Tag Archives: msstate

Rehearsals and a new project

So I’m back in rehearsals. What? you say? School is over for the semester and SCT is currently doing an all women show, what could you be possibly be doing?

SCT decided to take Smoke on the Mountain to the Mississippi Theatre Association competition/festival in January, so I get to reprise my role as Dennis, the shy, singing, preacher boy. The role is a lot of fun but we have to cut an almost two hour show down to 60 minutes. It’s tough but we’ll get it done. This is my first time to perform at MTA. I did my first show that was judged this semester and it affected me more than I’d like to admit.

Theatre MSU performed The Madwoman of Chaillot for the regional American College Theatre Festival. For the first 10 to 15 minutes I just couldn’t get out of my head. It really pissed me off because I felt great leading up to curtain time. I really thought I would feel my best yet on stage, but for the first little while any thoughts of giving my best performance went right out the window. Knowing that there were people out there taking notes and judging the show and my performance really affected me more than I thought it would. I finally settled down and finished solid but being on stage and in your head blows.

So I’m hoping I got that experience out of the way when we go to MTA. I don’t care if I don’t get noticed or mentioned by the adjudcators, I just want to be in the moment.

Other things…I have a new project on the horizon. For the first time since starting an online presence, I’m going to commit to putting out content on a regular schedule. Be looking for an annoucement of this new endeavor soon.

Hey, have a great weekend. I’ll talkatcha soon.

Madwoman Opens Thursday

madwoman.jpgThe latest production from Theatre MSU, The Madwoman of Chaillot, opens Thursday night. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm.

It would be jolly good of you to come and see it. I am playing the role of The President. It has been lots of fun putting the show together. Hopefully that will translate into a fun show to watch. There are a lot of talented kids in the show and I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with them. Of course, I’m the old fart of the group.

It’s weird to only have three performances when I’m used to doing around nine with shows at SCT. We will also perform at a college theatre festival competition thing at the beginning of November and I’m excited about that.

Be looking for a video about my recent trip to Six Flags in the near future. With near being defined as possibly next week since I’m doing a show this week. We’ll see. Love You!

Lab Rats Improv Show – Friday 13th

poster1.jpgDon’t miss the Lab Rats in action this Friday night at 7:30pm on the main stage in McComas Hall. It’s going to be a great show. Ticket reservations have been pouring in! So reserve yours now! The grand finale will be a scene performed barefoot, blindfolded and on live MOUSETRAPS. I wouldn’t miss that if I were you. Senseless pain is always entertaining.

I’d also like to take a moment to say how proud I am of the Lab Rats and the Southeastern Comedy Arts Festival. We actually pulled it off. Everybody had a great time. I just think it’s amazing what a bunch of college kids that haven’t actually been to a comedy festival before can pull off when they pull together. SECAF ’07 will be even better, I have no doubt. BTW, we won the Eggbowl of Comedy!

Southeastern Comedy Arts Festival

secaf-orange-300.jpgThis weekend! September 29th and 30th! The first ever Southeastern Comedy Arts Festival will be held in McComas Hall on the campus of Mississippi State University. The hosts are Lab Rats Comedy of Starkville. We’ve been busting our butts to pull this off and we want YOU there to laugh YOUR butt off. It’s going to be two days of comedy goodness featuring comedy troupes from all over the southeast.

Attending will be:

  • Atlanta’s JaCKPie
  • Columbus’ Mission Improvable
  • Hattiesburg’s Stage Monkeys
  • Jackson’s Off Kilter
  • Memphis’ Wiseguys
  • Oxford’s LaffCo
  • Starkville’s Lab Rats

Friday night at 7:30pm will feature the Southeastern Idol show. There will be improv, sketch and standup in an American Idol/America’s Got Talent format. Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm will be the Egg Bowl of Comedy with Starkville’s Lab Rats facing off against Oxford’s LaffCo in improv. Saturday evening at 7:30pm will be the Improv Cage Match, a tournament style competition between the Lab Rats, Off Kilter, the Stage Monkeys and the Wiseguys.

Tickets are $5 per show or $12 for the entire weekend.

The Madwoman of Chaillot

I had auditions Monday and Tuesday evening for the fall semester show here at Mississippi State University. It went fairly well, at times I felt good about it and other times not. I was cast as the President. One of the greedy corporation types who is responsible for the sorry state of affairs in the world today. Sounds about right. I think it’ll be a fun role to play.

You may remember my What Now? lament. I guess that question has been answered.

I still have two video projects on the table but I’m finding it hard to squeeze them in. It’s not looking good for this week. I have my first call tonight for Madwoman and then short form improv rehearsal at 9pm. Tomorrow night is our first football game so I won’t have any theatre stuff to do. I thought it would be an excellent evening for a date night with M. I’m leaving town Friday morning and won’t be back until Monday sometime. I’m playing in the Southern National Championship. My first disc golf tournament since early this year. I’ll probably suck but I hope to have a good time.

Anthony Rapp in Starkville

anthony_rapp.jpgIf you are in the area, do not miss Anthony Rapp on Tuesday the 25th. You might remember Rapp from his younger days in Adventures in Babysitting or Dazed and Confused. Of course, he is most well known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in Rent.

He is being brought in by the university honors program. He will be talking about his book, Without You. I just recently read it (thanks Laura). It was a good read and he puts it all out there.

The theatre department gets him during the afternoon for a monologue workshop. I’m taking the afternoon off from work so that I can attend.

I’m pretty excited about the whole thing. I didn’t know the first thing about Rent until the movie came out late last year. I saw it three times. I saw Rent on broadway when I went to NYC over the winter break.

Rapp will be speaking in McComas hall at 7:00pm (I’m pretty sure anyway). Make it if you can.

A Comedy Tonight!

forum.gifI just got back from watching Theatre MSU’s production of “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.” And I Had A Ball.

This was most likely the funniest play I’ve ever attended. I know the cast, crew and directors have put an amazing amount of time and sweat into the production and it all paid off tonight.

I know most of the cast as I’ve either been in a show with them or taken a class with them or they’re in Runnin’ With Scissors with me. They are really talented and it was so much fun watching them have a good time on stage.

From Will Cooper’s physical comedy in the lead role as Pseudolus to Gabe Smith’s commedia dell’arte skills as Captain Miles Gloriosus to Scott Brinkley’s sharp comedic timing as Senex, the cast is outstanding.

I knew before I even paid for my ticket and sat in my seat that the show would be good. The director is Kevin P. Kern. I took my first acting class from him. He was the director for the children’s show that I did in the fall, Story Theatre. I’m taking another class from him this semester and I’m doing a show with him at the community theatre. See, I know he got skillz.

The band was good as well. Live music makes everything better, in my opinion.

There are so many jokes, you’ve got to be on your toes to catch them all. You’ll be laughing the whole way through.

If you are in the area, you’ve got tomorrow night the 7th and Saturday night the 8th to catch the show. You won’t be disappointed. Shows start at 7:30pm in McComas Hall and tickets can be bought at the door.