Spermalot...So Far...

This past weekend on the 16th-18, we put on our show for the Des Moines crowd. I would have to say that we did pretty well overall. There were a few mistakes here and there, but we were able to recover and learn from our mistakes.

Even though we did very well and were able to pull off our show this past weekend, it didn't look to good leading up to our Des Moines debut. It's safe to say that we had a few problems with our show. A fews weeks after we had the cast selected and had started our practices, one of the actors playing a lead role was not able to hold his part in the musical due to some family problems. Luckily, one of the directors originally had played this certain role two years ago so he was able to step in and play the role.

Another problem we ran into was actually on the the week of our Des Moines debut. We had one of the actresses not show up to rehearsal on the Sunday and Monday and our show opened Thursday. The actress was not able to perform any longer due to some personal problems. She had 2 roles withn the musical. We ended up distributing both of her roles between 2 other performers. It was a little nerve racking to say the least.

So besides those two major setbacks, we were able to actually pull off the musical with no more huge setbacks after those. The audience seemed to enjoy our show. With all of the horrible, vulgur contents within our musical, it makes me happy that some people are just as immature as myself. This upcoming weekend we head to Minnesota for the Minnesota Fringe Festival and then the New York Fringe Festival to follow.

Six Flags Fun!

I updated my blog after being very lazy for a month! My internet is crummy so no pictures in this one, but plenty of happy things up here in Chicagoland.

http://funometer.blogspot.com

High School Musical 2 Opening Weekend!!

Hello everyone! My summer internship has been playing Peaches in the Des Moines Playhouse Production of High School Musical 2! We just had our opening weekend to crowds of screaming, excited children! It has definitely been an interesting experience so far. These kids are all loyal fans singing along in the show with all of us, and wanting all our autographs after the show. My own family came this week and you could see my little sister grinning front and center the entire show. It's been a very tiring but worthwhile show to be a part of. I have made many friends from the Des Moines area and we have all spent the entire summer bonding together! It has been an intense workout not only dancing, but with singing as well! We now have 3 shows down.... 17 to go!!!

Opening The Season With La Boheme

http://brkbrg.blogspot.com/

I updated my blog about my time in Philadelphia for the first time in about 4 weeks. It's a monster of an update and I included as much as I possibly could. Read all about what I'm doing here! I hope everyone is having a glorious summer.

-Lindsay Allen

barefootinprague

So, I’ve been in Prague with the American Institute for Foreign Study for about a week now! I just finished my first week of classes at Charles University and every day is a new adventure. Classes here are more demanding than any I’ve taken before - I am in class 6-8 hours a day and during the first week, we were expected to give a fifteen-minute presentation on a Czech film. Though it is nerve-racking, I am so glad that I am here and able to study in a new culture.
Though the classes are difficult, the culture itself is surprisingly laid-back. Going to a restaurant is a leisurely experience; taking a stroll through Old Town Square is very common. This is something that the people in my group have had a hard time adjusting to, though. When we’re done eating, we want our tab, but the Czech people can wait up to an hour to give it to you.
However, the structure of the city and its architecture make every day feel special. Taking a tram everywhere feels so novel, and passing all of the ornate and unique buildings remind me of what an amazing and historical city I am living in.
Travel to close towns is also enjoyable. A bus ticket, round-trip, runs about $15 with an ISIC card. (If you are planning on studying abroad, I highly recommend this.) Just a few days ago, some of my new friends and I went to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, which is the largest film festival in Europe. This was an amazing experience. Though we were only there for a day, we were able to see two films and had fun exploring a new city.
The people I have met here are also incredible. My room mother, Zuzanna, emigrated to America with her husband during the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. Before that, her husband was a proclaimed war hero for the Czech people during WWII. Another woman, Barbora, who works for AIFS, has been very kind to me. She took me to the hospital when I had a corneal infection and stayed with me during the time when I was in and out of there for a few days. (My words of advice concerning this are to NOT wear contacts on a transatlantic flight; the air can’t be cleared and bacteria can latch onto your contacts. At the hospital, I was told that they may not be able to save my right cornea because of it.)
However, that seems to have cleared up. Now, I am on to worrying about my classes, which is the way it should be, I think. And how to get to the market. Fairly normal stuff. Well, I also feel concerned about eating out because of my allergies (and hardly anyone speaks English), but I’m eating oatmeal in my dorm until I feel braver.

Until later!
Andrea Wright

Spermalot...a crude, educational musical

Tonight is our first night that we are running our musical, Spermalot, off book. We are actually performing this musical in three different places/three different states by the end of the summer. Our first performances will be held through July 16th-18th, at the Azalea Ballroom in downtown Des Moines. Our very first performance will be a fundraiser because we are taking the musical on the road to the Minnesota Fringe Festival followed by the New York Fringe Festival towards the end of the summer.

I consider myself pretty lucky to be apart of this particular musical. I have always wanted to attend a fringe festival but haven't attended any so far. Now I will be attending two out of state festivals, with all costs paid. Also, the cast and crew of the musical have made me feel at home. Everyone has been pretty laid back and very helpful to each other. It seems like it is almost required that anyone who is apart of this musical needs to have an open mind and have the ability of not getting offended to easily due to the content within it. So far, everybody seems to be pretty easy going and I don't think we will be having any problems with cast members getting offended. Guess we just have to worry about the audience now. But then again, perhaps the audience should be aware of this before they buy a ticket to the show.

This is the second show that I have been apart of for the theatre company Theater ... for a change. The directors are David Brooks and Thatcher Williams. If anyone has any questions regarding this particular musical, wishes to purchase tickets, or is simply interested in learning more about the theatre company Theater ... for a change, here is the company's website: www.theaterforachange.com