"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)

Happy Birthday Christina Applegate

Subtitle: How I Saved Thanksgiving...

...again.

The days have become impossibly short. The air bites bitter cold.

Let's celebrate!

In all honesty; I look forward to Thanksgiving. It makes it up on the list of favourite holidays:

(This is that list)
January 9 - National Play God Day
February 20 - Hoodie Hoo Day
June 20 - National Ice Cream Soda Day and my birthday
September 11 - No News is Good News Day
February 18 - Presidents Day

Thanksgiving is a holiday that needs nothing more than good food and good company to be a success. My family can certainly deliver on the food and their company is... interesting to say the least.

A goose; a goose for everyone!

Who (the shit) am I to complain though?

1. I am probably ten times weirder than anyone of those people who I will be enjoying the festivities with.

2. I will most likely be high as a kite.

3. They are my family; and I have learned long ago - that you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can only pick your friends nose with the help of a family that possesses considerable upper body strength.

So I figured amidst the talk of alien abductions, family gossip, awkward blowjob conversations with grandma, political arguments, and "what the hell one actually should be doing with one's life," I will enjoy the food and irreverence that I have come to expect from an evening with my familial relations.

I had a pleasant recollection, this evening, of one of the first Thanksgiving dinners my sister and her husband hosted -

They were living in a lovely little apartment with a beautiful dining room - much too small for the crowds they are now pulling - and it was normal family fare for conversation - my sister had prepared most of the side dishes. I remember this meal vividly. I remember tasting the balsamic glazed brussel-sprouts that had been roasted with salty pancetta, I remember the fresh snap of the greenbeans sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and how the goat cheese cut the tart of the seeds but spread the sweet earthiness of the greenbeans over your tongue with a melt in your mouth creaminess.

Thanksgiving dinner could be interesting - it could be exciting even.

I believe that year we had roasted garlic mashed potatoes - but even if it was - let us pretend that this was the year of the horseradish mashed potatoes.

This Thanksgiving set a precedent on the food front. From now on - my sister was primary hostess of that gluttonous festival that is on a certain Thursday of a certain month.

This got me interested in cooking again; the pancetta brussel-sprouts are now a favorite recipe of mine as well as an unbelievable root-vegetable gratine that was served a few years later.

A bad turkey can ruin a thanksgiving meal; but sides are where it is at.

I realized that if I wanted to keep up in this family - I was going to have to deliver. So I came up witha few recipes of my own and started providing at least two dishes to the meal for the last few years. However on some occasions my ambition would outweigh my personal ability and the five delicious dishes I wanted to provide would turn into four dishes of varying quality.

This year for both of my Thanksgiving's I decided that I would make two dishes and make sure they came out exactly how I wanted - well; as is want to happen with me in food and theatre - two turns into three - three turns into four. Within twelve hours of coming up with my menu - it had doubled in scope.

"It's fine - everything is fine." I was maintaining. I had done most of my prep work for the major dishes and the other two were simple:

-Cranberry Sauce (not fancy cranberry sauce)
Cranberries, orange juice, sugar... let it become a sauce. Cool.
-Mustard Roasted Baby Potatoes
Cover potatoes in mustard... bake till delicious. Salt and pepper to taste.

I thought once I got everything set in the oven I could make myself a cup of tea and work on some writing.

Life is never so simple for a superhero.

I receive a call on my mobile cellular phone; it is my brother-in-law - my sister has removed the tip of her finger (stop) blood everywhere (stop) we need you to cook everything. (stop)

Within minutes I have stuffed a duffel-bag full of dish towels and loaded my casserole dishes and hot pots of food into it. I fill a smaller bag with anything I think I may need -eggs, chicken and turkey stock, soynog, the dagger or orion, and my dugout.

I find my sister sitting in the kitchen with a half finished root-vegetable gratin - most of the other dishes haven't even been started.

I could go through a large food list of the things I cooked this year - but I think it may be easier to say that the only things I didn't cook this year were the turkey, gravy, and corn pudding.

I was less than satisfied with the dishes that I originally set out to cook - but the fact that everything came out hot, edible, and on time was enough for me.

I could tell you many embarrassing moments from the evening - but for the most part the night flowed perfectly from one moment to the next. A time to sit around and enjoy a large selection of amazing food and an ever expanding and growing family.

I watched my crazy family engage in conversations ranging from - peeing on people to hilarious instances of child prostitution (it can be funny). While running around, making sure everything was being cleaned up, people had drinks, my nephew was being attended to like the little prince he is, be hilarious and entertaining to our guests, and just general servitude duties - I thought to myself...

"This would all be a disaster if I wasn't around. These people need me. I cannot just leave these people because next year someones house is going to burn down."

Within this year I have seen my brother Tobias get married, I have seen my nephew grow from a little adorable bag-o-meat into the eloquent and demanding little man he is today.

I have seen my parents turn into grandparents over the last two and a half years.

I was able to watch my brother-in-law's smile as he got to hang out with one of his best friends from Illinois.

I was able to finish my night listening to soft wilting melodies of flamenco while sipping on scotch around a gently licking fireplace.

I thought to myself - "I need these people; I wouldn't have been able to pull any of this off without the constant love and support from these people - and so many others over the many years of my life. I am so grateful for the undeserved kindness I am shown each and every day. I am grateful that I get to breath everyday a fresh and new breath."


This was an adult thought. It's taken a little too long to get there, but by god I've got it.

As my man Vonnegut has said:

"Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything."

My life - thanks to all of you is filled with laughter.

To whomever this may concern - thank you.

Even if we don't like each other very much.

Which is probably most of you.

...and that is how I saved Thanksgiving - again.

"Tape" - The review without a clever title.

I find it strange that my first official "Life Condoms" post should be a Milwaukee theatre review as I tend not to see much theatre in Milwaukee.

This is a true statement for two major reasons:

 1. I am usually involved in a show.
 2. As a pretentious piece of shit - I usually have a hard time enjoying myself.

However, this is the first time in about two and a half years that I have had more than a month outside of a production and it is my goal to take full advantage of it. I was, also, one of a mere twelve available seats at a pay-jwhat-joo-cayn preview night for the performance of "Tape" so I figured a review is the only fair thing to do.

I am still a piece of shit.

This production was brought to my attention recently and I was immediately interested.The entire action of the play takes place in a hotel room. The seating is limited to twelve people and you are at the most ten feet away from any action happening "on stage". (At the least? 15 inches)
This is what I live for.
A visceral theatre experience to say the least.
A cast of three people? Sign me up.
Simulated drug use? Fuck it; I'll bring the real shit and we can get this show started.
I was lucky enough to call like a little schoolgirl, right at noon when the tickets became available, and be one of the few who would be a part of this experience.

I was sitting at home, rockin' on some peach salza, and discussing many sophisticated and worldly affairs with my friend and confidant Robby McGhee...
Now appearing in Bye Bye Liver - the live theatre version of the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNtTEibFvlQ

I mentioned the fact that I was taking his wife and my roomed mate to the Monday evening production of "Tape" when he let me know that a customer of his, Rob Maass, was appearing in this play.

Joy (If I can barely describe it as that. Infinite joy possibly? Let us say; glorious rapture) swept over me to be reunited with a friend and former stage partner.

A bref our-story of Robert and Jordan's theatre relationship:
Children of Eden - Oak Creek High School
It Came from the Student Lounge - Break a Leg Productions
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers - Who Gives a Shit Co.
So Long Sweet Summer - We Should Write a Play that Rob Kills Himself in Studios
Love's Fire - Renaissance Theatre

Sterling stuff boys and girls. Needless to say my anticipation was now thru the proverbial roof; and the literal roof was already ruined by rain... so I was roofless.

The Show:

Arriving at the Best Western on Old World 3rd was an interesting enough start to the evening. A man with a long greasy yellowish ponytail was standing outside smoking a cigarette and staring at passers-by and the lobby smelled like you could get syphilis just from standing there too long. It really gave the authentic feeling of... well being at a Best Western hotel.
We were met in the lobby, told we had to turn off our cell-phones, that we were not allowed to use the "set" bathroom and under no circumstances answer the telephone "onstage", and shown up to room 902.

Not much to be said for set design; as it was Room 902 of the Best Western and I am pretty sure they have their own personal "interior designer" who takes care of the rooms. I can say pretty certainly that the twelve seats were definitely set in the most appropriate space for twelve seats in a hotel room.

The action is already taking place; Matt Kemple as Vince is reading smut on the bed with a Pabst Blue Ribbon. The phone rings (I resist every urge to reach out from my seat and answer it) and the drama unfolds.

Sidenote:
The play did not stop audience members from making small comments to each other and unwrapping candy while the show went on. I mean, who would notice these small audience faux-pas when you are crammed together like sardines? Not distracting at all.

The call was from Vince's longtime friend Jon played by Rob Maass. Within minutes he is in the room and all of the ensuing dialogue and action is played in real-time; mostly between these two characters.

To pull off an hour of two people on-stage is tough; the action must be intriguing and energetic enough to keep the audiences attention and in such close quarters it must also be ultra-realistic to be believable.

Neither of these two things were fully realized. This is not to say that the show was not an enjoyable and interesting theatre experience.

The script is dark and tortured; sad and sentimental; and at (surprisingly) more times than not - uncomfortably amusing. It is a very difficult job as an actor to approach the subject matter of "Tape" and hit all of those points effectively.

Matt Kemple's -Vince- was certainly the most dynamic of the three characters. The character is painted unsympathetically from the start and not much is done to improve his moral standing with the audience as we find out that even his "best-friend" holds a dramatically low opinion of him. Despite that, Matt Kemple strikes just the right chords at the right times to make this performance strong, believable, sympathetic, and pretty hilarious.

Rob Maass as Jon is at his best when he is saying nothing at all. His physicality speaks so much more to the depth of his character than his words. I often found myself watching Rob while there were long silent pauses in the show or when the other two characters were heavily involved in conversation. That being said; it would be nice if a few more of his consonants were enunciated. At his most "dramatic" moments of yelling; it was a bit of a chore to figure out exactly what was coming out of his mouth.

Gwen Zupan comes in close to the end of the show as Amy Randall and delivers a substantial performance. The two friend's fate comes to rest solely in her hands, and she makes strong bold choices that understandably lead to the characters final decision. She unquestionably is the most ambiguously written character (you sometimes feel that even she isn't quite sure of the "truth" that is being ripped from her) and none of her emotions or responses seemed  forced or out of left-field.

My major issue with the show is that a lot of the conflict arises from the possesion of a "Tape" that the character Vince possesses. Rob Maass is considerably larger than Matt - most of the fight scenes were not believable and with the eight foot arms that Rob Maass posseses; he could easily have reached over and grabbed the "Tape" at any time he chose.

The show runs roughly an hour and twenty minutes with no intermission - for the most part; this time flew by for me. It is nice to see daring and innovative theatre in Milwaukee and I encourage you all to get tickets to this show as soon as possible - seating will be very limited.

http://www.pinkbananatheatre.com/?n=UpcomingShows