It’s closing day for our production of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” at Portland Center Stage. My heartfelt thanks again to director Rose Riordan, company manager Don Kenneth Mason, and everyone else at PCS who gave me this opportunity and made me feel so welcome. And of course special thanks and hugs to our stage management team, Kelsey-daye Lutz and Stephen Kriz Gardner, and to my sweet and funny fellow actors, Sharonlee Mclean, Carol Halstead, Olivia Negron, Nick Ballard, and Eden Malyn. I’m sorry to see our little family disperse, and will miss magical Portland as well. But it’ll be great to get home to Tim and on to new adventures. Safe travels, all!
AEA Union Members: The AEA Scholarship Voice Program is Back
I’m passing on this information from my terrific and endlessly supportive voice teacher, Eric Michael Gillett, who runs this program. I’ve been a member of the scholarship program for a couple of years now, and it has made a real difference in my singing auditions. If you’re an AEA member and are seeking affordable voice lessons, you really should audition next week!
Auditions Announced for AEA Scholarship Program at Singers Forum
After a brief hiatus, the AEA Scholarship Program at Singers Forum, under the auspices of EMGCollective, which administers the program on behalf of the Singers Forum, has returned to offer scholarships to Actors’ Equity Association members living in the New York City area.
The scholarship, which is a funded endowment, offers subsidized vocal training exclusively to members who apply, audition and are accepted. The subsidy covers almost 50 percent of the voice lesson, including a studio and accompanist. Without regard to age, ethnicity, gender and, for the most part, financial need, the scholarship is offered to qualified applicants to assist them in their quest for successful careers while maintaining the vocal health, strength and flexibility to attain long-term musical goals.
New program members, once accepted, are permanently connected to the scholarship, if they choose. This means a student leaving on tour for a year is welcomed back into the program upon return to the New York City area.
Monday, February 9th from 3:30-7 PM
Thursday, February 12th from 10 AM-6:30 PM
Friday, February 13th from 2 PM-6 PM
Callbacks will be held the week of February 16th
Auditions will be held at
Times Square Arts Center/300 W. 43rd Street, Suite 508
“Being able to study on a regular basis has bolstered my technique as well as my confidence,” said Scott Tucker, a student within the program. “I have been able to work on music and material that would have been difficult to master without the eyes and ears of an amazing teacher, and I’ve been able to set performance goals and meet them.”
To schedule an audition, contact:
Lynn Kearney
E-Mail submissions should include a photo/resume, and should indicate any known conflicts with the listed audition times. Please put “Scholarship Audition Request” in the subject header.
I Received a Carbonell Award Nomination For Best Actor in “The Foreigner”!
I received a wonderful voicemail recently from the fabulous Andrew Kato, wunderkind and Producing Artistic Director of the beautiful Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Andrew wanted me to know that the theatre received a total of 14 nominations for South Florida’s Carbonell Awards. Five of the nominations were for our fall 2014 production of Larry Shue’s wonderfully silly and surprisingly relevant comedy, The Foreigner. And one of the nominations was for me as Best Actor in a Play.
Needless to say, I’m beyond thrilled at this recognition for the production, for my own work, and also for that of my colleagues. Matt Lenz directed us with such grace and wit, Rob Odorisio designed a stunning set that we all wanted to live in, and Matthew Minor was a magical Ellard. We had a great time. And how wonderful to receive this affirmation that we gave our audiences a great time, too!
The ceremony is March 30th down in Florida. I don’t know yet if I’ll be able to make it, but I will certainly try. As they always say, it truly is an honor just to be nominated!
My Audio and Video Interview about Vanya for Portland Radio Project
Here’s another fun bit of PR for my current production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike running at Portland Center Stage through 2/8. This time I’m interviewed by Inessa, Program Director/Music Director for Portland Radio Project, who was a real sweetheart. I’ve had such a good time with all my interviewers here in Portland!
PRP ended up posting a brief video edit of the interview (about 3 minutes), plus a podcast of the entire interview (about 18 minutes). They also include a few fun photos from the production.
Click the image to visit their site, and then you can watch and or listen, as you please! I hope you enjoy it.
Image: Portland Center Stage production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Photo: Patrick Weishampel
New “Vanya and Sonia” Radio Interview on Portland’s Wild Planet
I recently did an interview about Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and my career in general, with Sam, the genial host of Portland’s new gay radio station, Wild Planet. It was fairly early in the day for me, so who knows what I said–it could be very entertaining to tune in and find out!
Click the image to visit Wild Planet’s web site and listen to the interview podcast!
Vanya and Sonia Opens Tonight at Portland Center Stage!
After five previews with great audiences, this is it! Tonight we open our production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Portland Center Stage. This unofficially qualifies as my West Coast stage debut, too.
If you’re in the Porland, OR area, and need an evening of laughs–buy your tickets now! I’m told weekends are already heavily sold.
Break legs, all! Many thanks to director Rose Riordan, our stage management team, company manager Don Mason, and everyone who has helped bring this project to life. It’s been a treat putting together this wacky production, and I’m thrilled that local audiences are eating it up. Click the image to visit the PCS site and order tickets.
See you there!
New “Vanya and Sonia” Interview in PQ Monthly Online
This Friday is opening night for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Portland Center Stage. The previews have been a great learning experience for us all, and we keep playing with little moments to make the production even better. Audiences have been fantastic.
Here’s a link to an interview I gave recently for Portland’s online gay magazine, PQ Monthly. I talk about personal connections and resonances that I explore as Vanya. Enjoy!
Click the image to read the article.
Happy Holidays from the Portland Center Stage Company of Vanya and Sonia!
Happily, order was restored just in time for the holidays. As you can tell from our silly string of holiday photos, we’re having an awful lot of fun putting together Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike here at Portland Center Stage. If you’re in the area, come see us! We play 1/10-2/8 in 2015. Thanks again to PCS for use of the set for their hit production of The Santaland Diaries, and to Kate Szrom for the great photos!
Here’s our happy company, including cast and stage management (our wonderful director, Rose Riordan, is not pictured):
And here’s the cast cutting up one more time:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Holiday Photo Madness for Vanya and Sonia at Portland Center Stage
When we started rehearsals at Portland Center Stage for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike last Tuesday, we were given a tour of the beautiful Gerding Theater (a.k.a. The Armory). They are currently running their seasonal favorite production The Santaland Diaries in the Ellen Bye Studio Theatre in the basement. The minute I laid eyes on the fantastic set, I thought: what a great holiday photo opportunity for the Vanya and Sonia cast! Our fabulous stage manager Kelsey Daye Lutz made inquiries and obtained permissions and assistance from many kind souls, and Kate Szrom even came along to take the photos for us. I love seeing our characters behaving as usual in this utterly foreign and fantastical holiday world.
Here’s a shot where Vanya tries to teach the true meaning of Christmas to sisters Masha and Sonia, as Nina and Cassandra look on, and Spike looks off (maybe at that tempting pond?). Will harmony prevail in time for Christmas Day? Stay tuned!
I’m Starring in “Vanya and Sonia…” at Portland Center Stage in Oregon!
Two days after I returned from starring in a hit 30th Anniversary production of The Foreigner for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, I had an audition. The next day I had a callback. And then….
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be starring as Vanya in Portland Center Stage’s production of Chris Durang’s brilliant Tony-winning comedy, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. I played the role for three months last winter for Asolo Rep, and am so excited to take a completely fresh look at the role and the play with a new director and a new cast and new designers.
Plus, I’ve never been to Portland, or anywhere in that area on the West Coast. I hear fantastic things about it, and can’t wait to explore in my time off. Portland Center Stage has a gorgeous, LEED-certified new home downtown, and my apartment will only be a few blocks away. After all the years I’ve been in this business, this will be the first time I’ve lived and worked downtown in a major city. I can’t wait!
If you’re in the Portland, OR area, I do hope you’ll come to see the show and say hi afterwards. Rehearsals begin 12/16. Previews are January 10-15, 2015, and we open on January 16th. Closing day is February 8th. Hope to see you there! Click the image below to visit the PCS website for tickets and more information.
(Plus, is that a great logo, or what? The more you know the play, the more perfect it is!)