Wow! What a show! What a cast! What a great crew!! Time to celebrate another record year in Richland Theatre & Dance, which is only possible because of YOU! Spring 2009 featured Richland students’ work in “Urinetown”, the Spring Dance Show, and “Charlotte’s Web.” “Urinetown” was such a hot ticket for a number of reasons: 1) It was directed by the brrrrrilliant musical-theater-star-in-her-own-right-and-gosh-we’re-proud-she’s-on-our-faculty, Ms. Wendy Welch; 2) The show was one of our top box-office draws and elicited critical (rave!) responses from college and professional reviewers (this is definitely one for the resume!), and, 3) The show’s greatest success was the combined efforts of a talented cast and crew. Bravo!
And bravo/congratulations/kudos to the dancers and choreographers that contributed their sublime efforts to the Spring Dance Show. A very special “WOW!” to our most wonderful Ms. Patty Lanier, for once again creating a fantastic ensemble of young dancers. If you are a theater student that has yet to take a dance class – SIGN UP!!! Dance and movement training is essential to your success in acting, and for the technical theatre student, designing for dance is a whole new ballgame. Not only will it enhance your theatre work, it will enhance your bank account when you start landing BOTH theatre AND dance jobs.
Ending out the year was a childhood favorite, “Charlotte’s Web.” There is no greater fun that an audience comprised of children – talk about a learning experience! There is so much more “room” in performing children’s theatre. The characters are not only larger than life (and definitely more fun), but often times the characters are not even human beings. I am infinitely more intrigued watching “animals” in a play…. Now, where was I?… OH yes! THIS play – “Charlotte’s Web” – directed by our multi-talented-mistress-of-directing-and-design, Ms. Dustina Reasons – did so well that the rumor is that we will pack up the show in boxes and bring it back every other year or so!
Jim Caruso Bio:
Jim Caruso recently made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit Liza’s At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. For his nightclub work, Caruso has won four MAC and two BackStage Bistro Awards for his sold-out New York shows at Birdland, the Algonquin Hotel, and Arci’s Place; and has also performed in runs at the Gardenia and Cinegrill in Los Angeles, The Vic Theater in Chicago, Libby’s in Atlanta, the Colony Palm Beach Hotel and the Connaught Room in London. He sang with the New York Pops in an all-star tribute to Kander & Ebb at Carnegie Hall, and returned to “The Hall” this year in a tribute to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, hosted by Michael Feinstein.
On the small screen, Jim was seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in “Personal Assistant,” and co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, “Café DuArt” for two seasons. Jim and his vocal trio, Wiseguys, were invited to sing at President Clinton’s First State Dinner at the White House, and celebrated Bing Crosby in concert at Carnegie Hall with Rosemary Clooney. He guest-hosted “Broadway On Broadway 2000″ in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans, hosted the 2000 MAC Awards at Town Hall in Manhattan and has co-hosted the Drama Desk Awards webcasts for the past four years. His debut recording, “Caruso Live and In Person” is available on the LML Music label. For the past six years, he has hosted a Monday night showbiz bash called “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” which was honored with a New York Nightlife Award, as was his Broadway at Birdland concert series. Check out www.Jim-Caruso.com or www.CastPartyNYC.com.
A conversation with Jim Caruso:
How did you get into theatre?
I’ve been involved in showbusiness since I was a kid in Pittsburgh, Pa. I asked my mother for an agent when I was 7 years old, which is when she knew she was in for trouble!! I did alot of community theater there, then moved to Dallas in 1976. That’s when I found Richland College – and continued to do shows in the DFW area.
When and how long were you at Richland?
I was at Richland from 1977 – 1979
Do you have a fond memory of Richland?
I remember loving Phyllis Barger-Doyle’s dance class! It was the first time I’d ever taken a formal class, and didn’t quite get how to go about it. I remember wearing a black one-piece Danskin jumpsuit with a shirt and cufflinks, because I saw Ben Vereen wear that, and figured ‘if it’s good enough for Ben…’ Needless to say, I figured it out quickly. One rarely sees French cuffs in a dance class.
Which High School did you attend?
I attended Sewickley Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Where do you work now?
I just closed an extended run of “Liza’s At The Palace” on Broadway, and will continue touring the show. We’ve been on the road for over 2 years, playing everywhere from Antwerp to Rio! It’s the best job ever!
How did Richland prepare you for your experiences in the profession?
I have a vivid recollection of Wendy Jackson Welch speaking to all of us after spending some time living in NYC. She spoke of the real ins-and-outs of being a professional actor, which was rarely discussed anywhere. We learned about agents, resumes, headshots, even how to deal with the subway! It was a real insider look at what was to become my life!
If you could work anywhere, where would it be?
I just performed a twice-extended run at The Palace Theater on Broadway…I’m not sure it can get better than that! But if the showbiz gods are reading this…I’d be thrilled to host my own television show from here in NYC!
So that’s that – Spring Oh-Nine in a nutshell all brought to you by YOU! Here’s a few of the many who contributed their time and talents: Aaron Sanchez, Thomas Nanthavongduangsy, Aaron McDavis, Alexis Nabors, Tatum Mooney, Charli Atha, Rachel Legaspi, Candra Creason, Brittany McIntire, Melanie Rickett, Megan Rankin, Drew Bramlett, Ket Perry, Heather Klodzinski, William Matthews, Erik Fraim, and Kristin Van Sickle, Leah Barnett, Amanda Cole, Miller Pyke. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to our incredibly gifted faculty and staff for working so hard to let you shine!
A final congratulations to our recent graduates and those moving on to 4-year colleges:
Aaron Sanchez (Theatre Student Assistant, Taming of the Shrew, The History Boys at Uptown Players, stagehand at Theatre Three, student assistant) will be attending the University of North Texas in the fall and this summer hopes to “audition, audition, audition”. We’re fairly certain after the work he’s done here at Richland that he will “act, act, act”.
Thomas Nanthavongduangsy (Taming of the Shrew, Plaza Suite, Urinetown, Radio Show, Charlotte’s Web, Ensemble at Denton Community Theatre and Lyric Stage) quickly mastered acting and musical theatre – while we all slowly learned how to spell his name (did I get it right?!). A recipient of an A.R.T scholarship, Thomas is considering either Texas State University or University of Central Oklahoma. He is also considering Broadway.
Candra Creason is leaving to pursue a career in Nursing and will be attending Texas Woman’s University. After her star turn as Mrs. Arable and the goose in Charlotte’s Web, we have a sneaking suspicion she may be back “on the boards” before too long.
Aaron McDavis (Taming of the Shrew, Plaza Suite, Urinetown) will be auditioning (“and hopefully performing”) this summer before he heads off to Texas State University.
Alexis Nabors (Taming of the Shrew, Urinetown, Charlotte’s Web (Stage Manager), Nine at Irving Community Theatre, and Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol at Labyrinth Theatre) a President’s List Graduate with her Associate’s Degree in Arts, is also weighing the Musical Theater programs (and the deals she’ll be offered!) at Texas State or University of Central Oklahoma. She attended the Southwest Theatre and Film conference this year (always good for learning and NETWORKING), and will hopefully be appearing on area stages this summer and taking some classes.
Amanda Cole (Theatre Student Assistant, Urinetown, Guys & Dolls, Richland Dance Show, Garland Bells) will be pursuing her degree from Sam Houston State University.
Miller Pyke (Theatre Student Assistant, Charlotte’s Web, Urinetown, Plaza Suite, Taming of the Shrew, Guys & Dolls) will be moving to Washington State to pursue her degree in Environmental Science.
We will miss you and we all wish you the very best of luck! Or, better yet: BREAK A LEG!
And to everyone, returning or moving on, have a grrrreat summer and remember SUPPORT THE ARTS, DO THEATRE, GO SEE PLAYS!
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