"In My Mind's Eye" Cast - mostly (thanksalot Mara)

IN MY MIND'S EYE

This is very similar to an idea I had for our promotion poster.

CAST

** The Hamlets **

Hamlet - Prince of Denmark :: Jordan Gwiazdowski

Hamlet - The Masque :: Micheal Black

Hamlet - The Blade :: Amber Smith

Hamlet - The Son :: Kelly Doherty

Hamlet - The LanceCorporal :: Liz Whitford

Hamlet - The Fool :: Jennifer Gaul

**The Players**

Uncle Claudius :: Brian Bzdawka

Gertrude :: Laura Holterman

"Uncle" Polonius :: Robby McGhee

Ophelia :: Elizabeth Shipe
Laertes :: Adam Zastrow

Ghost Dad/Lead Player :: Micheal Keiley

Horatio :: (Not Mara McGhee)

Marcellus/Gravedigger :: Brad Novak

Rosentcrantz :: Christopher Elst

Guildenstern :: Ellen Dunphy

A Call to Arms

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

A REBIRTH FOR YOUTH INTEREST IN CLASSICAL THEATRE:

One morning, while making breakfast and going over monologues, I felt very lonely. Sure – it’s nice to practice the classical work all by oneself – the long soliloquies are ripe for individual dissection. I, however, longed a companion. Shakespeare, especially, is only good with a duel thrown in every now and then – be it of minds or swords… or ray-guns… if you are doing Hamlet in space. I called my good friend Clayton Hamburg and we twisted dreams and tales of a classical theatre boot-camp. Thus was born the concept of Fools for Tragedy.

A THEATRE IN NEED:

Recently I had my second opportunity to a part of a show at Soulstice Theatre and was reminded of what a wonderful group of people work to make their productions so engaging and wonderful. The shows are intimate and created with real people. The most delicious ingredient in their performances is the true love these people have for theatre and entertainment. The theatre is entering a rich and dark 10^th season of shows, but can no longer remain in its current home at the Marian Center. They are in desperate need of funds to help secure a new and comfortable home – where they can most certainly continue their dedication to the excellence of locally grown Milwaukee theatre.

THE MAGIC INGREDIENT:

                In a short amount of time – The Alchemist Theatre has made a very respectable name for itself in the theatre community of Milwaukee. It is a lovely small theatre that has a great location and wonderful appeal. The owners are committed to entertainment and providing a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for locally grown theatre. They have already taken steps to make theatre a more approachable choice for the community.

THE MADNESS IN MY MIND:

I have been developing the script and concept for a mini-Hamlet. The show is cut from its 4 ½ hour run to a much more manageable “less than two hour” production. The stage is clean, the lights minimal, and the pomp and circumstance is removed. We aren’t going to cover our Shakespeare up with showy costumes and effects. This is a raw and true telling of Hamlet. This is In My Mind’s Eye.

In My Mind’s Eye tells the story of Hamlet through the mad eyes of Hamlet. A fractured Hamlet – if you will. A breakdown of a breakdown. The full text of the tragedy is a resounding symphony of the perils of the human condition. Our selection of the text takes exclusively from the scenes that involve the titular character and present a stylized representation of Hamlet’s experience.

Technically the show is bare bones, but what the audience will experience is a visceral and deep production of Shakespeare’s tragedy through some of Milwaukee’s most natural upcoming talents. The context of the show is a dark and lush backdrop befitting such a tale as Hamlet.

Hamlet is such a fascinating character, because at all times the question is; is he mad or is it all just a show? My answer is – why can’t he be both? Macbeth’s insanity destroyed him, Lear finds redemption, Titus feigns madness to bring down corruption in Rome, but Hamlet realizes his condition and uses it to his advantage. He commands his madness.

The task of taking on the role of the Prince has been broken into six pieces; for Hamlet seems to have broken himself.  The six actors will be representing the shattered aspects of Hamlet’s psyche – all created through some traumatic experience in his life.  The shattered aspects of Hamlet then take control through the major scenes.

The show will be a complex story – simply presented. It will be accessible – yet intricate. It will be totally badass too.

YOU:

This is the part you come in – all these aspects will be coming together August 25-27 at the Alchemist Theatre in Bay View as an “all profits go to Soulstice Theatre” fundraiser event. Opening night will feature a silent auction and raffle of local goods and art at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge. I am asking for your help to make it the success I know it can be.

Enema's For All - Carte Blanche's "The Imaginary Invalid"

This afternoon my good friend and roomed-mate, Bradley Novak, and I made our way down to Carte Blanche Studios for their latest production - Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid. Of course we made this trip after stopping at 5Guys for a cheesed-burger or two.

This is a very modern interpretation of the script - so fear not the language of Moliere to trip you up. The language of the show is easily approachable and understandable; and at most points the funniest parts of the production come from the clever word play.

The main action of the show takes place in and around the colon of a "sickly" old miser by the name of Argon played by Charlie Bauer. This colon is inhabited by a colorful cast of characters coming in and out as easily as a well executed enema. The colon is elegantly set in the round with minimal Victorian props. A large inviting colon filled with wigs, pomp, and circumstance.

It is all for the most part standard farcical fare - devious plots, young romance, prop gags, and prat-falls. These stand-up quite well, but the moments of true inspiration are in the subtle workings of the language.

Charlie as Argon handles this in a very contemporary style - his stylized "old man" seemingly breaks in and out of character and the fourth wall to give a new voice to each witty remark or pun that comes his way. It is amusing - and you see his bottom.

Amber Smith playing Argon's manipulative but ultimately good-willed maid Toinette catches the clever bits at every turn - her inflection on tone and slight stretching of a syllable is enough to keep audiences laughing at lines that would be thrown away by others.

Lindsey Gagliano takes the stage as Argon's manipulative wife Beline - not so good willed as the maid - she handles the role well and finds a nice blend of mild disinterest and appropriate nast.

Bethany Peters is at her height with physical comedy - whether it is her perpetual waif-like entrance on stage or being thrown about - her energy and facial expressions keep the action of the play moving at a nice pace.

When talking about subtlety we cannot forget to mention Clayton Hamburg - who has none. He creates bombastic characters - a sinister and snakelike Goodfellow - a hopeful Lilycrap that might have come straight out of revenge of the nerds - and a menacing Dr. Purgeon. This is not to say that these were not - hands down - the funniest parts of the play. Clayton has a gift for the extreme and it shines.

Dylan Zalewski has a captivating stage presence and a perfect gift for comic timing - it is a good thing he was wearing wigs though as he played two characters who, though both well-rendered, seemed a bit too similar to be clearly distinctive.

Kyle "Queenan" makes an appearance as a hunched administer of enemas - hilarious. Oh, and he plays the main love interest as well.

Finally - the very small, but perfectly executed, role of Louisson is played with adorable simple-mindedness by Laura Holterman. This is the best I have seen her - in such a small scene the character hits wonderful levels and leaves you wanting more.

All in all - a solid show - despite a horrific ending dance bit - it feels as if you just read a book full of wonderful punctuation and they end it with a semi-colon;

See - not very attractive.

This next bit I stole from another website - The Imaginary Invalid runs through Feb. 20 at Carte Blanche, 1024 S. 5th St. Tickets are $20 at the Carte Blanche website, or call 414 305-9102.

Flying Through Bloody Dreams

(Onstage)

Bat Boy: The Musical

This is supremely exciting for me; I have wanted to do this show for about seven years and finally the best director and best friend a man could ask for - Brian Bzdawka - has taken up the reigns of producing the show this January.

The show is at all moments dark, twisted, sad, and extremely funny. It is a heavier script than one usually finds for a musical - this allows it to speak just as much through dialogue as it does through music.

Brian Bzdawka presents an interesting and captivating world in which this story plays out. He has also shown in many previous shows that he has the ability to bring the comedy and heart out of any performance. This show walks a very fine line between tragedy and comedy and if directed wrong can end up being far too campy or very hard to swallow. Brian's dark graphic vision will keep audiences captivated with the shocking story unfolding and have them rolling in their seats with a lighthearted approach to the humor that makes this show so charming.

Tom Reifenberg as musical director brings his out-of-this-world musical ability to play a demanding score and has assembled a team of melodic mastery to help tackle this feat.

John Stolfe

Fred Pike

Rusty Edlund

Britney Whiting

All of that would be enough; however the cast assembled for this performance is a list of rockstar comedy actors and vocalists that will bring the residents of Hope Falls to life and, for some, to death.

Robby McGhee - Currently a member of Milwaukee's Bye Bye Liver at ComedySportz; I have had the pleasure of working with Robby in RENT, where he showcased his incredible vocal aptitude as Tom Collins, "Spelling Bee" and Hairspray; two shows where Robby showed his seamless abilities as a improvisational comedic performer. You may also have seen Robby steal the stage in The Shorewood Player's productions of The Producers and Annie. With a man like Robby in the cast - people will ache from laughing long after they leave the theatre.

Brad Novak - Brad is my roommate and the person on this list that I have been acting with the longest. We met during a horrific production of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers about seven years ago and I have had the pleasure of performing with him in The Producers, Much Ado About Nothing, RENT, Guys and Dolls, "Spelling Bee", Hairspray, and A Streetcar Named Desire. Brad has run the gamut on interesting characters and challenging vocal performances. Brad is one of the most deliberate performers I have ever witnessed on stage and once again he gets to stretch his pipes to the extreme for this show.

Laura Mcdonald - I don't like Laura that much; that being said - I am not blind to her unquestionable level of talent. She has shown great strength as lead roles in GCTheatre's three previous shows both comically and musically. In all three performances she created cleverly ridiculous characters - her approach to this role should, once again, be heartfelt and inventive.

Stephanie Staszak - Stephanie is a small girl with a huge personality. This describes her both as a person and how she performs on-stage. She made a grand display as Mimi in GCTheatre's production of RENT and filled the empty spaces of Hairspray with outrageously hilarious moments. A superbly wound internal comedy-clock has blessed this girl with great timing and delivery of lines other actors might just throw away. Oh - she can also sing and dance real nice-like too!

David Hillestad - Now Dave is a huge guy with a personality to match. He is most certainly one of the funniest dudes I know in Milwaukee. He doesn't get on stage much, but when he does it is not something to be missed - if you like laughing. He started his illustrious theatre career in a production of The Full Monty playing... appropriately Dave. Since then he has appeared as Amos in Soulstice Theatre's production of Chicago and William Barfe in GCTheatre's "Spelling Bee". Dave took a chance doing stand-up at Mikey's in Cathedral Square and quickly became a crowd favorite.

Matt Zeman - This is Matt's darkest character yet; Matt has shown remarkable vocal talent in past GCTheatre productions as Benny in RENT, Jospeh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. This is a step you have not seen Matt take before, and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Brittany Radocha - If anyone saw GCTheatre's Hairspray this summer you are aware of what a hilariously huge personality it takes to embody the role of Tracy Turnblad and Brittany filled those shoes and then some. Her energy kept the show alive and running even while saddled with a big sexy prosthetic fake ass. It is her hilarious ability to create over the top characters that keep all her fellow actors working to keep up.

Jared Bierbach - How does one describe Jared? Outspoken, irreverent, bombastic, but at all times utterly hilarious. Jared has the unique ability to take anything (and I mean ANYTHING) and make it quite amusing. I have had the opportunity to work with Jared during Beauty and the Beast where he appeared as Cogsworth, but I think his real specialty is in taking smaller characters and giving them the special Jared Bierbach spitshine - Mr. Pinky/Principal/Mr. Spritzer/Cop in Hairspray, Potiphar/Jacob/Ishmaalite in "Joseph", and Bishop/Nun/Bearded Sailor in Jekyll and Hyde.


N'Jameh Camara - A relative newcomer to GCTheatre and my life, but most definitely not green in her experience. Big voice - little girl. She brought this vitality to Hairspray as Little Inez and delivers the same passion into this show as well.

Anna Fraser and Rachel Zientek  - We are more than lucky to have these two extremely talented women providing backstage vocals for this show. The only regret is that we cannot utilize their extraordinary on-stage abilities. Rachel is one of the best character females I have ever seen; and Anna has a commanding stage voice. They are our saving grace.

When you combine all this with a small dedicated crew lead by Shannon Runnels, Sara Bill, and Ryan Barry and ten days of rehearsal and pre-production - you have a show that cannot miss... well it might - but only in a few spots.

Come check it out - it is a hilarious nightmare come true.

"The musical allows Gwiazdowski in the title role the opportunity for hands-down the single most dynamic performance of the season thus far . . .due in large part to the numerous dichotomies that the show rests on..." - Russ Bickerstaff "Curtains"

"Bat Boy: The Musical" manages to break the mold of a high school play, delivering a really excellent show that's often equal to a professional Broadway musical."
"Somehow the Greendale Community Theatre has assembled a tribe of players who can sing, dance, and act. And the production quality is akin to much more expensive shows at the Marcus Center than is indicated by the very reasonable ticket price..." - Tom Christy "Milwaukee Examiner"

“It was hilarious for all the wrong reasons,” said Rex Rasch (Source: Greendale Patch - Jesse Carpender)