Upcoming Work! This Fall at Quintessence...

I'm pretty happy to formally announce that I've been booked to return to the Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia this Fall!  They produce a two-show repertory to kick off their season every year, and this year's offerings are Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET and Machiavelli's THE MANDRAKE.  Quintessence artistic director Alex Burns will direct both shows.

I had a pretty incredible time working with QTG this past spring on THE THREE MUSKETEERS and I am really thrilled to be back with them again to kick off their 6th season.  The Rep will feature a 9-actor ensemble and Four of my Musketeer castmates (Alan Brincks, Sean Close, Connor Hammond, and Anita Holland) will also be returning, and we're joined by several other Quintessence mainstays (Josh Carpenter, Ashley Izzard, and Emiley Kiser).  Jahzeer Terrell will also make his Quintessence debut to ensure that I am not, still, the newest member of the QTG roster.

ROMEO & JULIET will open on September 30th.  THE MANDRAKE will start up on October 14th.  Both will then run in repertory through, at least, November 8th at the Sedgwick Theatre in Mt. Airy neighborhood on the Northerly side of Philadelphia.

QTG Season VI graphic designs for ROMEO & JULIET and THE MANDRAKE by Goodloe Byron

NYIT Award Nominations!

We recently got a little bonus news! SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE, the show I was in early last summer, has received a nomination for "Outstanding Ensemble" from the New York Innovative Theatre Awards for the '14/'15 theatre season!!

The NYIT Awards are the Off-Off-Broadway awards, and they cover a large range of participating productions during their 12 month judging cycle.

It's been over a year since we closed SHORT LIFE, and rehearsals began in April last year, but I was first invited to an early workshop of the script waaaay back in July of 2013.  Now we get to keep talking about it all the way to the NYIT Awards Ceremony in mid-September.  (You'll find photos and selected music recordings from this show if you click here.)

It was an honor to be 1/9th of that cast, and I was equally honored to have my name listed on the big screen with each of them tonight at the nomination announcement party.  And, we'd have been much diminished without the support of our creative & production staff: Eric P. Holm, Jill Woodward, Kat Holland, Anastasia Romantsova, Michael McGee, Peter Mills Weiss, Christina Rene Polhemus, and Brian Morvant.  

Congrats to ALL of the nominees! See you in September!

Photo by Anastasia Romantsova

Praise for Quintessence's THE THREE MUSKETEERS

As rewarding as this process has been, until a week ago, we lacked that crucial final element: our audience.  I almost always enjoy the creative process, and it is often very gratifying in and of itself, but the end result of the work is, hopefully, to entertain, to stir emotion, to provoke thought.  Given the alternatives, we would all much prefer to succeed at these goals than not, and I am pleased to report that our production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS by the Quintessence Theatre Group has received resounding, universal praise.

Wendy Rosenfield, for the Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
"What is it about The Three Musketeers that still captures our imagination? Quintessence Theatre Group's new adaptation makes some excellent arguments for its continued longevity...  What prevails in these Musketeers is their joie de vivre. This production covers only the book's first half, leaving open the possibility that the Musketeers may soon ride again. Let's hope they do, and that once again, they bring this fantastic team along with them."

Lynn Hoffman writing for the BroadStreet Review:
"The production in the round is a masterpiece, intimately presented in the jewel-box Sedgwick Theater. As is usually the case at Quintessence, the cast is superb."

Kathryn Osenlund for Curtain Up:
"Quintessence's own in-house adapters have connected this series of astutely curated dramatic scenes. It would have been so easy to make a muddle of it, but [they] have achieved an admirable clarity with their script. Deftly directed by Alexander Burns; [with] remarkable dual performances by the strong cast."

Mark Cofta for the City Paper:
"The bare stage allows maximum space for Ian Rose's terrifically witty battles, including a five-on-four sword fight that's a work of choreographic brilliance.  [This show] is never dull."

And the production has been "Barrymore Recommended" by Philadelphia's prestigious professional theatre awards program.

And we've only just begun! I'm having a great time, and I'm looking forward to playing with this cast and crew for most of the next month. Come see for yourself!

The Historic Sedgwick Movie Palace

Exterior of the Sedgwick Theater in the 1940s

Quintessence Theatre Group is housed in the historic Sedgwick Theater in Mount Airy neighborhood on the far north side of Philadelphia.  It was designed by noted architect, William Harold Lee and opened in 1928 as a true “Movie Palace”.  The Sedgwick was a landmark of art deco design, and very much a centerpiece for the neighborhood.  The theatre itself was a 1600+ seat venue and designed with a full stage beneath the large projection screen which was capable of hosting a orchestra to sit and play along live to the silent movies of the day.  (An event which, apparently, happened only rarely, as the “talkies” became commonplace not long after the theatre was opened.)

The massive screening room was fronted by not one, but two large and ornate lobbies which welcomed moviegoers as they entered the building. This, after they passed under a grand, lighted marquee and through the recessed, open-air box office off the sidewalk.  Each room featured high ceilings, chandeliers, deco detail, and the presentation of general grandeur. 

My understanding is that the “average” number of seats in any given screening room at a modern movie house is about 250.  The Sedgwick had more than 1,600, and if a planned balcony had actually been constructed (it was scrapped early on while the theater was still being built), the capacity would have been more than 2,000 seats.

The Fox Theater in Atlanta, which is primarily a venue for concerts and live performances, still offers a movie series most summers.  Capacity there is more than 4,600, and the movie screen is massive.  They have occasionally used the full 75mm prints for certain movies featured in those summer programs.  I was lucky to see 2001, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, STAR WARS, and CITIZEN KANE there in that massive venue.  The Sedgwick lacked the extra balcony seating, and the house was not as wide as the Fox, but the depth of the house and the loft of the ceiling would have been comparable.  How amazing to have a structure like that as your local neighborhood movie house.

The Sedgwick today

The Sedgwick was one of 20 such theaters build in the late 20s in Philadelphia. They all had the great misfortune to open just before the country was buried in the depression and movie palace extravagance began to seem frivolous and unnecessary.  Their presence never fully took hold, and they gradually faded, failed and shuttered their doors.  Only two of them still remain, and although the Sedgwick is one of those two, both exist now in an altered state.

The Sedgwick closed as a movie house in 1966, and the building was split into two halves.  The massive screening room was largely gutted and sold as a warehouse space.  A cinder block wall was erected, cutting it off from the double lobbies that led to it.  My understanding is that the deco ceiling, with the relief for the chandelier, and a large portion of the archway over the proscenium still remain.  The lobbies remained shuttered and dormant for several decades until the building was purchased and repurposed in the mid-90s by David and Betty Ann Fellner.  At that time, the open-air box office was enclosed, and what were originally lobbies became the venue for a cultural center in Mt. Airy. 

What now remains of the original theater, since converted into warehouse work space.

A series of performance companies have taken residence there in the 20 years since, but none were able to successfully root, until Quintessence moved in five years ago and has grown a strong, expanding local audience. The now-enclosed box office is a modest lobby and rehearsal space.  The original entrance lobby offers some storage and still serves as an audience passage-way, and what was the grand, second lobby is now a large, very versatile “black-box” performance space.  There is a great deal of decay, but the architectural archways between the lobbies still exist.  The ceilings are still intact and a beautiful deco, glass chandelier still hangs over what is now the house, but the space below is large and highly convertible into whatever look Quintessence chooses to give it for each production. (THE THREE MUSKETEERS will be performed in the round.)

One of many iterations of the Quintessence performance space in what used to be the Sedgwick's inner lobby.

Hopefully, before our run is over, I’ll find a way to take a peek inside the remnants of the old theater, maybe snap a few photos.  But even if I don’t, it’s still really cool to be working in this space. It’s a big part of the character of the company as a whole, and I think it has a very unique impact on this production.

Musketeer Fights with Ian Rose

One of the real pleasures I’ve had while working on this production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS with Quintessence Theater here in Philadelphia has been the task of representing the talent and craft of our expert fight choreographer, Ian Rose.  Ian has decades of experience, has worked in all mediums, and is adept with both novice and skilled actor combatants alike.

Quintessence has staged a lot of classical theatre.  Swords and combat come along with that material, and so the company has a well-established relationship with Ian.  One of the very first things we did, after several days of table work on the script, was to have a two-hour, general training session with him, reviewing basics, running movement drills, teaching and refreshing thrusts, dodges and parries. 

When I was just starting out professionally, I was a full-on “fight guy”.  I certified with the SAFD, fought in nearly every show I was cast in, and was the fight captain as often as not.  But as one ages, the types of roles you play change, of course, and so I discovered a lot of rusty spots in what were once well-honed fight skills.  Ian’s efficient guidance – and a cast filled with highly experienced fighters – has made it easy for me to recover some lost ground and feel good about what I’m doing again.  I’ve even learned a couple of new tricks. 

Ian has put a lot of trust in the cast’s collective skills with the work.  Six of the eleven who fight have, at some point, certified with the SAFD, and the other five all have some fight training in their past.  So, Ian has put a lot of trust in us to work quickly and to look good doing it.  I can tell you, as an observer, there will be some very graceful and talented men swinging pointy metal objects at each other in this show, and Ian Rose is at the core of it all.

Ian Rose (far right) works with J. Connor Hammond and Ken Sandberg on the Musketeer stage

OUR BAR: "Wake" photos by Eric Vogel

Eric Vogel captured some fun production photos last month during the performances of OUR BAR: "Wake".  He was kind enough to share them with us.  Here's a few snippets of the fun Lloyd Mulvey & I (playing a couple of experienced grave diggers), and Lindsey Ashlen (playing the novice funeral director who hired us), had during our scenes together.  (And much more or Eric Vogel's work can be found here.)

Three Musketeers with Quintessence

Once, long ago I had fun playing one of the Three Musketeers, now it's come around again, and I'll be wearing the iconic blue tabard one again.  I'm also working, for the first time, in Philadelphia with a great, younger company here, The Quintessence Theatre Group.  It will be a tight production with a relative small cast, in a relatively intimate space.  We're already two weeks into rehearsals and things are shaping up nicely.  So if you happen to be in Philly between April 15th and May 10th, drop on by!  (Click Here for more details.)

OUR BAR: "Wake"

I'm a little geeked to be playing with some new friends this Wednesday night in OUR BAR: "Wake".  OUR BAR is a writing/performance project which writes, casts, stages and performs a completely original show on the first Wednesday of every month.  (Kind of amazing, really.)  It's a great, talented group of folks, and this month they're letting me play in with them.  It's one night, two performances only, it's just $10 to get in.  The room fills up for every performance so, don't dilly-dally. :)

Next Up: Scranton Shakes

This week, I head out to Scranton, PA for their annual summer Shakespeare Festival to play Orsino in their 2014 production of TWELFTH NIGHT.  I'll be the last company member to arrive, and I'm eager to join the cast and get to work.  We're already just 10 days from out from our first performance.  Feel free to drop in if you're passing through the 2nd or 3rd weekend of July.

Theater in the Now Praises THE SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE

Michael Block of Theater in the Now has this to say about the show:

"What makes Short Life of Trouble a truly beautiful and unique theatrical experience is the music. When you have a company of actors who can not only sing but sing in such stunning harmonies, you can’t help but fall. One of the grander highlights of this is between Hamlet and Ophelia, played by Brendan Spieth and Valerie Redd, singing the title song. You’re captivated by their love and see a new side of their relationship that rarely gets explored."

Read the full review at the Theater in the Now blogsite here.

There are just four performances left, and they will sell out.
Get your ticket now at Brown Paper Tickets by clicking here.
Use the code "SLTFB" when you buy in advance online get get a special friends-only $10 tickets.

NY Theater Now loves SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE

Well, we couldn't hope for a kinder review than this from Collin McConnell of NY Theater Now:

"Nothing here is rushed, and everything is used. Creator / writer / adaptor Valerie Redd has woven a smartly rich tapestry of words and sounds, brought so beautifully to life under the direction of Eric Powell Holm...  Holm is playing with magic here: there is never a wasted moment, a wasted space, and yet there is silence, stillness, emptiness – he has dug an earthiness into the production, so rich, though with the sense it is being told around the campfire, beneath the stars....

[It] is a true testament to Redd’s understanding of the work she is using and the work she is making – and to how clearly she understands why Hamlet still gets under our skin today.  To that singular focus: Death. Loss, but really, death. The use of the southern gothic literature focuses the story to bear a weight down upon what it means to truly lose someone that I have never felt in any other production of Hamlet I have seen."

Read the full review at the NY THEATER NOW blogsite.

THE SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE will continue to run at the Access Theatre in Tribeca, Wednesdays - Sundays until June 21st.  Tickets at the door are $18.  If, instead you by in advance via Brown Paper Tickets, and use this handy code - "SLTFB" - your tickets will only be $10.

Here's the link again: http://shortlifeoftrouble.brownpapertickets.com/

Photo by Michael Markham

Opening Night for THE SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE

The first workshop I attended for this piece was a year ago.  More workshops and readings followed.  I was officially cast at Christmas, and we've spent the better part of the last month rehearsing and shaping.

Tonight we officially open THE SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE in its world-premiere at the Access Theater in Tribeca on the corner of Broadway & White.  Curtain time is 8pm, but come early for lemonade and bourbon and live pre-show music performed by the cast.

Thursday night's preview was sold out.  Opening promises to be full as well.  We'll run Wednesdays through Sundays until June 21st.  Tickets are $18 at the door, but they're a little cheaper if you buy them through Brown Paper Tickets in advance.

If you like music and Shakespeare and lemonade and a certain kind of twang, you really have mo reason to miss it.