An eventful week...

What an eventful week. Along with making great progress in the show, Chase just happened to decide to take us to a playground for a photo shoot on the COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR! Jimmy, I envy you. You didn’t have to come with us. LUCKY!

So, at this cooooooooooooolllllllllllllllldddddddddd playground, we had to take off all of our coats except one long-sleeved shirt and then stand in one place leaning against these really cold metal poles and try to look happy while we get pictures taken of us. Luckily, we ended up with some good shots, but take a look at the picture of me to the left. I am FREEEEEEEEEEZING. Thanks guys...HAHA - Just kidding!

We spent this weekend not rehearsing on stage. The set is in full swing, so we got kicked out of the theatre into a studio for rehearsal – That was cool thought. Sunday was a long day and we made it through the entire first act, which was fun. After we ran the act, Chase referred to the first act as a healthy baby that would need to be nurtured…We all thought that was kind of strange reference, but OK…

To wrap this segment of CLTG weekly, we made a lot of progress, even though we got really cold, and I will see you next week (or maybe earlier) with my next update.


--Eric

Ahhhhhhhh...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, the sweet smell of a brand new show, being rehearsed in a brand new theatre. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Eric Pastore, I play Theo in the new show Children’s Letters to God, and for the next couple of weeks I will take you on a journey through our rehearsals from a KID’s perspective.

This first week of rehearsals has turned out surprisingly eventful. Let’s see, we sang some songs, blocked some steps, and oh... Cooper Timberline (Kicker) went through the solemn ritual of the Milkshake Dance! It was a sight to see. Also one of the many Wonders of the World of Children’s Letters to God was Mackenzie’s (Joanne) playground she drew for the show.

Now, I’m going to tell you a secret. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Almost all of the harmonies in this show are Sean’s (Brett). But don’t tell anybody, it’s a secret.

Now, please join me in a moment of silence, as we commend Lily (Iris), who got through an entire week of rehearsals with a sinus infection that nearly made her go INSANE!!!!!!! Ha ha, just kidding, she didn’t go insane, but she did get through the week with headaches and stomach aches left and right. BRAVO!

So, as my first blog for Children’s Letters to God, I would like to say that I am really excited about the show, and I will keep you up to date on what’s what.

--Eric

CHILDREN'S LETTER'S TO GOD guest blogger

Over the next few weeks, we thought it would be fun to actually have one of the stars of CHILDREN'S LETTERS TO GOD guest blog here on our site. Eric Pastore, who has appeared locally in MAME at Barksdale, A CHRISTMAS STORY at Theatre IV, and countless other productions will be keeping us in the loop throughout the rehearsal process of the show. We hope you will check in regularly to find out how things are going from this talented youngster's point of view!

Next to Normal at Arena Stage

There's so much talk out on the blogosphere these days about the "Richmond Cultural Census" and the general public's apathy toward the theatre, that one might just end up feeling down and saddened about the state of theatre in our area. I know it certainly doesn't put a smile on my face to read these dissapointing results so I thought I'd take this opportunity and this blog to discuss something that really is inspiring and exciting.






Two evenings ago, I took a trek up to Crystal City, just outside of Washington, D.C., where Arena Stage is currently producing a re-vamped and re-worked production of the off-Broadway musical, Next to Normal. Next to Normal was originally at Second Stage Theatre in NYC. Second Stage is a non-profit theatre company in New York devoted to producing premieres and new interpretations of the best contemporary American theatre. In recent years they have launched Broadway transfers of shows such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Mary Zimmerman's Metomorphoses.

Friday was actually my second time seeing Next to Normal at Arena. Before this, I'm embarrassed to say, I had never been to see anything at Arena Stage. I guarantee now, that I will try to see everything produced by this cornerstone of the American Theatre. Next to Normal is truly a remarkable piece of theatre. It is a true example of what the combination of a new and interesting story, a near-perfect rock score, smart, insightful lyrics and a cast of Broadway veterans that embody the material with ablomb can do. In a theatre world where most "new" musicals are carbon-copies of "hit" movies, star-driven revivals of classics, or jukebox shows, its quite resfreshing to see a purely original show about issues that everyone can relate to.

If the future of the American musical theatre is something you care about, Next to Normal is a show for you and if artists like Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey and Michael Greif continue to put their heart and soul into work like this, the future of the theatre looks bright indeed.

--Chase Kniffen

The Amazing Transformation

As the lights went out on our 08/09 Inaugural Season Opener, Tick, Tick...BOOM!, I stood in the light booth looking out over a packed house who'd all just had a rockin' good time, and I remembered what our incredible space looked like just five months ago. It wasn't until April of 2008 that Stage 1 was even an idea. I saw an amazing space that was serving Shuffles Dance Center as a dance studio, and thought that it would make a perfect black-box space. When I pitched the idea to Peggy Thibodeau, Owner and Operator of Shuffles and now volunteer Managing Director of Stage 1, the ideas started flowing. Each day, the idea and vision of Stage 1 became clearer and clearer. What we had was a unique idea and a perfect space to do it. When I come across and idea that I think has some real worth, I can't help but get started immediately. At this point we gathered together some trusted friends and pitched this idea to them. When we let them know that our goal was to be up and running with our first full production in November, '08, most of them looked at us like we had lost our minds. Well, maybe that is the case - it probably is - but none the less, I sit here today, incredibly proud of what we have accomplished in the past 6 months. I am very grateful to everyone who has offered smart ideas, hands-on work and enormous moral support as we have created and continue to create and organization that I believe will become a very important part of our arts community.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the photos and stories from our 6 month construction of Stage 1. Enjoy. This image above was taken the evening of Jun 20, 2008. This is the first day we purchased the lumber from Home Depot to begin out stage building. I believe it was around 5 pm when I was driving in the car and decided that was the night to start the project. Very little pre-planning or scheduling went into that decision. We didn't have anything to do that night...Why not build a stage?Above, you can see the first frame of our stage floor. This is the farthest UL corner of the Stage. It was incredible exciting when this first piece was laid down and legged up. I guarantee you, however, the fourteen remainging pieces weren't nearly as exciting as this one. This was an exciting day. We had a real stage - well, kind of. As we laid the last piece of masonite, the realization was - Wow! What an incredible space. This was when it all started to become a reality. There was a real stage! Next step...Black Paint...Lots and lots of black paint!! Here you can see the beginnings of the black paint...Its starting to get messy, as well. The above photo was literally taken at 3 AM. Determination was key in the creation of Stage 1. I think it was about midnight, when we ran out of black paint and, for some reason, determined it was a completer necessity to finish the painting project that night. We proceeded to take a field trip to Wal*Mart at midnight to purchase 7 gallons of Black Paint. It sure looked good at 3 AM. Unfortunately, the next morning, the missed spots showed up in the sunlight. It was time for coat 2. Surprisingly, this is the next photo I have in the process. I think we missed about a month of documentation in there somewhere. In this photo we have completed the seating area, as well as begun hanging the lighting grid. From this point forward, there were many more projects to complete. Unfortunately, this is just about all the documentation of the creation of the space that we have. You'll have to visit us for one or all of the remaining productions in our 08/09 Season to see the finished product. You really have to see it to believe it.

Click here to visit our home on the web for more information.


Thanks for being an important part of the Stage 1 Family. --Chase K.

Tick, Tick...BOOM! - FOUR MORE SHOWS

Audiences and critics alike are having a blast at Stage 1's 08/09 Inaugural Season Opening, Tick, Tick...BOOM!

Below are some great review quotes from two more raves for Tick, Tick...BOOM!, as well as links to all four great reviews for this show.

Visit www.stage1va.org or call 804.427.7548

DATES/ TIMES
Thursday, November 20 @ 8 PM
Friday, November 21 @ 8 PM
Friday, November 21 @ Midnight (Special $12 @ 12 Ticket Price)
Saturday, November 22 @ 8 PM

**Performances are approaching sell-out. Reserve now to avoid disappointment.**

Stage 1 is conveniently located just off Chamberlayne Ave. 1/2 mi North of the I-295 Interchange Just 10 minutes from Richmond City and 20 minutes for Short Pump

"It's energetic, lively, inspiring, fun, sincere, and honest. The local production succeeds in bringing out all of those qualities through the talents of the cast and crew."
-Dan Sherrier, Herald-Progress

"In his winning portrayal of struggling playwright Jon, Brett Ambler certainly mines his boyish charm for many laughs. But this is a character facing his 30th birthday with fear and frustration — hence the ticking sound he keeps hearing in his head. Thanks in no small part to the guidance of wunderkind director Chase Kniffen, Ambler embodies Jon’s internal struggles with a mature confidence."
-Dave Timberline, Style Weekly

"Stage 1 begins its life with a musical about making a musical, and it foreshadows great things to come. If the company managed to start off at this high level of quality, then the future of Stage 1 looks bright indeed."
-Dan Sherrier, Herald-Progress

"Somewhat astounding is how Kniffen, also Stage 1’s artistic director, has created a top-notch new performance space from scratch — something it takes most companies years to accomplish. With its first production, Stage 1 has hit the ground running."
-Dave Timberline, Style Weekly
"On opening night of the musical “tick.tick…boom!” Stage 1Theatre Company proved it’s going to be a major player in Richmond’s professional theatre community. The fledgling operation pulled off its first production with style and finesse."
-Joan Tupponce, Richmond.com

"The Stage 1 production is carefully realized and artistically satisfying. Kniffen, who directed, has a vocally perfect cast in Brett Ambler (Jonathan), Audra Honaker (Susan) and Durron M. Tyre (Michael), and musical director Sandy Dacus leads an energetic and exciting band of four."
-Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Kniffen's staging takes full advantage of the youthful cast's energy; they dance, they do patter songs, they belt, and they catch furniture as it rolls on and off stage at breakneck pace."
-Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Click here for more information about Stage 1 and Tick, Tick...BOOM!

Click here for Susan Haubenstock's full review in the Times-Dispatch
Click here for Dave Timberline's full review in Style Weekly
Click here for Joan Tupponce's full review on Richmond.com
Click here for Dan Sherrier's full review in the Herald-Progress

The Critics Have Spoken - Its a Hit!!

It has been an absolutely crazy and exciting week at Stage 1. We opened our 08/09 Inaugural Season with a hit production of Tick, Tick...BOOM! The days leading up to our opening were nothing short of miraculous. Working against the clock and what seemed like never-ending technical difficulty - we were able to open with our Pay-What-You-Will Preview on Friday Night with a full house and very few hardly-noticeable issues.

That can simply be attributed to our amazing cast - Brett Ambler, Durron Tyre and Audra Honaker - our amazing designers, musical director, and our rockin' band. Everyone kept their cool - We all walked around simply saying "It will all work...It has to."

This can do attitude got us to an incredibly successful opening...

At least according to audience response, and some very positive notices.

"Carefully realized and artistically satisfying.
-Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Kniffen brings a fresh approach to the stage that embraces the spirit of the performance."
-Joan Tupponce, Richmond.com


"Brett Ambler...His honest performance captures the playfulness of the character as well as his anxiety and doubt. Vocally, Ambler is always a pleasure to hear."
"(Audra) Honaker's skillful timing and ability to convoncingly slip into each character make her a joy to watch. Honaker...nails her vocal numbers."
"Durron M. Tyre...also delivers a strong performance."
-Joan Tupponce, Richmond.com


"Kniffen's staging takes full advantage of the youthful cast's energy; they dance, they do patter songs, they belt, and they catch furniture as it rolls on and off stage at breakneck pace."
-Susan Haubenstock, Richmond Times-Dispatch

If you haven't purchased tickets yet, do so now. Don't take out word for it - See it for yourself.

Visit www.stage1va.org or call 804.427.7548 today!

See you at Stage 1.

- Chase K.