FROM THE ARCHIVES
Show People: There's No People Like 'Em, Part Two
Note: The following post was written after a weekend in February 2013, when Sacramento Theatre Company brought together a cast of professional actors to rehearse and perform a staged reading of A Little Princess, as part of the development of that show for a full production a few months later.
Erik Daniells (Music Director), Jerry Lee (Captain Crewe), Josh Powell (Carrisford), and Michael DaSouza (Ram Dass), working on a musical scene.
For the past few days I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wonderful group of theater people. A producer who cares about the show and backs that up with a significant investment of time and resources. Professional Equity actors who give every bit as much attention to their work on our show as they would to working on a Broadway contract. Local actors who respect the work, respect each other, and respect the process; who bring an eagerness to dive right into the material and make it their own. Young teenage actresses who are polished, creative, and talented enough to guarantee the future of musical theater for years to come.
Devon Hayakawa (playing Ermengarde) and the rest of the girls rehearse a scene.
I watched them as they gave all of their talents to the process of creating our show. There was much to accomplish in a very short amount of time. They didn’t get many breaks, and what they did get they often spent reviewing their lines and music on their own. Many of them came to these rehearsals directly from other jobs. The girls came directly from school, and I have no idea when they managed to complete homework. A few came directly from the airport after having traveled on three different flights over the course of several hours. Surely they were exhausted. Surely they were hungry. But none of them gave any hint of weariness, and all of them gave their all.
Me, with the two actresses who doubled in the title role of Sara Crewe, Alyssa Middleton and Lauren Metzinger.
Nice people to work with. And so nice to be working with them in an environment where the political correctness of the usual corporate workday world could be ignored; an environment where, when things got tough, a hug would be an acceptable and appreciated gesture.
Deborah Tranelli was glorious in the role of Miss Minchin.
Trouble was … nothing went wrong. Three days of focused, creative work with nary a bit of tough times.
I hugged ‘em anyway.