From the Inside Out

Rehearsals continue for Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite at McKinney Repertory Theater. The first performance (March 5) is only a few weeks away, and we’re starting to do full run-throughs with the entire cast. Since the play is a group of 3 independent acts, we haven’t had much interaction with the rest of the cast — until now. It’s fun having everyone together and being able to enjoy the performances of the other fantastic actors in the play.

We had our first “off book” rehearsal this evening, which means that all lines must be memorized and no scripts can be used on stage. It seems that these are always the worst rehearsals as it’s terribly difficult to keep your energy level up and stay in character while trying to recall a line. You lose the momentum of the scene and have to work hard to get it back. So, we muddled through our acts and managed to get in a few laughs as we completely botched some of the lines. Thankfully, we have a patient director who has a good sense of humor!

We’ll do it all over again tomorrow night, and I’m hoping my lines will become more permanently etched into my brain so I can concentrate more on acting and less on memory recall!

Below are a few rehearsal pictures I captured with my mobile phone:

Rehearsing in MPAC’s Noble Hall. Gary was standing in for “Sam” from Act I.

Getting ready to practice on the main stage.

Our awesome director doing what she does best…directing!

For Dallas locals, here’s another reason to watch the latest Hollywood flick at Studio Movie Grill. The theater chain is the first in the Dallas area to introduce reserved seating. Moviegoers at the Dallas, Arlington, Plano, Lewisville and Addison locations can now select their seats online before leaving home.

No more waiting in long lines to grab a good seat. No more early arrival times. You pick your seat, arrive when you want, and avoid the hassles of open seating. I love the idea! Why didn’t they start doing this sooner? It will greatly improve the moviegoing experience, especially on opening weekends. If I didn’t love Studio Movie Grill (SMG) before, I certainly do now. This is brilliant!

Does it sound too good to be true? Are you wondering if there’s a catch? Not really, but there is one thing I need to mention. You must purchase a $12 gift certificate online if you want to reserve your seat in advance. Considering the fact that you are probably going to spend more than $12 on food and beverages during the movie anyway, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people. After all, one of the reasons you go to SMG is to eat while watching the show. You just buy the gift certificate online as part of your ticket package and then use it to cover your dining expenses for the evening.

Studio Movie Grill has been testing the new system during the past month, and so far it’s been wildly successful. I haven’t tried it yet, but I can’t wait to do it.

Here’s to no more fighting for the best seats in the theater…whahoo!

Studio Movie Grill, I love you.

After a couple of months off, I decided to audition for another play. On Saturday, Gary and I received a call from one of the producers at McKinney Repertory Theater (MRT) encouraging us to audition for their upcoming production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite. Since we had a great experience with MRT last summer, we decided to do it.

We met with the director tonight and went through the audition process consisting mostly of cold readings with characters from the first and second act of the play. After a few readings with just me and Gary, the director introduced us to a couple of other actors who were also auditioning for parts. We read with them, and then took a small break.

At the end of the night, we found out that both of us had been cast in the play! We will be playing the roles of the two featured characters in Act II–a Hollywood producer and his ex-girlfriend. It should be fun!

Plaza Suite was first performed in New York City in 1968. It is a comedy in three acts, each involving different characters but all set in Suite 719 of New York City’s famous Plaza Hotel. Each act has a unique story and focuses primarily on 2 lead characters. The McKinney Repertory Theatre version of the play will be performed on March 5, 6, 12, 13, and 14.

Rehearsals start tomorrow…can’t wait!

The grand opening celebration for the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas’ Arts District has been in full swing all week and will culminate with an “open house” festival on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 11 am - 8 pm.

Free and open to the public, the day will include family-friendly activities, venue tours, and indoor and outdoor “spotlight” performances by the Center’s resident companies and national, regional and local talent spanning dance, music and theatre. It will also feature free admission to exhibitions at Arts District museums and other venues, giving access to special programming they created just for this occasion. The grand finale will be a fireworks show at 7:45 pm.

If you are in the area and have an interest in the arts, it’s a great opportunity to get a sampling of what’s to come at the new PAC…best of all, it’s entirely free. So join in the excitement and check it out on Sunday. For more info, visit: attpac.org/grandopening.

We filmed three videos for Saturday Night Life today — a commercial, digital short, and the opening cast video. It was a long day, but I’m very pleased with the footage we obtained. We captured some funny moments…can’t wait to see the first edit!

If you want to see the finished product, be sure to join us for the show on Oct. 9 and 10 at 7:30 pm. It’ll be great!

For a few “behind the scenes” pictures from the video shoot today, check out the following:

Killing time in between tapings

Infomercial shoot

Getting prepped

Fun with zombies

Wait…look behind you!

Hanging with the zombies waiting for the next take

RAWWRRRR!

Pooped!