The second half of my tour experience was punctuated by actors trying their best to remain professional while dealing with the challenges of losing and gaining cast members, powering through successive one-nighters, a manager imposing his authority as opposed to earning it, and facing the inevitable end to any contract- unemployment.
The incredibly talented man who played our lead for the first part of our run did what incredibly talented people always do- booked another job. He left us somewhere in California and his understudy was thrust into the role. The process of working the two of them and the new chorus member in and out of the show seemed eternal, and the poor, ten-person chorus was put through their paces, re-staging the show for 9 of them, 8 of them, 7 of them, and, the most dreaded incarnation, 6 of them. At a certain point the need for rehearsal was rendered unnecessary and codes like, “ ‘A’ blocking for 3 and 3,” was the only thing that stage management needed to utter in order for each of them to incorporate the myriad of individual changes that made each incarnation of the show look great. As the company rep, I did my best to familiarize myself with our contract and handbook, communicate information that affected the production as a whole as well as individuals, and dole out hugs whenever and wherever they were needed. There was a time when I felt overwhelmed by the constant dissatisfaction felt by the acting company, and then one day I realized it wasn’t that everyone was unhappy, it was that a different person was unhappy every day. In that instant, my role became so clear- help people recognize when they simply needed a friendly ear versus when they needed to pursue action up the chain of command. After that, I was always willing to hear my cast mates out, and navigate the emotions inevitably attached to each situation and get to the root of the problem. However, there was one little snag. While I expected easily resolvable and ultimately small issues to come up every day, including my own, our company manager was reporting these momentary bouts of unhappiness as attacks against himself and therefore, the producing company. This lead to a very misguided and one sided picture of the acting company being reported to our producer, which lead to hurt feelings on his part after working very hard on this project, which lead to a very negative and disparaging speech being made by him to us a few, very short hours before our final performance. Amends have been made, and I hope that the only long term affects of this negative situation were lessons learned by all parties involved. In the very least, it was a lesson learned by me. Whenever things were difficult you could catch at least one of us saying, at least we have Dayton. We spent two weeks in a hotel and not on a bus, frequenting the local eateries and pubs, and using the time on our hands to do some projects of our own. Some of my cast mates even made a horror movie! The service at the hotel was sublime. After being caught by the night manager video-taping a submission in one of the ballrooms at 1:00 in the morning, he laughed and winked every time I saw him thereafter, and the valet guys drove us all over town happily chatting about the merits of Dayton, OH. I tried my first attempt at a fundraising event in the form of a cabaret hosted by a drag queen, and it created some major stress, but all of that disappeared the moment our accompanist hit his first downbeat. We had a blast that night, and despite the charity forbidding us to use their name in any of the advertising because the event was taking place in a bar, our drag queen host had to be replaced last minute because she had to go to the hospital with another drag queen, and there were strippers (yes, strippers) scheduled for the same night, we raised almost $300 from the local gays who were probably only expecting to drink and maybe hook-up with a cute stranger (the main objective of any single person in a bar, not just the gays, marriage equality now!) My ‘ship friends’ who have never done a truck and bus always ask me how a terrestrial tour compares, and I consistently answer, “it’s just like being on a ship, except you can use your cell phone.” Much of your autonomy is lost, therefore interpersonal issues are magnified, having a kitchen or a single room feels like having a piece of heaven all to yourself, no one has any secrets (or they were really good at keeping them from me), and every day feels like a week, every week feels like a month, and after it’s over you feel the need to sleep for a very long time.
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Shake and Twist April 12, 2011 by Brian SharpcloseAuthor: Brian Sharp Name: Brian Sharp
Email: briansharp@daytoncitypaper.com ‘All Shook Up’ premieres at Victoria Theatre By Brian P. Sharp The cast of "All Shook Up" Victoria Theatre just couldn’t help falling in love with their April 5 premiere of the touring production of All Shook Up, a musical based on a book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) featuring the songs of Elvis Presley. Certainly the songs are the focus of the show, but the story attached to them leads you through. It’s certainly the kind of show that you can sing and dance along with. The lady sitting beside me with her daughter kept threatening to dance. We saw a lot of movement on the stage that opened with “Jailhouse Rock,” featuring weight lifting dancers and a central figure that loved to move his hips. The show takes place in Smalltown, U.S.A., circa 1955 with a very conservative mayor. It tells a sweet and comical story of what happens when “a rolling roustabout with a song in his soul and an eye for the ladies” rolls into town on his motorcycle with a guitar slung over his leather jacket. He stops into town to get his motorcycle repaired, but he finds more than a mechanic and he leaves quite a mark on the town, himself. A soda shop has a jukebox that hasn’t worked in years, until he touches it. He quickly learns that there are no public displays of affection in Smalltown, and certainly no interracial dating. We meet the “nerd” that is secretly in love with one of the girls. We meet the husband that is still grieving the loss of his wife and missing the love that is around him, and the mayor that is too stubborn to see love in the air for herself. There are some quick onstage costume changes that take place in a whirl and somehow we end up with nearly everyone wearing blue suede shoes. This is not the show to see for an in-depth storyline full of drama. This is the show to come to for a night of foot tapping, sing-along fun that will make you smile. Some may call it “fluff.” I call it a night of musical theatre where you don’t have to think. You can just sit back and enjoy. Matt Kopec, a member of the ensemble with ties to Dayton has fond memories of performing on the Victoria stage. Matt was a Muse Machine member and last performed in On the Town his senior year in high school. “Those days with Muse Machine were instrumental in my development,” he said. “Nat Horne was my hero!” After leaving high school and the Muse Machine, Matt attended Wright State and after graduation joined a cast on a cruise ship. Before joining the cast of All Shook Up, he worked in a summer stock program. “One of the highlights of being back in Dayton is being with my family, being on the Victoria stage again and reliving memories that gave me my beginning,” he said. Brian Kess, who plays the part of Chad, just took the role last month. Having been in the ensemble and working as the understudy for Chad, Brian got to move into this role after the previous cast member moved to another touring show. “My favorite number in the show is ‘C’mon Everybody,’” he said. “One of the toughest parts of touring has been life on the bus, but this is the last stop on our tour, then it’s back to New York to look for new opportunities.” Brooke Aston plays Sylvia, the soda shop owner. Early in life she was a flute player and eventually put down the flute to start singing. She has fond memories of performing at the Derby Dinner Playhouse and the Hollywood Bowl. She commands the stage and belts out her ballad in Act II, but, she said, “I was very shy when I was little.” Other strong performances came from Khristy Chamberlain in the part of Natalie Haller/Ed; Caitlyn Renee plays the part of Lorraine; Alex Herrera in the part of Dean Hyde; and Ben Martin plays the part of Dennis. All Shook Up mixes a little bit of Shakespeare with a whole lot of “The King” and guarantees you will want to lace up your own blue suede shoes. To purchase tickets, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Ticket Center Stage box office, located in the Schuster Performing Arts Center. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Reach DCP theatre critic Brian P. Sharp at theatre@daytoncitypaper.comhttp://www.daytoncitypaper.com/?p=4510 ALL SHOOK UP: A Broadway Success Story? You bet!
March 18, 2011 / Posted by TRW The success of the current ALL SHOOK UP National Tour is another great feather in this much storied show’s blue suede cap. Produced by the Prather Entertainment Group (PEG), the tour is currently on a 50-city run that’s been SRO from New York to California. The PEG tour rolls-out a stellar production to showcase an immensely talented cast of twenty who gamely deliver ALL SHOOK UP‘s irresistible Elvis songs matched with Joe DiPietro‘s rapid-fire riff on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Like the regional, community and school productions that came before it, the PEG tour is earning rave reviews. ALL SHOOK UP, one of a wave of Jukebox Musicals that crested in New York and London in the 2000′s, hit Broadway in 2005, with break-out performances from Cheyenne Jackson and Jenn Gambatese. Broadway, and the West End perfected the Jukebox Musical phenom in the first decade of the new century and it’s no wonder. Depending on your definition of what is now an widely recognized genre of Musical Theatre, no fewer than 40 new Jukes were launched in the ‘ots! From 2001′s LOVE, JANIS to the just-closed FELA!, musicals featuring the assembled songs of beloved artists or eras have become a defining part of the modern Musical Theatre landscape. ALL SHOOK UP played for over 200 performances during its Broadway run. Not a long run by Broadway’s measure, but very effective indeed for propelling the show into a new theatrical orbit! The appeal of the Elvis music is pure magic and with a hilarious, romantic and endlessly clever book by DiPietro (MEMPHIS), the show is achieving a new success, especially with schools and community theatres. ALL SHOOK UP is now enjoying its 5th year of licensing with TRW. Catch the PEG tour in one of these upcoming cities and get in on the fun and excitement of ALL SHOOK UP! March 22, 2011 Charlestown, WV March 23, 2011 Mansfield, OH March 25, 2011 Morristown, NJ March 26, 2011 West Point, NY March 27, 2011 Bayside, NY March 29, 2011 Rockford, IL March 30, 2011 Elyria, OH March 31, 2011 Byron Center, MI April 1-2, 2011 Aurora, IL April 3, 2011 La Crosse, WI April 5-17, 2011 Dayton, OH http://www.theatricalrights.com/blog/2011/03/18/all-shook-up-a-broadway-success-story-you-bet/ My dear friend, who I assume is the sole reader of this blog, told me last week that I need to write more. So as I reach the halfway point on my tour with PEG’s national tour of All Shook Up I am writing this one just for Josh. Our first week was spent in New Jersey and Pennsylvania which meant that our shows were within striking distance of much of my extended family on my Father’s side. So coordinating tickets and communicating schedules pushed me to the limits of my social networking capabilities. Happily, my two cousins who are closest in age to me managed to trek down to Uniontown to see the show. They admitted to me that they were a little late getting to the theater and I laughed because so was the cast bus! About an hour and half outside of town our bus got a flat tire and we were stranded by the side of the road. A service truck was called along with the crew bus driver, who was put on alert that he may have to come find us. As the driver of the service truck worked on our little problem, the time ticked by for what seemed like eons. For some reason the tow truck was unable to fix our issue immediately so the crew bus was called and arrived back at our bus at precisely the same moment as our crew’s bus. The tire was changed, but we arrived at the theater fifteen minutes after the curtain was supposed to go up! It was hectic, but at least my family didn’t miss a moment and I got to spend some time with them after the show was done. The following week included some blissful time off in Colombus, OH and Birmingham, AL where I was able to reunite with some dear friends and head to some of my favorite tourist attractions. However, dear reader, you will have to click over to http://adventuresinbrookeland.weebly.com to hear about my time there. If there is one thing this tour has taught me it is that I know someone everywhere! I had two awesome reunions the last week of January one planned one a surprise, both unofficially adopted siblings from one of my many past lives. Desiree has been teaching in Mississipi for about two years and seems to be doing wonderfully. Jeremy moved back to South Carolina, and despite the fact that he prefers tall girls, under 20, who are skinny enough for him to climb up there rib cage like a ladder, I love my little brother from Young American’s to pieces. It was fantastic to be able to share what my life has become, a series of hotels and groups of people spontaneously breaking out into song and choreographed dance, with each of them! . And then there was Florida. Blissful, five days at one hotel, heavenly, some rehearsal, relaxing, fun venues, warm - Florida. That was when I really got to settle into the show and reaffirmed that I love this role, this crew, and this cast. Oh and I went to Disneyworld - FOR FREE!!! After that you could say the crazy travel portion of our tour commenced and is still happening. Thankfully, we have had some evenings off in incredible towns like Dallas and Davenport. There was a three story water slide in the hotel in Topeka, I got to see a friend from YA’s do a production of All Shook Up at Circa 21, and, best of all, I reconnected with Josh, the inspiration for this blog, on a side trip to Austin. Every time things get difficult, my back hurts from being on the bus for so long, or I get no sleep because we have a 4:45 a.m. bus call, or our lead quits the show and we have to add rehearsals in the towns that I, inevitably, know people in, I wrap myself in the warm blanket that is the fact that I get to do a musical, and travel all over this incredible country!
Six more weeks. Hello Friends!
So here is a detailed list of all of the cities I will be in. The humor is that I lifted this off of one of my talented castmate's website and her name also happens to be Brooke! I hope you'll take the time to visit her site sometime at www.BrookeRobyn.com I hope that this tour brings me close to many of my wonderful friends!!! 1/13/11: Johnston, PA 1/14/11: Uniontown, PA 1/15/11: New Brunswick, NJ 1/16/11: York, PA 1/18/11: Owensboro, KY 1/20/11: Montgomery, AL 1/21/11: Vicksburg, MS 1/25/11 - 1/26/11: Newberry, SC 1/27/11: Niceville, FL 1/28/11 - 1/30/11: Delray Beach, FL 1/31/11: Belle Glade, FL 2/1/11: West Palm Beach, FL 2/2/11: Ft. Myers, FL 2/3/11: Deerfield Beach, FL 2/4/11: Ft. Pierce, FL 2/5/11: Boca Raton, FL 2/6/11: Hollywood, FL 2/8/11: Eatonton, GA 2/9/11 - 2/10/11: Macon, GA 2/11/11: Maryville, TN 2/13/11: El Paso, TX 2/14/11: Alto, NM 2/17/11: Baton Rouge, LA 2/18/11: Shreveport, LA 2/19/11: Alma, AR 2/22/11: Brownsville, TX 2/25/11: Davenport, IA 3/1/11: Grand Forks, ND 3/3/11: Butte, MT 3/5/11: Lancaster, CA 3/6/11: Santa Clarita, CA 3/7/11: Arroyo Grande, CA 3/9/11: Queen Creek, AZ 3/11/11: Topeka, KS 3/12/11: Des Moines, IA 3/13/11: Grand Rapids, MN 3/15/11: Oskaloosa, IA 3/16/11: Muncie, IN 3/18/11 - 3/20/11: New Haven, CT 3/22/11: Charleston, WV 3/23/11: Mansfield, OH 3/25/11: Morristown, NJ 3/26/11: West Point, NY 3/27/11: Bayside, NY (click here to purchase tickets - comps are unavailable for this venue) 3/29/11: Rockford, IL 3/30/11: Elyria, OH 3/31/11: Byron Center, MI 4/1/11 - 4/2/11: Aurora, IL 4/3/11: La Crosse, WI 4/5/11 - 4/17/11: Dayton, OH Although not performing in the following cities, Brooke will be travelling through them and would love to see you if you're in town! 1/17/11: Columbus, OH 1/19/11: Nashville, TN 1/22/11 - 1/23/11: Birmingham, AL 2/7/11: Bunnell, FL 2/15/11: Canadian, TX 2/16/11 & 2/20/11: Dallas, TX 2/21/11: San Antonio, TX 2/23/11: Denton, TX 2/24/11: Topeka, KS 2/27/11 & 3/14/11: Minneapolis, MN 2/28/11: Fargo, ND 3/2/11: Miles City, MT 3/4/11: Cedar City, UT 3/10/11: Tucumari, NM 3/17/11 & 3/28/11: Youngstown, OH 3/21/11: Hagerstown, MD 3/24/11: Bloomsburg, PA 4/4/11: Chicago, IL Today I am sitting in Heine Brother's in Louisville, KY, and tomorrow I will be rehearsing a show in New York City. I have spent so much time auditioning in New York city that the studios where most auditions are held, have become a second home to me. You can ask at the front desk where the best lunch spots are near Ripley Grier or Chelsea but my favorite spots are better. Perhaps you need to find the bathroom so that you can change only to realize that there is a dedicated changing room at Chelsea studios, well, I have been there done that. For the next ten days i will be locked away at Chelsea Studios rehearsing for the tour of All Shook Up, and even after all of these years, starting with a new company still makes me anxious.
The stellar reputation of the theater that I am working for aside, you never know what you are going to get when you walk into a rehearsal space for the first time. The first twenty minutes are always filled with introductions reunions, and games of 6 degrees of separation, and that's even before the official day has begun. Will the stage manager be organized? Will the director be collaborative but decisive? Will these kids just out of college get on my nerves in an hour or a month? Will I live up to the expectations they developed through the audition process? Do I even know how to do a musical? My resume says yes, but my neuroses says maybe, maybe not. Still, I have signed the contract, I can't back out now, and their is no point in worrying about tomorrow, because ready or not, it is coming. My return to New York City has been a series of affirmations. I never think of myself as a positive person, but as one of my friends recently told me, "when you want something, the universe has a way of making it happen." After an audition, a callback, and some negotiations, I am proud to say that I have booked The Prather Entertainment Group's production of All Shook Up.
My schedule takes me all over the country, and I will be knocking at least four states off of the list of places in the US that I haven't visited. Be sure to check out Adventures in Brookeland for lots of restaurants and adventures, and I hope that you will make a trek out to the theater if I am in your neighborhood!!! All Shook Up with Brooke Aston as Sylvia Locations are TBA Check back Only In New York A mini-cabaret Performed by Brooke Aston At: The Duplex 61 Christopher Street (at 7th Ave.) NYC, NY 10014 http://www.theduplex.com/index.shtml When: October 26th at 9:30pm Pre-sale Tickets: $12.00 + 2 Drink Minimum At the Door: $13 (see below) +2 drink minimum 21+ Please buy your tickets using Paypal!!! I must pre-sell 10 tickets by Friday October 22nd. So if I can count on you to make it to the show next Tuesday, please oh please buy your tickets as soon as possible. If you want to use your bank/paypal account tickets are $12.00 (debit cards add $.65) Paypal sales are closed!
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Brooke Aston
Since the age of sixteen my adventures in music have taken me all over the country. After years of bouncing around I've made Orange County my home. Here are my stories. Archives
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