Let’s meet the cast of Marblehead Little Theatre’s next show, Kat(i)e & J(aw)hn, an original play by Shari Frost!

Katelyn Beaudoin [Kat(i)e] – Katelyn is a graduating BFA senior at Salem State University.  Previous credits at SSU include Mimi in Rent, Mrs.  Joe, Biddy, and Wemmick in Great Expectations, and Dian Black in Escape from Happiness.  She is thrilled to work with Anne Lucas again after working with her for two seasons at the House of the Seven Gables as Elizabeth Cary in the Legacy of the Hanging Judge and this year as Anne Frank in Christmas at the Gables.  She is tickled pink to be making her debuted at the MLT and to be a part of this incredible process with Shari and the rest of the cast.  And as always, she would like to thank her Mom and Dad.

Chris Clark [J(aw)hn] – Chris discovered acting by accident 8 years ago and now wishes it had happened 28 years ago.  He has appeared in numerous local stage productions, readings, and storytelling gigs and several independent films and commercials.  While squeezing in “pretend time,” he pushes pixels at his real job as owner of a successful graphic design practice in Salem.  He lives inMarbleheadwith his wife, Joyce, and their 14-year old twins.

Vernon Dinnall [Homeless Street Musician] - Vern’s family hails fromJamaica, however he was born and raised inBoston.  He attended the University of New Hampshire during the early 70’s where he first began experimenting with the guitar.  He transferred to the Boston School of Contemporary Music to focus on learning music theory and hone his guitar skills.  He ultimately transferred to the illustrious Berklee School of Music, where he majored in Composition and continued to develop his guitar playing, focusing primarily on Jazz.  Since his time at Berklee he has raised a family in Swampscott for the last 25 years.  He returned to Berklee in 2010 to finish his degree and has continued to branch out in the music field playing with various bands, Blues Doctors, Jazz on a Rug and he now plays with the band Top Shelf.

Meghan Holtz [Barbara] – This is Meghan’s 11th MLT show.  Highlights include: Brighton Beach Memoirs (Blanche), Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl), Oklahoma! (Gertie Cummins), Let Me Check My Calendar by Shari Frost (Cynthia D.  Nial), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Grandma Georgina), Songs for a New World (Woman 2) and Spring Awakening (Frau Knuppeldick).  With Salem Theatre Company: Dead Man’s Cell Phone and 2011’s Moments of Play.  By day she teaches 8th graders who are learning English as a Second Language at the Collins Middle School in Salem.  She thanks her eternally tolerant husband and newly teenaged twin daughters for their support.

Michael R Siering [Sonny] – A resident ofSalem, Michael has been acting on and off for 30 years.  He has worked as a stage actor, for film and television as well as toured the east coast in Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.  He was a proud member of Salem’s Wharf Rat Productions and Hit and Run Theatre.  He directed and acted for both companies.  Favorite roles include Angelo in Measure for Measure, Dr.  Block in Psychopathia Sexualis, Mr.  Ruckley in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird.  He is a proud father and husband, and would like to thank his family for putting up with him.

Kat(i)e & J(aw)hn will be at the MLT Firehouse March 16-17 & 23-25, 2012!!  Head over to www.mltlive.com for tickets and more information!!

Produced by Gretchen Fisher and Steve Black
Directed by Brianne Beatrice

Audition dates: Wednesday Feb. 15th from 7:00-9:00PM. Callbacks will be held on Thurs. Feb. 16th from 7:00-9:00PM. Auditions are by appointment and will be held at Marblehead Little Theatre, 12 School Street, Marblehead, MA. Walk-ins will be seen as time allows.

Audition requirements: Please prepare a one-minute dramatic monologue. You may be asked to stay and read an excerpt from the script. Please email RabbitHole@mltlive.org with any questions, or to schedule an audition.

Notes: Rehearsals will begin in March.
Performances will run from April 27th to May 6th

Description: Becca and Howie Corbett have everything a family could want, until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. RABBIT HOLE charts their bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day.

Character breakdown:
Becca—a grieving mother (Late 20s-30′s). Tough and uncompromising, she cannot tolerate insincerity or impracticality.
Howie—Becca’s husband, a patient man who specializes in pretending everything is fine.
Izzy—Becca’s younger sister, in her early to late twenties. A perennial party girl who never grew up, Izzy is still trying to find herself.
Nat—Becca and Izzy’s mother, an opinionated alcoholic with a knack for sticking her foot in her mouth.
Jason—an awkward and nerdy seventeen-year-old boy who accidentally…

At the MLT Firehouse March 16-17 & 23-25, 2012!!  Head over to www.mltlive.com for tickets and more information!!

Casting is set for Kat(i)e & J(aw)hn, an original play by local playwright Shari D. Frost, opening at Marblehead Little Theatre on March 16.

John (aka Jawn) will be played by Chris Clark of Marblehead, a familiar face to local audiences on the North Shore, who was last seen in MLT’s Reindeer Monologues.

Katie (or is it Kate?) will be played by Katelyn Beaudoin of Salem, recently seen in the role of Mimi in Salem State University’s Rent.

Sonny will be played by Michael Siering of Salem, who has acted on stage, film and television, and was previously a proud member of Wharf Rat Productions and Hit and Run Theatre.

Barbara will be played by Meghan Holtz, also of Salem, and fresh off her run as Blanche in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs.

The role of the Homeless Street Musician will be played by popular jazz guitarist and Swampscott resident Vernon Dinnall.

Directed by Anne Lucas of Marblehead, Kat(i)e & J(aw)hn will open on March 16 and run through March 25. For further information and tickets go to www.mltlive.com!!!

At the MLT Firehouse March 16-17 & 23-25, 2012.

Got your tix?  Head over to http://www.mltlive.com/2011/12/katie-jawhn/ for more information!!

The show is over, the set has been struck, the costumes put away and the cast gathered last evening to eat delicious food and watch the Super Bowl.

Meghan Donoghue Holtz (Blanche) was proud to announce she ate her own face!  Nice, Meghan!

Thank you all for making Brighton Beach Memoirs such a sucess!  Up next, Kat(i)e & J(aw)hn, an original play by Shari Frost!

Don’t forget to follow our blog for up-to-date information on the goings-on at MLT!

There are still 4 chances to see Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs!  February, 2-4.  www.mltlive.com for more information and to purchase tickets!  See you there!

Hello, MLT readers. We have the night before opening night off, which is both a blessing and a little scary.   We certainly need the rest after long rehearsals this tech week, but we must face the fact that the rehearsal process is over: tomorrow’s the real thing!  We are all excited to have an audience and put our hard work to the test.  Will they laugh at the things we think are hysterical, or will the jokes fall flat?  Every audience has their own personality, so it’s likely that we will experience a variety of reactions over the course of the run. 
 
We successfully implemented real food into our dinner scene last night, which was great. It continues to be a challenge to figure out how and when to plate the food so that it is…

a) warm enough to be palatable.
b) ready to go by the time the scene starts!

I am sure we will continue to fine tune the process as the show runs. I won’t tell you what we’re substituting for the liver!  The cabbage part of our “liver and cabbage” dinner is real, but none of us could actually stomach the thought of eating liver… I think we found a good alternative that is both believable and digestible.  You can guess….

One must mention the tireless efforts of those who work behind the scenes to make these things happen.  For example, Lee Creighton has assembled a huge amount of props, from mundane items like books and pillows to period things like vintage family photos and authentic Life magazines from 1937.   You might want to ask her for her nephew Andy’s secret recipe for fake mash potatoes—I have a scene in which I have to mash the aforementioned tuber, and and they whipped me up a realistic looking batch that will last the entire run of the show without spoiling. Just don’t try to eat them…
 
All this while nursing a broken elbow… thanks, Lee!

-Ursina

Don’t forget that Brighton Beach Memoirs opens tomorrow night and will be running at the Firehouse from January 27th-February 5th.  Head over to www.mltlive.org for tickets and more information!!

Tell me about yourself.
I am fourteen years old, a freshman in high school, and I love to sing and act.

And your character?
Laurie is thirteen, and she is very smart; she is constantly reading books. She appears to be an innocent little kid, but she is in tune to everything that is going on in the household. She has a “flutter” in her heart, which she often uses to her advantage.

Is this your first MLT show? If not, what else have you done?
I was in a few children’s shows, such as Into the Magic and Mystery at the Museum, several years ago.

What made you decide to audition for Brighton Beach?
I saw the audition notice on the MLT website, and I was just ending another show. I decided to audition because I wanted to take part in MLT again.

What is your favorite part of doing Brighton Beach?
I love working with people older than me. It’s been a great experience not just being in shows with other kids.

Have you had any difficulties with getting in character or finding who your character is?
I’ve had some difficulty finding out Laurie’s emotions and reactions because she is always eavesdropping, so she listens to everyone’s conversations.

How has it been working with your other cast members?
It’s been great. They’ve all been so nice and everyone’s really funny.

Do you have any before-show rituals?
Not really, except I try not to talk very much the day of a show, and I don’t sing at all before a musical, which is hard for me because I’m constantly singing.

What’s next after Brighton Beach is over?
I’m not sure yet. I’m planning on doing a few more shows before the school year is over.

And now for some completely un-theatre related questions:

What is your favorite food? Movie? Song?
My favorite food is probably chicken soup. My favorite movie is Chicago, and I don’t have a favorite song, but I’m obsessed with the Spring Awakening soundtrack. I love it.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring with you?
I would bring food, a good book, and my iPod. I don’t think I could live without music.

Brighton Beach Memoirs opens TOMORROW!  Have you gotten your yet?  Performance Dates and times: Friday, January 27 at 7:30pm; Saturday, January 28 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sunday, January 29 at 2:00pm; Friday, February 3 at 7:30pm; Saturday, February 4 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; and Sunday, February 5 at 2:00pm.
 
For ticket sales and more information please visit www.MLTlive.org!