing that is your calling. I would relate it all they way to your Christian calling.

What is that one thing that’s going to give your life purpose? That’s what Pippin’s looking for the entire show. And he finally figures it out. He breaks away in the final scene from his temptation of suicide. He chooses this woman who is a widower, Katherine, who has a boy. He chooses this simple life of taking care of this woman and her child. That’s a beautiful thing. That’s the ending message.

Now if you look at the productions, if you’ve seen productions of it, unfortunately often times when I’ve seen productions of it, I think the directors emphasize the sensual in the show. The whole point to get to the good point is that Pippin does a lot of bad things. He does a lot of things that are temptations. Sometimes my feeling is that if you emphasize that too much then you lose the message of the show. Stephen Schwartz wrote Godspell. I really think that Stephen Schwartz’s message was a lot more positive than when I remember seeing the Ben Vereen version.

When I sat down with his production, I didn’t want to do it if I was going to have to change a lot of stuff. I don’t think that’s right either. The first thing I did before I even sat down and saw it was I read it. When I read it I was like,”Wow, this is a really great show.” And then I saw it, I was like,”Whoa, I didn’t see that.” I read the script and watched at the same time. They changed a lot of stuff in the script. So the Stephen Schwartz script that I had from Music Theatre International. I’m watching the Ben Vereen version and I’m like, “Oh, he added that. Oh, wait, that’s diferent. Oh, wait that’s going in a different direction.”

So I can say we actually changed even less of Stephen Schwartz’s script that they did probably when they did it on Broadway. The other thing is, too when I look at a play, I believe one of the roles of the director is to interpret the play. You can pendulum swing your interpretation one way or the other. One example is Jesus Christ Superstar. If you go see the movie Jesus Christ Superstar and then you go see at many other productions of it you see quite a difference. In Godspell the same thing.

There are many ways to highlight or emphasize messages within the show. So what we’ve done is we have de-emphasized a little bit some of the overly sensual stuff that you see if you’ve seen the A&E production. We have highlighted and really drawn out of it the very positive messages. One thing I wanted to point out is that there is a scene in it where it looks like in the A&E version that is just a very sensual scene in a sense sex. What we’ve done is we’ve taken that same dance music and we’ve highlighted the seven deadly sins. So Pippin is tempted not only by lust, but also by greed, by sloth, by all the seven deadly sins. So we have different dancers coming in each representing each of those. Pippin joins in the dance, but gets kind of sick by the end. But instead of overemphasizing sex, we’ve taken them all and that’s how we’ve de emphasized that one aspect and brought about what’s going on here while Pippin’s being tempted. Pippin ends up refusing the temptation by the end.

Laura: Was the casting call for Pippin difficult to do to bring people in?

Rob: It’s never difficult to get them to audition. It’s very dificult to make the decisions. At this point we’ve been doing it long enough that we have a great group of people that come in and audition. It’s one of the most painful things I do all year is making those decisions. Everyone who auditions, even the ones that I cut, are usually people who are very active in our youth ministry programs in some way. Even friends. I’ve had my wife audition before. That’s hard.

For example, in this show one of the members of our chorus just won best lead actress in a musical for the Cappies. We have folks in our chorus. We have one guy who does professional improv in Chicago. He’s doing comedy shorts right now. He’s in our chorus also. We have so much talent. I stress to the actors that I don’t cast a show based on who’s the most talented or who is the best singer, or who is the best dancer. There is this particular part and I’m going to fit the particular person for a particular part. One year you might be the lead. The next year you might be in the chorus. Our guy who is playing Pippin. He was in our chorus last year. Our woman who played Golde last year, this year is in our chorus.

It’s kind of nice, too, to know that you’re not ever going to be stereotyped into a lead or a chorus member. You are going to be cast into a part that fits you best. That’s the hardest thing is making those casting decisions. But in the end what I think it does is build a stronger group when we realize no matter how small or how large the part is it essential to the success of the show.

Mike: Is it hard working with a wide range of performers?

Rob: It’s not hard at all. I love it. They love it. They see it as an opportunity to build each other up. It’s obvious that we have a mix of professionals and also college theater music majors and a couple who have never done a show before. I really believe that our people are great about building each other up. Those who have more experience help out the younger ones. Those who have less experience work really hard to improve. They make great strides. The talent level goes towards the top. They don’t come down. They move to the top of the group which is great to see.

Laura: So how do children or young people get involved with theater? Coming to camps and things like that?

Rob: In Fairfax County in particular, the schools have a very strong theater program. I taught in the middle schools and directed some stuff in the high schools in Fairfax. The school I was at we had two drama teachers in middle school. Unfortunately in Prince William County they don’t quite have the degree of opportunity, the kids don’t. What I’m finding in this area is they are coming to me somewhat raw, especially if they are high schoolers. They haven’t done a whole lot of drama whereas in Fairfax where St. Mark’s is in Vienna, they had a lot more experience.

We just started up Summer camps. We’re running a Camp Broadway currently. We’ll be running Drama Boot Camp in a couple weeks. We’re trying to get them started a little bit younger. There’s also some good programs in the area. Center for the Arts in Manassas and some other places do offer these camps. But unfortunately the schools in the Prince William area just don’t have the type of opportunities that they do in Fairfax. So I think that this theater ministry in some ways is much more valuable here than it was even in Vienna because the kids don’t have the opportunity. We’re opening up new avenues for them to discover their giftedness and to use their giftedness. Some kids are discovering it. Some are even going on to pursue it in college because of the involvement they’ve had in the theatre ministry.

Laura: I guess just to follow up. You were talking about more opportunities up in Fairfax County schools rather than Prince William County schools. Is that just a lack because people don’t think it’s necessary or budget issues?

Rob: I don’t know. Are you going to interview the Superintendent of Prince William County Schools? I hope I don’t get in trouble for this. He’s new so it’s not his fault. Woodbridge High School does have a strong program. They do something different in Prince William. The high schools are specialized. They have a specialized performing arts school in Woodbridge. So Woodbridge is packed. They have the best in terms of instructors and such. But what happens is the other schools get kind of the short end of the stick.

So if a kid wants to go to school and be involved in drama on the side they wouldn’t have that same type of opportunity. Not everybody knows in eighth grade if they want to go to a performing arts school. I didn’t take one drama class in high school. My first drama class was in college and I was a theater major. I didn’t discover I wanted to do drama until my senior year in high school. I was involved in all the shows behind the scenes as an extracurricular activity, not as a class.

So I think that’s part of the problem. There just isn’t enough emphasis on the arts. I just really encourage the folks in Prince William to make that happen. I think we’re missing out. I think that, too, taking a drama class doesn’t mean you have to go out and use it as an actor. I have found that drama has helped me to be a better communicator. To be better at giving talks in front of groups. Better with working with people as an ensemble. Better listening skills. There are so many life skills that are taught through drama that I just think it’s a valuable program to be starting as early as the middle schools and earlier.

Mike: Tell us how people can get tickets for Pippin.

Rob: Ok. This year we have our own website: www.allsaintsyouthministry.org. If you go on that website you can just click on tickets for Pippin. You can buy tickets online through PayPal. Or, you can call and make phone reservations at 703-393-2141 Ext. 400. There’s a ticket reservation line. Or you can stop by 9300 Stonewall Road which is All Saints Church and between nine and five there’s someone here always selling tickets. There’s a lot of ways to get tickets. I would encourage folks to call or go online to buy tickets or come in person before the actual show date. We do have a history of selling out our performances. So I would hate for anyone to get stuck. If you do come on the show date, get here an hour early and put your name on the wait list. We do release unpaid for tickets about a half hour before the show, for those who have come the day of.

Mike: Well, thank you very much for talking with us, Rob.

Rob: Thank you. It was great. I really enjoyed it.

Laura: And now, on with the show.