Cast Announced for Sweeney Todd

Casting has been announced for Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award winning musical comedy thriller which opens at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Theatre Company on January 22, 2010.

Starring in the role of Sweeney Todd will be Alan Osburn (seen as Inspector Javert on Broadway and the National Touring Companies of Les Miserables) and performing the role of Mrs. Lovett is Eryn Carmen (Mrs. Potts in the recording breaking FACTC production of Beauty and the Beast).

Rounding out the cast will be Sammy Gleason (Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Survival Guide) as Tobias, Marco Robinson (Eugene Morris Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and Broadway Bound) as Anthony, Ericka Gasper (Laurey in Oklahoma and the flying Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol) as Johanna, Thaddeus Valdez (last seen as Tito Morelli in Lend Me A Tenor) as Judge Turpin, the Beggar Woman is played by Sally Lewis Hybl (Marion Paroo/Music Man, Cinderella/Into the Woods), Skip Cockran (Mendel, Falsettos) as Beadle and Ken Robinson (Malcolm, Full Monty) as Pirelli.

The talented twelve member ensemble includes Aimee Carlisle, Natalie Jensen, Jen Lennon, Kathleen Malloy, Armour Ratcliffe, Carmen Vreeman, Brantley Scott Haines, Jonathan Herrara, Jesse Iacovetto, Joe Kinnett, Cory Moosman and Patrick Yuckman.

Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and book writer Hugh Wheeler, brilliantly adapted Christopher Bond’s play Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Reinventing the tragic tale of Benjamin Barker, barber turned butcher. Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical, Best Director of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, and Best Actress (Angela Lansbury) in a Musical.

The production will be directed by Alan Osburn. Musical Director Roberta Jacyshyn will also serve as conductor. Set design by Christopher L. Sheley, costume design by Nicole Harrison, lighting design Holly Anne Rawls, props design by Jessica Rose, sound design by Bret Christopherson, and wigs by Diana Ben Kiki. The production stage manager is Dorothy Heedt.

NOICE: This production of Sweeney Todd, playing from January 22 through February 14, contains graphic violence, adult situations, profanity, and is not suitable for those under the age of 17 or for anyone who is easily offended.

Tickets and Performance Schedule
Thursdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm
FAC Members: 26.00
Non Members: 31.00
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm
FAC Members: 30.00
Non Members: 35.00

Tickets for this production are going fast - Call the FAC Box Office at 719-634-5583 to reserve your seats.

Fred Martinez: Musician, Teacher, Conductor, Artists - We Thank You

The holidays are a time of celebration and this blog entrée is to celebrate Mr. Fred Martinez. In addition to being a pit musician at the Pikes Peak Center, he has been a principal reed player in the orchestra pit at the Fine Arts Center for the past 20 years; yes 20 years. He was a music educator for over 30 years, teaching music to middle school kids. He was a member of the Norad Band, stationed at Peterson Field. He has performed with both the Colorado Springs Symphony and Denver Symphony. He has performed in Las Vegas with Bob Hope, Nancy Wilson, Mel Torme, and The Temptations. He was honored as being the Colorado Jazz Educator of the Year, and in addition to his talents as a musician he has served at the orchestra contractor for the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company for the past ten years.

Fred called me the other day and informed me that he would like to step down as being our contractor, primarily for health reasons. For those of you who don’t know what a contractor does, they are sort of a mixture of being the casting director and stage manager for the orchestra players. The contractor works with the Musical Director/Conductor of each musical to find out what players are needed and then he starts making phone calls, calling the very best musicians in Colorado Springs (which, thankfully a lot a great musicians in this town) to find out there schedules, conflicts, etc. The contractor then works with the producer to solidify contractual arrangements for each player, and works with the Musical Director in arranging rehearsal and performances schedules, making sure the orchestra is in the building when they are needed and informs the producer when breaks required and when the players fee changes for the standard rate into overtime. Once the show opens the contractor also coordinates any substitute players and makes sure that the orchestra gets paid on time. It’s a big job, and Fred has been great to work with. I will not go so far as to say we will never again see him in our pit, because I am still holding out that might still happen. But in the meantime we will miss you Fred.

In addition to his musical talents Fred is a very accomplished artist. His original jewelry designs can be found at many local art galleries. So, the next time you see a Fred Martinez piece of jewelry remember that’s that reed player who used to be the contractor for the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company Orchestra.

Thanks for everything Fred.

'Looking Up' installation by FAC Board member Mike Esch

An installation video of the site-specific piece, "Looking Up," starring FAC Board Member Mike Esch, who built, hoisted and installed these rather large video screens all by himself.

Get $10 off final two performances of 'A Christmas Survival Guide' with donation

The final two performances of the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Survival Guide will benefit two outstanding organizations: the Southern Colorado Aids Project (S-CAP) and Care and Share.

By bringing in assorted hygiene products (to benefit S-CAP) or canned food (to benefit Care & Share) audience members will receive $10.00 off the ticket price to the 7:30 p.m. performances on Tuesday, Dec. 22, and Wednesday, Dec. 23 at the Fine Arts Center, located at 30 W. Dale Street in Colorado Springs.

S-CAP: Bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razors, deodorant, foot powder, tooth brushes, tooth paste, dental floss, mouth wash and other personal hygiene products.

Care and Share: Canned meat and tuna, canned tomato products, boxed pasta, canned meals (chili, etc.) canned fruits and vegetables, canned and bagged beans, canned soup, peanut butter and canned milk.

Patron’s who cannot attend A Christmas Survival Guide, but would still like to give to these exceptional organizations can bring hygiene products and/or canned goods to the Fine Arts Center and receive a $10.00 off coupon to any of the remaining shows in the 2009-2010 season. Please note that only one coupon per family is permitted.

For more then 20 years, the Southern Colorado AIDS Project has provided comprehensive and individualized care to men, women and children in southern Colorado who are living with HIV/AIDS. S-CAP provides specific programs and services to over 1,200 people residing in a 25-county area of southern Colorado. S-CAP is a member of the Pikes Peak United Way.

Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado is the region’s largest hunger-relief organization. As southern Colorado's regional distribution hub for locally and nationally donated and purchased food, Care and Share provides food to more than 400 member agencies (soup kitchens, food pantries, community centers and more), who serve hundreds of thousands of people in need.

For more information, please contact the FAC Box Office at 719.634.5583.

The Independent previews NASA | ART

Art of the cosmos lands at the FAC and unveils a creative look at exploration ... the Colorado Springs Independent previews NASA ART by Edie Adelstein. Here's an excerpt from the preview related to Monica Petty Aiello's contribution to the theme.

Monica Petty Aiello: Frozen Inferno is a series of 25 works — all but two of which were created just for NASA Art — studying the surfaces of the extreme moons. Petty Aiello, a Denver artist, works with paint, yarn, resin, water and ink to build layers of landscape.

From a distance, her works look like flat abstracts; they may suggest a sunlit, lily-pad-topped pond (Io), or life forms under a microscope (Europa). But upon closer inspection, the depth in each work reveals itself as an impossibly detailed artistic rendering of an alien expanse.

"Images from NASA's Galileo and Voyager missions — still striking years later — provide Petty Aiello's starting point ...

"The actual geology of the place inspires the development of new painting techniques to emulate it," she says, adding, "I actually get all these spacecraft images and sit down with scientific specialists and deconstruct the geology, and then I try and come up with painting techniques to interpret that."

"Petty Aiello's experimental working method illustrates the way creativity and curiosity fuel both the sciences and art."

Read the whole preview here.

T.D. Mobley-Martinez reviews NASA | ART

“NASA” show is astronauts and rockets and so much more ... a review of NASA ART by T.D. Mobley-Martinez of the Gazette. An excerpt:

“(T)here are plenty of great moments. Rockwell’s meticulous painting of astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young. William Wegman’s charming obsession of inserting his Weimeraners into every place, even the final frontier. Mitchell Jamieson’’s fractured, shimmering paintings of emblematic NASA images. The seemingly banal realism of Martin Hoffman’s “Sunrise Suit-up.”

And in a stroke of brilliance, museum director Blake Milteer has also mounted four special exhibitions with “NASA.” Each is standalone fascinating. Each investigates the work of four well-respect local artists: Springs painter Eric Bransby, Denver painters Vance Kirkland and Monica Petty Aiello and video artists Mike Laur and Rick Mazzola.

Add to that a line up of events and family programming — from Bemis classes to a sci-fi film series to a road trip to Denver to see an original play about space — and you have a show that is about art, sure, but also about culture, about American dreaming, about local talent and about community.

"That’s the kind of thinking that saves museums, that saves the arts and consequently, saves the world.”

Read the complete review here.

The Gazette previews 'NASA | ART'

The Gazette's T.D. Mobley-Martinez's preview of NASA ART appears online today, prior to tomorrow's GO! section:

In addition to the NASA ART and the four complementary exhibitions, "The museum will also offer an impressive lineup of other programming, including a lecture by shuttle pilot Richard Truly, a film series, family activities, classes and a trip to Denver with performing arts director Alan Osburn to see the world premiere of the play “When Tang Met Laika.”"

Read the complete review here.

Gazette: A musical tribute for Tony Babin

The Gazette's T.D. Mobley-Martinez, wrote a story about Wednesday's Celebration of Life for actor/activist Tony Babin:

"At the end of the memorial Wednesday, nearly 400 people came to their feet — clapping, hooting, laughing and some, even crying.

It was Tony Babin’s last standing ovation.

The actor, director and founder of the Upstart Performing Ensemble died suddenly Dec. 10 at the age of 52. A giant in Colorado Springs’ tight-knit world of theater, his passing packed the house at the Fine Arts Center, where Babin had often performed. And like man, the nearly two-hour musical tribute was hardly ordinary.

• Read the complete article here.
• See the Gazette's Art Blog tribute.
• Tony Babin's obituary.

Christopher Weed's giant "Red Paperclips"

Sculptor Christopher Weed will contribute his unique art to the Fine Arts Center's spring offering, Conflict Resolution.

Earlier this fall, Weed's giant "Red Paperclips" installed downtown in front of the COPPeR offices garnered an article from the Denver Post.

"(O)ne of the most successful public art projects to come to the Front Range this year. Perched in front of the Plaza of the Rockies office building in Colorado Springs, the piece consists of — as its no-nonsense title makes clear — two giant, 24-foot paper clips leaning against each other. It's an easy-to-like diversion for the downtown crowd, whimsical and deeply fascinating at the same time." Read the complete article and interview with Weed here.

FAC mentioned in Westword article about DAM's Lewis Sharp

In a nice article about the retiring Denver Art Museum Director, Lewis Sharp, Michael Paglia writes, "(H)e transformed the DAM from the rather modest place it was into a nationally renowned regional museum. In thinking about it, it's impossible to overstate the positive effect he's had on the DAM and, by extension, on the city itself. In fact, he's remade the museum in so many different ways that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's had a greater effect on the institution than anyone else in its 100-year-plus history."

The FAC adds its congratulations to Lewis for all he has done for art in the state of Colorado. He is a true gentleman and friend.

Later in the article ... Paglia remarks on Sharp's effect on the DAM permanent collection:

"To give you an idea of how much the DAM's permanent collection has changed during Sharp's reign, consider that a generation ago, the collection at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center was generally regarded as being more important."

Read the complete story here.

NewsFirst5.com previews 'NASA | ART'

"Haven't made it to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.? Good news--it's coming to you! Well, some of it, at least. The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center will present NASA ART: 50 Years of Exploration, organized by the Smithsonian and NASA. The exhibit opens Friday and runs through Mar. 7." Read the complete story here.

Westword previews 'NASA | ART'

"The mysteries of space have always held the power to inspire art. With that in mind, NASA created an art program in 1962, calling upon the talents of everyone from Norman Rockwell to Andy Warhol to explore and illustrate the beauty, majesty and wonder of exploring the last, greatest frontier." Read the complete article here.

Westword's Michael Paglia remembers two Colorado Springs artists

"Based on my experience — and my files — I figure there are 300 serious contemporary artists in Colorado. I make note of this because three of them died in November, which strikes me as a pretty high number. On November 8, Elaine Calzolari succumbed to cancer (Artbeat, November 19); on November 10, Jeremy Hillhouse died after a long struggle with spine damage; and on November 23, veteran abstractionist Al Wynne died, also of cancer."

Both Hillhouse and Wynne were born in Colorado Springs. Wynne's paintings (see picture) was recently featured at the FAC in the exhibition, "Colorado Springs Abstract." Read the complete story here.

Geoff Lasko: Teaching at Bemis ... one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had

Member registration is underway for Bemis School of Art's winter/spring session of classes, and non-members can start signing up on Jan. 4. Here's the first of a series of blog posts from Bemis instructors.

Teaching art at the Bemis School is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. There are few feelings that compare to seeing the light come on in someone's eyes or seeing someone make a breakthrough. There is a very special relationship of trust between the instructor and the student. I am so grateful to be given that trust and hopefully develop a friendship as well as a working relationship with my students. Art-making is a life long learning experience. We are all on the road to learning. Some are farther along than others, but there is no end to the road. I think that is the great joy of the art life.

— Geoff Lasko, Bemis Instructor

Building a Timeline of Space Exploration

The NASA Art program, opening on December 18, will include an interactive gallery that allows visitors to further explore space and art. Located just beyond the Vance Kirkland and Monica Aiello galleries, the Discovery Space will feature an illustrated timeline of the history of space exploration. The timeline tracks man’s advances toward space exploration, from the earliest examinations of the night sky and celestial phenomena, to the technological advances that allowed us to leave the bounds of Earth. The gallery will also contain monitors playing Powers of 10, a 1977 short documentary by Ray and Charles Eames, and Trip to the Moon, a 1902 French black and white film directed by Georges Méliès. An interactive station will provide visitors with access to activities and further resources on space. The Discovery Space will also showcase art by Bemis School of Art Students, including sculptures made out of a unique kind of precious metal clay developed by NASA.

Working as an intern at the Fine Arts Center, I have had the opportunity to work on the Discovery Space, my main task being to research and put together the timeline. Now, having finally arrived at the final stage, installation, I find myself looking at piles of events, images, and objects, and the difficult challenge of creating visual order and clarity with them. There is a lot to fit on this timeline, especially as you near the 21st century, when fast-paced developments in rocket science and astronomical knowledge occurred! I know, however, that the final result will be fun and interesting, and I am excited to see this project come to fruition.

— Leá Norcross, curatorial intern

A Great Opening Night! Christmas Survival Guide

It was a busy day for the Cast of A Christmas Survival Guide yesterday. A KKTV newscast, last minute rehearsals and then a great opening night. Here are some great photos starting in the KKTV News Room to backstage (just before the show) to the wonderful cast party at the Pepper Tree Restaurant. Congratulations to the Cast and Crew for a great performance! Bravo!

A CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE - OPENS TONIGHT!

A Christmas Survival Guide is a side-splitting, uproarious and charming revue that pokes fun at the stressful holiday season. Our characters, armed with a copy of A Christmas Survival Guide and an optimistic attitude, charge into shopping malls, office parties, and family gatherings in their search for the true essence of Christmas. By mixing comedic vignettes, a contemporary score of original music (‘The Twelve Steps of Christmas’, ‘Waitin’ for the Man with the Bag’) and classic songs (‘Silent Night’, ‘Jingle Bells’) these characters search for the true holiday spirit only to find that Christmas keeps getting in the way.

The 5 member triple threat cast includes Sharon Kay White, a two-time winner of the Denver Post Ovation Awards (in 2008, Best Supporting Actress, Dramatic Role for her work in the Arvada Center’s Hollywood Arms and in 2007, Best Supporting Actress, Musical, for her role in the Country Dinner Playhouse’s Guys and Dolls), Sammy Gleason (Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast), Marco Robinson (Brighton Beach Trilogy, A Christmas Carol) Halee Towne (A Christmas Carol, The Full Monty) and Carmen Vreeman (Sunday in the Park with George, Biloxi Blues).

A Christmas Survival Guide opens Friday, November 27 and plays through December 23 with performances on Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday* at 8:00pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. Special Holiday performances have been added on Tuesday, December 22 and Wednesday, December 23 at 7:30pm. Tickets price range from $26 to $35. Discounts are available to FAC Members and Students. To order tickets call the FAC box office at 719-634-5583 or visit our website at http://www.csfineartscenter.org/. *Saturday 11/28 performance is at 2pm only

Installing Bransby's 'History of Navigation'

When you enter the Fine Arts Center for the NASA ART program (opening Dec. 18), the first space art you’ll see is Eric Bransby’s The History of Navigation mural in the Glass Corridor. It depicts significant moments from seafaring navigation to the future of cosmic navigation. The mural was commissioned in 1968 and captures the excitement and energy of the space race. Eric was working on this sequence of paintings a year before humans set foot on the moon in 1969, yet sections of the mural predict current aspects of exploration such as an orbiting telescope like Hubble and future initiatives such as permanent settlement of the moon.

Laurel Swab and Aaron Jakos are pictured installing one of the eight panels. To best protect the mural, we decided to hang it a bit higher than we usually would. It is on loan from the Air Force Academy, and originally hung around the interior of their planetarium’s atrium – that’s why the panels are slightly curved. Eric has always been interested in making his murals an extension of the existing architecture, and although we have them hung on a flat wall, the curved panels create an unexpected visual dynamic. Another unique aspect that you’ll notice on the mural is that Eric also created actual depth in each image by raising parts of the surfaces. This epic mural really sets the tone for the rest of the exhibition experience!

— Blake Milteer, Museum Director, Curator of American Art and the NASA ART exhibition

Indy: Fine Arts Center puts on an irreverent holiday musical revue

Today the Colorado Springs Independent previewed A Christmas Survival Guide (opening this Friday), with insights from director and choreographer Michael Gold.

"Fast-paced and fun, according to Gold, Survival Guide features kooky characters and situations, including a naughty Mrs. Claus (played by Sharon Kay White, two-time Denver Post Ovation winner), a 12-step program set to "The 12 Days of Christmas," Elvis and his Candy Cane Girls, and a Jewish kid's Santa-fantasy-come-true.

"While the play is a far cry from Bob Cratchit rocking Tiny Tim in his arms, traditional Christmas songs do jingle alongside the show's original music, and some sentimental scenes balance the quirky ones. The clichéd message in the madness: Christmas is found within your heart. (Awww ... )"
Read the full article.

'Survival Guide' Video

Check out these video highlights from the FAC Theatre Company's production of A Christmas Survival Guide! The uproarious, grown-up musical revue opens this Friday, Nov. 27 and plays through Dec. 23.

Set Building 101: A Photographic Journey in Creating the Set for A Christmas Survival Guide

Holly Anne Rawls - Lighting Goddess: When Santa Asked Me To Sit On His Lap, I Wet Myself!

Bah, humbug!

I have always been a bit of a Grinch about Christmas. With my first name being Holly, it was all the years of fellow classmates singing, “Deck the halls with boughs of YOU! Ha ha ha.” Or maybe it was all the relatives who told me, “Here is your Christmas and birthday present.” (A note of explanation: my birthday is on December 29th, so I often received double- duty gifts. Kind of a cop out, I think. I pity the poor bastards who had the misfortune to be born on the 25th.)

I was not always so Scroogey. I can remember a time in my early childhood when Christmas was a time of magic and fun. When I was three or four my godmother’s boyfriend snuck out of our Christmas party, dressed up as Santa, and appeared in the front yard with a sack of gifts. Of course, when he came inside and asked me to come sit on his lap, I promptly wet myself (and him) with excitement. I can remember setting out milk and cookies before bed and trying to catch Santa in the act. I always loved snuggling with my mother or grandmother in front of the lit Christmas tree and reading my favorite story, Santa Mouse.

But at some point (perhaps around age eight, my cynicism matured early) I began to dislike the holidays. The business of preparing for Christmas seemed to sully the event itself. So many cookies to bake, gifts to wrap, lights to string, parties to make appetizers for… All these activities moving towards the end result of a brief orgy of feasting and unwrapping. And then you gotta clean up all those dishes and mounds of discarded wrapping paper. A little depressing, really.
And then there is the over commercialization of Christmas. I know I am preaching on a well- worn topic, but if I were a foreigner looking at American holiday culture (as dictated by the media and shopping malls everywhere) I might think Americans were a misguided, gluttonous group of materialists who just might benefit from being bombed back to the Stone Age. For example, look at Hallmark’s tear- jerking commercials about 4”x6” rectangles of paper magically reuniting estranged mothers and daughters- I mean really! Or how about The Gap running politically correct holiday advertisements for garish sweaters by the first of November- P.S. No family is that ethnically diverse or skinny. Then there are our local Hobby Lobbys who set out trees, ornaments and other Taiwanese- made doodads in September- I was really close to burning that mother down when I saw Halloween decorations being moved aside for reindeer doorstops before the leaves had finished falling. When I am Queen of the Universe, there will be no advertisements, buying anything Christmasy, or playing of holiday related music before Thanksgiving. The Grinch has spoken.

At this point you may be asking yourself how in Yahweh’s name did this crank get to be the lighting designer for a holiday spectacular such as A Christmas Survival Guide? And, as addendum to previous question, what kind of hellish and scary things is she going to do to this lovely holiday show?

To answer the first question, because my boss asked me to. And I always do what he says.

The answer to the second question is a bit more complex. I had my doubts when I was handed the Survival Guide script. But my first meeting with director Michael Gold assuaged my fears. He acknowledged that Christmas could be a stress filled time of empty clichés, but he wanted this show to communicate the true joy of the holidays to our audience. His infectious and obviously heartfelt affection for everything Christmas made my heart grow two sizes that day. Survival Guide makes no attempt to hide the crass commercialization and often dismal depressions of the holidays; rather it gives them a gentle, laughing poke and moves on to what is really important about Christmas- family, togetherness, love and compassion. This show has so much heart. I am terribly impressed with the way Michael and the performers have made moments within the show that make the cynic in me smile. Set designer Chris Sheley and Props Mistress Jessica Rose have created an environment which feels so cheery and comfortable I kinda want to go a wassailing in it.

So, I have climbed aboard the Polar Express and developed a lighting concept that enhances the warmth and familiarity of the scenes as well as showcases the playfulness of the costumes (lovingly designed by Leslie Aldridge).

A Christmas Survival Guide does a fantastic job of spreading holiday cheer and love without leaving the viewer feeling sticky with false sentiment.

A big thank you to the production team for easing me out of my Grinchiness. I suppose we can listen to Christmas music in the shop, even though it is not yet Thanksgiving. And yes Chris, you can wear your Santa hat to work. Maybe we’ll even decorate the tree early this year.

A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

-Holly

The Kirkland paintings are here!

Earlier this autumn, I worked with Hugh Grant, Director of the Vance Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, to choose the paintings from their collection for an exhibition to be display in tandem with our upcoming NASA ART show. We put together a group of Kirkland’s nebulae and cosmic explosion paintings from the 1954 to 1980. Kirkland’s The Mysteries of Space exhibition includes 17 paintings that are astounding in their own right and that also tie some of the themes of the NASAART exhibition to Colorado art.

Kirkland’s paintings arrived last week and we are installing the works in our second-floor North Events Gallery over the next couple days. These are overwhelmingly beautiful paintings in which Kirkland was simultaneously pushing the limits of his art and of human exploration itself.

-- Blake Milteer, Museum Director, Curator of American Art and the NASA ART exhibition

How Do You Win Two Tickets to 'A Christmas Survival Guide?'

The Fine Arts Center Theatre Company has the perfect holiday gift for your family and friends. You can see the remaining FOUR shows in our 2009-2010 Season for the PRICE OF THREE! It's like getting a show for FREE. The remaining shows in our 2009-2010 season include:

A Christmas Survival Guide:
This side-splitting, uproarious and charming 'grown-up' revue pokes fun at the stressful holiday season. Nov. 27-Dec. 23.

Sweeney Todd:
Stephen Sondheim's Musical Comedy Thriller and winner of 8 Tony Awards. Jan. 22-Feb. 14, 2010

All My Sons:
Arthur Miller's poignant drama: A play for our time and for all time! March 19-April 4, 2010

Crazy For You:
A tap dancing, foot stomping extravaganza featuring the unforgettable music of George and Ira Gershwin. May 7-30, 2010.

You can win two free tickets to our current production of A Christmas Survival Guide by reading this week's E-Blast from the Independent. Click on this link: http://posting.csindy.com/colorado/WinTickets/Page

The secret winning phrase is "Four Shows for the Price of Three"

To order tickets to our 'short season' call the FAC Box Office: 719.634.5583

A Christmas Survival Guide is a side-splitting, uproarious and charming revue that pokes fun at the stressful holiday season. Our characters, armed with a copy of A Christmas Survival Guide and an optimistic attitude, charge into shopping malls, office parties, and family gatherings in their search for the true essence of Christmas. By mixing comedic vignettes, a contemporary score of original music (‘The Twelve Steps of Christmas’, ‘Waitin’ for the Man with the Bag’) and classic songs (Silent Night, Jingle Bells) the characters search for the true holiday spirit only to find that Christmas keeps getting in the way.

Carmen Vreeman: Michael took 2 turns OUT of a number! What is the world coming to?! Thanks for the extra oxygen!

From cast-member Carmen Vreeman:

I grew up in the Chicago area and am the youngest of six kids. Christmas was always a very special time for my family, with feelings and traditions that no other holiday brings. Here are just a few of the traditions and favorite memories of Christmas that I grew up with:
~Buying the Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving
~Decorating the tree on a lovely evening: dim lights, old (sometimes falling apart) ornaments, hot chocolate, cheesy music (the Oakridge Boys), singing carols a capella by candlelight, and dancing.
~All 8 of us (parents included) piling into the old Ford van to go shopping for each other in Michigan late one night, which culminated in breakfast sometime between 3 and 5 am at a restaurant where the waitress remembered us each year.
~Christmas caroling at nearby nursing homes
~Taking trips downtown Chicago to see the lights and decorations
~Opening presents late on Christmas Eve night after a church service, wishing “Merry Christmas" right as the clock struck 12.
~Waking up on Christmas morning to the smell of homemade cinnamon roles and opening the stockings above the fireplace in the basement
~Knowing that we were all together

It’s certainly accurate to say that I do love all those Christmas clichés. When I think of Christmas, I reminisce about my childhood holidays in Chicago. But it wasn’t long before most of my siblings moved out, got married, and started new lives. Another change happened when I was 12 and we moved away from Chicago. Since then, I have spent Christmas seasons in New Mexico, Washington, L.A and Colorado. Sometimes I feel like nothing will ever beat my perfect childhood Christmases. I’m sure many can relate.

Last year at Christmas time, I was filling out college applications, preparing for auditions for schools, and dreaming about being away at a university somewhere east of the Mississippi for the start of the season and coming home for Christmas. But the year brought disappointment and a major change in plans, and obviously I am not away at college. In these months following graduation, I have struggled to dream and keep my goals alive. (And I think every artist can attest that when you’re not dreaming, you’re not thriving.) Then, miraculously- this show: a reason and spark to dream again. When I was offered a role in Christmas Survival Guide, I was ecstatic and terrified. Knowing that I would get to do my favorite thing in the world (performing, and not just another typical Christmas show) around my favorite holiday brought me goosebumps of joy. Yet, I knew a great challenge was before me. As one of the youngest in the cast, I worried about not having as much to give. But my fellow actors and friends have embraced me, quite literally, in affirmation of my gifts (some that I don’t get to use very often; for example, pointe) That’s not to say it hasn’t kicked my you-know-what. I think it’s fair to say that we all have been challenged, but for the best and so much fun. Being a part of this company and production has blessed me beyond belief. I can’t thank Michael and everyone involved enough for this opportunity.

This show: its content and the people I have been so privileged to work with have brought hope back. I’ve started dreaming again. As I’ve become more familiar with the meaning and characters within Christmas Survival Guide, I have become more aware of the fact that I am not the only who sometimes stops dreaming, or feels stuck where they are, or even dreads the holiday season because they know it won’t be what they expected. Some of my Christmases, like so many others’, have been dampened by many different elements: broken relationships, financial struggle, deferred dreams. And while we actors portray certain individuals in different circumstances, they represent thousands of journeys and feelings toward the Christmas season. I think everyone in the audience will see themselves in the characters on stage, comedic or dramatic. That’s part of the beauty of theatre: there is always some truth (and heart) even in the comedy and drama. It’s particularly poignant in this show.

Christmas happens in the middle of dreams and disappointments. It can also be a cause for both. My hope and prayer is that you will come to this show and participate from where you are in your journey- dreaming or dreading- and find the hope that Christmas can offer in the midst of the frantic rush of life... Hold on. Dream again and keep dreaming. Wait and hope with us. Christmas is coming. And it just might be the best one ever.
~Carmen Vreeman

P.S. A more detailed note about the process of the show: Tonight, Michael took 2 turns OUT of a number! What is the world coming to?! Thanks for the extra oxygen, Michael. J

Sharon Kay White: It's Very Strange Wearing A Tank Top, Singing Christmas Songs!

From cast-member Sharon Kay White:

Ahhh, Christmas. Who doesn't love Christmas? I have to say, as an actor, it's very strange to be wearing a tank top, singing Christmas songs in July, August, September...that's generally when an actor auditions for a Christmas production. But it does put one in a Christmas frame of mind. And oftentimes, doing those same old tired Christmas shows year after year can make any yuletide-lovin' gal a Santa cynic. But A Christmas Survival Guide is unlike any other Christmas show I've ever seen or performed in, and for that, I am grateful! Even though there actually IS a bit of cynicism (and a lot of humor) in the show, it is steeped in reality, and always brings you back to find the warmth and joy of the holiday season.

We're having a great time finding all of that with this show, and we hope to be able to share that with a lot of people this year! I figure that if WE'RE all laughing and crying during rehearsals, surely audiences will have a similar experience in seeing the show. I hope so, because it's a wonderful feeling. It's been a blast working with such a talented and dedicated group of actors, technicians, designers, administrators, and musicians. And what a bonus to be directed by my dear, darling friend, Michael....and even our shared commute from Denver has been a blast. What more could a girl ask for? Well, a date with Santa, I suppose.....see the show. You'll get the joke.

Pictured above: (Left to Right) Marco Robinson, Halee Towne, Sharon Kay White and Carmen Vreeman

Bret: The Sounds of Christmas

From Breton Parks Christopherson, The Ultimate Sound Designer: Tech week is the second most stressful week in any production. I usually make a list of things I still need to do, then check it twice. When it finally does come along, I love to see all the different pieces of the show come together. After tech week, the show's opening weekend is the most stressful time during a production. The night before opening night, I have trouble sleeping. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, way too excited to sleep. Except in my case, I’m too nervous to sleep. I lay awake wondering if I've done everything I need to and hoping that everything doesn’t fall to pieces opening night.

As of right now I am actively organizing the pre show/intermission music and sound effects for A Christmas Survival Guide. I have been listening to so much Christmas music that I already feel the holiday spirit. The melody to “Here Comes Santa Claus” has been stuck in my head for the last week.

When Director Micheal Gold described his vision for the show as something that would stir up fun and warm memories of Christmas, I immediately pictured my family bustling around the house listening to our traditional assortment of Christmas tunes. In order to bring those memorable feelings to this production, I have included some of the recordings my family normally listens to. My hope is that this will make people think of their own family's personal connection with specific songs of the holiday season.

~Breton Christopherson

Leslie Aldridge: Cinnamon, Outerwear & Muppets. You gotta love a Costume Designer!

THREE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS SEASON:

1. Cinnamon. How very lovely it is to walk into a department store and immediately your senses and brain thoughts are enveloped in the warm, familiar smell of cinnamon.

2. Outerwear. It is the perfect time of year to contrast the cloudy skies with a colorful pashmina or a pair of yellow rubber boots lined with a bright plaid print.

3.. A Muppet Christmas Carol. (no explanation needed.)

I SO appreciate the opportunity i have to design costumes for this wicked rad show. But more importantly, i feel super honored to be working with such a talented team of artists and performers. what a great show we have in our hands! it is well worth bringing your friends to and then going home to a nice cup of hot chocolate (with cinnamon of course!), while singing the songs from the show...which may get stuck in your head for days upon days...upon days.

This show is the complete christmas package, minus A Muppet Christmas Carol.

ENJOY!!!

xoxo

leslie a.

Halee Towne: It has been impossible for me NOT to connect with the heart of Christmas Survival Guide.

From Halee Towne: Actor, the one in the photo with the antlers ...

Every year I do my best to get in the holiday spirit; I watch Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, eat monster cookies, stare at the lights on the tree, sing my favorite carols, and bawl when they play "Christmas Shoes" over the loud speakers at department stores, but sometimes Christmas comes and goes and I am left completely unmoved and unaffected. It leaves me feeling cheated somehow... all of the hype and buildup of Christmas and the "magic" of the season, and I miss it. There is a certain mystery about Christmas... sometimes it sinks in, makes sense and leaves you loving humanity and ready to tackle the brand new year that is ahead... and other times, it kind of lets you down and makes any pain you already feel about every day life 1000 times worse.

You never can tell what it will bring.

A Christmas Survival Guide deals directly with the mystery of Christmas and I am loving the process it is taking me through. Today, Marco and I rehearsed a scene where we are a couple in love, ready to spend our first Christmas together and how excited we are as we decorate our tree until we start realizing that Christmas means two completely different things to each one of us, and our day and tree are destroyed because of it. Sammy does a brilliant number where he is trying so desperately to love the season but he is never allowed to connect with it with all the chaos around him. Sharon Kay is left alone with her TV after a party, trying to reconcile her loneliness with the happiness she is supposed to be feeling this time of year. Carmen needs all of the the fruitcake and Santa and plastic reindeer and Johnny Mathis in order to experience the joy of the holidays. As we look to a book to find our answers to the millions of questions we have about Christmas, at the end, we are all left with the one question... what is Christmas all about?

I have loved exploring this question with the four FABULOUS other cast members, our director and musical director and the designers of this show. It has been impossible for me NOT to connect with the heart of Christmas Survival Guide.

What a gift it has been to me!

Halee

Ryan Neely: A Slave to the Costume Designer

For the past few weeks my position as assistant production manager has expanded to
include impromptu costume model. Although Leslie Aldridge’s costumes are fantastic and very colorful I do not appreciate being put into skirts and tutus. When I ask Leslie if she can please find someone else she says “Oh don’t worry about it you’re a perfect model even though you have skinny legs”

~Ryan Neely
Assistant Production Manager

Alan Osburn: I Dedicate This One To Ken

From Alan Osburn: As the Producing Artistic Director I have the wonderful opportunity to sit in on design meetings and watch all of these creative people continue to impress and inspire me with their passion and experience. I get to step into the room next to my office see costumes appear where a couple of days ago there was just some fabric. I can go to a rehearsal and watch these talented actors just come up with stuff that makes Michael’s face glow with wonder. But I also have moments of extreme sadness in dealing with very sensitive situations.

When Michael cast these five triple threats I couldn’t have been happier for him. But like the holidays, sometimes with great joy, there comes great sadness. I got a call today from Ken Robinson, one of the members of the cast. For those of you who saw The Full Monty he was Malcolm, the guy who sang Is This the Wind at the funeral in act two, which Ken did beautifully. Ken came to Michael and me a few days ago and told us he had hurt his knee outside of the rehearsal process. Today, after many trips to his physical therapist, his doctor, and after having an MRI, he informed me that he did indeed have a torn meniscus in his knee. With this being such a heavy dance show, and knowing that he would also have to dance on a raked stage, it was clear to me that the best thing for both the show and Ken’s health was that I would need to replace him. As a producer this is one of the hardest calls to make, especially with someone like Ken.

I don’t think most people have a true understanding of how deeply passionate performers feel about what they do. How euphoric they feel when they hear the sound of applause or laugher coming from the darkness just beyond the edge of the stage. Or understand the deep seated drive that actors have to finish the second act of a show, even when they just slipped on the stairs during intermission and cracked their head open and are covered in blood, as one of our Youth Repertory Theatre students (Alex Killan) did this past summer.

On the phone today Ken told me he would do whatever it would take to somehow still be in the show, which basically means he would have to ice, stretch, and heat his knee constantly, and still hold down a full time job, spending his evenings and weekends grimacing in pain, praying that no one in the cast or crew would see him because as he put it he “didn’t want the show to suffer.” We are very fortunate to have in the wings the very talented Marco Robinson who will join the company tomorrow. But for tonight, here’s to Ken, our first choice, our friend, and an inspiration to anyone who has ever had to play hurt for the good of the show.

Pictures:

#1: Ken peforming with Saturday Evening Post in The Music Man

#2: Ken playing the role of Malcolm in The Full Monty

#3: Ken in Sunday in the Park with George

#4: Ken in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!

Jacyshyn: A little holiday carol, a little Elvis and a little Hannukah!

Today's entry is from Musical Director Roberta Jacyshyn:

A Christmas Survival Guide is just plain fun. There's a little holiday carol here and there, a little Elvis, a little Hannukah tune, moving ballads; all performed with style and grace by our talented cast of five. The five-piece band is set to be on stage, which is always a welcome addition to any show.

I am blessed to have the opportunity to lead the cast and band. Looking forward to merry holiday music making.

-- Roberta

P.S. The image is a Chris Sheley model of the set.