Impossible Things Are Happening Everyday

Rodgers and Hammerstein undoubtedly left a mark on the world of musical theatre. Penning dozens of scores including Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, The King and I, Carousel and South Pacific. Included in this roster of unforgettable, legendary musicals is that of Cinderella.

I had the pleasure of seeing a production of this show on Sunday, and I have to say that the company did a wonderful job! St. Mary's Summerstock is a... well... summerstock program in Southern Maryland for performers under the age of 21 to come audition and put on a show. The show was very well executed on all counts and the talent within the cast was great. Definitely worth travelling out to see. The night I went to watch, the title role and that of Prince Christopher were played by the understudies, Kylie Oosterink and Nicholas Browne. They did a wonderful job! Coincidentally, when I returned to take pictures today, they were playing these roles again, so the following pictures are of the understudies mentioned. I am including 9 photos from the production to tell the story... I hope you enjoy!

Nicholas Browne as Prince Christopher (L) and Kylie Oosterink as Cinderella (R).

From Left to Right: Kylie Oosterink, Rachel Baylor, Alanna Adams, and Alina Stone.

Kylie Oosterink as Cinderella.

Kylie Oosterink (L) and Nicholas Browne (R) waltz at the ball.

Alanna Adams as Grace (L) and Alina Stone as Joy (R).

Nicholas Browne (L) and Kylie Oosterink (R).



Matt Dowdle as Lionel (L), Nicholas Browne (C) and Kylie Oosterink (R).

There are four more chances to see this show! You can call 301-475-4200 Ext. 1800 for more information or to reserve your tickets now! If you do go, I really hope you enjoy the performance as much as I did, and also hope you enjoyed looking through this post! I'll be writing again soon about some other personal undertakings that I am going through that I can't wait to tell you about!

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

No Business Like Show Business

Helloooooooo blogosphere!

I have not written anything on here for quite some time, so this is me checking in. Much has happened over the past month, and I have been relatively busy, but I am here now and that is all that matters.

...Spelling Bee has come to a close after a well-received and successful three weekend run for considerably less-than-packed audiences who made up for the short-coming of turn-out with loads of applause and laughter. This was the review given to us by the folks at ShowBiz Radio.
www.showbizradio.net/2010/06/01/review-tcp-spelling-bee/. Although a few points were assumed and not actually valid, the review is fairly accurate. I would also like to mention that I personally got a great review, which makes me really happy because I had only rehearsed the role for a week and a half. I could not be prouder of my cast for their exceptional review and performances over those few weeks! I will definitely miss you all!

In terms of the whole schpiel with Wildwood Summer Theatre, I did go to the auditions for Merrily We Roll Along, the replacement production for A Chorus Line. I did not end up participating in the show itself, however, because a new and better opportunity had opened up. I was offered the position of Choreographer for a production of Reefer Madness with STROyKA Theatre! This would have to be one of my favorite shows, regardless of it's shortcomings in terms of script and music and overall over-the-top, kitschy theatre. In all honesty, the over-the-top, kitschiness is exactly what makes the show so appealing for me. It requires a lot of energy and something is always happening to keep the audience interested. I also believe that the show itself has reached a platform of being a cult classic, like that of Rocky Horror and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. BUT... another travesty was about to strike. The day after I had choreographed the piece I was going to teach at auditions and e-mailed the director about it, I got an e-mail saying that the rights had been pulled. Foiled, yet again, by technicality! Luckily, I had not been truly and completely attached to the position or the show yet, so it did not kill me inside as much as ACL had. It's still heart-breaking, though, for lack of a better word.

Given all these signs, I have decided to take a bit of a break from auditioning for anything for about 6 months. I'll be graduating in December, so it is probably for the better in order to focus on school and developing a truly KICKASS portfolio and keeping my grades up. Speaking of which, I should be getting my portfolio review paperwork back very soon so keep your fingers crossed that I passed! Please and thanks. Although I may have decided to take a break for auditioning and participating in mainstage performances for a stint, I will probably be spending more time reading and writing, and probably taking some lessons and working on becoming better as an all-around performer. After a recent visit to NYU to stay with my dear friend and sitting in on one of her rehearsals, I realize that I do not work hard enough. I have just as much raw talent, I just have to work to make myself better than everyone else. On a side note, I commend all the people in that studio that day on the work they have put forth so far... I have a lot of faith in your potentially ground-breaking, very interesting original work. While I was visiting, my dearest friend Peggy-Sue Boone... or... Sylvia... or whatever character she is at this moment in time... made a short, silent film. It actually turned out pretty interesting and it was my first experience with filmmaking, which was cool: AKA I really enjoyed it. Maybe it will be posted here soon??? Guess you'll have to check back to find out!

'Til then, PEACE!

sb.imagery