“Mr. Vesbit! You’re dead! So, why are your feet moving?” It’s the day before opening night, and things are not going well. “Mr. Vesbit! Your feet!” again yells Mr. Rose, my high school play director, from somewhere deep in the darkness of West Catholic’s cafetorium. It is the very first play of my high school career. Three weeks ago, I auditioned for the Fall play on a lark. It was Shakespeare, and I was cast in two non-speaking roles: a soldier in Birnam Wood, and later, a d

The current production of 'As You Like It' marks my tenth show with PCSC over the last 3 ½ years. Once again, I am struck by the unique challenges performing with a group that has no fixed home base. First, the familiarity that comes with always appearing on stage in the same environment fades away. At an early stage of the rehearsal process, I become aware that I will be acting in a variety of venues, each with their own physical qualities that will affect my preparation and

Pigeon Creek proudly lists doubling as one of the many original practices that we employ in our productions. Doubling, I think more than any of the other original practices, is still widely used in theatre of all kinds today. If you take a close look at shows like Hamilton, Into the Woods, and Jekyll & Hyde, you will find multiple roles intended to be played by one actor. Doubling is a fun challenge for an actor, as it gives you the opportunity to create multiple unique ch

In the previous installment of this blog, I talked a little about the kind of music we think of associated with performances of Shakespeare’s plays. Pigeon Creek often uses adaptations of familiar pop songs whose lyrics are topical to the play being performed, as pre-show and intermission entertainment. I talked too, about how the music within the play – specifically the songs in the text – are just as important as costumes or scenic elements in setting the tone of the perfo