From the Inside Out

Rehearsals for Hartburn Hotel continue, and we’re having a blast. Below are some new “behind the scenes” pictures from tonight’s rehearsal. If you’re planning to join us for the show, be sure to buy your tickets early so you can get good seats. To purchase tickets, go to: www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org. Also, this is a popcorn-throwing melodrama, so if you bring canned food items for the local food bank, you can get up to three bags of popcorn for free!

Here’s more info about the show:

McKinney Repertory Theatre Presents
HARTBURN HOTEL

Cheer for the hero, boo for the villain, throw popcorn, and sing along! MRT offers melodrama fun this summer with HARTBURN HOTEL!

Faced with losing the Last Chance Inn once again, Ma and Pa Culpepper turn to glamorous Sahara Hartburn. Sahara pays off their loan with money from a “well-heeled admirer” and promptly takes over the inn. Transformed into the Hartburn Hotel, the place becomes a residence for young ladies with a “no men allowed upstairs” policy.

Sahara schemes to find a scandal that will give her new venture some publicity, and finds it when the new school teacher, Polly Sincere, is paid a visit by her dapper and devoted boyfriend, Jasper Jones—in her room!

To escape, Jasper poses as “Jasmine Sincere,” Polly’s sister. Complications arise when a visiting sheriff falls for “Jasmine” and her sudden disappearance leads Sahara to accuse Polly of murder!

An attempt to clear Polly’s name, an outrageous chase scene, and the search for a bank robber all conspire to bring the play to a surprising – and side-splitting - conclusion.

HARTBURN HOTEL
McKinney Repertory Theatre
July 10 - 19
Tickets: $16 adults; $13 seniors/students;
$11 kids 12yrs & under
Tickets & Info: 214-544-4630 or www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org

And now for the pics:

“Ma” trying on her new “uniform”

Loving the hats!

“Sahara” and her big, big hat

Our very own “Fabio”

More costume fittings

What everyone does when they don’t have a scene…juggle!

Singing and dancing — the other things actors do to amuse themselves when not in a scene

And more juggling!

We attended our first rehearsal for Hartburn Hotel tonight. After meeting the other actors and going through the schedule, we had a standard read through of the script. It was my first time to read the entire story, and I have to say that it’s pretty funny. Both the actors and the audiences are going to enjoy it. And, the director has some great ideas to make it even more fun. I love melodramas!

We have a fantastic cast with a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, and experience. I’m really excited about the opportunity, but I’m also a bit nervous because in addition to acting, I’ll also be playing the piano. It’s not something I’ve done in a live stage play before, but I think I’m up for the challenge!

After the read through, we met with the costuming director for an initial discussion about wardrobe, measurements and hair styles. Hartburn Hotel is set in an interesting time period (around the turn of the century), so the costuming is going to be great — big dresses, hats, and fancy hairdos. What fun! We even get to wear the costumes while participating in McKinney’s 4th of July parade. The McKinney Repertory Theatre has a float in the parade, and they’ve asked all actors to be on the float to help promote the show. I guess I need to start working on my “pageant” wave. LOL.

Our next rehearsal is on Tuesday. We’ve got practices scheduled four times a week (Mon, Tues, Thrs, and Sat) during the month of June, so it’s going to be a very, very busy month!

Gary and I decided to audition for a few local theatre productions this summer. We took head shots, got our resumes in order, picked out monologues, and prepared for the adventure.

Last night we auditioned for the McKinney Repertory Theatre’s production of Hartburn Hotel (a melodrama by Whitney Ryan Garrity). The theatre is located in the historic Collin County Courthouse in downtown McKinney. Our appointment was at 7:30, but they were auditioning in small groups so we had to wait for a couple of other actors to show up. Once they arrived, we were ushered into the casting room to meet the director, producer and stunt coordinator. Each one of us performed our comedic monologues first. I did “Roller Coaster” by Wade Bradford. It’s hilarious, and I had a lot of fun with it.

Since I listed my singing and piano skills on my resume, I was asked to play a few bars on the piano and sing a short folk song acapella. I was also asked to do a cold reading of two female parts. Gary got paired with the other male actor for a cold reading, and then Gary and I read together. After that, we were done. Since Friday was the last night of casting, the director told everyone that he’d notify people on Saturday if they were cast in a role.

Gary and I thanked them for their time and left to grab some dinner. Since we were already in downtown McKinney, we decided to walk around the town square and find a place to eat there. We ended up at a great Italian food spot called Emilia’s. We talked about the audition over dinner — discussing what went well, what didn’t, and what we would’ve done differently if we were to do it again. All in all, we felt pretty good about how it went.

This morning I was awakened by a call. Gary was already awake, so he answered the phone. It was the director letting us know that we had both been cast in the production. When we first set out to audition, we didn’t expect that we’d both get cast in the same play, but we’re delighted that it happened. Gary will be playing the role of the Sheriff, and I’ll be Miss Ivory Keyes, the former entertainer now piano player at the hotel. While the parts aren’t huge, they both look like fun characters to play. Besides, who doesn’t love a good melodrama?

Rehearsals start on Monday. Performances will be held on July 10, 11, 17, 18, and 19th. Mark your calendar and make plans to be there! You will be entertained…I guarantee it!

Also, don’t forget that Sunday is ALC’s last day in our 2021 E. Park Blvd. location. We have a special “reunion” service planned tomorrow at 10 am. It will be a momentous day! Please join us to celebrate the old and the new!