Notes From Nero!!

The Misdirected Theatre Company Returns!

2011-04-04T09:37:00.000-04:00

The Acclaimed Misdirected Theatre Company returns in the Jack Neary follow up to Robin Hood!

The Misdirected Theatre Company Presents:

Featuring:

Margaret: Maggie Nichols

Ozzie: Matt Arnold

Cynthia: Elizabeth Hartford

Larry: Doug Fitzgerald

Jason: Tim Fairley

Warren: Adam Fastman

Directed by:
Coral Ash and Shaine Carney

The Regent TheatreArlington, MA

April 9-10, 10:30am

Mansfield Music and Arts Society Mansfield, MA

April 16, 11:00am & 1:00pm

April 17, 11:00am

Riverside Theatre Works Hyde Park, MA

April 30-May 1, 11:00am

For additional info and tickets please visit http://www.makeshiftheatre.com/

Calling all Ducks!

2011-02-14T17:02:00.002-05:00

Makeshift Theatre Co. is having auditions for the final show of it's 6th season!!

THE UGLY DUCKLING, adapted by Jack Neary.

Makeshift Theatre Co. has been producing high quality and affordable family theatre in the Boston area for the past 6 years.

Please visit us on the web @ www.makeshifttheatre.com.

The Ugly Duckling is the second in Jack Neary's MISDIRECTED THEATRE series, in which a theatre company staff is challenged to put on a scheduled show when the actors don't appear. As usual, this Misdirected telling of the tale is fast, furious and funny, but ultimately very moving as it cleverly addresses the issue of acceptance in society, and the power of love and friendship.

Auditions will be held February 22 from 7-10. They will consist of cold readings from the script.

Rehearsals will be 3 nights a week in March and performances will be weekend days in April (excluding Easter Weekend.)

To schedule an audition time please email a head shot and resume to Artistic Director, Coral Ash @ coral@makeshifttheatre.com

SEEKING:

Larry, the Sound Designer: He hasn't missed a meal in a while. Plays multiple roles.

Cynthia, the Costumer: She is young and pretty, and is charge of the theatre's costumes and props. She plays the story teller.

Warren, the UPS Guy: Warren is young and handsome, dashing-looking. Plays multiple roles.

Jason, the Technical Director: JASON is a very tall and muscular young man, who is incredible shy. Plays the Ugly Duckling.

WWW.MAKESHIFTTHEATRE.COM

Surrender the Booty!!! (Day Two)

2011-01-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

Well folks, a new show is upon us! Full of Buckled swashes, adventure, comedy...PIRATES! And that means we are once again sitting down with our latest cast for a series of interviews. Today we sit down with someone who is no stranger to the Makeshift Family, Mr. Matt Arnold.

So, Matt, tell us a bit about the character you play.
I play two characters throughout the play. Black Dog is a mean, nasty pirate who bullies people to get what he wants. Israel Hands is an equally mean, equally nasty pirate, but he's not terribly bright. My favorite thing about them is that, well, they're pirates! Pirates are definitely in the running to be the coolest thing ever, and it's a lot of fun to play not one, but two.

You've worked with Makeshift before, right?
I've done lots of shows with Makeshift in the past. I've been (in no particular order) three princes, a king, a French guy with a sword, a French Guy with a talking cat, and a bird.

What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do as an actor?
Auditioning. Since we're talking about Treasure Island, I'll compare it to treasure hunting... except instead of a shovel, you're digging with your face. There's a tiny fraction of a chance you'll get what you're after, and it doesn't actually hurt to try, but it's really uncomfortable while you're doing it no matter how much you prepare.

How do you prepare before you go on stage to perform?
Honestly, I don't. I just step on stage and "go." Even with all the lines and blocking and memorization, theatre is so spontaneous that I feel there's not much an actor can do to prepare once the rehearsal process is over. The important thing is to be aware of everything that's going on onstage and to work with it, since no two performances are ever going to be the same.

How do you memorize all those lines?
It just sort of happens as part of rehearsal. If there's a large monologue I need to memorize I'll take a few hours to go over it, then recite it in my head everywhere I go just to be sure, but the "basic" lines come naturally through rehearsal.

Is it hard to learn all the sword fighting?
The hard part isn't learning how to use the sword or even memorizing the fight sequences. The tricky part is keeping total coordination and control during the fight. All the fighters need to be not only aware of themselves, but of each other. If someone messes up it can be a disaster; at best, the fight looks bad. At worst, someone can get hurt. Safety is priority number one.

Makeshift Theatre Co Presents: Treasure Island Opens this February.

For tickets and showtimes please visit http://www.makeshifttheatre.com/

Surrender the Booty!

2011-01-19T13:15:00.000-05:00

No, we're not talking about the truely awesome new theme to Booty Bay in the new World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion (Though lets face it, if Nero had his way, we'd all be hearing about how he spent 4 hours last night with his 85 Worgen Rogue battling his way through Grim Batol only to have his group fall apart right before he could get his fingers on Cho'Gall's Missive. Whatever that is. But Cho'Gall is a bad guy so I suppose his Missive would be something hands should be gotten around. Look, I'm not saying I lied and it was me and my Undead Warlock, but frankly I'm a busy guy and I've got things to do so if you're not going to quest to the end, why even bother in the first place? Stupid PUGs...)

*ahem*

Point is, Makeshift has a new show on the horizon and that show has PIRATES!

YES! Pirates!

And there's an ISLAND. Yes an Island. But unlike more well known islands, this one has TREASURE instead of smoke monsters and mind bending mysteries.

Next month, Makeshift returns with the incredible, exceptional, awe inspiring, totally uber l33t Treasure Island.

Pirates! Booty! Long Johns! Silver! Jims! and Hawkings!

Can you tell we're excited?!

Well we want you to be excited too, so once again, we're sitting down with a cast member for an informative infosession to give you, our faithful readers, a glimpse into the people that make up Makeshift Theatre Co. Today we are sitting down with newcomer Todd Larson.

1) Tell me a bit about the character you play. What do you like about him/her?
Squire Trelawney is a blustery, idealistic and often naive magistrate (a landed gentry landowner type) who organizes and orchestrates the trip to Treasure Island, only to see his fantastic plans go awry when Long John Silver commits mutiny and claims the ship and treasure for himself. I like him because I enjoy playing British gentlemen with thick accents, and I like the fact that he is unusually childlike and daydreamy in his aspirations for his age, therefore vulnerable to critical errors of judgment, which I myself can be at times.

2) What is/was the hardest thing you've ever had to do as an actor? Playing multiple roles as one of the lead actors in The Christus, an annual touring passion play staged by St. Anthony Shrine in Boston. It was hard because of the diversity of characters I had to play (which included the Angel Gabriel, a tax collector, and one of the thieves crucified with Jesus) and the often angry, ranting temperament of the director.

3) What was the most fun you've ever had as an actor?
Studying, analyzing and developing my role of King Henry VIII in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons with minimal direction.

4) How do you prepare before you go on stage to perform?
I thoroughly study my script, making notes of the character's subtext (inner thoughts that accompany the lines) and intentions. I also go over the lines again and again to memorize them as early in rehearsals as possible.

5) What advice would you give to a young person in the audience that might be interested in performing? Project your voice forcefully, put your whole self into your role, and don't be afraid to take risks. Also, study your script thoroughly and carefully.

6) Who are some of your heroes and why?
Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer and Orson Welles, for being my favorite actors of all time; Peter Sellers and Alan Arkin, for being models for versatility in comic acting; and John Houseman, for being an academic and theatrical role model as Professor Kingsfield in The Paper Chase.

7) How do you memorize all those lines?
I go over them several times on the T and during meals, and I write in their subtext to help me understand their context.

Makeshift Theatre Co Presents: Treasure Island Opens this February.

For tickets and showtimes please visit http://www.makeshifttheatre.com/

Calling all Actors!!!!

2010-11-19T11:56:00.001-05:00

Makeshift Theatre Co. seeking actors for it's winter production of

TREASURE ISLAND

Adapted by Jack Neary and Directed by Andrew Rhodes.

Auditions will be held on December 13rd and 15th from 7-10PM

And will consist of a cold reading from the script. Stage combat experience a plus.

Performances will be held February 5th & 6th at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, and at least 3 additional dates in the following 2 weeks.

For directions and to schedule an audition slot please email a copy of your headshot and resume to vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com

ROLES

some actors will be playing multiple roles

Ben Gun: a scrawny, toothless, ragged sailor. Agile, spry, energetic. Cackles when he talks.

Long John Silver: The Epitome of the dastardly pirate Has one leg and walks with a crutch.

Jim: Young boy works in his Mother's pub. Destined for adventure.

Billy Bones: Old, sickly pirate. Clearly on his last legs. (man/woman)

Pew: Tiny weathered seedy looking pirate. Voice like an annoying aunt. (man/woman)

Jim's Mother:Taking care of her son sine the loss of her husband. (man/woman)

Black Dog: another sinister looking alpha male pirate. (man/woman)

Squire Trelawney: A blustery magistrate.

Doctor Livesey: A strong and savvy woman.

George Merry: Pirate, Silver's conniving henchman. (man/woman)

Israel hands: Pirate, Silver's not so bright henchman (man/woman)

Captain Smollett: Stalwart captain of the HISPANIOLA

Lieutenant Gray:Captain Smollett's right hand man. Honest and true sailor. (man/woman)

For more info visit www.makeshifttheatre.com

or email vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Nine)

2010-10-07T09:25:00.000-04:00

Well folks, a new season is upon us! A new season of adventure and comedy. A season a new faces. And to introduce some of those new faces (as well as say hello to some returning ones) we are once again sitting down with our latest cast for a series of interviews. Today we conclude our spectacular series of interviews, chatting with Jessica Barstis.

So, Jessica you're a newcomer to the Makeshift Family! Introduce yourself to everyone!
Hi! I'm Jess Barstis. I grew up outside of Boston and have been in love with theatre ever since my mom forced me to be the crocodile in Peter Pan when I was eight. I've been doing shows ever since. I tend to go towards musicals because I like to be a big cheeseball, but I always enjoy being in plays too, of course! =)
It's my first time with Makeshift, but I absolutely love the company! Everyone's amazingly creative and fun to work with, and it was great how the cast just clicked and started to work off of each other like we have in a relatively short amount of time.

Who do you play in Princess and the Pea?
I play "Cincinatti" Sue Morton. I like the entire sassy dynamic of the band, to be honest, because all three characters together are just way too much fun. I try to bring as much of myself as I possibly can to any character, but I already did see some of myself in her just reading the script- she's a fun loving girl who just wants to rock out to some jazz!

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do as an actor?
I had to learn to trust my first instincts, and not end up overthinking every single little thing a character I was playing might do.

Of all the shows you've been in, what was your favorite and why?
It'll sound silly, but whichever show I am performing in at the time. When I devote so much time and energy to something, I have to really, REALLY be in love with it, because otherwise I get bored (I have the attention span of a goldfish). Plus, every show brings something different to my life, whether it be new friends, a personal lesson learned, of just the overall experience itself.

What do you do before a performance to prepare to go on stage?
I make sure that I'm warmed up and ready to go. Also, I try to get into character and drink lots of water to distract myself from the performance butterflies!

What advice would you give to a young person in the audience who might be interested in theatre?
Never allow yourself to get discouraged. Get involved in shows, classes, whatever you can wherever you can to learn as much as you can, and then put it all to use.

What do you think families should take away from Princess and the Pea?
Be who you are, say what you feel, trust in your heart, and someone will love and respect you for it.

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA

Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Eight)

2010-10-06T09:36:00.001-04:00

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA

Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Seven)

2010-10-05T09:19:00.001-04:00

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA

Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Six)

2010-10-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA

Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Five)

2010-10-01T09:19:00.000-04:00

Well folks, a new season is upon us! A new season of adventure and comedy. A season a new faces. And to introduce some of those new faces (as well as say hello to some returning ones) we are once again sitting down with our latest cast for a series of interviews. I took a few moments to sit down and talk with newcomer Meghan Kenny.

Hi Meghan! You're a newcomer to the Makeshift family, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up way down south in Mississippi/New Orleans and recently moved to East Boston. Some of my favorite shows that I've been in are: A Streetcar Named Desire, Medea, and Dracula

This is your first role with Makeshift, what has the experience been like?
Yes, this is my first time working with Makeshift. I have really enjoyed the rehearsal process and am so excited to be performing with this company. I'm so impressed with how quickly the production has come together. I've learned some new warm ups that are a ton of fun and really enjoyed getting to work with such a great cast and production team.

What role can audiences expect to see you in?
I play Princess Rosalind. I enjoy how crazy and silly Rosalind is. Its so fun to play a character that is so different from myself. The princess and I are both very good at stating our opinion and going out into the world to get what we want, but Rosalind's approach is much more whiny and rude at times. She is also obsessed with getting married which is kind of strange to me but I like that in the end she picks true love.

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do as an actor? The hardest thing I ever had to do as an actor was transform from a normal girl to a crazed vampire on stage. It was really difficult to figure out how to get the vampire fangs in and change my costume while still saying my lines and making the switch look believable.

Of all the shows you've been in, what was your favorite and why? My favorite show that I've performed in is A Streetcar Named Desire. I played Blanche Dubois. This is one of my dream roles. So, I felt very lucky and excited to be cast as Blanche. I really enjoy a good challenge and this role was certainly the biggest challenge I've ever faced on stage. I had a ton of lines and lots of movement to remember. This character went from laughing and joking to screaming and fighting in a matter of minutes. This role really taught me a lot about myself and pushed me to want to act professionally.

What do you do before a performance to prepare to go on stage?
Before a performance I like to run all of my lines in my head to make sure I remember all of entrances and exits. It also important that I take time to do a couple of energetic warm ups to really get my mind and muscles ready to work on stage.

What advice would you give to a young person in the audience who might be interested in theatre?
If you are interested in theatre you should go to an audition and give it a try. Don't give up because you're nervous or unsure. It's best to jump in and give it a try!

What do you think families should take away from Princess and the Pea?
Princess and the Pea is about not settling in life and not judging a book by it's cover. It's important to go for your dreams in life and not let anyone convince you to settle for what they think you want. Also, just because a prince is a prince and a princess is princess doesn't mean that they are all the same. You never know what a person is like until you take a minute to get to know them.

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA

Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

Riverside Theatre Works

617-361-5269

Hyde Park, MA

Saturday October 2

11:00am & 1:00pm

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Four)

2010-09-29T10:54:00.001-04:00

Well folks, a new season is upon us! A new season of adventure and comedy. A season a new faces. And to introduce some of those new faces (as well as say hello to some returning ones) we are once again sitting down with our latest cast for a series of interviews. I took a few moments to sit down and talk with newcomer Danika Wood.

So, Welcome to the Makeshift Family, tell our readers a bit about yourself!
I grew up in Ithaca, New York. I can remember being bitten by the acting bug when I was 6, and auditioned for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Hangar Theatre. I didn't get a role, but my sister did, and I was so jealous of her! But I went on to take classes and perform at various theatres in Ithaca. I was involved with, and for a year was Artistic Director of, Orange Tree Theatre Company, which was made up of kids ages 8-18 only; we did everything ourselves, and I'm very proud of having been a part of it. I received a BFA in acting from Syracuse University, where I played Bardolph in Henry V and Jack's Mother in Into the Woods as well as other roles. When I graduated I moved to New York City, where I lived for the past several years. My most recent role there was The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet.

This is your first show with Makeshift, what has that been like for you?
Having just moved to Boston from New York, this is my first time with Makeshift and I am so glad I got to be a part of this production! It has been a professional and really fun experience! Plus, everyone is not only talented, but so nice!

What role will our audiences see you as when Pricness and the Pea opens this weekend?
I play Queen Margaret of the Northeast Kingdom. It is always fun to play the ruler of a kingdom and imagine all my subjects, and my huge castle, and collection of velvet capes, and the cast-iron footed bathtubs in every bathroom. (No? Just me?) Queen Margaret is very proper and very bossy, and while I myself do not see much of a resemblance, I imagine if you'd asked my brother and sisters when I was, say, 10 years-old, they might disagree.

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do as an actor?
I guess the hardest thing I had to do physically was perform something like 40 shows as a One-Armed Woman in a show called The Dybbuk. I had one arm in a sleeve strapped across my body and tied and a giant puppet in the other hand. To top it off, it was a period show and I was wearing a corset. Unless you've spent time in a corset, I couldn't explain to you the uniquely horrifying aspects. All in all, it was an extraordinarily claustrophobic experience. Luckily the show was beautiful and I was offstage a lot.

Of all the shows you've ever been in , which was your absolute favorite?
I couldn't pick! Each experience brought something different into my experience as an actor, whether it's working with a phenomenal director who inspired me, getting to sing and dance in a favorite musical, perform Shakespeare for the first time, or play a man and speak French.

How do you prepare before you step on stage?
I always warm up my body and my voice so that they're ready for anything. And then I always drink too much water, so I end up visiting the restroom a few times.

What advice would you give to a young person in the audience who might be interested in theatre?
There are so many classes out there right now for young people, in acting, singing, probably design and directing too, just get out there! If you're not finding what you need out there, you can always create it! I was involved with a theater company who had no one over the age of 18. Get involved in everything you can, at school, community theatre, local theatres; especially at this point every experience is valuable. Also make sure you go see a lot of theater, as much as you can. I remember seeing King Lear when I was 13, and I didn't understand one whit of it, but believe it or not I am still inspired by it today.

What do you think families should take away from Princess and the Pea?
It doesn't matter whether you are a Princess or a Tailor or anyone in between, what matters is who you are inside. Love, especially, doesn't know any titles or status and when you love someone, you should love her completely, no matter who she is or where she comes from.

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA
Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

Riverside Theatre Works

617-361-5269

Hyde Park, MA

Saturday October 2

11:00am & 1:00pm

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Three)

2010-09-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

Well folks, a new season is upon us! A new season of adventure and comedy. A season a new faces. And to introduce some of those new faces (as well as say hello to some returning ones) we are once again sitting down with our latest cast for a series of interviews. I took a few moments to sit down and talk with

a returning face familiar to Makeshift audiences, the lovely and talented Jes Corbo.

So, Jes, tell our readers a bit about yourself.
I'm Jes Corbo, and I am from Boston. A few of the shows I have been in are Midsummer Night's Dream, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

This isn't your first show with Makeshift, you've become something of a regular for our audiences, am I right?
This is my fourth show with Makeshift. Did any of you see Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, or The Emperors New Clothes? I love Makeshift and the big fast funny sort of acting we do. Theatre that speaks to children in their language is something I really believe in. I didn't know how much I loved theatre until I was in high school, so I think I missed out a little. If I was bitten by the theatre bug at a younger age, maybe I would have been able to play one of the kids in Mary Poppins, or even Annie! hehe.

So, what role do you play in Princess?
I play Princess Kate. I like her because even though she is a princess she is still very down to earth and she doesn't let her royal position change her personality. I definitely see a bit of myself in Princess Kate. She loves, fights for the truth, and let's her true self show no matter who's watching.

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do as an actor?
Without fail, every part I have ever had, I run into an unexpected obstacle. I am happy I do, because that is how I grow as an actor. I have only had to learn choreography a few times before, so stretching that puny little muscle of mine has been one of my Princess and the Pea challenges.

Of all the shows you've been in, what was your favorite and why?
This is a tough question. I think Midsummer Night's Dream was my favorite show. I love Shakespeare and this play is just so funny and full of fantasy and the relationships between the couples are so rich. There is a lot for an actor to do when working on Shakespeare. I am reminded of Helena and her struggles when I play Princess Kate.

What do you do before a performance to prepare to go on stage?
I try to get as warmed up as possible, my voice and my body need to feel very loose so that when it's time to start, I can use those things as my tools to tell this awesome story. Also, WATER. So important. For two weeks before a show, I drink as much water as I can. That's when it's important, the water I drink back stage isn't going to really help me stay hydrated, it's all that water I drink before hand.

What advice would you give to a young person in the audience who might be interested in theatre?
You got to be strong and remember that it's going to be a lot of work, but if you couldn't see yourself doing anything else and being happy, do it. If you feel that way about it and you don't let anything stop you, you will have a great career in theatre. Remember though, you're gonna need a day job :).

What do you think families should take away from Princess and the Pea?
Follow your heart.

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MA
Sunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

Riverside Theatre Works

617-361-5269

Hyde Park, MA

Saturday October 2

11:00am & 1:00pm

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day Two)

2010-09-27T10:12:00.002-04:00

Well folks, a new season is upon us! A new season of adventure and comedy. A season a new faces. And to introduce some of those new faces (as well as say hello to some returning ones) we are once again sitting down with our latest cast for a series of interviews. I took a few moments to sit down and talk with Michael Riffle.

So, Mike, tell our audience a bit about yourself.
I live in Brighton, but I was born in Cleveland OH. I spent three years in Houston TX and four in Rochester, NY. I've done many shows in the area including "Three Days of Rain" with IDS, and "Music from a Sparkling Planet" with Happy Medium.

Is this your first time with Makeshift?
No, my first show with Makeshift was this spring. I played Jason/Little John/Sir Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood. I'm playing Prince Archibald. I enjoy the "Prince Charming" style character, because it's so easy to play around with. I'm not sure I see any of myself in the character, but I do like to pretend to be dashing and romantic.

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do as an actor?
I was in a rehearsal for Killer Joe, by Tracy Letts, and I was asked to recount the worst breakup I'd ever had (which at the time was fairly recent) and then when I was thoroughly charged with my own emotion I was made to do the scene. It works really well, but it definitely doesn't feel very good.

Of all the shows you've been in, what was your favorite and why?
Killer Joe, easily, the director was crazy (in a good way) and demanded an epic amount of devotion from his actors. We were forced (often against our will) to delve deeper and deeper into the characters. I think I gave one of my best performances in that show, and I enjoyed it immensely, especially the parts I hated during the process.

What do you do before a performance to prepare to go on stage?
I usually do a series of stretches and vocal warmups before a performance, but before each time I step on stage I try to think of "the moment before". It's a pretty standard acting exercise. You think about the scene you're about to do, and then you think about what must have come before that scene, and you play that through your head just before you walk out onto the stage. If the performance starts before the audience can see or hear you then there's no chance that they're going to see you out of character.

What advice would you give to a young person in the audience who might be interested in theatre?
The number one thing is to just BE INVOLVED. Get involved in a show you're interested in, and even if you can't get a role, be involved backstage - learn the ins and outs of the theatre world. Another big tip, which I often fail to follow but is really important, be punctual and be present. Arriving early to a rehearsal gives you time to get settled so that when it's time to start you're already ready to go, and not just getting into the room.

What do you think families should take away from Princess and the Pea? What is it's moral/meaning so to speak?
I think the biggest thing in the show is the importance of love, whether it be familial ties or marriage, love, trust, and respect are invaluable. King Irving learns to respect Archie's wishes, Archie learns to trust Kate, and all the characters learn that love is the backbone of marriage whether you're rich or poor, famous or unknown.

The Princess and the Pea is performing throughout October. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre

781-646-4898

Arlington, MASunday October 17th 1:00pm

Saturday October 23 10:30am

Riverside Theatre Works

617-361-5269

Hyde Park, MA

Saturday October 2

11:00am & 1:00pm

The Interviewer and the Pea (Day One)

2010-09-24T09:24:00.001-04:00

The Regent Theatre
781-646-4898
Arlington, MASunday October 17th 1:00pm
Saturday October 23 10:30am

Riverside Theatre Works
617-361-5269
Hyde Park, MA
Saturday October 2
11:00am & 1:00pm

Welcome to a New Season!

2010-09-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

Greeting Friends and Neighbors!

Well it's been a while but boy do we sure have some exciting news for you! I hope you all enjoyed your summer and are looking forward to a beautiful Autumn here in Boston. I for one plan to get some apple picking in soon!

But before we load up on tangy Cortlands and sweet Red Delicious, I'm sure you'd like to hear a bit about all the exciting things that have been happening in the last few months.

Our very own amazing Kristin Boucher has sent us a brand spanking new poster for our season opener, The Princess and the Pea, adapted by our long time friend, Noah Smith. Now this is an exciting show folks, and our friend Caitlin Stewart-Swift returns to direct. Caitlin previously directed two of my favorite shows, Hansel & Gretel as well as last season's Emperor's New Clothes.

Familiar faces: Matt Arnold (Sleeping Beauty), Michael Riffle (Robin Hood), Jesica Corbo (Alice in Wonderland), Tim Fairley (Emperor's New Clothes) and Victoria Townsend (Emperor's New Clothes) are joined by brand new cast members Danika Wood, Meghan Kenny, Jessica Barstis, and Tim O'Connor in this all new tale of humor, romance, peas and princesses!

Performances are October 2nd at Riverside Theatre Works in Hyde Park; and October 17th and 23rd at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. For times and Tickets please visit our web site!

But that's not all, friends! We have a whole new season lined up for you, including a brand new adventure, Treaure Island this winter! Pirates! Treaure! Peg Legs! X Marks the Spot in this thrilling tale of adventure and buckle swashing!

And don't forget! This spring, the world renound Misdirected Theatre Company returns with their thrilling sequel to Robin Hood. Ozzie, Larry, Cynthia, Jason and Margaret return to bring us Jack Neary's beautiful tale of a very Ugly Duckling.

Whew! That's a lot of new stuff, isn't it? I know what you're saying, they can't possibly have anything MORE exciting than Pirates and Ducks and a Princess with a Perpetually Persnickity Pea Problem.

Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Yes there's a rumor bouncing around the Makeshift Offices and this time it has nothing to do with Nero's obsession with calling everyone "His Precious" since Lord of the Rings Online went Free-to-Play the other day.

Would you like a hint? I'm sure you would. I'm not really supposed to say anything because it's still being designed....

But... Since you've been such wonderful friends of Makeshift for so many years. I'll give you a sneek peek:

There's a BRAND NEW WEB SITE on it's way!!!

It's still being developed, but as you can see, we at Makeshift are very excited about this season. Come join us for what is sure to be a thrilling and amazing new season of adventure!

Hope to see you there!!!

Announcing our New Season AND a new Audition Notice!

2010-08-10T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well Friends and Neighbors we Hope You're Enjoying Your Summer!

We sure are! And we wanted to take a break from all the fun in the summer sun to announce our new season!

That's right! Makeshift is back with Two Brand New Shows and the return of a fan favorite!

This Fall we're back with The Princess and The Pea, adapted by our friend, Noah Smith.

In the winter we return with Treasure Island and then, in the spring, Ozzie, Larry, Margaret, Cynthia and Jason return with Jack Neary's: The Misdirected Theatre Company Present: The Ugly Duckling.

It's shaping up to be a fantastic season and we hope to see you all there!

For now, though, Auditions!

We are seeking 3 Male and 6 Females for our upcoming production of The Princess And The Pea;

Adapted by Noah Smith and Directed by Caitlin Stewart-Swift.

Performances will be held October 17th and 23rd at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, and October 3rd at 10am and 2pm at Riverside Theatreworks in Hyde Park.

Auditions will be held on August 23rd and 24th from 7-10PM

And will consist of a cold reading from the script.

For directions and to schedule an audition slot please email a copy of your headshot and resume to vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com

Princess and the Pea

Jim - A Voice of Reason, a peasant, the tailor contracted to make the dress for the “bride to be” Princess Rosalind.

King Irving, of the Western Kingdom- A marriage obsessed royal father, who is determined to marry his son off to the princess of his choice

Princess Rosalind, of the Southern Kingdom- A marriage crazed princess who is betrothed to Prince Archie though he has not even met her.

Prince Archie, of the Western Kingdom- A genuine nice guy and prince who is determined to find the love of his life and marry her. He is not going along with the idea of marrying the princess of his father’s choosing.

Princess Kate, of the Northeast Kingdom- A princess in search of true love, who runs away from her own kingdom and a prince she refuses to marry. A free spirited, independent princess who falls in love with Prince Archie

Queen Margaret, of the Northeast Kingdom- The mother of Princess Kate, stuck in her ways like King Irving, who is chasing after her run away daughter. She is determined to have Princess Kate marry the Prince of her choosing.

The Western Kingdom Swingers Orchestra Composed of:- A humorous trio of Jazz musicians

Ann “Kansas City” Murphy: Clarinet- Leader of the Jazz band.

Sue “Cincinnati” Morton: Conductor- The straight man of sorts.

Polly “Poughkeepsie” Snodgrass: lead triangle- Master of the Synonym, a verbose cat, and clown.

For more info visit www.makeshifttheatre.com

or email vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com

Another Season, Another Summer.

2010-05-02T23:26:00.000-04:00

Well, Makeshift Friends and Neighbors, another summer is upon us and another season is behind us. And while those of us at MTC are taking the time to relax in the sun, break out the grill, dust off our wiffle balls, and apparently boil all our water, we want to thank each and every one of you for supporting us this year.

Our fifth season began with a new stage, a lot of new faces, and ended with the return of one of our most beloved shows, Robin Hood.

We began our season away from our traditional home at the Coolidge Corner Theater, and moved to the beautiful stages of the Regent Theater in Arlington, and the Next Door Theatre in Winchester. There were many changes that awaited us this season. Nero, our trusty intern, traveled to Merry old England, Princes were trapped in towers, Emperors pranced around in their underwear, and we welcomed our good (albeit unreliable) friends at the Misdirected Theatre Company.

Our First show, Rapunzel was a musical variation on the classic fairy tale. Directed by Shaine Carney and introducing Molly Hass-Hoven, Christine Walsh and Patrick Hughes, Rapunzel brought together new and returning members of the Makeshift family. It included Laureen Evans, Kristin Boucher and Vincent Morreale, all returning from previous seasons.

As the cold of winter set in, we naturally thought it best to have me prance around in long underwear (and very little else) as the fashion savvy Emperor Pantaloon I. The Emperor's New Clothes, introduced many new faces to the Makeshift Family, including James Aitchison, Leanne O'Shea, Gavin Killea and Erin Brehm. Tim Fairley and Debra Mein returned in a production directed by Caitlin Stewart-Swift. In addition to performing for audiences in Arlington and Winchester, Makeshift also brought the theatre company off the stage and into a local West Roxbury school, where the children got to meet the actors and ask them questions.

And finally, we rounded out our season with the return of one of our most beloved tales, Jack Neary's Misdirected Theatre Company adaptation of Robin Hood. Those who have been a part of Makeshift since the beginning will recognize this as the first show we ever performed, back when we were part of Tribe Boston. This breathless and action packed comedy is more than just a simple fairy tale, and more than just another show for us. Robin Hood set the standard for the high energy and frantic family entertainment that has become uniquely Makeshift.

Though this exciting season has drawn to a close, Makeshift is only just getting started. We will return in the fall with, new faces, familiar faces and two brand new productions, Treasure Island and The Princess and the Pea. And next Spring, the saga of the Misdirected Theatre Company will continue with The Ugly Duckling.

From all of us at Makeshift Theatre Co, to all of you who helped make us a regular part of your Saturday mornings, Thank you. May you and your families have a wonderful, safe and fun summer! And we'll see you in the fall!

Conversations with Some Merry Men (Day Two)

2010-04-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, this year has marked our fifth season here at Makeshift Theatre Co. And to celebrate we've been taking time to sit down with the cast and crew of some of our most recent family shows. This Month sees the return of the show that started it all: Robin Hood. And as part of the celebration of this wonderful show, we are once again chatting with the cast and crew.

Today I'm sitting down with Matthew Arnold. A graduate of Emerson College's, Matthew is a familiar face to Makeshift Audiences, having appeared as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty and, most recently, D'artagnan in the 3 Musketeers.

So, within the play you take on a couple of roles, primarily the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. But that's not the role audiences will first see you in. You initially appear as the frazzled stage manager, Ozzie. Tell us a bit about that particular character.
Ozzie is the stage manager; it's his job to keep everything together from behind the scenes and make sure the show runs smoothly. He's pretty panicky when things start to go wrong, and he's always keeping an eye on everything. I like that constant sense of urgency; it's present in everyone, but I think Ozzie feels it most.

What do you think audiences will really connect with in this adaptation?
There's a degree of interactivity that is a lot of fun; the audience is often asked to respond to what's going on onstage, and sometimes even take part firsthand!

Artistic Director, Andrew Rhodes returns to the director's chair for this outing; what was it like working with him?
I've been working with Andy for a few years now, and it's a blast. There are a lot of directors who get all high-and-mighty and go on about the Art of Theatre; Andy is not one of these. He's well-grounded, but has a wonderful well of energy and creativity. It's really inspiring.

The Misdirected Theatre Company series was created by renown local author, Jack Neary. What attracted you to his style of writing?
I like the idea of the crew stepping up to put on the show. It's a really unique take on the story, and on storytelling in general.

What are some of your favorite roles you've ever played?

I really enjoyed playing D'Artagnan in last year's production of The Three Musketeers. It was fun to put my stage combat skills to the test. I also played William Ashby, a wealthy blowhard, a few years ago in Emerson Stage's production of The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

What was the hardest thing you've ever had to do as an actor?

When I was in high school I played a blind man; it was a challenge, especially during one performance where a prop wasn't where it was supposed to be, and I had to find it without actually "looking" for it.

What is it about performing in theatre that you really love?

I like the level of teamwork required; everybody has their job and they do it, and in doing so they help the others to do theirs. It's the kind of collaboration you rarely see anywhere else. Everybody needs everybody else, so everybody does their best.

Seriously, how do you memorize all those lines?!

Honestly, it just kind of happens. Once I've rehearsed a scene enough it becomes a natural thing; each line is an instinctive reaction to its cue.

Makeshift shows have a very high energy level. how do you keep your energy levels up?
Everyone has boundless reserves of energy, even if we don't know it. I don't drink coffee or anything like that because I don't need to; I have all the energy I need inside me and around me, kind of like a Jedi. Yes, that's it, I'm a theatrical Jedi! Being onstage is one of the things that, for me, lets that energy (or should I say Force?) out.

If you had one piece of advice or encouragement to give to any child thinking of getting into theatre, what would it be?
Stay confident! It's a lot of hard work, and it won't always work out the way you want it to. Keep believing in yourself, no matter what happens.

The Misdirected Theatre Company Presents: Robin Hood! is performing throughout April. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre
Arlington, MA
April 11th at 2pm

The NextDoor Theatre
Winchester, MA
Shows Spring vacation week!!
April 21st at 10am & 2pm
April 25th at 10am

Conversations with Some Merry Men (Day One)

2010-04-05T23:54:00.001-04:00

As many of you know, this year has marked our fifth season here at Makeshift Theatre Co. And to celebrate we've been taking time to sit down with the cast and crew of some of our most recent family shows. This Month sees the return of the show that started it all: Robin Hood. And as part of the celebration of this wonderful show, we are once again chatting with the cast and crew.

Today I'm sitting down with Jon Ryan, a newcomer to the Makeshift family. A graduate of Emerson College's Theatre Studies program he occupies his time as a fight choreographer for student and independent films. Prior to Robin Hood, he was last seen in the New England premier of five short plays by NY playwright Jeff Belanger, put on by the newly formed Rough Week Theater Co.

So, within the play you take on a couple of roles, including the dashing Robin Hood. But audiences new to Jack Neary's intriguing adaptation will initially see you as a completely unlikely character, a UPS delivery driver named Warren. Tell us a bit about him.
Warren is just you're average blue (or in this case, brown) collar Joe who's settled in pretty nicely with the simple and kind of mundane nature of his work with UPS - which is why I like him even more once he's thrust into the middle of the Misdirected production- theater folks, even the tecchies are used to all the crazy shenanigans that ensue during a run, but for Warren it's all terrifyingly new... and kinda fun.

What do you think audiences will really connect with in this adaptation?
I think audiences with enjoy their ability to relate to regular folks being thrust into obscure roles to put on a show for kids- isn't that what parenting is all about, anyway?

Artistic Director, Andrew Rhodes returns to the director's chair for this outing; what was it like working with him?
I've worked with a bunch of directors, and while they've all been nice, I really enjoy how laid back Andy is about the process- it's more about having fun for the audience and cast than anything else.

The Misdirected Theatre Company series was created by renoun local author, Jack Neary. What attracted you to his style of writing?
I think Jack's ability to maintain the narrative of Robin Hood itself while still keeping that "real world" sensibility is where his writing really works best.

Makeshift shows have a very high energy level. how do you keep your energy levels up?
Hopefully you're doing a good enough job that the audience has high energy too, and you sort of feed off one another.

If you had one piece of advice or encouragement to give to any child thinking of getting into theatre, what would it be?
If Nicholas Cage can make it, so can you.

The Misdirected Theatre Company Presents: Robin Hood! is performing throughout April. Visit Makeshifttheatre.com for more information!

The Regent Theatre
Arlington, MA
April 11th at 2pm

The NextDoor Theatre
Winchester, MA
Shows Spring vacation week!!
April 21st at 10am & 2pm
April 25th at 10am

Feast Feast! Merry Merry!

2010-03-31T16:42:00.000-04:00

Well Hello there Again Makeshift Friends and Family!

You are cordially invited to join Makeshift Theatre Co as we celebrate our fifth season for young audiences, with the return of the critical and family favorite: Robin Hood, adapted by the one and only Jack Neary.

Join Ozzie, Larry, Cynthia, Jason and their artistic Director Margaret LaFontaine, as they race to put on a show when the famed Misdirected Theatre Company gets lost on the way to the performance. Will they be able to make it through the show in one piece? Will they be able to convince the poor UPS guy to lend a hand? Will Robin Hood rescue Maid Marrian and save the day!?

Come see the return of the show that started it all!

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children. Come see us at the following locations:

The Regent Theatre

Arlington, MA

April 3rd at 10:30am

April 11th at 2pm

The NextDoor Theatre

Winchester, MA

Shows Spring vacation week!!

April 21st at 10am & 2pm

April 25th at 10am

Announcing our 5th Anniversary Show!

2010-02-26T16:16:00.001-05:00

Hello All!

Well, it looks as if Nero's gone and gotten himself in a bit of a bind this week. Apparently, after we sent him over to England to do some research for our upcoming 5th Anniversary show, he got a little side-tracked. And by side tracked, I mean he took it upon himself to try and convince David Tennant to rethink his departure from Dr. Who.

This as you can imagine went over about as well as the time FOX tried to produce an Americanized version of Dr Who, with Julia Robert's brother as The Master. Folks, it wasn't pretty.

Soooooo. While Andy attempst to convert dollars into Euros to bail him out, I shall be the one to Officially Announce:

Our 5th Anniversary Performance of
Robin Hood!!!!!!

Yes! The Misdirected Theatre Company has returned to once again delight audiences with the most beloved of all our children's shows!

Featuring
Jon Ryan.................................Warren/Robin Hood
Maggie Nichols.........................................Margaret

Molly Haas-Hoven..................Cynthia/Maid Marian

Matthew Arnold.....Ozzie/The Sherrif of Nottingham

Michael Riffle.......................Jason/Guy of Gisborne

Vincent C. Morreale.....................Larry/Prince John

Directed by Andrew Rhodes

Keep an eye out for more information and new interviews!

And head over to our facebook page for even more information on all things Makeshifty!

Audition Announcement!

2010-02-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Hello All!

We are coming to the end of our 5th season of theatre and family shows and we have one more show and one more role to fill. The show is ROBIN HOOD, and the role we need to fill is...

Robin Hood!

We need some one to play the handsome UPS man who shows up to the theatre and gets roped into playing the leading role!

There will be one night of auditions on February 24th from 7-10.

Please email Vincent (vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com) with a Head Shot and resume to schedule an audition time. He will provide you with all the exciting details!

We will have a good time and read with the cast. I may shoot an arrow into there air and who ever it strikes will be our Robin Hood, if he survives.... Speaking of, some Stage combat experience would come in handy as well!

~Andrew

Interview with an Actor (Day Seven)

2010-02-08T14:11:00.005-05:00

One of the great things about Makeshift is that we consistently get to work with a wonderful group of vibrant and exciting actors each of whom has a passion for entertaining audiences young and old alike. We consider ourselves a family, and while we have many actors that come and go throughout our seasons, we do have close friends that return season after season to entertain and inspire young audiences. As part of our Anniversary season, many faces of Makeshift old and new are happy to offer their own personal thoughts and memories about their experiences in theatre. For the Previous Update, click Here!

Today I'm sitting down with James Aitchison, a newcomer not only to the Makeshift family, but also to the United States. Originally from South Africa, James joined the cast of Emperor's New Clothes to play the swindler, Johnny. I took a moment to sit down with him to talk abit about his childhood and his experiences with Emperor's New Clothes.

So, you're originally from South Africa.
I am, which is why I talk funny. I grew up in a city called Pietermaritzburg and my holidays growing up were spent hiking through the Drankensburg. My father was an anti-Apartheid political activist and was placed under a form of house arrest by the Apartheid government for 10 years. It made for a strange upbringing!

Were you active in theatre out there?
I was. I played lead and supporting roles in a number of South African productions including Cabaret, Geography of a Horse Dreamer and the Glass Menagerie. I also helped to develop a number of educational theatre productions aimed at addressing the spread of HIV/Aids among under-aged youth of South Africa.

So, tell me a bit about New Clothes. What do you like about your character?
I love Johnny’s confidence, I am fairly shy and withdrawn myself so it’s always fun to play characters who don’t care what people think of them.

What is it like working with the director?
I have really enjoyed working with Caitlin, she has energy and enthusiasm to put the rest of us to shame and although she has a clear vision for the show she has always encouraged us (the actors) to be integral to the creative process.

How do you memorize all those lines?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! In all seriousness though, I don’t have any special tricks or techniques that I use to memorize lines, beyond good old fashioned repetition. As with anything the more you practice something the better you get. Other than that though I find it sometimes helps during memorization to pair specific lines to actions or blocking.

Makeshfit shows have a very high energy level. how do you keep your energy levels up?
Caffine, caffine….oh and caffine. More than anything though being passionate about what I do gives me all the energy I need.

Since you've come to the US, you've been fortunate enough to be involved with a wide range of projects, including the critically acclaimed and deeply moving Boston Actors Theater production of Where Moments Hung Before. What's next for you?
Zombies. Lots of Zombies.

Before we go, is there anything else you'd like us to know?
I have never ridden an Elephant.

Interview with an Actor (Day Six)

2010-02-05T10:43:00.003-05:00

Interview with an Actor (Day Five)

2010-02-01T11:47:00.004-05:00

One of the great things about Makeshift is that we consistently get to work with a wonderful group of vibrant and exciting actors each of whom has a passion for entertaining audiences young and old alike. We consider ourselves a family, and while we have many actors that come and go throughout our seasons, we do have close friends that return season after season to entertain and inspire young audiences. As part of our Anniversary season, many faces of Makeshift old and new are happy to offer their own personal thoughts and memories about their experiences in theatre. For the Previous Update, click Here!

Today I'm chatting with Erika Geller, who joins Makeshift Theatre Co for the role of Bryanna in The Emperor's New Clothes. Erika is a graduate of Brandeis University where she studied Theatre Arts and Women's and Gender Studies. She has been acting since she was Bryanna's age but started getting serious about it when she was in high school. In addition to loving acting, Erika tells me that she enjoys fall weather, chocolate, and puppies.

What is your favorite children's story and why?
My favorite children's story is Peter Pan because I'm a big kid who never wanted to grow up! The story is also about the acceptance of change. It's great to be Peter but eventually everyone needs to take a cue from Wendy and learn that growing up isn't that bad - as long as you never lose your imagination.

Tell us something unique about yourself.
I was a competitive alpine ski racer for eleven years. I still love to ski, but I haven't raced in a long time. Maybe some day but for now I'll stick to the stage - it's a lot warmer there than on the slopes!

What is it like working with the director?
Caitlin is a great director because she knows what she wants, but lets the actors find their own way of getting there. She's more like a really fun tour guide through this adventure.

What's the most difficult thing you've ever had to do as an actor?
When I was in college I spent a semester living in London studying drama. While I was there we took class from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week for three months. It was very tiring and at one point I was playing over ten different characters at once - memorizing all those lines (and keeping them straight!) was a lot of work but I learned so much that it was absolutely worth it. I came out of that semester a much humbler and better prepared actress and it has totally paid off in the months since then.

What advice would you give to kids who want to be actors?
I'm sure you've heard this before but, it's true. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Acting is hard work and incredibly unpredictable but the one this you can control is how hard you work at it. Take pride in what you do - memorize your lines on time, stay focused in rehearsals, and ALWAYS be positive when you tell people you work in the theatre. It's a fabulous tradition to be a part of!

Interview with an Actor (Day Four)

2010-01-29T09:44:00.003-05:00

One of the great things about Makeshift is that we consistently get to work with a wonderful group of vibrant and exciting actors each of whom has a passion for entertaining audiences young and old alike. We consider ourselves a family, and while we have many actors that come and go throughout our seasons, we do have close friends that return season after season to entertain and inspire young audiences. As part of our Anniversary season, many faces of Makeshift old and new are happy to offer their own personal thoughts and memories about their experiences in theatre. For the Previous Update, click Here!

Today I'm chatting with Debra Mein, who returns to the Makeshift Stage after having previously appeared as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel. For Emperor's New Clothes, she portrays fashion designer Pennyloaf, Mistress of The Revels. In addition to her work with Makeshift Deb teaches Creative Drama and Musical Theatre at Riverside TheatreWorks in Hyde Park and at Adams Montessori in Quincy. She took a few moments out of her busy schedule to talk with me about her experiences in theatre.

What do you like most about Pennyloaf?
I like that she is a good balance of zaniness and put-togetherness. I love playing characters like this because you can really delve into what makes them tick-- and it's usually something unexpected. Penny for example hates designing for fashion shows, but rather loves seeing her designs on stage. Although she'd like to be planning other events, the thought that there might be someone better at designing clothes than her is just un-thinkable. So, this really drives her into unknown territory. On one page, she has to battle both her pride and her dislike of her present position.

You've worked with Makeshift previously on Hansel and Gretel. What inspired you to return for Emperor's New Clothes?
This was an awesome and challenging role and really the reason I auditioned for Makeshift a second time. This script, by local playwright Jack Neary, was an excellent example of good children's theatre. The jokes were spot-on for kids-- without being pandering. My brief experience with Makeshift has shown me that they choose shows that are silly, fun, wild-- but that still require kids to think. The jokes are not just handed to the children (and adults!) in the audience and I think that's important. I also think that good children's theatre is important. We are building the next generation of theatre-goers and if we give them bad or boring theatre, then ultimately they'll be turned off from it.

What is your favorite children's story and why?
Perhaps "The Giving Tree" for it's story of beauty, humanity and selflessness. I'm a Shel Silverstein fan in general. I know-- it's easy to be one. Like my thoughts on children's theatre, he really sets the bar high for kids as well. He doesn't settle for the obvious joke or story line in his literature and song-writing.

You and Tim Fairley (Rags) have worked with (director) Caitlin Stewart-Swift previously. What is it like working with her as director?
Caitlin is a true "actor's director". She understands the process that each individual actor goes through and works to manipulate her directing to fit the actor. In my opinion, she gives just the right amount of direction. I like Cait's point-blank blocking style and her feed-back is always helpful.

Tell us something unique about yourself.
I grew-up on a farm in Kansas. I can drive a tractor, "pull" calves and buck bales. Both of my parents are veterinarians (just like the Prince and Susie they set up their own animal hospital.) I had a golden childhood-- honestly. Growing up wild and on the farm really shaped me into the person I am today. There's no place like home and, yes, I'm not in Kansas anymore. You know-- it's funny-- as many Wizard of Oz jokes that I get-- I've never been in a production of it. :)

Interview with an Actor (Day Three)

2010-01-27T14:51:00.002-05:00

Interview with an Actor (Day Two)

2010-01-26T15:09:00.002-05:00

Interview with an Actor (Day One)

2010-01-25T15:28:00.003-05:00

One of the great things about Makeshift is that we consistently get to work with a wonderful group of vibrant and exciting actors each of whom has a passion for entertaining audiences young and old alike. We consider ourselves a family, and while we have many actors that come and go throughout our seasons, we do have close friends that return season after season to entertain and inspire young audiences. As part of our Anniversary season, many faces of Makeshift old and new are happy to offer their own personal thoughts and memories about their experiences in theatre.

Jesica Corbo first appeared on the Makeshift Stage last season, as The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, and returned as one of the Step-Sisters in Cinderella. She joins us again as a fashion model, displaying the latest in high fashion in the Emperor's New Clothes. She took a few moments to sit down with me earlier to talk about the show.

Makeshfit shows require a very high level of energy. How do you keep your energy levels up?
As a cast, we dance around and do all kinds of funny warm up games which gets us started. Once we get out on stage, the audience is there to see our show so we get super excited to see crowd full of people ready to laugh (we laugh at it all the time in rehearsal, so we hope you do too)- Add in a splash of coffee- Which is yucky for kids but great for adults- and it's a recipe for success.

What is your favorite children's story and why?
My favorite children's story is Leo the Lop. It's similar to the story of the Ugly Duckling. Leo is a bunny who has big floppy ears while the other bunnies have ears that stood straight up in the air. The other bunnies think he was a silly looking bunny so he tried everything to prop his ears up so the other bunnies wouldn't make fun of him. Eventually though, Leo realizes that his ears are perfect just the way they are, and trying to look like the other bunnies is silly because he is great just the way he is. I always loved this story because Leo really was the cutest bunny and I am glad he realized that there's nothing special about trying to be like everyone else.

What do you think families should take away from Emperor's New Clothes?
I believe that all of the characters in this story are really good people at heart. They have just forgotten what is really important in life (Except Rags, he knew all along!!) Once they snap out of it and realize they should be caring more about the important people in their lives, not just themselves, they are happier then they were when all they were trying to do was make themselves happy. Imagine that.

What advice would you give to kids who want to be actors?
You got to be strong and remember that it's going to be a lot of work, but if you couldn't see yourself doing anything else and being happy, do it. If you feel that way about it and you don't let anything stop you, you will have a great career in theatre. Remember though, you're gonna need a day job :).

Where in the World is Nero?!

2010-01-25T15:01:00.003-05:00

Hello folks, and welcome to a brand new blog!

Well, first off I suppose I should introduce myself. Some of you may know me at Larry the Sound Guy in the Misdirected Theatre Company series, but most folks around the office just call me Vinnie. I'm the official Company Manager for Makeshift, which means if you've ever auditioned for us, chances are I helped answer all your questions.

So, where the heck is Nero? Well that's a good question, which is best answered by telling you that Mr. Andy sent him on a trip of sorts. To England! Now why Andy would send an intern on an all expense paid trip to England for several months, instead of using that money to invest in my film company is beyond me. I suspect it might have something to do with Nero's sudden fixation on all things "Jersey Shore." We here at Makeshift do not condone the use of the word Snookie.

Truth is, Nero is off in England for one thing and one thing only. Research. You see, 2010 marks our fifth anniversary and to celebrate, this spring we're bringing back one of our most beloved shows: Robin Hood!

So, while Nero is away, helping us get ready, I shall be your guide to all things Makeshift.

And to begin, I'd like to officially announce a brand new show just in time for February Vacation!

The cast includes a bunch of familiar faces and a whole group of new ones including

Lianne O'Shea as...................................Suzie Neadlethread

James Aitchison as............................Johnny Neadlethread

Gavin Killea as.....................Prince Cumberbun-Jodphurs
Debra Mein as..............Pennyloaf, The Mistress of Revels

Erin Brehm as...................................................The Empress

Tim Fairley as.................................................................Rags

Erica Geller as............................................................Brianna

Kaili Turner as.....................................................The Mother

Jes Corbo and Victoria Townsend as........................Models

Andres Solorzano..............................................Photographer

And Yours Truely as
The Emperor.

Adapted by Noah Smith and Directed By Caitlin Stewart-Swift

So come check us out, February 6th, 13th and 21st at the Regent Theatre in Arlington,

And on the 17th at the Next Door Theatre in Medford.

We hope to see you there!

First show come and gone....

2009-10-29T08:14:00.003-04:00

Sorry I have been such a slacker iwth this blogging thing kids... Me and my xbox have been spending way to much quality time together. You can find me there a lot on xbox live, "call me nero"

My solution for this was to see if any other makeshift folks would ike to contribute. Christine Walsh just finished playing Sabina in RAPUNZEL, and I asked her if she would mind letting us in on her experience with the show... so here that is and I am going back to my xobx.... xbooooooooxxxxx... I need help.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The People, the Places, and all the Cool Kids!

Hi there! My name is Christine and I just finished playing Sabina in the show, “Rapunzel” with Makeshift Theatre. I had a great time working with this company and being on stage and here’s why:

The People!
Everyone in the cast and on the crew was very nice and welcoming. We all became friends from day one and had a great time working together. We would joke offstage and be even funnier onstage. Patrick, who played the part of the handsome prince and Paul, who played Rapunzel’s father were always seeing who could “out-joke” the other.

As goofy as we could be, though, when it was time to learn lines and memorize songs, we got down to business. I was really impressed when Kristen, who played one of the minstrels, wrote all of the songs for her part herself. And she sang them while playing the guitar! That’s not easy.

I love dressing up and the costumes were a special treat for me. Thanks to the costume designer, Deb, we all had marvelous costumes. Vinnie, who played a minstrel, looked great with snazzy suspenders and very high socks. And of course Molly, who played the beautiful Rapunzel, looked magnificent with her soft blue dress and long flowing hair.

When you act, you always need to use a lot of energy – to be seen, to be heard, and to let the audience know what your character is like. I think Laureen, who played the evil witch, did a great job of that. Her energy was always high and she did a great job of scaring everyone – even me and I’m her friend!

There is a lot that goes into creating a show like Rapunzel and the actors aren’t the only ones who work very hard. Our director Shaine and our stage manager Coral did a fantastic job of keeping us organized. Shaine helped us get into our characters and encouraged us to have fun. Coral was always there to place a prop right where it needed to be. And Mr. Rhodes helped by creating the entire set! Talk about your big projects!

The Places!
I loved both of the theaters we performed in – Arlington’s Regent Theater and Winchester’s NextDoor Theater.

The Regent Theater was a big theater with many long velvet curtains on the sides of the stage. Sometimes, because the backstage area is dark, we actors had a hard time finding a way to get on stage through the curtains! The theater had two levels and Mr. Rhodes went up to the second level in order to help with the lighting of the stage. The audience sat on the lower level so they could see us easily and be closer to the action.

The NextDoor Theater was very colorful and fun. It was a smaller theater, so the audience felt like they were right smack dab in the middle of the play with us! It was so nice being able to see the kids’ faces and know that they were having a great time laughing at Prince Rupert and his fake horse or getting nervous as the Witch cut off all of Rapunzel’s hair.

The Cool Kids
Finally, the best part of this experience was the kids! Every kid who came to see us was so very nice and polite and interested in the show. It was a pleasure to perform for such great groups and I cannot wait to do it again!

--
Christine R. Walsh

5th season under way...

2009-09-12T13:36:00.003-04:00

Hey Guys and Dolls! We are off and running...

We may have lost our home for the past 4 years but we are pressing forward. Mr. Rhodes assures me he has some serious plans for Makeshift this coming year. In the mean time we are happy and thrilled to be making our first appearance at the NextDoor Theatre in Winchester this season!! We will also be back at out other favorite regular venue The Regent Theatre in Arlington!!!

We have 3 shows for you this season starting with RAPUNZEL in October!

We will then be taking a break over the winter and getting some of our ducks in a row, but will be back in February with THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, and in April we will be back with one of our most favorite shows... ROBIN HOOD!!!

Keep Checking back for more information... now I have to get back to the capitol waste land

~Nero

and we are back....

2009-08-25T14:56:00.003-04:00

Okay Kids!

We have had one heck of a summer break. Many MANY changes! All will be revealed in time and the first show of our 5th season has been cast and is about to start rehearsals!! Very exciting!!

But the biggest news that will be affecting us is that we will NOT be returning to the Coolidge Corner Theatre this season. They have decided not to have us back. Yes, we are very sad about this.... loosing our home for the past 4 years and the friends and audience that we have developed. All things change, and we are forging ahead!!

We have booked new spaces and we are in the process of searching out a new permanant home for Makeshift! So keep tuneing in for all the exciting news coming down the pike. For all our old Coolidge fans we hope you can make the trip north of the city to Arlingtion and Winchester to see our shows this season and we will continue to try and bring our shows to you!

More soon. I promise, I am back on the job!!

~Nero

VOYE FOR US!!

2009-05-13T11:56:00.007-04:00

Check us out!

We've been nominated for Best Theater or Theatre Group for Kids in Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards! We need your help to win! You can vote for us once a day, every day, from now until July 15 at http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/parents-picks! Thanks for your support!

Click the link below to vote!

For Theatre Group for Kids
in Boston

another extended absense...

2009-04-02T06:18:00.002-04:00

Sorry folks, we have been so very busy getting ready for THE THREE MUSKETEERS that I have been so off my game.

But now I have just one thing to say, ALL FOR ONE AND ONE OR ALL!!!!

we open this saturday!!

Q & A for H & G

2009-02-17T09:53:00.002-05:00

Hell all!!

We are half way through our run of Hansle and Gretel!! We have had some great houses. This time around we bring you a brief Q&A with Hansel and Gretel Director Caitlin Stewart-Swift.

Q & A with Director Caitlin Stewart-Swift

There’s no one better to tell you about this production than our fantastic director, Caitlin Stewart-Swift. We sat down with Caitlin and asked her a few questions about Hansel & Gretel and theatre in general.

Q: For Makeshift's production of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, we're using another wonderful adaptation from local playwright Jack Neary. What is different about this version of the play than what people are used to?

Well I would have to say that Jack does not back away from the dark side of this fairy tale which I feel is keeping very true to the original. But I really enjoy how Jack balances out the dark side of this story with a crazy Granny (aka the Witch!) and her equally zany henchmen Rollo and Stench!

Q: What made you want to direct this particular show?

I really fell in love with the darker side of this play and how well it was balanced by the crazy and colorful bad guys. It also, to me, had qualities very similar to that of British Panto and that peaked my imagination and made me want to stage it.

Q: Children's theatre requires a lot of energy. What are you and the cast doing to keep energy up at rehearsals and to keep it fun?

Well the cast and I are making sure we always start rehearsals off on a fun note, lots of high energy warm ups and some laughter! We are also really playing up Granny, Rollo and Stench, to balance out the scary circumstances that the children and father are facing in the play. We are also keeping the pacing of the show up! This is not a show that drags so hold onto your hats, folks!

Q: What's your favorite thing about doing children's theatre and about working with Makeshift?

My favorite thing about doing children's theatre is two fold: firstly I love bringing fantastical characters to life. It is so much fun to play with these characters who are truly characters, and yet are also old friends from our childhood stories and fairy tales. Secondly, I love introducing young audiences to theatre and how magical and engaging it is. And when it comes to Makeshift I don't think you can beat the great groups of people and artist who make up this super duper awesome community of artists.

Q: You've been an actor, dancer, choreographer and director. What keeps you coming back to working in the theatre?

Theatre, all aspects of it, are my passion. Whether it is acting, dancing, choreographing, or directing I love it plain and simple, and I am happiest when I am working on something theatrical and artistic. I was once told by a very wise teacher, "that work in this field is hard to come by, so if you’re lucky enough to get work, work as hard as you can and give it 100%." This has come to be my motto, slightly corny I know, but I find it to be pretty spot on.

Q: Can you share a funny story about something that has happened to you in the theatre, either working on this show or another one?

Well since you ask... There was this one time I was doing "Li'll Abner- The musical" and three other characters and I were ready to make our entrance, and the guy on stage completely goes up on his lines and jumps to our next entrance, which is on the other side of the stage! So we dash to the other side to enter for the next scene, and he regains his lines and flips back to our original entrance, back where we came from! We were dashing about like ping pong balls in a tournament of really skilled ping-pong players! No one in the audience knew but "boy oh boy" were our heads spinning by the time we finally made it on stage....

This show does have its funny moments, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for our audience...

------------------------------------------

We hope to see you at the show!!

~Nero!

Did I leave some bread crumbs lying around here?

2009-01-12T10:27:00.003-05:00

Once again art work done by the amazing Kristen Boucher!!

We want to welcome Ms. Meghan Coonan to the Makeshift Family as a production and marketing associate!!!

Also, I feel the need to mention that it is STILL SNOWING!!!

A new year, a new server... and a new guild?!?!

2009-01-05T10:54:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! what does 2009 have in store for you!!!

Well we at Makehift have been getting in touch with our nerdy roots for the new year!!! YES, we are back on World of Warcraft!!! Bring on the hot pockets!!

You can find us on the Khadgar server under the names:
(FOR THE HORDE!!!!!)
Reph
Glokk
Callmenero
Wineinabox
Inkido

Mr. Vinnie is trying to start a guild... ask for Reph!

Also we start rehearsals for Hansel and Gretel tonight!!! The season is moving right along... We are starting to look for shows for next year, so if there a fairy tale that we have not done yet that you would like to see let us know and we will start looking for scripts!!!

Wishing you a Happy and prosperous new year, may your loot be epic and powerful!

~Nero
Callmenero
17lv rogue
khadgar
undercity

Ho Ho HO... and all that jazz!!

2008-12-24T10:05:00.006-05:00

Before you settle in for your long winter nap.... we at makeshift wanted to give you a little holiday note.

We wrapped up our prime time show for this season, FIRST NIGHT, and what a wonderful show it was. We want to thank all the folks who cam out that last weekend in spite of the back to back snow storms. It was CRAZY! A little over 2 feet on snow before it was done. Mr. Rhodes even got towed, thanks Cambridge, he was my RIDE!!! Some time you just get smited by the weather gods.

HANSEL & GRETEL is next up this season, and the casting is complete!!! Auditions were 2 weeks ago and I usually post it ASAP, but we were in the middle of FIRST NIGHT... and now I am gonna leave you hanging a bit longer and post the casting after the holidays. hahahaha

As for me... my Mom is making some hotchoclate and I am settling in for some holiday game playing, I am hoping for Gears of War from Santa!!! My XBOX 360 is my best friend. You can find me online at XBOX live as Call Me Nero!!

In the mean time we here in the Makeshift Offices are playing with the office wii and drinking the last of the Nog, and wishing you a very...

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
From the cast and crew of Makeshift Theatre Co.!

and here is a little gem to get you through to the new year!!

let it snow....

2008-12-19T16:46:00.003-05:00

Sad news here tonight folks, we are expecting a foot of snow before the night si over so we have cancelled tonight's performance of FIRST NIGHT!

Once again, tonights performance of FIRST NIGHT is cancelled due to a freaking boat load of fluffly white stuff. :(

That leave us with just 2 more performances and we really want audiences in the double didgets!!! So join us tomorrow and sunday!!!

In the mena time build a fire and grab some coco, and bundle up with someone you find cozy and enjoy the first storm of the winter!!

Happy Life day!!!

~Nero

Holidays!!!!

2008-12-05T08:35:00.002-05:00

I hope every one is a fabu Holiday season!! We at Makeshift types are trimming the tree drinking the nog and getting ready for our holiday offering!!! If you can't take any more Scrooge and the Nut Cracker is driving you nuts then we have something just a little different for you!!! Our own little holiday show!! Come celebrate the holidays and romance with our production of FIRST NIGHT, written & directed by Jack Neary. Heck, Mr. Rhodes is even in this one... and Maggie Nicholas is awesome. So if you need a night away from shopping come spend an evening with us! We promise you will not regret it, and at 15 dollars you won't find a better deal this side of black Friday!!

Also we I would like to know what your favorite holiday movie is... so reply to this or you can email me at nero@makeshifttheatre.com and let me know. I will post the results before Christmas and we will announce them at the show!!!

I personally have a video game list a MILE long for Santa Clause this year!!! Odd thing is most of the games have "death" in the title, which does not go very well with the idea of peace on earth good will to men.....?? Hmmm... Don't judge me Mr. Claus.

See you all at the show!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

NERO

Moving right along...

2008-11-18T13:14:00.005-05:00

Hi there friends and neighbors and Makehift addicts!!!

Your trusty intern NERO here today. I have 2 bits of news for you on the Makeshift front, but first I have to say that Fallout 3 is the most addictive thing ever. I played the first 2 pc games and had a blast, but now Mr. Rhodes has a 360 and he showed me Fallout 3 on that system. Now I had my doubts, but those were blown out of the water... I have to go out and get this, so Mr. rhodes will stop kicking me out of his house late at night... all my WoW friends have been womdering where I ahve been... Wandering the capitol wastes my friends. Also the WoW expansion pack is out now... so much nerdage, so little time.

Okay, Makeshift news. First: The FIRST NIGHT poster is off the drawing board and making the rounds!!! Another great showing by K. Boucher!!! Take a look bellow!

Second: I know we are still weeks away for FIRST NIGHT, but we have already announced audition for HANSEL & GRETEL!! It will be directed by Caitlin Stewart-Swift, who assisted on ALICE IN WOMDERLAND! This is a first for us as we will be auditioning kids for the title roles!!! I bought some mace, so bring on the stage moms! See the announcemnet bellow!!

HANSEL & GRETEL

By Jack Neary.

Directed by Caitlin Stewart-Swift

Auditions will be held on December 15th & 16th from 7-10pm.
Performance dates: Feb: 7, 14, 15, 21, 28 / Mar: 7

Hansel: This part can either be played by a child, or a young looking adult. Hansel is strong, optimistic, smart and positive. The big brother. He is a rock for his sister, possible a younger and slightly more intelligent version of his father. Hansel is the classic strong, intelligent young hero.
Gretel: Gretel will be either played by a child, or young looking actor. Although she is the little sister and going through a scary situation, Gretel finds comfort and strength from the love of her brother and the trust she places in him. Gretel is the classic sweet little girl of fairy tales.

Father: Loving family man. A bit beaten down by life and life's current circumstances, but still positive and loving, determined to prevail, completely unselfish (the opposite of his sister "Aunt").

Aunt: A witch in the making. Very self centered, extremely different from her brother(the father) no sense of family and family love, hates sharing her brother with his family. This woman is really all business and cold.

Witch/Granny: The villain, a witch in granny's clothing. Very intelligent, slight temper, the brains of the operation in regards to the pie making business.

Stench & Rollo: A comedic duo, or bumbling fools and foolery, and unreliable henchmen for granny. Opportunity for physical humor and moments of great comedic timing.

The auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

To schedule a time please submit a head shot and resume to Vin Morreale, Company Manager at Vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com

PRIME TIME BABY!

2008-11-11T10:03:00.004-05:00

I know dear readers, I know... I promised you pictures, but Vix the photog Vixen is still working on them to make them the best they can be. I will send along a few soon as they are ready and NOT before!!! You can not rush an artist like the vixen.

BIG NEWS!

We are into our first week of rehearsals for FIRST NIGHT! There is a flurry of activity in the Makeshift Offices for this show that the Boston Globe called "a riff of magic..." We are excited that Jack Neary is directing!! Everybody should come and see if Mr. Rhodes can still act. There is a pool going around to see of he drops lines like they are hot!!!

Thanks to all of you who came out for PUSS in BOOTS! We will have auditions for Hansel & Gretel coming in December, that information will be posted around by the end of this week or early next!!!
ROCK! makeshift in full effect!

Vacation

2008-10-22T13:05:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody!

I took an extended vacation and I am sorry for the late notice. My mother just told me to grab a bag and go, i didn't even pack my PSP.

But Now I am back on the job just in time for Halloween!!! WWWWooooooOOOooooo SPOOKY!!

Speaking of PUSS IN BOOT is Currently playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and our 4th Annual Halloween costume contest will be this Saturday!!! Can you feel the excitement!!! There will be fun and prizes to give away, so grab a spooky costume and head on down, it the last weekend for PUSS IN BOOTS!!!

We also have auditions for our winter Prim Time show coming up!! FIRST NIGHT by Jack Neary. The big new is that Mr. Neary will be directing this production!!!! How cool is that!!

They are looking for the role of Meridith and the auditions will notices will be coming out soon!!

In the mean time I better go start putting things away and straighting out the filing system, since Mr. Rhodes got that xbox for his birthday, nothing gets done.

See you all soon! I will have costume contest pics next week!!!

~Nero (Back on the job!)

yup, AUDITIONS

2008-08-21T10:06:00.001-04:00

Makeshift Theatre Co Announces auditions for the first show of it's 08/09 season

PUSS IN BOOTS

Written by Noah Smith

Driected by Jonathan Ovebry

Audition will be August 25 & 26 @ 7PM

725 Comm. Ave on the BU Campus

Audition will consist of cold reading form the script. Please bring a resume, head shot and/or current picture.

As always for our family shows we are looking for a bigger/faster/funnier style of humor. Marx Brothers meets Mel Brooks.

Performances will be Saturday mornings in October at The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline @ 10:30am Contact Artistic Director Andrew Rhodes (andrew@makeshifttheatre.com) to schedule an audition time.

When young Guy discovers that his inheritance consists only of a cat and a pair of boots, he is highly distressed, until he gets to know the cat. Saucy and one-if-a-kind, Boots the cat vows to help Guy achieve his goal of marrying the beautiful princess from next door. Boots also helps free the town from the clutches of Ugolin, an evil ogre who has magical powers to turn himself or others into any animal he chooses. Guy and Boots trick the king and queen into thinking Guy is the "Marquis of Carabas" and also trick the ogre into turning himself into an insect who meets an abrupt end, courtesy of Boot's boot. Boy gets girl, the town is freed, magical spells are broken, and much fun is had along the way.

CHARACTERS:King - Male, 20's - ?, genuinely misguided, slow on the uptake, very sweet and sincere, likes to laugh
Queen – Female, 20's -?, quicker than her husband but still a little dense, very sure of herself, persistent, sincerely wrong in thinking she always knows what's going on.

Boots – Pussycat, Female, 20's - ?, fast talker, fast thinker, light on her feet, narrates the story, looks for the good in people, motivator, earnest, HIGH ENGERGY

Guy, - pronounced "Ghee", 20's - ?, Genuine, sincere, eager, tries hard, brave but not boastfully so, full of self doubt

Genevieve – Princess, 18 - ?, Sweet, kind, determined to protect her parents, fiercely loyal, follows her heart without neglecting her responsibilities

Ugolin – ageless, Ogre, villain, greedy, malicious, prideful, thinks he is above consequence

3 Townsfolk – ageless, 3 people, male or female, take on a variety of roles, main task is to create the "scenery" of the story and involve the audience, looking for big characters

MAKESHIFTTHEATRE.COM

We celebrated shakespeare in the rain

2008-08-18T10:58:00.006-04:00

We were once again performing at Celebrate Shakespeare Day on Boston Common. This year the talented Stephen Libby directed his own work and it was great.

When the rain came we stuck it out and performed for everyone who stayed. Mr. Rhodes we were troopers.. old school style. Hardcore tacticle theatrical commandos!

Here are some highlights!!

YEA!!! Next season!

2008-07-25T08:35:00.005-04:00

Big special thank to Mr. Stephen Libby

Dude...

2008-07-16T11:21:00.001-04:00

Mr. Rhodes is old. He is sooooooo old.

Today is his birthday. 34, he really is the old man in charge. hahaha

Happy birthday Mr. Rhodes, I hope to be more like you!

~Nero

Why are you not seeing this show... TWICE!

2008-06-30T11:13:00.002-04:00

"Laundry & Bourbon" and"Lone Star"
Reviewed by Larry Stark
This pair of plays explain each other, document the difficulties of marriage, and the claustrophobic life of small towns like Maynard, Texas (West of Dallas, on the edge of the desert). And it is heartbreaking to watch a solid, solidly directed cast try to do this honest double-show, which depends heavily on "the laughter of recognition", before a scattered, insubstantial audience. There IS a sort of "critical mass" of audience necessary that makes theatrical comedy work, and The Makeshift Theatre Company is working on perhaps the worst week-end of the year: July 3, 5 and 6. If ever a show needed YOU this week-end, this one does.
So, if you love brilliant theate:GO!
Love,===Anon.( a k a larry stark)

SEE THE FULL REVIEW HERE!
http://www.theatermirror.com/LSlonestar.htm

Shows and wiffle ball

2008-06-24T08:25:00.020-04:00

Hi folks, we have been going crazy with L&B and LS opening THIS FRIDAY!!!! You heard me right we are opening THIS FRIDAY! I am so impressed with this show. The set, the lights, the performances. Everyone better come out and see this great work of story telling!!! Here are some teaser pictures!!

Dude! Our second prime time show ever!!!

We also had our first wiffle ball game of the season in humid 105 degree weather. Which means every lasted about 4 innings. Mr. Rhodes was ready to go the distance, but the majority of the crowd was clamering ofr hot BBQ and cold beer. So we retired back to the house. Here are the highlights:

We were supposed to play again this weekend but I think we will all be way to pooped after tech week and opening night. Sometimes the wiffle spirit is willing, but the body is a no show.

We also want to say a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs. Anna Waldron and Stephen Libby who ties the knot this past weekend. Although I was not personally envited Mr. Overby and Ms. Em said it was beautiful. YEA!!!!! Enjoy your honey moon kids and we will see you when you get back!

WE LOVE YOU!!

~NERO

Maynard Texas means Good Times

2008-06-03T08:59:00.002-04:00

We are into rehearsal for LB & LS!!! And it is looking fantastic! We should promo pictures by the end of next week, so keep an eye out.

We would also like to welcome John sanzi back into the Makeshift fold. The Sanz is our business manager and works as our box office manager for our prime time shows. John had to take a leave of absence for personal reasons, and now we are happy to have him back in the thick of things, YEA SANZ! He was at the Makeshift Offices this weekend doing some planning with Mr. Rhodes and then Ms. EM and Overby came in and we watched SERENITY in surround sound... awesome. After much begging they let me stay and watch as well, I just had to fetch them drinks the whole time.

This coming weekend is WIFFLE BALL WEEKEND (take II) Our first opening day was rained out so this is our make up game, and I hope mother nature works with us this time. It has finally warmed up here in New England, and it's about dern time. We hope to see you there, and if not there will be some video for sure!

The show, The Sanz, Wiffle Ball..... I think there was something else I needed to cover... OH YEAH! we will once again be participating for the Citi Performing Arts Center's CELEBRATE SHAKESPEARE DAY on Boston Common. We will be doing some short skit and will have a booth set up with information about next season and the company. The closer we get to the date I will pass along more information. I like to think of it as out official announcement of next season.

Whew... that's all.... now I am gonna see if Mr. Rhodes will let me play with his new speaker system.... wish me luck.

~The ever lovin' NERO

The folks of Maynard, Texas

2008-05-22T10:36:00.005-04:00

The casting is done and we even had our first readthrough for Laundry & Bourbon and Lone Star!!!! i could not attend this one so we are sans pictures, but we have a lot of new people yet again to help fill out our Makeshift Family!!! See official list bellow!

LONE STAR

Roy -- Dave Sanfacon

Ray -- Daniel Schuettinger

Cletius -- Jonathan Overby

LAUNDRY & BOURBON

Elizabeth -- Rachel Dyer

Hattie -- Alexandra Smith

Amy Lee -- Aimee Parkhurst

Cinderella how we shall miss ye...

2008-05-07T07:52:00.011-04:00

As promised friends and neighbors here are some Cinderella pictures....

Here is Grafton as Cinderella and Ms. Corbo as one of the mean step sister... I think she played Gwynth. Our evil step sister were named Gwynth and Paltro. We are funny that way!! The step sister ask Cindy to fetch a shoe for... asking her to give her the boot becasue her back has gone out and Cindy is very tempted to give her a boot right in the bum, if ya know what I mean. In the end Cindy keeps her composuer and has to carry Gwynth off stage.

This is Mr. Overby as the prince and the evile step sister and the vile step mother. I think here Mr. Overby is screaming becasue of the smell of Brookes feet. Brooke is the blond step sister who is trying to squeaze her foot into the shoe. That is her usual facial expression even when she is not acting. That's Rachel cheering her on in the back playing the vile step mother, and Corbo again.

I had to find one of the amazing Adrienne Grafton in the dress that our own Deb "the" Shea made!!! There were many ooo's and ahhh's when she walked on stage in her fancy ball gown! You should have seen the kids lining ip to have their picture taken with her after the show! With her is this photo are our story tellers for this show Matt Arnold and Kristen Boucher. You may remember Matt as our prince from Sleeping Beauty, and if you don't know Kristen yet then you need to see more shows and read this blog more often! This is Kristen's 4th show with us as either cast or crewa dn she design's all our posters since Shakespeare Abridged. Also, if you look closely in the back you will see Mr. Vinnie peeking out. He played Abe The Pidgeon, kind the fairl god pidgeon of the story.

CAST AND CREW!

Thanks again to Ms. Victoria Welch and her fantastic camera and skills for the photos! Aslo if any of you guys out there want to be in a show we are looking for mor MEN to sign up for Lone Star auditions!!!

~Nero!

Back on the scene

2008-04-28T18:15:00.002-04:00

Hello Loyal Readers!!!!

I have been really busy with all different kind of Makeshift things and drooling over the new Grand theft Auto. Let me apologize for being a bit slack with my blogging duties. Mr. Rhodes is constantly reminding me... The result of all this is that I have mounds of information to pass along to you!!! Lets get started!

~Cinderella! we have one more show!!!! We will be at the Regent Theatre in Arlington this coming Saturday for our final performance of Cinderella and it is also our last performance of our family show season!!! We have had great crowds and many, many new faces! I will have pics form Cinder soon and maybe even some video if I don 't get waylaied by the summer zaly monster.

~India!!! Youo know, the kind with the dots! Makeshift was invited to perform in a theatre festival in India! Yeah, we can't believe it either. We are not sure if we are going to go or not. There are many performance and financia issues with this trip even though most of it would be paid for by the US consolate. Ms. Waldron and Ms. Em are looking into the possibility and seeing if it is possible. I will keep you posted on what traspires. Makeshift Abroad!!! WOOT!

~SEASON IV: yes that is right we have offically announced next season. Are you read for this...

Puss In Boots (Oct)

FIRST NIGHT (Dec.)

Hansel & Gretal (Feb.)

3 Musketeers (Apr.)

GREATER TUNA (Jun.)

As you can see we have our 3 family shows, but we have added a new prime time show in December. We are craaaaaaaaaaaazy!!!!

We also have auditions coming up for Laundry and Bourbon & Lone Star. If you are interested please email Mr. Vinnie!

Whew... that was a lot of information. See you next week with some pictires and possibly some video form Cinderella!

~Nero

Auditions!!

2008-04-14T10:38:00.002-04:00

Makeshift Theatre Co.
Announces AUDITION FOR…

Lone Star and Laundry & Bourbon
By James McLure

Makeshift Theatre Co., now in its third season, announces auditions for its upcoming Prime Time Production: Lone Star and Laundry & Bourbon.

Excellent apart, brilliant together, James McClure's two darkly comic one-acts weave the interconnecting stories of three men and three women on one hot summer day in Maynard, Texas. In Laundry & Bourbon, Elizabeth, Hattie, and Amy Lee fold laundry, share gossip, and try to withstand the withering heat and each other. In the companion piece, Lone Star, beer and a 1959 pink Thunderbird convertible draw Ray, Roy, and Cletis together as they while away an evening in their tiny Texas town, but startling revelations threaten to tear them apart.

Seeking 3 Men & 3 Women

Laundry & Bourbon:
Elizabeth Caulder: (Late 20's early 30's) Strong, Sensuous Woman. Intelligent but underdeveloped. Would be capable of handling most men other than her husband Roy. Therein lies the attraction. A woman Devoid of self pity. A forthright person who would call your bluff.

Hattie Dealing: (Late 20's early 30's) A woman whose bluff needs calling. Blowsy, brassy, used to getting her own way. Mother, wife, talker. Has as adage for every occasion. Anything that has gone wrong in her life is Vernon's fault. Vernon is her husband.

Amy Lee Fullernoy: (Mid-late 20's) Bright, sassy, spoiled. Baptist to the teeth. Given to gossip. Life revolves around the country club. An old enemy of Hattie's.

Lone Star:
Roy Caulder: (Late 20's early 30's) Lean, tough, beginnings of a beer gut. Undereducated, belligerent, his army service has nearly given him a since of irony. He voted for Nixon, likes John Wayne movies, and thinks Raquel Welch is a great actress.

Ray Caulder: (Mid-late 20's) Roy's younger brother. He is larger than Roy, slope-shouldered, sloth like, and slow. He has no idea what irony is. Wears a John Deere hat. Probably sleeps in it.

Cletis Fullernoy: (Mid-late 20's) A friend of Ray's. His life should have been terminated in high school. Married the first girl he dated that didn't spit on him. Works in his father's store. Gets lost in the stock room. Has a plastic pocket holder. Sleeps with it.

Auditions will be held on

Monday May 12 and Tuesday May 13

From 7-10pm

@ the Cambridge YMCA in Central Sq.

Auditions will consist of Cold Readings form the script.To Schedule an Audition Time Please Email a current Head Shot and Resume to
Company Manager Vincent Morreale, vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com

Performance Dates Are
June 27th, 29th & 29th
July 3rd, 5th, & 6th

For more information please visit us online at
www.makeshifttheatre.com

YEA BUNNIES!!!!

2008-03-24T17:33:00.002-04:00

Hey Everybody!

I hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend. We at Makeshift did as we held out 3rd annual Easter Egg Hunt and BBQ!!! It was a great day for egg hunting and I have many pictures and some video as well!! That is all to come with some CINDERELLA rehearsal pics! Can you believe it opens in 2 weeks!

But, for now Mr. Rhodes is leaving for Florida and Ms. Em and Mr. Overby are going with him which I believe leaves me defacto in charge with lots to do for the upcoming show! I will try not to go all Emperor Palpatine on everybody... MUHAHAHAHA,, MUHAHAHAHAA.

Lord of all he sees,

NERO

Feast, feast, merry, merry

2008-03-15T11:25:00.007-04:00

Every year Mr. Rhodes takes us all out to dinner to celebrate making it another year and every year the party has doubled. Technically Makeshift was formed 4 years ago, but we have been producing shows for 3 years. The first party was to say thank you to the cast and crew for making our first 2 shows possibe, and it was dicided we would go to Dick's Last Resort so we who do family theatre could have some grown up fun.... the tradition has contunued.

This year was our largest ever with 11 attendes including Ms.

Waldron, Mr. Vinnie, Ms. Mollie, Mr. Libby, Mr. Overby, Ms. Em, Mr. Rhodes (duh), Mama Coral, The Wolf, and Ms. Vix. these are the people that make Makeshift Theatre run. So many of them are behind the scenes that you may not realize all the work that they do and most of it out of the love of the game, so to say.

Looking around the table I realized all of the new people who have joined us this year andhow much they have ment to the company. Mr. Rhodes said this was going to be a year of growth and change and he was not kidding. I am glad I was here for it instead of traveling around the world with a demented dramaturge. We have added Stage Managers, cheorgraphers, and new desginers, new directors, and so many new actors to our playlist.

So many new people that the only people from the orginal Dinner @ Dicks were Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Overby, Mr. Vinnie, and myself. There were a few people who could not make it including Deb The Shea who has designed every prop and costume for every show we have done for the past 3 years, and Mastro Benge who has given us so much orginal music. this coming weekend will be our annual Easter Egg Hunt and BBQ. It should be a good time as well.

You can see more pics from the party on our myspace page, the link shoul;d be to the right somewhere. Wow, three years and I know we are working on choosing shows for next year and should have a few suprises in store. I can't wait to see what the future holds!!!

Glad to be a part of the team,

~Nero

The cast of CINDERELLA!!

2008-03-03T08:50:00.003-05:00

I have been a bit slow on posting this, but the time has finally come...

The cast of Cinderella, adapted by Jack Neary.

Marianne - Adrienne Grafton

Step Mother - Rachel Baum

Gywneth - Jessica Corbo

Paltro - Brooke Nathanson

Whitey - Matt Arnold

Blanche - Kristen Boucher

Abe/Father - Vincent Morreale

Prince - Jon Overby

If Alice in Wonderland was the new kids, this cast are the aging veterans. Directing this time out is Nicole Catalano, who is brand spanking new to MTC. We also have a new SM in Coral Ash. Rehearsal begin in earnest tonight and we open the first Saturday in April.

We also had our 3rd annual Dinner @ Dick's last night which produced some interesting pictures. I will get the info on that up later in the week.

See you soon!

~Nero

COPYRIGHT!!!!

2008-02-28T07:53:00.002-05:00

Ok.... I just discovered that the name of the new villian for the up coming Star Trek film will be NERO!

I didn't know JJ Abrams was reading my blog. He also is getting Eric Banna to play me. You can do much better than that... after the HULD and TROY I lost all respect for that dude.

I don't know how to feel about this.... I really don't. I just don't see myself as the villian type. I could eb the funny sidekick for days, the comic relief.

So, JJ if you reading this please call me and I will not sue if you give me a walk on part on LOST...

CALL ME!

~The one and only Nero

Moving right along....

2008-02-23T21:33:00.006-05:00

Hey folks...

We are almost finished with Alice in Wonderland, just one more performance to go. We had our final show at the Coolidge today in spite of the snow storm. Thank you to all of those who braved the weather to come see the show. Over 500 people have see the run at the Coolidge! Next week will be our last showing of Alice in Wonderland at the Regent theatre in Arlington. All of you living north of the river have no excuse to not come and see the show. As you can see we had our photo-call with our fabulous photographer, Ms. Victoria Welch.

Mr. Rhodes wanted me to give a big thank you to all of you who came to the Cinderella auditions! The director had some very difficult decisions to make.... I did peek in and I must say that the amount of talent that keeps showing up at our auditions is out standing!!! We thought about adding more shows just to give more people a chance to play with us! We did make our final decisions and our first rehearsal for Cinderella will be next week... before we even close Alice. "CLOSE" means we finish a show. --I was having a chat with some parents during a performance the other day and realized that we sometimes throw theatre jargon around like we expect everyone to understand not realizing that some folks may to be very familiar with theatre terms. So I am gonna try and define terms when I use them in the hopes of providing some education and understanding. Lord know when I go to a mechanic I have no idea what they are saying... most of the time I just nod and wait for the bill.--

So where was I........? OH yeah, we start Cinderella rehearsals next week. I will be posting the cast list next week once we have the first read through. I have all kinds of other things to announce, but I am gonna try and hold on to some information till the next posting. We have some people to congratulate and some old friends to welcome back and the company party to plan!!! I am always

We are very close to deciding on our season for next year... you can expect that announcement in the next couple of months!

Also, don't forget that it's tax season! We just finished our and want to wish everyone many happy returns!! Ba-Dum-Ching! always leave them wanting more....

~Nero

Alice is through the looking glass...

2008-02-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

Hey all!

We just finished our second week of Alice and everyone is having a great time, the actors and the audience. There is not a much better combination than that! We have 3 more performances at the Coolidge before we move to the Regent For the March performance. ---Don'y forget the Raffle this coming Saturday!! There will be fun prizes and such!! I will try to take some pictures and video this weekend and have it posted the following day!

In other news we are building up steam with Cinderella. It is always tricky starting one show before one is finished. I know larger theatres have a full time crew and it gets super busy. Though we be small we be mighty!!! Cinderella auditions are coming up quick, so if you are interested send Mr. Vinnie an email. It will be directed by Nicole Catalano, who is making her Makeshift debute! We will also be welcoming a new SM to the ranks, her name is Coral.

That's all the new for now. Tune in later dear readers and I may give out some hints to the shows that are on the short list for next year!!! Yes, we are already planning next year... an ounce of prevention gets early birds and all that.

~Nero

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!

2008-01-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

We are in print laides and gents.... If you can't pick up a copy check this out....

http://www.bostonnow.com/entertainment/theater/2008/01/30/makeshift-makes-theater-for-one-and-all

AUDITION TIME!

2008-01-18T07:43:00.000-05:00

Makeshift Theatre Co.

announces
AUDITIONS for…

Cinderella

Adapted by Jack Neary

Makeshift Theatre Co., now in its third season of Saturday morning family shows, announces auditions for it's up coming production of Cinderella. It just might be the world's most beloved fairytale, and Jack Neary's touching adaptation brings warmth and humor to this endearing classic. Cinderella has a good heart, but she'll need a hand if she wants to go to the ball. With the help of some unlikely friends, she just might make it, and get to meet Prince Charming!
Seeking:

We're looking for a strong ensemble cast (20's – 30's) who is willing to take risks and play with physical comedy. 3M, 5F

BLANCHE: dove/narrator; character actor

WHITEY: dove/narrator; character actor

MARIANNE (Cinderella): spunky, awkward, sweet

FATHER/ABE THE TAILOR: played older; character actor.

STEPMOTHER: older; haughty and power hungry

GWYNETH: stepsister; unwieldy

PALTROW: stepsister; precocious

PRINCE: dorky yet charming

Auditions will be February 18th and 19th
7 – 10 PM
@
Cambridge YMCA in Central Sq.

Email head shot and resume to Company Manager Vincent Morreale, vinnie@makeshifttheatre.com, to schedule an audition time.
Auditions will consist of short improvs and cold readings from the script. Please state which day and time you prefer 7:00PM, 8:30PM and be prepared to stay the whole time. Some people may be called back the scond night.

Performance will be April: 5, 12, 19, 20, 26 & May 3

All shows are 10:30 AM.

Rehearsals will be 3 weeknights through March.

www.makeshifttheatre.com

http://www.myspace.com/makeshifttheatre

Alice sneek peek...

2008-01-16T11:10:00.000-05:00

I made a promise of video and I am trying to keep it!

We are memorable....

2008-01-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks!

If you have been involved with the Boston theatre scene at all for the last 40 odd years then you are familiar with Larry Stark. For those of you who are not familiar with the man I could try to give you a brief history and explain how much he has been involved with Boston theatre, but I don't think my limited typing and spelling skills could do it justice... So I will leave it to the Wiki folks, he has his own Wiki link which I give to you Wiki now... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Stark.

Every year he makes a list of the most memorable shows he has seen and this year WE made that list with out first Prime Time show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). We came in at #71. [meaning we were the 71st play he saw, note compliments of Ms. Waldron] That's not to shabby for our first time out! here is the link to the list if you want to see what other shows caught his eye!! http://www.theatermirror.com/twtwtw2007.htm

Also... In the coming weeks, during your morning T ride, keep taking peeks into Boston Now. That's all I have been cleared to say at this time or I would have to self destruct this blog... and that would not be good for anyone!

I am all nervous. NERVOUS I TELL YOU! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

~Nero

New year

2008-01-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everybody.

I am planning a post with all the new and exciting thing that we here at Makeshift have planned for 2008! I have just been putting it off becasue of the awesome new gamage I got for Christmas. But have no fear faithful followers i will be getting this stuff together in the next week.

In the mean time continue building excitment for the opening of Alice In Wonderland!

~Nero

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2007-12-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

We at Makeshift want to wish you a Merry Christmas, or what ever holiday you are celebrating!!! We hope you rake in some sweet gifts and spend quality family and loved one time!!!

Staff and Crew of Makeshift Theatre Co.

white everywhere...

2007-12-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

Hey folks, It's nothing but snow, snow, and more snow here in Cambridge lately. In soite of the that the december news letter just went out and we had the first rehearsal for Alice in Wonderland. I even have the pictures to prove it! Lets take a look at these now....

This is our own Deb the Shea once again. She was taking measurements of all the actors for the costumes she will be making. You can also see that we are at 29 cedar for the first readthrough. Mr. Rhodes likes to do this becasue it is a nice way to say welcome to our little fmaily. There is usually some food and post rehearsal refreshments... and this time there were Christmas treats! It looks like The Shea will become our offical Costume Mistress in residnce in the new year. You will be able to chek out her infor on the website. She is also selling some of her homemade goodies form her own website http://www.biemodesign.com/ . Check it out!

In this photo you can see everybody diligently looking at their scripts while the Dir. Ms. Waldron takes notes about who will be playing all the ensemble parts. The ansemble is very talented and I personally can not wait to see who will be playing the Mad Hatter and the Cat and all the other crazy charaters. You can alos see our talented Stage Manager Ms. S. D. Wolf. That's just fun to say... Ms. Wolf. HA! There is only one more rehearsal before the holiday break and then the cast will be back for January. You will be able to see some of the artwork at the Coolidge pretty soon! Keep looking iof you are in the area!

Here is another quick shot of the cast getting cozy on the futon. Alos we keep checking the website for updates. We hope to start revamping it little by little as the new year dawns. It just happens to be going just about as slow as the Big Dig. Lucky for us it costs less and is not life threatening. Mr. Vinnie, and Mr. Rhodes are trying to work it out. For those of you who haven't noticed Mr. Vinnie is Makeshift's new Company Manager and is doing a bang up job with all the responsibilites. Plus he is also on WoW so we set up a connection in the office. HAHA I am so glad Mr. Rhodes only checks the blog everyother month or so...

Merry Christmas everybody.... Or what ever holiday you choose to celebrate! Be careful in the snow!

~Nero

The cast of ALICE!!!

2007-12-09T10:21:00.001-05:00

Thank to all those who auditioned. Ms. Waldron had very difficult decisions to make to cast this show. You were all great, and Mr. Rhodes would like to see you back for Cinderella in February!

Alice in Wonderland

Casey Williamson ~ Alice

Brooke Nathanson - Queen of Hearts

Alan White - King of Hearts

ENSEMBLE:

Mike Simon

Jessica Corbo

Emilie Kapp

Danielle Muehlenbein

The good deeds of friends...

2007-12-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

This is from our friends at The Junkyard Dogs....

Holiday Spectacular!Buy baked goodies, take pictures with Santa and help a local non-profit theater all at the same time. On December 15th one pm to four pm at the Beacon Hill Friends House on 6 Chestnut St. Boston, MA, The Junkyard Dogs Productions will be hosting a holiday bake sale. There will be entertainment, Christmas gift baskets for sale, and Santa will be there to take pictures with the little ones. Come and enjoy a pleasant afternoon of holiday cheer. Watch the little ones enjoy Santa’s company. Buy some gifts for loved ones. And treat yourself to a baked goodie. For any questions or to make reservations for picture with Santa, please contact the Managing Director: Natalie Cabral Glaser at 617-372-5492 or email her at nataliecabral@yahoo.com. Happy Holidays!

Who is excited about Wonderland...

2007-12-03T12:12:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been a while but there have been a few things going on. Mr. Rhodes had surgery so we were all making sure he was doing well. The good news is while he was on the drugs the day after I talked him into ordering the new lap top which should be here this week!!!! that means more video! I know you are excited!

Tomorrow is the first day of Alice auditions. We have around 50 people auditioning for Alice in Wonderland and we are very excited. That's a big audition! I may swing by and take some pictures.

In the mean time I better get back to making my Christmas shopping list.

I hope all of you have been nice!

OH, and Mr. Rhodes is fine, although he is wondering why on Earth he bought the new laptop. hahah SHHHHHH! That's our secret.

~Nero

bloated...

2007-11-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

mm...............mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......... pie.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

~The Makeshift Family

Yea Video!!

2007-11-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving coming up I ahve more time on my hands to work out this whole video thing. Mr. Rhodes turned the whole thing over to me so wish me luck. Hopefully bellow you will be able to view the fight scene from Jack and the Beanstalk.

We have a lot of folks coming out to audition for Alice in Wonderland!!! It's pretty amazing and we are very excited. I will get some pics of the Makeshift family from Thanksgiving and post them over the weekend.

Other than getting ready for the Alice auditions things are pretty quiet on the Makeshift Theatre front. We are looking for a lighting designer and board op for Alice, so if you are interested please email Mr. Rhodes to set up a meeting.

Hope you enjoyed the video!!

~NEro

Getting to know you... getting to know all abouot you...

2007-11-07T12:23:00.001-05:00

Hey folks,

As you see in the previous post audition time is quickly approaching once again. Our second show of the season is Alice in Wonderland and this one is once again adapted by the one and only Jack Neary.

This show is going to be directed by Anna Wladron who performed last year in Sleeping Beauty and then came on board as Makeshift's new Director of Marketing. Let me tell you she has done a great job since she took the position. Some of you have seen the fancy new season cards that we have been giving out, well you can thank Ms. Waldron for those. Ms. Waldron is also getting married this summer to multi talented Stephen Libby who not only played the story teller in Jack and the Beanstalk, but designed our logo and has done many other projects for us along the way. I asked Ms. Waldron if I could be the ring bearer and she said she would get back to me on that.

I plan on interviewing Ms. Waldron and other members of the Makeshift staff this winter so you can get to know the team that brings you these crazy shows. There is also a lot of news about next year that I want to tell you, but Mr. Rhodes said he would cancel my X-Box live subscription if I let the cat out of the bag to early.... He was pretty compelling.

In the mean time take a look at the audition notice bellow and sign up for an audition!!

See you soon!

~Nero

ALICE AUDITIONS!

2007-11-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

It's that time again folks!!!

Makeshift Theatre Co. announces
AUDITIONS for…

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Adapted by Jack Neary

Makeshift Theatre Co., now in its third season of Saturday morning family shows, announces auditions for it’s up coming production of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Lewis Carroll's whimsical adventure is given a new spin with Jack Neary's witty adaptation. Alice is up to her neck in tardy rabbits, mad-hatters and grinning felines, but will it cost her her head? It will if the Queen of Hearts has anything to say about it! When nothing in Wonderland makes any sense, how will Alice ever find her way home?

Seeking:
Alice:
female, adult actress who can play younger;
Queen of Hearts:
female, any age, imposing presence, it is always the Queen's way;
King of Hearts:
male, any age, a meek soul next to his wife;
Ensemble:
four actors (male and female) will portray all the other characters in Wonderland including: The Cheshire cat, the Caterpillar, the White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, The Mock Turtle, etc.

Some dance or movement experience a plus.

Auditions will be December 4th and 5th
7 – 10 PM
@
Cambridge YMCA in Central Sq.

Email head shot and resume and preferred day to artistic director Andrew Rhodes, andrew@makeshifttheatre.com, to schedule an audition time.
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script, and please have prepared a short comedic monologue. There will be half hour slots and please be prepared to stay.

Performance will be Feb: 2, 9, *16, 17, 23 & March 1st
All shows are 10:30 AM.
There will be 2-3 short rehearsals in early December and will begin in earnest in January 2008.

www.makeshifttheatre.com

Trick or Treat!

2007-10-31T08:25:00.000-04:00

We will be passing out creepy scares and candy Mr. Rhodes's house. He gets tons of spooky kids visiting his house. The tough decision is Poltergeist or SAW I & II.

Be safe. Have fun.

been busy....

2007-10-29T07:24:00.000-04:00

Home Town!

2007-10-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

Grumble, grumble....

2007-10-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

Mr. Rhodes says he is still waiting to order the new computer that will be able to handle video stuff....

How much longer Mr. Rhodes?!?!?!

I hate waiting. He says that it's for sure by Christmas. Christmas he says?!??!?!

Ugh...

Grumble..

If you will excuse me i have to go pout.

~Nero

Guess what I have....

2007-10-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

PICTURES!!!

Well... ok... I have 2 pictures. I am the biggest slacker, you don't have to tell me. I have been playing a lot of video games lately now that the weather has been getting colder and being outside is not as much fun. But enough about me being lazy, I get enough of it form my Mom....

Pictures... First here are a few of the cast and crew hanging outside The Coolidge before we move in. You can see the Makeshift season II poster in the fore ground. Each year we make a poster with pictures from the previous year to display for at the shows. This on was designed by Kristin Boucher... again she is fabulous, and she is in this picture. So there! :P!

This next one is of the inside of Ye Ole Coolidge Corner. Man I really love that big red curtain. We run thru the shows every morning and some times we have to refocus the lights, hence the latter in the picture. Guess he gets to have his hands burned doing the refocusing... I'll give you two guesses... Mom made me put butter all over my fingers when I got home. Mr. Rhodes says 2nd degree burs build character and showed me some of his theatrical scars. But, I bet he never had his mom make him stick his fingers in a bowl of margarine..

See you soon with more pics...

~Nero

Stupid butter still on the key board... hrmmmph.

I suck..

2007-10-11T09:49:00.000-04:00

I know I promised pictures and i have them I have just been very busy. The good news is my charater leveled up. Bad news no new pictures posted. I suck.

Looks like we will be posting video before Christmas. In the mean times I will tape things and keep saving the footage. We even had some of the folks at the Coolidge offer to download the video for us.

OK. promise pictures soon!!!

~Nero

So excited, and so upset...

2007-10-05T11:24:00.000-04:00

Jack and the Beanstalk opens tomorrow!!!! I am so excited! The show looks good people. We have so many new and excited faces and we hope to see excited faces in the audience.

I also have some seriously frustrating news. Mr. Rhodes finally got the new camcorder in and now he finds out that he cannot attach it to his laptop to down load the video and mine does not have a connector either. So no video. Grrr.... Mr. Rhodes promised me that we will be getting a new company laptop very soon. A laptop that can do all but walk on water. We shall see.

Never fear though. I will be there tomorrow morning with my trusty camera to take some pictures! Post again come Monday!

~Nero

Dance of joy, Dance of joy...

2007-09-24T19:57:00.000-04:00

Camcorder has been shipped!!!!

I repeat, THE CAMCORDER HAS BEEN SHIPPED!!!

I can smell the excitment!!! Either that or I need to shower.

The last wiffle ball game of the season was yesterday and I heard it was a heck of a turn out!! Can't wait till next year!!

...and did I mention... THE CAMCORDER HAS BEEN SHIPPED!!!

~Nero

Rehearsals and art work for Jack...

2007-09-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

The poster art for Jack has been completed! Once again we had Ms. Kristen Boucher behind the pencil... or drawing tablet as the case may be. She is all digital and such, completely cool! Check it out!

Seriously, she does great work so if you think you might need a graphic artist let me know and I will give you her contact information. Like Mr. Rhodes says... It's all about connections.

I also took some pictures at rehearsal last week, so here is your first look at some of the cast of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Here we have Kenny Roraback who is playing Jack, and Julia Bingham who is playing Cordelia, Jack's love interest. You might recognize Julia from Sleeping Beauty!

Here is a good pic of 90% of the cast including Carolyn, Kristen (of poster fame), Stephen, Shaine; Bottom: Julia, kenny, Malia (call me Lia).

Here is Herr Director (Overby) with Mr. Vinnie going over the role of the Giant @ 29 Cedar. Most of the role will be done by voice over which fantastic sound guy Josh will be recording for us. How cool is that?! VERY!

I see that blogger can no upload video which I would be uber excited about except that... The camorder that Mr. Rhodes ordered is still on fricken back order. It's been over a month sice he ordered it... stupid Best Buy!!! But fear not fans... as soon as it arrives you will be seeing thiings in NeroVision. I know you all tingly with excitment!!

Wiffle ball next Sunday!!!

~Nero the Impatient

Meet the cast of Jack..

2007-09-02T19:03:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen it is my pleasure to announce the cast for our first production of the 07-08 season....

The cast of Jack and the Beanstalk:
Natalie Cabral / Jack's Mom
Julia Bingham / Cordellia
Kenny Roraback / Jack
Carolyne Gallo / Victoria
Malia Wright / Elizabeth
Shaine Carney / Thalia, Muse of Comedy
Kristen Boucher / Mel, Muse of Tragedy
Stephen Libby / Story Teller
Vinnie Morreale / Jack's Dad, Giant

Thanks too all of you who came out! Mr. Rhodes said there were many, MANY talented people. He was most impressed.

I will have some pictures soon! Happy Labor Day!

~Nero

Down time...

2007-08-23T07:22:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

I wanted to remind you all that Jack auditions are next week and that if you are interested in auditioning please email Mr. Rhodes to schedule a time. All the information about the auditions is bellow.

Other than that there is not much new to report. We are still looking for different rehearsal spaces so if any of you makeshift fans out there have any ideas I would be super glad to hear them.

OH, OH, OH, I almost forgot! Mr. Rhodes ordered a video camera!!!!! Yes, I will be Nero, Video Blogger! I will even be able to give you guys clips of the shows! A picture is worth a thousand words so a video must be worth a bazillion words! Seriously can't wait!

~Nero, soon to be video blogging

Jack is off and running...

2007-08-12T12:47:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

As you can see by the previous post we have officially begun work on or 07/08 season. WOOT!

Jack and the Beanstalk is our first production of the season. It's adapted by Noah Smith who is a friend of Mr. Rhodes and a playwright and teacher current living in Los Angeles.

We have posted the audition notices and have already receive responses. We have also begun work on the production side, which most people never see. Yesterday the production team (director, Lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, production manager, and artistic director) met for the first time and laid out plans for the look of the show, the schedule, and budgets. I don't think most people know that work on these shows begins well before we even cast the actors. As of this date our production countdown has begun, we have 57 days before Jack and the Beanstalk opens.

Jonothan Overby is directing this time out. Here he is looking at costume ideas and sketches with the one and only Deb Shea, and production manager Emily Brown. We are excited to have some new people joining us this season on the tech side. We have Josh Staines, who ran sound for us on (abridged), will be designing sound and running the sound board for Jack. We also have Margaret Hodes joining us as lighting designer and board op, this will be Margaret's first time working with us here at Makeshift and we are pretty dern excited.

Which brings me to a sad sad bit of news. Makeshift's own Mollie McKenzie will not be back in the booth this season. Ms. Mollie has excepted an offer from the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Ma to tech and teach. Yea! for Mollie... boo! for us. We wish her the best of luck.

We miss you Ms. Mollie!!!!

~Nero

It's that time... AUDITIONS!

2007-08-09T15:24:00.000-04:00

MAKESHIFT THEATRE CO.

Announces auditions for it's up coming production of..
Jack and the Beanstalk
adapted by Noah Smith.

Audition will be held at the Cambridge Family YMCA in Central Sq..
August 29 & 30
7:00PM-9:30PM

Please contact Artistic Director Andrew Rhodes to schedule a time.
andrew@makeshifttheatre.com

Rehearsals start September 5th and will be 3 nights a week through October 4th. Location TBA.
Performance dates are:
October 6, 13, 20, 27, 28

For more information about us and our company please visit
www.makeshifttheatre.com

We are looking for 3 men and 6 women for the following roles:

Storyteller: Male, Ageless, Loud, Energetic, character traits may vary, must be able to capture a crowd and play multiple “character” roles.

Victoria: Female/Male, Ageless, young, playing children, pigtails and the whole nine yards, partners in crime with Elizabeth, plays multiple characters comfortable with adlibs and audience participation.

Elizabeth: Female/Male, Ageless, young, playing children, pigtails and the whole nine yards, partners in crime with Victoria, plays multiple characters comfortable with adlibs and audience participation.

Thalia: Female, ageless, bright, cheery, clumsy and loud, likes to laugh, overeager to please, muse of comedy

Melpomene: Female, ageless, dour, gloomy, classic straight man, played down but not quiet, muse of tragedy

Jack: Male, early 20’s, sweet, slightly clueless but with an energy of excitement for exploration, yet still timid and unsure of himself,

Mother: Female; 40’s -, Jack’s mother, Fiery, Jewish/New York accent, larger than life, a spry old women with a bounce in her step a cackle in her throat and a look that could freeze a Nargel in its tracks

Giant/Father: Male, 40’s -, doubles as Jack’s father and the giant, wears a giant suit most of the show, tall or short, more submissive to his wife, wispy, slightly blank look permanently occupies his face,

Cordelia: Female, early 20’s, love interest, good natured, does the right thing despite personal sacrifice, comedic, likes to have fun

Scared Hit-less 12 Spider-Pigs 9

2007-08-05T07:58:00.000-04:00

Hi friends!

It was wiffle ball weekend yet again! For those of you who missed here are the highlights. The Spider-Pigs lost to Scared Hit-less 12-9 in this high scoring struggle between to power hitting teams. There were 2 in the park home runs by John "plastic killer" Sanzi and Allan "The One handed wonder."

Team captains were John Sanzi and Emily Brown. Mr. Sanzi is Makeshifts consigliere and this was his wiffle ball debut, and what a debut it was! Emily brown was finally out of injured reserve, having been previously reduced to mere umpire-dom because of a bum ankle, but yesterday she was ready to play in spite of the blistering heat. Here she is at first base ready for action.

The Spider-Pigs came out strong in the first two innings in this 6 inning game. However, after a change in pitchers the tide quickly turned in favor of Scared Hit-Less. Victoria "The Vixen" Welch, the blond bomber from Vermont, made a strong showing in this game. Here she is coming down the third baseline headed for home in a 2 run dinger by Allan.

The MVP for the day has to go to Matt Arnold for the multiple times he sacrificed his body for the game. In this interns mind he earned the title for the play at second where he dove head first for the base and ended up in the outfield still clutching the base in his brave, but slightly sore hands. Mr. Arnold we salute you!!!We also set a record for people hit by pitches and number of balls thrown in a single game. Here Allan stares down the ball as it heads straight for his face. His new bride, our own Sleeping Beauty Julia Bingham, looks on in the back ground.Post game consisted of smoothies and watermelon. See you again in 2 weeks!

~Nero

melting, MELTING....

2007-08-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

Too hot............... Can't blog............

All strength used up... updating... website.....

http://www.makeshifttheatre.com/

~Nero

Sweat and celebrating...

2007-07-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes... two posts in one week. What am I thinking?!?!?!

It was a hot, hot day friends. It did rain late in the afternoon but the days festivities came off great. I personally want to give big kudos to Ms. MB, Mr. Paul Ezzy, Mr. Matt Arnold, and Ms. Laureen Evans for doing such a great job. We had people visit the promo table asking where they could get a copy of the script or how to contact the author. Most of these were teachers wanting to use it in their classrooms! Way to go Mr. Libby (who wrote the sketch)!

Speaking of the promo table Ms. Em did a great job of greeting and chatting up all the people who stopped in for information. Pictured here are Ms. MB who played Juliet, are own Mr. Overby who took time out of his busy schedule to come down help, and Ms. Em.

We also have some awesome new cards that have our logo on one side and a list of all our shows for the upcoming season on the other. Mr. Rhodes has been having back problems and was fighting a cold, but he made it through. I took this pic of him with Shakespeare, but I sooooo had to talk him into it. I had to promise him some of my mom's homemade cornbread. He survived the day because Dunken Doughnuts is now serving sweet tea. I believe he had two of them and he kept muttering God bless sweat tea. He is from the south so I sometimes do not understand him at all.

I would have taken more pictures but I had forgot to put extra batteries in the camera bag. I wanted to go and get some but I had to help set up the props and help the actors go through their lines before hand. I had just enough juice to snap these. : (

All in all it was a great day. We were hanging with some local theatrical big wigs and we held our own. Some people even asked if we would be back next year! WOOT!

~Nero

Shakespear on the common...

2007-07-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder that we will be performing on Boston common this Saturday as part of Citi Bank's Celebrate Shakespeare Day!!!

Ms. Waldron has bee getting a lot of promo materials together, and Mr. Rhodes and the 5 person cast has been rehearsing the severely condensed version of Romeo & Juliet they will be performing. Good thing we had all those costumes from Abridged hanging around. Theatre people never throw any thing away! I will be on hand with my trust makeshift camera to take pic and will post next week!!

We will also be announcing auditions for Jack and the Bean Stalk, SO keep tuning in!!

~Nero

And scene...

2007-07-16T22:21:00.000-04:00

So Yesterday was the last show of (abridgd), and it also marked the last performance of Makeshift's second season. WOOHOO!

No we go, what we in the theate biz call dark. When a theatre goes dark it means they are not producing anything at that time. Some theatres have summer season and are dark in the winter and some do the oppisite and produce shows in the winter and take the summers off. We do mostly winter shows since most of our shows are kids shows. So now most of us will be doing other shows with other companies or just taking some time off.

I will be helping Mr. Rhodes Get ready for season 3. We have all the shows picked out and are planning our schedules with the directors for each show. Ms. Waldron is planning a big marketing release with all the information, so I am unable to disclose any of it here at this time. One thin I can tell you that has become offical is that we will be performing during the Shakespeare-fest on the Boston Common on Saturday July 28th. We will be doing a short 7-10 min. sketch written by Mr. Stephen Libby who also designed our logo by the way. Yes, he is pretty talented. So swing by and say hi if you are down town. We go on at 12:40 and 1:40! I of course will be there taking pictures!!

But Now I am off to some World of Warcraft. I leave you with this final picture of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) We had 190 people see it this last weekend...

~NERO

Soooooooo much going on...

2007-07-09T19:47:00.000-04:00

Hello out there!

Sorry I missed last week. We were very busy with Complete Works! Plus Mr. Rhodes gave me a bit of a vacation and I jumped at the chance to get in some serious gaming and see Transformers! Sooo cool!

We have been getting some great feed back from Complete Works! Our audience the night of the 30 was crazy. Just look at these people!

I will have put more Complete Works pics up on ye ole Myspace page. I will post some here soon!

We have just one more weekend of Complete Works and our third season is finished. Wow! Time is flying by. Mr. Rhodes and Ms. Waldron have already started marketing plans for next season.

We also got an invitation to perform on Boston Common for the opening day of Shakespeare On The Common. Mr. Rhodes is trying to make sure that happens. It would be a great event for us with so many other theatre companies around town being involved! Cross your fingers!

~Nero

Busy, busy, busy....

2007-06-30T06:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry everyone. I am slow posting this week because we have been so wicked busy. Yes, I said wicked, that's how busy we have been.

last night we opened (abridged) to a great audience. This is where you should have been...

...This is the view from the stage at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre. That's our own Mollie MacKenzie working to finish programing the lights earlier this week.

We have 2 shows today! We have the last peformance of Sleeping Beauty today and another Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) tonight. This is going to be a crazy day, so I better get going. More next week!

~Nero

Sleeping Beauty REDUX...

2007-06-21T21:54:00.000-04:00

If you missed it the first time Sleeping Beauty is now up and running at The Regent Theatre in Arlington!

It was a very early morning for us Makeshift folks. Half the cast spent the night at Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Overby's house since they live just 30 min from the theatre. It was a Makeshift sleepover!

We had to be at the theatre at 8AM for a 10:30 show. It is one of the many challenges of performing the same show at more than one theatre. We had to arrive early to make changes to the blocking and tech needs to fit the show into a new space. The Regent has a prime time show running at night and we have to use their lights and work around, or incorporate what ever they have on stage for that show. We have become very good at this over the years, and the Regent has been very accommodating with our early arrivals on opening days. Yes, that's right we do all of this the morning of our first performance in the new space, hence the early arrival time. For the rest of the run our call time will be 9AM just so we can recap the changes we have made.

Kudos and a big high-five to our own Mollie MacKenzie, our lighting designer and board op, for being so talented and flexible. She ran through the existing lights, and did a fantastic job of suiting them to our needs. Also, the fact that she is doing all this manually with sliders is just crazy. Ms. Mackenzie rules!

The Regent has a very different lay out for The Coolidge, where we first performed Sleeping Beauty. The biggest of these difference being the fact that The Regent has a backstage. The Coolidge has flats left and right to hide behind, but no cross behind or back stage to speak of. It makes the space very personal and intimate, but there is no way to get the actors off the stage unless they enter or exit through the audience. The Regent has a more classical layout. Each has it's benefits and challenges for a director and a theatre company.

That afternoon was June's Wiffle Ball Saturday! Every third Saturday of the month in the summer we gather old cast members and friends a play a madcap game of wiffle ball and have a BBQ after. May's game was rained out but this last one was a heck of a good time! I was going to take pictures, but I was so excited I left the camera at home. :( I will remember to take pics of the next game in July!

(Abridged) opens a week from Friday!!!!!! Speaking of I need to work on some prop stuff! I will have some pics form (abridged) tech next week and maybe some pics of the opening!

~Nero

Cops & Prostumes...

2007-06-13T09:31:00.000-04:00

Now that I am being back to doing what I do best, I thought I would give you all a taste of some of what goes into making our shows happen. Since the up coming The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) is opening in about 2 weeks, and it is our biggest show thus far when it come to props and costumes, I thought I would give you a brief preview.

First meet The Shea. Deb Shea to be exact. The Shea came on board for our first production of Robin Hood 2 years ago, when we were still TRiBE for CHiLDREN, and has designed , built, and/or purchased all the costumes and props for all of our shows ever since. Yes she is that amazing. She is a wonder and a miracle worker with the kind of budget she is given to work with. Also in the back is her mom, Ms. The Shea, who we always thank because she helps out and has helped deliver the goods to the theatre more than once. Thank you Ms. The Shea.

Since makeshift does not have a permanent theatre to call home we use Mr. Rhodes's house for temporary and permanent storage. This Saturday we begin the second run of Sleeping Beauty. In this picture we see all the props and costumes for the show in the stage cubes where they have been waiting in between runs in Mr. Rhodes's living room. Needless to say he has very understanding roommates. If you look closely you will see some of the props for (abridged) also put aside in this impromptu staging area. Speaking of (abridged)...

For those of you who are not familiar with the show it consists of 3 men performing all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in just under 2 hours. As you can imagine there are many costume changes and prop peaces, as I said earlier this is the largest show we have ever done. Our stage manager, Emily Brown, has been assisting The Shea in acquiring all the necessary items for this show. Lets take a look at some of these...

Here are some of the items we had to purchase. Pictured here is an asp for Anthony and Cleopatra, a sword for general swordy-goodness, and a few items for when the guys turn all of Shakespeare's comedies into one play. These are only a hand full of all the props that are starting to come together for the show

Also we have the Converse Chuck Taylor's which are iconic to the show. They are such a part of the show that they are pictured in the poster. These were bought and I believe each cast member is purchasing them from the company as keepsakes from the production. The Shea is busy working on the costumes she is building for (abridged), Purchasing material and getting patterns. Some of the costume peaces that are just used for one scene are being purchased from locations such as the local Salvation Army, Boston Costume, and the Garment District. Some items are being borrowed and will be dry cleaned and returned to their generous owners, and proper thanks printed in the program.

Most small independent theatre companies barrow a lot of what they need for shows, or have the actors be responsible for all of their own costumes. Mr. Rhodes never liked this idea to much, mostly because he never has much to choose from in his own closet. From the start he put aside a portion of the budget for each show for props and costumes. The idea being that things will be used over, and over, and over again, and the budget will go down for each show. So far this theory is winning out.

One of the challenges with this is storage space. Since we do not have a theatre of our own at this time, here is a picture of what I like to call the "HOLD". It's Mr. Rhodes's cellar where we store all of our stuff. The place is pretty damn creepy at night and looks like the hold of an old pirate ship. The house is some 90 years old, and has wooden slats every where and the cobwebs give it that certain "ich" effect. For those of you familiar with our shows, if you enlarge the picture you can see the Misdirected Trunk, a bow from Robin Hood, and some pillows from Aladdin, among other things.

I hope this gives you a brief idea of what goes into creating the craziness you see on stage. Some of these thing are finished and used for the first time the day of the performance. believe it or not. So, when you see an actor on stage looking pretty sweet in the fancy duds, take a look in the program and see who made it possible for them to strut their stuff and give them some high fives if you see them at the show.

Next week I should have some pictures form the Regent opening of Sleeping Beauty! See you then!

~Nero

Street fair success...

2007-06-04T10:26:00.001-04:00

We came, we saw, we got tan lines.

The Medford Street Fair in Arlington, MA was a rousing success! We had a great time. Mr. Rhodes even did some juggling out in public! Yikes! We met a whole bunch of new friends and saw some old ones. They even had a parade with minute men firing muskets. It doesn't get much better than that! To the left is Herr Direktor, Mr. Rhodes, doing some juggling next to our promotional poster. He tries to be cool some times.

Princess Briar Rose, our own Julia Bingham, was on hand taking "magic" Polaroid pictures with the kids! Boy did we feel old when half the kids had never see a Polaroid camera. We are positive her pretty face is adorning many a family fridge right at this very moment. She did have a bit of a run in with 2 of Arlington's finest as you can see. "When good princesses go bad." They let her off with a warning for being too cute!

We did a scene from Sleeping Beauty during which we had a surprise scene crasher jump on stage. As you can see Mr. Legget and Mr. Overby were not quite sure how to react. The impromptu assistant was from the dance school that had performed before us. Now, what bothered me more than her jumping into the scene was the fact that the dance school had performed a version of THRILLER, which crasher girl had been in, just moments before. During this performance Mr. Overby asked "What is that?." Mr. Rhodes replied with a "What are you talking about? It's THRILLER." I came to find out that neither Mr. Overby or Mr. Leggett had ever seen Michael Jackson's THRILLER. Looking at the picture now, maybe they thought she was a real zombie. Mr. Rhodes looked disgusted at both of them and walked away. We also did a scene from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) which wowed the crowds.

Also on hand for the day was our friend Jenny The Juggler, www.jennythejuggler.com, who showed up Mr. Rhodes's juggling skills in every possible way.

In the end many a picture was taken, many a flier was handed out, many a ball was juggled, and a good time was had by all. With no sun burns!

Good times. It's great to be home.

~Nero

Stop the presses...

2007-05-31T09:17:00.001-04:00

Hi guys! It's the ever-lovein' Nero on the job again. I know you missed me!

The cast of MTC is featured today in the Globe NW!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/05/31/
taking_to_the_street_for_arlingtons_birthday_bash/

They didn't get all the information right but that's definitely Mr. Overby, Mr. Leggett, and Mr. Rhodes in the picture! Rumor has it that the Sleeping Beauty poster is pictured in the print version! If anyone finds a copy of that let me know or send it along!

More picture from the street fair to come, come rain or shine!

~NERO

Busking for a living!!!

2007-05-30T11:50:00.001-04:00

YOU!
Yes you...

Do you want a sneak peek at the great shows Makeshift Theatre has coming up this summer?
I knew you would.

Where:
We will be peddling our theatrical wears during the Medford Street Fair outside the Regent Theatre in Arlington.

When:
Saturday June 2 from 11-3

What:
We will be doing an excert form Sleeping Beauty in the morning and in the afternoon we will be giving away a sample of the up coming Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).
Princess Briar Rose will be there, and awake, taking pictures with the kids. We will be handing out fliers and doing some juggling and other fun stunts for the crowd.

Come down and say hello!