1 00:00:14,259 --> 00:00:18,219 Welcome back to what I digress adventures in educational theater. 2 00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:19,100 I'm Jennifer Dooley. 3 00:00:19,300 --> 00:00:23,780 I'm the founder and director of Edmondson County drama, which is a K through 12 theater 4 00:00:23,780 --> 00:00:26,800 program in the wilds of Kentucky. 5 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,480 With me today as always is Brent Norris, the most accomplished technical director in Edmondson 6 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:33,740 County, which makes him technically a director. 7 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:39,079 And also joining us today we have, I think this is your title, the fine arts coordinator 8 00:00:39,079 --> 00:00:42,640 and director of theater and film at Somerset Community College. 9 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:43,259 Is that right? 10 00:00:43,619 --> 00:00:44,859 That is exactly correct. 11 00:00:45,179 --> 00:00:45,560 All right. 12 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:46,880 Most people have no idea what I do. 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:48,500 So I like it that way. 14 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,340 So one of the fine arts things in Somerset, Kentucky is Thomas Alvey. 15 00:00:52,060 --> 00:00:52,320 Okay. 16 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:54,640 Brent and Thomas, you guys have met before, haven't you? 17 00:00:55,400 --> 00:01:00,880 Yeah, in passing over the fifth, I don't know, how long was I in school? 18 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:01,740 I don't know. 19 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:04,459 I don't think he started working with us after you graduated. 20 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:05,540 That is true. 21 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,719 I do not remember Thomas as a student. 22 00:01:07,980 --> 00:01:08,840 No, he's old. 23 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:10,640 Yeah, I am. 24 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,879 We're planning our 10 year at like reunion this year. 25 00:01:13,980 --> 00:01:16,719 And I'm like, no, it's been 10 years. 26 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,099 Shut up. 27 00:01:18,099 --> 00:01:18,939 Oh, my God. 28 00:01:19,540 --> 00:01:19,939 Kayla. 29 00:01:20,060 --> 00:01:20,180 Right. 30 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,900 Well, not Kayla Ray anymore, but she's she's heading up. 31 00:01:23,239 --> 00:01:24,000 Always Kayla Ray. 32 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:24,540 It's fine. 33 00:01:24,719 --> 00:01:25,120 Yeah. 34 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:26,280 Her name's not changing. 35 00:01:26,799 --> 00:01:27,900 You should get her. 36 00:01:28,060 --> 00:01:28,659 I love her. 37 00:01:28,700 --> 00:01:29,519 She's like a therapist. 38 00:01:30,879 --> 00:01:31,280 Isn't she? 39 00:01:31,700 --> 00:01:31,840 Thanks. 40 00:01:31,939 --> 00:01:35,980 I feel like everyone that I graduated with that isn't in jail is a therapist now. 41 00:01:37,439 --> 00:01:38,120 Or realty. 42 00:01:38,439 --> 00:01:39,480 Everyone's in realty, too. 43 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,579 So I googled this title because this morning I was like, what is this title? 44 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,579 Is it like Lord of Community College Theater? 45 00:01:46,579 --> 00:01:48,540 And I thought that maybe wasn't a thing. 46 00:01:48,859 --> 00:01:52,219 So I googled you and there was an article about when you first got the job and you 47 00:01:52,219 --> 00:01:55,340 gave me in the program a shout out, which I really appreciate. 48 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,739 You called me enthusiastic, which is a nice word. 49 00:02:02,260 --> 00:02:03,340 I think they actually edited it. 50 00:02:03,420 --> 00:02:07,560 I think I said a lot more in-depth things and they're like enthusiastic is probably 51 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:08,340 the right word. 52 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:09,759 And positive. 53 00:02:11,379 --> 00:02:15,780 OK, so before we start talking about the wonder that is Thomas Alvey, I always 54 00:02:15,780 --> 00:02:18,039 try to give an update on what our program is currently doing. 55 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,879 So we finished Shakespeare Madness this week. 56 00:02:20,879 --> 00:02:22,659 And it was really a great competition. 57 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:23,580 Some years we have kids. 58 00:02:23,740 --> 00:02:25,319 I'm like, how did you get up here in the top eight? 59 00:02:25,580 --> 00:02:28,520 But it was solid all the way across the board pretty much. 60 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,840 Of course, that's our bracketed Shakespeare competition where the students memorize a 61 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:36,099 Shakespearean monologue and compete against each other and we have outside judges come 62 00:02:36,099 --> 00:02:36,400 in. 63 00:02:36,659 --> 00:02:40,139 And then when we get to the final four, the kids have to memorize a Shakespearean 64 00:02:40,139 --> 00:02:43,919 sonnet that's kind of in contrast our monologue so that the judges can see 65 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:44,539 their range. 66 00:02:44,819 --> 00:02:47,759 And then we got to the final two on Thursday. 67 00:02:47,759 --> 00:02:51,960 They presented their monologues and sonnets to all of Miss Highball's second period 68 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,560 English classes throughout the day, and those kids voted and it was very tight. 69 00:02:55,780 --> 00:02:59,860 But I am happy to announce the first time publicly that the winner of this year's 70 00:02:59,860 --> 00:03:02,340 Shakespeare Madness is Josie Denham. 71 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,240 She will get to compete in the spring at the state level. 72 00:03:06,340 --> 00:03:09,020 And if she wins at state, then she and I get to go to New York City. 73 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,680 And if she wins in New York, then we get to go to England, which I always 74 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,000 want to go to England. Last year, we came in second place. 75 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:18,219 So I was pretty excited about that. 76 00:03:18,219 --> 00:03:19,360 It was all online because of the flooding. 77 00:03:19,419 --> 00:03:22,379 But we came in second last year with Kinsley Pandolfi. 78 00:03:22,599 --> 00:03:26,560 So Josie did a Triculo monologue from the Tempest where he finds 79 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,379 Calvin. Yeah, the Fishman. 80 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:30,639 Somebody won at state one year with that. 81 00:03:30,659 --> 00:03:32,800 Not one of our kids, but I saw a kid win at state one year, but it's been 82 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,000 several years ago. It was a good it was a good monologue. 83 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,639 And she did a really smart thing with the sonnet, whose number I can't 84 00:03:37,639 --> 00:03:39,879 remember. But it was like, you're clearly too good for me. 85 00:03:39,879 --> 00:03:41,240 And that's why you have to leave. 86 00:03:41,780 --> 00:03:42,860 I understand why you're leaving. 87 00:03:43,099 --> 00:03:45,159 I was it was a dream for me to be able to be with you. 88 00:03:45,159 --> 00:03:49,419 You're out of my league. But she played it like, well, you know, 89 00:03:49,500 --> 00:03:52,860 you're just you're just too amazing to make them feel sorry for her, 90 00:03:52,900 --> 00:03:53,840 which I thought was really smart. 91 00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:56,120 So I hope that plays well in regionals. 92 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:00,400 So also we started read throughs this week for the con by Tracy Wells, 93 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:01,520 which is going to be our first show. 94 00:04:01,699 --> 00:04:05,819 It's a comedy that plays it like a comic-con, but like a Bowling Green 95 00:04:05,819 --> 00:04:08,240 sort of style comic-con or Somerset. 96 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,699 It's not like comic-con and we do read throughs differently. 97 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:14,219 I don't think we did this when you were in school. 98 00:04:14,219 --> 00:04:17,759 So instead of doing the read through after we cast the play, we do it before. 99 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:19,459 So we sit in the circle still. 100 00:04:19,660 --> 00:04:21,480 I read the stage directions still. 101 00:04:21,759 --> 00:04:24,199 But we start with the first kid on my left and they read the first 102 00:04:24,199 --> 00:04:25,180 character's line. 103 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,600 And then when that whole part that character is over, 104 00:04:27,980 --> 00:04:30,079 the next kid reads, it just goes around and around the circle. 105 00:04:30,459 --> 00:04:33,819 So you're not like screen number three with two lines in act three. 106 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,680 You get to say something, you know, and then everybody gets a taste 107 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,139 of everything and they can try out dialects that they want to or voices. 108 00:04:40,699 --> 00:04:43,379 And then if they screw up a word, it's one line and nobody freaks out. 109 00:04:43,379 --> 00:04:44,680 We talk about cold reads and whatever. 110 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,420 But I've been doing that for a few years now. 111 00:04:46,420 --> 00:04:48,519 I don't know who I stole that from, but that's that's been really useful 112 00:04:48,519 --> 00:04:52,079 because you get more buy in as opposed to, well, you have me lines. 113 00:04:52,439 --> 00:04:52,980 I'm a line designer. 114 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:53,879 I'm going to take a nap. 115 00:04:54,019 --> 00:04:55,860 You know, so it's a good show. 116 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,199 We get to use a bunch of swords and there's lots of sound cues. 117 00:04:59,199 --> 00:05:01,139 And there's all kinds of there's comic book fans. 118 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:04,439 There's a movie like panel about Chakrasaurus Rex. 119 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,319 And we have the Chakrasaurus Rex already. 120 00:05:06,339 --> 00:05:09,180 And it is our art department made it for us, Mr. 121 00:05:09,199 --> 00:05:10,240 Christian. It is phenomenal. 122 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,519 It's like a five foot tall cardboard cutout of Chakrasaurus Rex. 123 00:05:14,100 --> 00:05:16,060 And there's video games and there's 124 00:05:16,060 --> 00:05:18,160 LARPing and there's D&D and there's superheroes. 125 00:05:18,819 --> 00:05:23,399 And so whatever flavor fandom you're in, the kids get to bring that to the show. 126 00:05:23,540 --> 00:05:24,899 So I think it's awesome. 127 00:05:25,259 --> 00:05:26,220 And we're going to make the whole 128 00:05:26,220 --> 00:05:29,180 auditorium is going to be the set again because that works so well for me. 129 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,540 So I am mad that I missed that because that sounded amazing. 130 00:05:34,139 --> 00:05:37,160 Listen, like I couldn't find I thought, well, somebody's done this. 131 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:37,899 I'll go steal. 132 00:05:37,899 --> 00:05:40,100 And I could not find anywhere on the 133 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:43,100 internet where anybody had done Midsummer in a mall. 134 00:05:43,439 --> 00:05:46,139 And it just, oh, my God, it was so good. 135 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:47,759 That works so well. 136 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:49,800 It really like how is no one how I 137 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,899 thought about this out here in Podunk and not somebody who's doing this all 138 00:05:52,899 --> 00:05:54,120 the time with professional theater companies. 139 00:05:54,180 --> 00:05:56,019 So, no, it was it was fabulous. 140 00:05:56,060 --> 00:05:57,339 And the signage alone, like we kept 141 00:05:57,339 --> 00:05:58,720 most of the signs, the kids took some of them home. 142 00:05:58,839 --> 00:05:59,600 There's one at my house. 143 00:05:59,860 --> 00:06:02,759 It was just it was just incredible, just incredible. 144 00:06:03,199 --> 00:06:05,139 So I'm really I'm proud of that show. 145 00:06:05,139 --> 00:06:07,480 See, I've seen one where like someone like 146 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,060 goes on like a Taco Bell induced like nap or something. 147 00:06:10,060 --> 00:06:11,139 And that's the whole play. 148 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,959 It's like there's words and burrito. 149 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:15,839 Yes. 150 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,779 He eats a bad burrito and it causes him to dream in some extreme. 151 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:21,259 I have heard about this show. 152 00:06:21,699 --> 00:06:23,040 What are you working on right now? 153 00:06:23,699 --> 00:06:26,800 Yeah, I'm actually doing, oh, gosh, which let's do the theater part 154 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:27,839 because that's what we're talking about. 155 00:06:28,139 --> 00:06:29,759 The week of Halloween, we are doing 156 00:06:29,759 --> 00:06:33,579 Dracula, a comedy of terrors, which is a five person telling 157 00:06:33,579 --> 00:06:37,079 of Dracula that is chaotic and super fun. 158 00:06:38,060 --> 00:06:39,120 There's a lot of things about like 159 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,920 being sexy and like all of this stuff, but it's just so stupid. 160 00:06:44,079 --> 00:06:45,879 We did our intimacy coordination blocking 161 00:06:45,879 --> 00:06:49,579 on Tuesday and there's a there's a part where Dracula is supposed 162 00:06:49,579 --> 00:06:53,279 to kiss Harker's forehead and we were like, that's OK. 163 00:06:53,339 --> 00:06:54,560 But like, what if we made it weird? 164 00:06:54,699 --> 00:06:57,519 And so he puts his thumb on Harker's 165 00:06:57,519 --> 00:06:59,579 forehead and just starts making out with his thumb. 166 00:07:00,079 --> 00:07:03,560 Oh, and so and like all of the kissing. 167 00:07:03,579 --> 00:07:07,259 Is like blocked specifically so you can't actually see it because I do have two 168 00:07:07,259 --> 00:07:10,560 girls playing the main characters, Harker and Lucy. 169 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,519 And so I was like, I don't know if Somerset's actually really ready 170 00:07:13,519 --> 00:07:15,160 for two girls kissing on stage right now. 171 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,279 So we're not going to do that through the college. 172 00:07:18,279 --> 00:07:19,800 This one. Yeah, this is through the college. 173 00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:21,259 I've actually kind of stepped away 174 00:07:21,259 --> 00:07:24,000 from the theater that I work with just so I can focus on doing all 175 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:25,540 of the things that I'm doing at the college. 176 00:07:25,699 --> 00:07:27,939 I understand that. Yeah, it's. 177 00:07:27,939 --> 00:07:30,379 But our acting class, our fundamentals of acting, I'm turning 178 00:07:30,379 --> 00:07:34,360 into kind of like a devising class because they all have some kind of 179 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:38,000 experience in theater. OK, so we are writing a murder mystery 180 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:39,660 together, like a dinner murder mystery. 181 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,879 I gave them the first little bit to kind of give them who the characters are. 182 00:07:44,100 --> 00:07:47,560 And actually on Tuesday, we're going to do like a crash course 183 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,600 in playwriting so that they can write their own scenes because I actually 184 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:52,699 have a class of like people that are younger than me. 185 00:07:52,699 --> 00:07:55,720 So I feel like I'm actually teaching a class because you are a published 186 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,779 playwright like you. This is a thing you've taken classes and done before. 187 00:07:59,459 --> 00:08:03,420 Yeah, my whole master's at the end of the semester, are they going to present that? 188 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:05,319 Yes, that is the goal. 189 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:10,259 As long as we have of a working script, it's either going to be like a staged 190 00:08:10,259 --> 00:08:13,939 reading or wherever it is in the production. 191 00:08:14,220 --> 00:08:17,199 It's that's the plan is for them to present what they've written 192 00:08:17,199 --> 00:08:19,980 and what they've worked on as actors and playwrights, 193 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,639 because they were all interested in script writing as well as playwritings 194 00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:27,180 or as well as acting. So that's like, let's make that do a thing. 195 00:08:27,180 --> 00:08:29,899 Because I'm not interested in play. 196 00:08:29,980 --> 00:08:32,480 Playwriting is not in my wheelhouse and I don't want to. 197 00:08:32,580 --> 00:08:34,980 It's a nightmare. I love it. 198 00:08:35,220 --> 00:08:39,659 But I'm just tired all the time because it's like, how do I write this? 199 00:08:39,700 --> 00:08:44,720 How do I fix that? And then in the spring, we're doing our fourth annual 200 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,580 10 minute playfest, 10 minute and short play festival sometime in April. 201 00:08:48,580 --> 00:08:50,899 I have to get those dates down on paper. 202 00:08:51,059 --> 00:08:54,519 They are all murder mystery themed where you don't know who the killer is. 203 00:08:54,519 --> 00:08:55,500 Oh, cool. 204 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:59,379 And my admin assistant is actually going to me and him are going to work together 205 00:08:59,899 --> 00:09:03,159 to write the play that ties them all together. 206 00:09:03,159 --> 00:09:05,360 Oh, like a screen story. Oh, how fun. 207 00:09:05,759 --> 00:09:07,759 Yeah, it's so it's so stupid. 208 00:09:08,059 --> 00:09:11,100 There's I love it so much because we've gotten some really good submissions. 209 00:09:11,740 --> 00:09:14,480 The actually the playwright who wrote When We Get Good Again, 210 00:09:14,580 --> 00:09:17,519 the show that I did in February, he submitted a 10 minute play. 211 00:09:17,940 --> 00:09:19,259 Is that the one that was in the coffee shop? 212 00:09:19,460 --> 00:09:20,940 Yeah, that was so smart. 213 00:09:21,279 --> 00:09:24,080 I will do I want to do theater where people can smell me all the time. 214 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:25,500 I love Black Box Theater, 215 00:09:26,580 --> 00:09:30,740 found spaces, theater like I just I really did enjoy that. 216 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:31,600 That was really smart. 217 00:09:32,539 --> 00:09:33,340 That was cool. Yeah. 218 00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:34,700 Well, that's great. 219 00:09:34,779 --> 00:09:35,559 I'm so excited. 220 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,320 Like you have done more professional theater or just a theater in general as 221 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,899 your whole career, I think more so than any of the other people 222 00:09:41,899 --> 00:09:43,340 we've had graduated, which is fine. 223 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:45,179 That's not the point of the operation. 224 00:09:45,299 --> 00:09:49,000 Right. Like I don't expect students to or even your students, I would assume. 225 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:50,799 I mean, do most the kids that come out 226 00:09:50,799 --> 00:09:53,200 summers that with the degrees, are they 227 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:55,080 you know, pursuing professional theater or are they doing? 228 00:09:55,539 --> 00:09:59,080 Well, that's actually the fun thing is I don't have a degree out of my program. 229 00:09:59,340 --> 00:10:02,700 I teach intro to theater and I teach acting and that's kind of it. 230 00:10:02,799 --> 00:10:06,480 They have the opportunity to pursue 231 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:11,059 associate of fine arts if they go to like bluegrass because 232 00:10:11,059 --> 00:10:13,240 SEC is part of the KCTS system. 233 00:10:14,159 --> 00:10:14,600 Yeah. 234 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,559 So like they can take classes at any of the 16 colleges and actually get 235 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:22,500 a degree from any of the colleges, but graduate at SEC. 236 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:23,759 OK, OK. 237 00:10:24,379 --> 00:10:28,220 Or they can do a transfer pathway and go into a different program 238 00:10:28,220 --> 00:10:31,720 because SEC has the University Center of Southern Kentucky. 239 00:10:32,299 --> 00:10:38,240 So we actually partner with six other four year universities. 240 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,899 And so like they can start at SEC and then move on transfer very easily 241 00:10:42,899 --> 00:10:46,159 to programs. I have had a couple of people. 242 00:10:46,379 --> 00:10:47,039 Oh, really? 243 00:10:47,039 --> 00:10:51,059 That like went on, but they wanted to do like fashion design and stuff like that. 244 00:10:51,539 --> 00:10:55,059 So so why did you get involved with Ebenson County drama, Thomas? 245 00:10:55,580 --> 00:10:56,480 Oh, my gosh. 246 00:10:56,519 --> 00:11:00,720 Well, back in Yield 2011, I had 247 00:11:01,799 --> 00:11:05,860 I had a friend, Desiree Delage, who was like, hey, you should do 248 00:11:05,860 --> 00:11:08,000 The Odyssey with me at Capital Arts Youth Theater. 249 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:12,019 And I was like, I've never done theater who that was. 250 00:11:12,059 --> 00:11:14,220 I don't know. I look fondly on that show. 251 00:11:14,620 --> 00:11:15,539 What a wild time. 252 00:11:15,539 --> 00:11:20,360 And why did I have everything was made of something like, well, 253 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,159 Elvis, all the people in the show got to design their own costume. 254 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:24,240 Yes, I remember that. 255 00:11:24,419 --> 00:11:26,759 And then I was like, OK, well, 256 00:11:26,759 --> 00:11:29,059 I have to do this now for the rest of my life. 257 00:11:29,100 --> 00:11:30,240 This is my whole personality. 258 00:11:30,879 --> 00:11:34,000 And as soon as they were like, hey, there's a drama class. 259 00:11:34,019 --> 00:11:35,679 And I was like, oh, absolutely. 260 00:11:35,820 --> 00:11:37,679 I don't care about anything else. 261 00:11:38,639 --> 00:11:41,179 And so, yeah, freshman year, I was like, yeah, I'm going to I'm going 262 00:11:41,179 --> 00:11:44,440 to do drama. And then my mom was like, why? 263 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,379 And I was like, because do you want me to do drugs or not? 264 00:11:47,379 --> 00:11:48,600 So here we are. 265 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:51,240 I'm just kidding. 266 00:11:52,340 --> 00:11:52,679 Mostly. 267 00:11:53,919 --> 00:11:57,460 Yeah, no, I just kind of like I remember, I want to say, like, 268 00:11:57,500 --> 00:12:01,259 maybe the first or second day that I was in class with you, 269 00:12:01,639 --> 00:12:03,620 you were like, has anyone had any experience? 270 00:12:03,639 --> 00:12:06,039 And I was like, I've worked with Capital Arts Youth Theater. 271 00:12:06,039 --> 00:12:07,679 And you were like, that's so nice. 272 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:09,639 And then you walked away. 273 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:11,779 Just getting out of the way of the land. 274 00:12:11,899 --> 00:12:13,360 So what was the first show you did with us? 275 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,299 Oh, gosh, the first show. 276 00:12:18,179 --> 00:12:19,220 Was it Be My Ghost? 277 00:12:20,740 --> 00:12:22,240 Great show, I think about that. 278 00:12:22,580 --> 00:12:24,720 Merriam and Lurch and Morgan. 279 00:12:25,539 --> 00:12:27,899 That was the double, like we did two casts of that. 280 00:12:27,919 --> 00:12:32,460 We did two casts of that and all the taxidermy and the spider flies and stuff. 281 00:12:33,700 --> 00:12:35,159 That was an awesome show. 282 00:12:35,820 --> 00:12:37,480 I think it was Morgan's first show too. 283 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,059 Yeah, so me and Morgan joined at the same time. 284 00:12:40,059 --> 00:12:43,080 Yeah. And gosh, man, I do, I do absolutely love it. 285 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,860 It's like there's like the the double ghost lady thing. 286 00:12:47,980 --> 00:12:50,639 Yeah, Billy, because I really wanted to be the monster. 287 00:12:51,100 --> 00:12:51,620 Uh-huh. 288 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,120 But then, oh, my gosh, you actually got that. 289 00:12:54,279 --> 00:12:57,720 It was Dante and yeah. 290 00:12:58,220 --> 00:12:59,019 Oh, who's the other one? 291 00:12:59,059 --> 00:12:59,759 It was the other monster. 292 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,100 I don't remember because some of them we had to go ahead and put the same 293 00:13:03,100 --> 00:13:05,740 Kinville shows because of people not doing what they do. 294 00:13:06,199 --> 00:13:07,600 Yeah, it was that show. 295 00:13:07,659 --> 00:13:08,500 Yeah, that was a good show. 296 00:13:08,500 --> 00:13:10,419 That was a really expensive set. 297 00:13:10,419 --> 00:13:13,879 Why don't we put cobwebs on everything? 298 00:13:13,919 --> 00:13:15,919 We must have bought a hundred pounds with a cobweb. 299 00:13:16,019 --> 00:13:18,360 There were too many cobwebs, but it worked so well. 300 00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:21,240 Yeah, that was probably the most expensive set we built at that time 301 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:22,779 because that was before we built the castle and stuff. 302 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:24,440 Yeah, good show. 303 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:25,279 I want you to picture that somewhere. 304 00:13:25,460 --> 00:13:26,559 And of course, Desberry was in that show. 305 00:13:26,860 --> 00:13:28,399 Yeah, she had a duck. 306 00:13:28,419 --> 00:13:30,120 She had a duck she carried around with her. 307 00:13:30,159 --> 00:13:32,740 We broke its head off accidentally to get repaired. 308 00:13:32,879 --> 00:13:35,019 It's hard to repair taxidermy, just so you know. 309 00:13:35,340 --> 00:13:36,700 I don't doubt that at all. 310 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,919 I mean, every time I see the wildcat somewhere, I'm like, oh, God, 311 00:13:39,919 --> 00:13:41,200 is that going to break apart? 312 00:13:41,220 --> 00:13:44,340 That might be the first time we stole the wildcat for a show. 313 00:13:44,919 --> 00:13:47,980 It became like the thing every show was like, we have to steal the wildcat. 314 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,419 Not every show, but every season that wildcat's in the show. 315 00:13:50,539 --> 00:13:53,320 Like he was in one of the stores in midsummer. 316 00:13:53,580 --> 00:13:54,960 So yeah, we always get the wildcat in there. 317 00:13:55,100 --> 00:13:55,879 It's a good time. 318 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:57,500 I'm so glad we're going to break it. 319 00:13:57,840 --> 00:13:58,440 There's a whole big batch. 320 00:13:58,600 --> 00:13:59,960 Yeah, whatever. 321 00:14:00,419 --> 00:14:02,299 What is the memory that particularly sticks out for you 322 00:14:02,299 --> 00:14:04,340 for your time at MSK Drama? 323 00:14:05,059 --> 00:14:06,159 Oh, man, gosh. 324 00:14:06,419 --> 00:14:08,860 I mean, because this is what I've made my personality. 325 00:14:08,860 --> 00:14:12,360 I just always think about things that happened in high school. 326 00:14:12,500 --> 00:14:13,200 I don't know. 327 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,539 Like I just there's always I have I have a story from drama for like every 328 00:14:17,539 --> 00:14:23,879 occasion, so it's like, well, this one time I was the set designer 329 00:14:23,879 --> 00:14:27,720 for a show that I was also in and I got yelled at by everyone else 330 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,220 in the cast because I kept changing the set because I couldn't figure out 331 00:14:30,220 --> 00:14:31,259 how to make something work. 332 00:14:31,259 --> 00:14:32,840 And they're like, why don't you just get this together? 333 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,779 And I was like, well, because I don't know what I need. 334 00:14:35,799 --> 00:14:37,039 That was Weird Sisters. 335 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:39,580 Oh, yeah, that was a good show, too. 336 00:14:39,740 --> 00:14:40,580 That was such a good show. 337 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:42,659 But man, that's I wanted to die. 338 00:14:43,860 --> 00:14:46,059 It was because it was like moving around. 339 00:14:46,159 --> 00:14:47,039 I was trying to figure out the party 340 00:14:47,039 --> 00:14:50,259 scene while we were doing the party scene, the walls. 341 00:14:50,779 --> 00:14:52,500 Yeah, we did so many spinning walls. 342 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,419 When Stephen threw Doug through the 343 00:14:55,419 --> 00:14:58,080 spinning wall, like they were supposed to have that fight and Stephen over 344 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,899 did it and the wall went back and we lost the whole set in the middle 345 00:15:00,899 --> 00:15:03,360 of the performance that would seem no. 346 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:05,279 No. So you did the second time. 347 00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:06,580 Was Teresa Payne in it? 348 00:15:06,899 --> 00:15:08,000 Yeah, he's a pain was that. 349 00:15:08,019 --> 00:15:08,879 Yeah, that's why. 350 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,440 So the first time Doug went through a wall. 351 00:15:11,539 --> 00:15:13,039 That's it's fine. He's fine. Everyone's fine. 352 00:15:13,419 --> 00:15:14,720 You know, it's OK. 353 00:15:14,899 --> 00:15:16,159 Pain is temporary. 354 00:15:16,419 --> 00:15:17,100 Yes, forever. 355 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:21,000 I put Taya Payne in a side table because she could fit in it. 356 00:15:21,100 --> 00:15:22,399 That's right. That's right. 357 00:15:22,419 --> 00:15:23,220 From the table. 358 00:15:23,519 --> 00:15:26,419 So that was it. Was that the same year that we did Shakespeare Bridge? 359 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:29,179 Yes, I think that was the same 360 00:15:29,179 --> 00:15:32,580 because that was the year no one had clothes because no one went back to 361 00:15:32,580 --> 00:15:36,580 Taya to change her clothes and she came out with a shrug on no shirt under it. 362 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,899 Hornback came out with no pants on at the beginning of Shakespeare Bridge 363 00:15:38,899 --> 00:15:39,720 because he was so nervous. 364 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:41,539 So, yeah, that was the year no one had pants. 365 00:15:41,639 --> 00:15:44,379 And Aaron Alexander was just screaming on the headset all the time. 366 00:15:44,820 --> 00:15:45,179 Yeah. 367 00:15:45,860 --> 00:15:48,480 Man, that was a good season. 368 00:15:48,659 --> 00:15:49,580 I was a good season. 369 00:15:49,860 --> 00:15:51,600 I don't remember what happened in the spring of that one. 370 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,460 What do you think is the most important thing you learned, like in 371 00:15:54,460 --> 00:15:59,059 your career or like just being a person while you were with our program? 372 00:15:59,919 --> 00:16:02,159 Oh, man, just like, I don't know, I guess, 373 00:16:02,159 --> 00:16:03,779 just just go with it. 374 00:16:03,820 --> 00:16:07,919 Like you can you can make it up as long as you don't like hurt anybody. 375 00:16:08,399 --> 00:16:08,799 Yeah. 376 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,299 And even if you do sometimes accidentally, like 377 00:16:11,299 --> 00:16:13,279 hit somebody with a chair, it's OK. 378 00:16:13,700 --> 00:16:14,379 It can happen. 379 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:15,820 It can happen. 380 00:16:16,039 --> 00:16:17,480 And everyone so far has survived. 381 00:16:18,220 --> 00:16:19,399 Everyone so far has survived. 382 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,980 But yeah, no, I think that's like just go with it and be nice to people. 383 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:24,179 That's the big thing. 384 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,620 And I know in high school I was not the nice person. 385 00:16:26,899 --> 00:16:29,820 No, I think that's I think that was the big takeaway is just like, you know, 386 00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:32,360 be kind and do the things that fuel you. 387 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,500 Yeah. Well, saying just go with it, 388 00:16:35,500 --> 00:16:38,740 that transitions very well into our discussion about improv. 389 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:44,419 So the last episode we were talking about, if you and I know at least three 390 00:16:44,419 --> 00:16:47,940 people who I've spoken to in the last month or so who were like, listen, 391 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:49,440 I have to teach theater right now. 392 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:51,519 In one case, the guy got the class two days later. 393 00:16:52,039 --> 00:16:53,179 No experience. 394 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:54,639 What do you do? 395 00:16:54,700 --> 00:16:58,620 And so my suggestion was you start with improv because you don't have to 396 00:16:58,620 --> 00:17:00,059 have a script. You don't have to have a plan. 397 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:01,740 You just have to have some games. 398 00:17:01,820 --> 00:17:02,879 And I posted the show notes, 399 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,200 the list of improv games I've collected over the last 500 years. 400 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:07,140 And that's a good way to start. 401 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:08,099 If you don't know what's happening, 402 00:17:08,279 --> 00:17:10,519 then what's happening because you can do all these group things together. 403 00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:15,099 These kids have been trained for so long to pick the right answer, 404 00:17:15,140 --> 00:17:17,160 do the right thing, walk in the line. 405 00:17:17,279 --> 00:17:18,940 And then we're like, no, you can do whatever you want. 406 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,720 And they're like, I cannot do with this many choices. 407 00:17:21,980 --> 00:17:23,539 You know that exactly. 408 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,380 What is your experience with improv? 409 00:17:25,519 --> 00:17:26,900 Do you do you like improv? 410 00:17:26,900 --> 00:17:28,980 How do you do it? Do you enjoy that? 411 00:17:29,420 --> 00:17:30,440 Yeah, I actually was. 412 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,680 I joined an improv team two years ago. 413 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,160 Yeah, we it was a team of five, six of us. 414 00:17:37,380 --> 00:17:40,619 And then one of them moved to Lexington and then we just stopped meeting. 415 00:17:41,079 --> 00:17:44,680 So, but yeah, no, actually, I did improv for the auditions for Dracula. 416 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,200 Just to kind of like I wanted to see how everyone interacted with each other. 417 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,880 So it was like I gave them very basic, like, hey, 418 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,859 pretend that you're in a carriage and I want you to tell me, 419 00:17:55,859 --> 00:17:59,940 warn me about Dracula without saying the word vampire or like very specific 420 00:17:59,940 --> 00:18:01,839 Dracula related things. Oh, that's cool. 421 00:18:02,940 --> 00:18:07,059 And that worked out really well because you got to see who wanted to be 422 00:18:07,059 --> 00:18:11,559 the center of attention versus who actually listened to everybody. 423 00:18:11,579 --> 00:18:15,799 OK, so that told me a lot about who I was going to be working with. 424 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,240 And I learned that trick at Lindsay, actually, for our for the directing 425 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:23,839 class my freshman year, they did improv as part of their audition 426 00:18:23,839 --> 00:18:27,220 process just to kind of like check vibe right out the gate. 427 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:28,900 Like, was it the first thing you did the audition? 428 00:18:29,339 --> 00:18:32,799 Yeah, it was like a I want to see how you interact with the people and then 429 00:18:32,799 --> 00:18:34,799 you can do your monologue. That's terrifying. 430 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:36,420 I love it. Oh, it's horrible. 431 00:18:36,460 --> 00:18:40,980 But it was great because like you really got to see like how how people 432 00:18:40,980 --> 00:18:44,400 interact on stage and especially with people who like maybe haven't done 433 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,319 theater for a very long time, because that's what I deal with a lot is like, 434 00:18:47,319 --> 00:18:51,599 oh, I graduated high school like 15 years ago and I'm coming back to school 435 00:18:51,980 --> 00:18:53,740 and I haven't done theater since then. 436 00:18:53,740 --> 00:18:54,980 So like I have no idea what to do. 437 00:18:54,980 --> 00:18:55,940 And I'm like, OK, great. 438 00:18:56,220 --> 00:18:58,440 Let's just get you on stage again and see what happens. 439 00:18:58,660 --> 00:19:01,579 That's really smart. Thank you. 440 00:19:02,019 --> 00:19:05,400 Because I love this, like Erica was on here like two episodes ago 441 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,099 and she was talking about fundraising and I was like, oh, 442 00:19:08,099 --> 00:19:09,160 these are such good ideas. 443 00:19:09,279 --> 00:19:12,240 So, I mean, part of this isn't all just like, look at everything I know. 444 00:19:12,259 --> 00:19:15,720 Like, I think I know some stuff that maybe people who are much newer don't 445 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,720 know, but then also you guys tell me things I think, oh, I can. 446 00:19:18,859 --> 00:19:20,119 It's all about stealing, right? 447 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,779 Like everything they did, look what they did. 448 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:25,299 You know, how can I push my my pot here? 449 00:19:25,579 --> 00:19:26,839 So that's really who? 450 00:19:27,339 --> 00:19:29,960 Yeah, actually, let me edit my answer for the things I learned from you was 451 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,940 good artists steal. Yeah, good artists steal all the great artists deal. 452 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:36,339 Yeah. Writers do it. 453 00:19:36,339 --> 00:19:38,380 Everybody I think creative people do that. 454 00:19:38,380 --> 00:19:39,900 And that's how we pass on culture. 455 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,599 And that's how we pass on values and information like nothing. 456 00:19:43,819 --> 00:19:44,819 Nothing is there's nothing new. 457 00:19:44,819 --> 00:19:48,680 There's only what like 18 plots or something that works in your high school. 458 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:50,460 And that's why we're still doing Shakespeare. 459 00:19:50,660 --> 00:19:51,880 But it's every time I do, I'm like, oh, 460 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,559 well, here's a thing I can do that I've never seen before. 461 00:19:54,579 --> 00:19:56,599 We've never seen before. So it's really smart. 462 00:19:57,099 --> 00:19:58,279 OK, so let me tell you this. 463 00:19:58,359 --> 00:19:59,539 This is sort of I just thought about this. 464 00:19:59,839 --> 00:20:02,980 I saw Maywives of Windsor at Nashville Shakes on Thursday. 465 00:20:03,380 --> 00:20:07,640 Their pre show was an improv musical theater troupe. 466 00:20:07,799 --> 00:20:11,599 They improv a freaking musical musical improv. 467 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,359 I have never seen before. 468 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,859 And I thought I had my heart rate was just like out of my chest because 469 00:20:16,859 --> 00:20:20,319 I was so worried for these people who had made a conscious decision to go and do 470 00:20:20,319 --> 00:20:21,759 this. It wasn't like they got thrown under the bus. 471 00:20:21,980 --> 00:20:22,960 Like they wanted to do this. 472 00:20:22,980 --> 00:20:26,759 But I was like, I was so scared for them the whole time because like a whole 473 00:20:26,759 --> 00:20:30,460 musical, not just like a like a two minute scene, the whole musical. 474 00:20:30,779 --> 00:20:33,680 And the idea that they were given by the audience, they said, what's a gift 475 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:35,119 you've given that was really important to you. 476 00:20:35,220 --> 00:20:35,700 You've been given. 477 00:20:36,059 --> 00:20:37,779 And the girl said Cabbage Patch doll. 478 00:20:38,079 --> 00:20:42,119 But these people on stage were so young, they didn't know what that was. 479 00:20:42,299 --> 00:20:46,319 But it didn't matter because they end up being about Frisbee golf and going 480 00:20:46,319 --> 00:20:48,880 to space and having your parents validate you. 481 00:20:49,039 --> 00:20:51,859 I mean, it was just I mean, I guess they've got they had live music. 482 00:20:51,859 --> 00:20:54,819 And I guess that guy is like, here are the songs I'm going to play. 483 00:20:55,299 --> 00:20:56,380 And he would have started with one of them. 484 00:20:56,519 --> 00:20:58,940 It seems they know the melody or whatever, but they were completely 485 00:20:58,940 --> 00:21:04,599 making up the plot and stuff had to rhyme like I am stressed out right now. 486 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,500 I edit every time I watch it, I'm like, how are you people this crazy? 487 00:21:09,500 --> 00:21:12,299 And it is just great. 488 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:14,299 I love it so much. 489 00:21:14,299 --> 00:21:15,200 And I don't know. 490 00:21:15,319 --> 00:21:19,059 I don't know how they do it because I can really do musical when I know it. 491 00:21:19,279 --> 00:21:19,680 Yes. 492 00:21:19,980 --> 00:21:22,940 And that's something that people keep asking me is like, 493 00:21:22,940 --> 00:21:24,339 Thomas, you should really do a musical. 494 00:21:24,460 --> 00:21:27,819 And I'm like, I don't I don't have the capacity. 495 00:21:28,579 --> 00:21:28,980 Right. 496 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,140 No, the reason we're able to do them is because we have the new band 497 00:21:32,140 --> 00:21:34,019 director, well, the newest one we've had. 498 00:21:34,659 --> 00:21:36,900 And he's he was a musical theater kid. 499 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:41,559 So he was able to he's able to come in and like he's done with a cool 500 00:21:41,559 --> 00:21:42,140 name, right? 501 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,180 Sweezy, Patrick Sweezy. 502 00:21:44,579 --> 00:21:47,440 So do you use improv in your classes and your college classes? 503 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:48,359 Yeah. 504 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,339 So I don't normally do it in my 505 00:21:50,339 --> 00:21:54,599 intro to theater class because those students are horrified to even hear me 506 00:21:54,599 --> 00:21:58,259 speak. It's weird because it's a it's an elective course to get through their 507 00:21:58,259 --> 00:22:01,539 gen eds. And so they're like, what have I gotten myself into? 508 00:22:01,539 --> 00:22:05,180 Because I will go on tangents about like different things that I've 509 00:22:05,180 --> 00:22:08,740 experienced and like I'll talk about like a very specific show that I did. 510 00:22:08,740 --> 00:22:10,980 And they're like, what are you saying? 511 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,099 I think there's no experience in theater at all. 512 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:16,119 Nothing. There might be like one or two. 513 00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:17,740 They're like, oh, yeah, theater is kind of cool. 514 00:22:18,059 --> 00:22:20,500 Is it an acting class or is it like theater history? 515 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:22,019 OK, OK, it is. 516 00:22:22,140 --> 00:22:23,960 Here is the word theater. 517 00:22:24,340 --> 00:22:28,240 It is like bare bones, like just introducing them to it. 518 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,180 And that's what everyone thinks is an acting class. 519 00:22:30,259 --> 00:22:31,599 But I'm like, I have an acting class. 520 00:22:31,740 --> 00:22:33,259 It's called Fundamentals of Acting. 521 00:22:33,620 --> 00:22:35,880 And so they think Intro to Theater is the acting class. 522 00:22:35,980 --> 00:22:37,200 And like, no, no, no. But calm down. 523 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:39,039 It's OK. This is we're just going to sit and talk. 524 00:22:39,039 --> 00:22:45,140 But their midterm is a fear box, which is like put everything it's such a I stole 525 00:22:45,140 --> 00:22:48,039 it from Campbellsville University, actually the theater teacher there, 526 00:22:48,299 --> 00:22:50,400 who also teaches burlesque, which is super cool. 527 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,279 Her name is Christy Connolly. 528 00:22:53,599 --> 00:22:55,359 She's I think she's the acting instructor. 529 00:22:55,660 --> 00:22:58,380 Christy is really cool, but she is very you coded. 530 00:23:01,059 --> 00:23:03,500 She's very she's like my height, though. 531 00:23:03,579 --> 00:23:05,299 So she's like a tiny you. 532 00:23:05,660 --> 00:23:07,619 But she she is super cool. 533 00:23:07,619 --> 00:23:10,440 I've seen her teach burlesque at S.E.T.C. 534 00:23:11,059 --> 00:23:13,680 Like that was a class in that. 535 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:15,240 You don't know if they teach it at 536 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,819 Campbellsville, but like you could take one of the workshops that she does. 537 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:26,039 But Star is also the representative for K.Y.C.T.A.F. 538 00:23:26,079 --> 00:23:27,380 or whatever that thing is. 539 00:23:27,759 --> 00:23:29,900 She's like the theater guru of Kentucky. 540 00:23:29,900 --> 00:23:30,660 I like her. 541 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:31,839 Yeah. 542 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,619 But Christy, she I stole her intro 543 00:23:34,619 --> 00:23:38,000 to the theater syllabus my first time because I was teaching at 544 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,019 Campbellsville for a very brief moment at their Somerset campus. 545 00:23:42,460 --> 00:23:45,359 I stole her syllabus for intro. 546 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,259 And it's like I was like, what is this fear box thing? 547 00:23:48,319 --> 00:23:53,279 And it is a way for students to introduce themselves to their 548 00:23:53,279 --> 00:23:56,759 comfortability. But on the outside, you put how you are perceived by the 549 00:23:56,759 --> 00:23:57,680 people around you. 550 00:23:57,740 --> 00:24:00,660 And then on the inside is things that you don't normally share with people, 551 00:24:00,740 --> 00:24:01,839 things that you like hide. 552 00:24:01,839 --> 00:24:05,359 So on the outside, there was this one student that I at Campbellsville that 553 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:09,420 she surprised the hell out of me because she on the outside, she's like, 554 00:24:09,660 --> 00:24:12,460 people think I'm really dark and mysterious and da, da, da, da, da. 555 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,380 And then on the inside, she was like, so these are all of my bracelets for 556 00:24:16,380 --> 00:24:18,099 when I was hospitalized for meth. 557 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:22,359 And I was like, whoa, I told you you could share whatever you wanted. 558 00:24:22,579 --> 00:24:25,339 But that I wasn't expecting like that far. 559 00:24:25,579 --> 00:24:27,140 And then she was pulling out pulling 560 00:24:27,140 --> 00:24:30,519 out her pill bottles from like her depression, anxiety, ADHD. 561 00:24:30,519 --> 00:24:33,619 And I was like, this is the coolest thing. 562 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:35,359 And you just have to do 10 things. 563 00:24:35,599 --> 00:24:37,160 The outside, you can do like newspaper 564 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,519 clippings or print out words or photos or whatever. 565 00:24:39,599 --> 00:24:41,619 But the inside has to be tangible objects. 566 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:43,720 So, yeah, yeah. 567 00:24:43,980 --> 00:24:45,420 So I've gotten like teddy bears. 568 00:24:45,599 --> 00:24:50,259 I've gotten sketchbooks like it's like every range of things I've seen. 569 00:24:50,519 --> 00:24:52,779 And I just think it's such a really, really cool thing. 570 00:24:52,779 --> 00:24:57,160 And I have to explain like why that one word describes the outside of them. 571 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:01,380 So like people think I'm perky because of da, da, da, da, da. 572 00:25:01,940 --> 00:25:05,960 And so it is I use it in the midterm after the acting section. 573 00:25:06,039 --> 00:25:08,960 So it's like, hey, this is what actors kind of have to go through. 574 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,640 So like explore characters is like, 575 00:25:12,180 --> 00:25:16,720 how do you present versus how can you bring something inside out to the audience? 576 00:25:16,940 --> 00:25:19,740 And so really cool tie in for our midterm. 577 00:25:19,740 --> 00:25:22,660 Well, you could have your character, too, in a play. 578 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:24,980 It was a candidate to seductive them. 579 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:25,519 Yeah. 580 00:25:25,519 --> 00:25:27,319 And like that, I think I'm going to start 581 00:25:27,319 --> 00:25:31,160 introducing that later because I like my acting students have like latched on to 582 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,400 these characters for the murder mystery that they really like. 583 00:25:33,599 --> 00:25:37,460 Yeah, I think I might use that as their midterm is like, hey, 584 00:25:37,700 --> 00:25:41,039 create a fear box for this character so we can build them up a little bit more 585 00:25:41,039 --> 00:25:44,299 like a Shakespeare character and Ibsen character. 586 00:25:44,599 --> 00:25:45,460 That's really cool. 587 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:47,859 It is super cool like that. 588 00:25:47,859 --> 00:25:49,519 It's it is one of my favorite assignments 589 00:25:49,519 --> 00:25:51,680 that I do because I get to learn more about students. 590 00:25:52,259 --> 00:25:54,559 So you but you do use improv in your acting class, you said? 591 00:25:54,559 --> 00:25:55,180 Yeah. 592 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:59,839 We actually it's part of our warm ups is we'll do a short little improv game. 593 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:05,259 The first day actually talking about your last episode about like embracing 594 00:26:05,259 --> 00:26:09,799 failure, that was a workshop that I did at the Association for Theater and 595 00:26:09,799 --> 00:26:11,059 Higher Education last August. 596 00:26:11,599 --> 00:26:14,420 That was a whole workshop was like embrace the fail. 597 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,960 Like you cannot be wrong in theater. 598 00:26:16,980 --> 00:26:19,099 Like there is a different way to do everything. 599 00:26:19,279 --> 00:26:23,359 And so I do an improv game where they have to count to five. 600 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:25,339 So like it's you stand across from each 601 00:26:25,339 --> 00:26:29,160 other and you have to do one, two, three, four, five. 602 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,859 And then after they get the rhythm together, you add things in. 603 00:26:33,059 --> 00:26:35,240 So like instead of saying three, you clap. 604 00:26:35,579 --> 00:26:36,819 Yes, yes, that one. 605 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:37,640 I know that one. Yeah. 606 00:26:37,799 --> 00:26:41,440 And if you mess up, quote unquote, you say yay. 607 00:26:41,579 --> 00:26:43,180 And then you start again. 608 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,559 Oh, like you don't actually mess up. 609 00:26:45,660 --> 00:26:48,099 It's actually you're celebrating the failure. 610 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:49,960 That's smart. That's smart. 611 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:51,700 Yeah. And then eventually it becomes 612 00:26:51,700 --> 00:26:53,579 like a motion instead of any of the numbers. 613 00:26:54,039 --> 00:26:55,700 Yeah. And then you have to go back 614 00:26:55,700 --> 00:26:57,960 from it and like add the numbers back in. 615 00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:58,359 Yeah. 616 00:26:58,839 --> 00:27:01,519 So we did that one with that workshop. 617 00:27:01,619 --> 00:27:08,380 And then it was a you had to create a static scene using just your bodies. 618 00:27:08,599 --> 00:27:11,240 One of them was like create the solar system. 619 00:27:11,279 --> 00:27:14,200 And then like everyone had to create like a planet or something. 620 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,059 And then the audience would give you 621 00:27:16,059 --> 00:27:21,299 feedback on was this successful or not, or it's like what is the audience 622 00:27:21,299 --> 00:27:23,079 seeing? Because like we were all sitting around the room. 623 00:27:23,099 --> 00:27:24,940 So we're seeing different perspectives of it. 624 00:27:24,940 --> 00:27:27,920 Yeah. So like my side of it saw a waterfall. 625 00:27:28,039 --> 00:27:29,720 The other side saw whatever. 626 00:27:29,859 --> 00:27:31,339 And so like they would have a couple 627 00:27:31,339 --> 00:27:35,099 of seconds to reposition and try to make it more successful. 628 00:27:35,679 --> 00:27:38,740 Getting closer and closer to solar system. 629 00:27:38,859 --> 00:27:44,079 Right. Right. Using just people's bodies, which was just such a cool. 630 00:27:44,660 --> 00:27:47,940 That's really smart, too, because we need to do a version of that as well. 631 00:27:47,980 --> 00:27:49,480 But why don't I have not given them time 632 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:51,599 to like reposition with audience feedback? 633 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:52,559 That's really smart. 634 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:54,200 I like it. 635 00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:56,460 What are some other games you particularly like to use? 636 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,680 I also do what I have renamed round 637 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,799 of applause because I think calling it past the clap is going to get me in 638 00:28:04,799 --> 00:28:09,059 trouble because I'm like, I like it because it's funny. 639 00:28:09,140 --> 00:28:13,339 But I like I should really be careful about what I'm yelling in a hallway 640 00:28:13,339 --> 00:28:17,279 that has, you know, our offices of institutional advancement, maybe 641 00:28:17,279 --> 00:28:19,960 yelling past the clap is not the smartest thing in the world. 642 00:28:20,259 --> 00:28:21,779 But that's where you like have to clap 643 00:28:21,779 --> 00:28:23,640 at the same time and pass it around the circle. 644 00:28:23,900 --> 00:28:27,359 Right. I call it round of applause because at some point it just sounds 645 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:30,180 like a lot of people clapping at the same time if you're doing it right. 646 00:28:30,519 --> 00:28:33,059 And I've had like I taught a workshop 647 00:28:33,059 --> 00:28:37,119 with the student ambassadors on campus that they just could not get it. 648 00:28:37,319 --> 00:28:43,500 Like there was like some interesting motor skills issue where like they 649 00:28:43,500 --> 00:28:47,079 would they would see the person next to them clap and then their brain would 650 00:28:47,079 --> 00:28:49,839 make sure to clap. And I was like, interesting. 651 00:28:50,319 --> 00:28:52,759 But then I did it with a group of five 652 00:28:52,759 --> 00:28:54,359 acting students and they got it immediately. 653 00:28:54,359 --> 00:28:58,319 And I was like, interesting how that is different. 654 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:00,259 The group dynamics always different. 655 00:29:00,279 --> 00:29:03,099 And that's one thing we talked about this week is that you might sort of do 656 00:29:03,099 --> 00:29:07,740 a game that you've played like a hundred times and you just try it two 657 00:29:07,740 --> 00:29:09,440 or three times and it does not work. 658 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,440 And then you're like, well, OK, that didn't work. 659 00:29:11,539 --> 00:29:14,700 Now we do something else because that's how improv and theater works. 660 00:29:14,839 --> 00:29:16,539 Yeah, you just move on. 661 00:29:16,539 --> 00:29:19,559 You can't dwell on it for too long because the next thing is happening. 662 00:29:19,619 --> 00:29:22,140 So you just let's try something new. 663 00:29:22,460 --> 00:29:23,960 So I know we did some improv last week 664 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:27,460 sort of while we're waiting for scripts and it went they did the counting thing 665 00:29:27,460 --> 00:29:30,559 where you all stay in the circle and you have to count to 10. 666 00:29:30,559 --> 00:29:33,220 But you can't talk about who's going to say the number, 667 00:29:33,259 --> 00:29:36,559 but no one can say a number at the same time because you have to start again. 668 00:29:36,900 --> 00:29:38,599 And usually the beginning of the year, 669 00:29:38,599 --> 00:29:40,640 that takes some time because they don't know each other. 670 00:29:40,900 --> 00:29:43,859 But like by the end of last year, they were able to do it with their eyes 671 00:29:43,859 --> 00:29:46,319 closed, their backs turned away from each other because they'd been 672 00:29:46,319 --> 00:29:48,839 together. We lost 12 seniors last year, so they've been together. 673 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,059 Oh, wow. It was it was rough. 674 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,259 Now we this new crop, we have a bunch of really great drama ones. 675 00:29:54,279 --> 00:29:57,880 We only have what we have four drama fours, I think. 676 00:29:57,960 --> 00:29:59,640 I mean, we have a solid we have a solid class. 677 00:29:59,740 --> 00:30:00,799 They're just inexperienced. 678 00:30:01,019 --> 00:30:04,619 But they got they counted the fact they got to 20 pretty quickly, too. 679 00:30:04,619 --> 00:30:05,440 I was really pleased. 680 00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:07,660 So I think it's going to be and I don't know, 681 00:30:07,779 --> 00:30:11,140 because I've been there so long and there's like kids of kids coming in. 682 00:30:11,539 --> 00:30:13,599 There's not like, what is this going to be like? 683 00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:15,119 And also done the musicals. 684 00:30:15,119 --> 00:30:16,920 A lot of them have done the K through 12 musicals. 685 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:21,640 So you're not having to indoctrinate them into the system nearly as much. 686 00:30:21,700 --> 00:30:24,819 There's a few that have just wandered in off the street, but they catch up. 687 00:30:24,839 --> 00:30:26,460 They want to be there. They catch on pretty quickly. 688 00:30:26,839 --> 00:30:29,420 But yeah, the improv will get easier as it goes on. 689 00:30:29,740 --> 00:30:31,019 So do you do more? 690 00:30:31,059 --> 00:30:33,319 Like one thing I've found is I do more like big group things 691 00:30:33,319 --> 00:30:35,799 beginning and then as the year goes on, you can put them in smaller 692 00:30:35,799 --> 00:30:40,940 groups on stage as opposed to let's play murder, murder, die with no 693 00:30:40,940 --> 00:30:44,099 explanation on the second day like I can't do this. 694 00:30:44,099 --> 00:30:49,980 Yeah, well, I haven't gotten as lucky in terms of like how big my classes are yet. 695 00:30:50,339 --> 00:30:52,460 So because we're in a community club. 696 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,960 So I have five in my acting class right now. 697 00:30:55,299 --> 00:30:56,319 That's really great. 698 00:30:56,460 --> 00:30:57,099 You could do a lot. 699 00:30:57,119 --> 00:30:59,440 I mean, different things that I'm doing, but that's a great number. 700 00:30:59,799 --> 00:31:00,279 Yeah. Yeah. 701 00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:01,380 Like five is so good. 702 00:31:01,380 --> 00:31:05,119 It's like because you can do the smaller groups, you can do the big group. 703 00:31:05,279 --> 00:31:06,619 But this is the largest acting class 704 00:31:06,619 --> 00:31:10,400 I've ever had teaching so far because the community college, it's it is 705 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,740 fully an elective, like you take it because you want to. 706 00:31:12,740 --> 00:31:14,319 It's no one is forcing you to take it. 707 00:31:14,380 --> 00:31:17,740 Do they have to have just some kind of fine arts credit or is it just a random? 708 00:31:18,519 --> 00:31:19,400 OK, it is. 709 00:31:19,839 --> 00:31:22,279 So they have to have an arts and humanities credit and they have to 710 00:31:22,279 --> 00:31:25,339 have a heritage credit and then they have to have an arts and humanities or 711 00:31:25,339 --> 00:31:28,579 heritage credit. So what does that mean? 712 00:31:29,119 --> 00:31:30,319 History. Oh, OK. 713 00:31:30,559 --> 00:31:34,500 OK, pretty much history, religion, Appalachian studies, things like that. 714 00:31:34,599 --> 00:31:36,500 And so that like it kind of gets 715 00:31:36,500 --> 00:31:39,859 complicated where like they'd rather take a history class over an acting 716 00:31:39,859 --> 00:31:43,460 class. So it's you know, it works out in the end, you know. 717 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:48,539 So I have had either two or three this year is the biggest one. 718 00:31:49,019 --> 00:31:51,579 The previous fine arts coordinator, whatever his title was, 719 00:31:51,859 --> 00:31:55,880 he said the biggest class was 17 in the 35 years he was there. 720 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,059 Oh, I don't know what I would do with 17 people. 721 00:32:00,119 --> 00:32:01,700 I don't know. I have great faith in your abilities. 722 00:32:02,180 --> 00:32:03,359 I'm not sure it was five. 723 00:32:03,779 --> 00:32:06,680 It would definitely change the kind of shows that we do. 724 00:32:06,759 --> 00:32:07,039 Yeah. 725 00:32:07,039 --> 00:32:10,359 But the other thing is I can't I can't 726 00:32:10,359 --> 00:32:14,000 force them to be in like the the show at night because they have jobs 727 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,440 and like they're going to school during the day and then working at night or 728 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,539 vice versa. So I have to just adapt that way. 729 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:24,599 So this Dracula parody that you're 730 00:32:24,599 --> 00:32:29,200 doing, is that all people from the college or is it open to the community? 731 00:32:29,299 --> 00:32:30,299 Like, how does that work? 732 00:32:30,420 --> 00:32:32,819 So we are a community theater attached to the college. 733 00:32:33,039 --> 00:32:35,400 So anyone in the community can audition with us. 734 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:41,019 So Dracula is two community members and five students. 735 00:32:41,140 --> 00:32:43,359 Three of them are in my actual acting class. 736 00:32:43,779 --> 00:32:44,220 OK. 737 00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:46,299 And two of them are just off the street. 738 00:32:46,599 --> 00:32:47,299 So that's nice. 739 00:32:47,539 --> 00:32:48,119 Are they all adults? 740 00:32:48,900 --> 00:32:52,180 Yes, they are all over 18, at least while I say. 741 00:32:52,759 --> 00:32:55,519 Do you do any kind of any work with the high schools in your area? 742 00:32:55,559 --> 00:32:56,619 Any kind of outreach or anything? 743 00:32:57,180 --> 00:32:57,779 I do. 744 00:32:58,259 --> 00:33:01,440 When I first started in this position, I would do workshops with the high 745 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:05,640 schools and I'm friends with most of the high school instructors. 746 00:33:06,259 --> 00:33:11,019 But that's the one thing is trying to find the time to actually go to the 747 00:33:11,019 --> 00:33:14,440 schools because it's just me teaching and I have to have office hours. 748 00:33:14,700 --> 00:33:17,339 But I do little workshops when I can. 749 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,059 And it does help that I'm friends with with the instructors. 750 00:33:20,779 --> 00:33:22,599 So, yeah, it's about who, you know, 751 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:24,940 who's the other and you recommending people to other people. 752 00:33:25,279 --> 00:33:28,079 You are welcome to do a workshop with us any time he wants you. 753 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:28,940 Maybe we will. 754 00:33:29,140 --> 00:33:30,480 I absolutely will. 755 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:32,559 I still remember Jacob Bolton coming back. 756 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:33,599 Yeah, that was really cool. 757 00:33:33,599 --> 00:33:37,480 And he did a bunch of improv stuff and warm up some of what we still use, 758 00:33:37,519 --> 00:33:42,279 like the handshaking thing and I still use that little Sally Walker. 759 00:33:43,279 --> 00:33:44,079 Yes, yes. 760 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:45,819 Yeah. Ian said they do the handshake thing, 761 00:33:45,819 --> 00:33:47,579 but they count the other direction than we do. 762 00:33:47,859 --> 00:33:50,220 So when they got started, he started yelling out the wrong numbers. 763 00:33:50,380 --> 00:33:53,740 They were all looking at it and he was like, this is the way we do this. 764 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:55,680 So like, it's OK, you learn something new. 765 00:33:55,740 --> 00:33:57,160 That's awesome. That's great. 766 00:33:57,220 --> 00:33:59,220 I'm so proud of you using such great work. 767 00:33:59,220 --> 00:34:00,660 I've seen you do so many interesting shows. 768 00:34:01,079 --> 00:34:02,779 I'm interested in coming and seeing this Dracula. 769 00:34:03,079 --> 00:34:06,339 I wish you were in a different time zone because I get confused. 770 00:34:06,900 --> 00:34:08,059 It's so far out there. 771 00:34:08,599 --> 00:34:11,440 It's a two hour drive and then add a time change on it. 772 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:15,300 It's like because I know one time you literally like held a show for me 773 00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:18,159 because I was like, oh, my God, I was wrong about the time. 774 00:34:18,420 --> 00:34:19,340 I absolutely did. 775 00:34:19,340 --> 00:34:20,360 And we'll do it again. 776 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:21,599 Like a hundred miles. 777 00:34:21,699 --> 00:34:25,519 Was that was that the was that Rosencrantz, Gilmstern, whatever it 778 00:34:25,519 --> 00:34:28,380 was, you had to walk through the audience to get to the seating. 779 00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:30,380 So you had to walk the stage, get the seating. 780 00:34:30,780 --> 00:34:32,340 You they couldn't let people wait. 781 00:34:33,059 --> 00:34:35,440 Yeah, so I think that was RNG. 782 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:37,579 That was a really good. That was good. 783 00:34:37,940 --> 00:34:40,719 I we were just talking about doing that show again, 784 00:34:40,860 --> 00:34:44,340 just me and the people who were it was me who played Hamlet, 785 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:48,519 the girl who played Ophelia and then the girl who played Claudia. 786 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:49,679 We were like, you're Claudius. 787 00:34:49,780 --> 00:34:51,480 We had we're like, we have to do the show again someday. 788 00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:52,519 That was a good show. 789 00:34:52,519 --> 00:34:57,099 And the one you did about after Shakespeare died and they're trying 790 00:34:57,099 --> 00:34:57,940 the Book of Will. 791 00:34:58,380 --> 00:35:00,300 I like that show quite a bit, too. 792 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:04,320 I would do that one again, but I would definitely want to be one of the the 793 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:07,139 actors, like I would want to be pretty fabulous. 794 00:35:07,139 --> 00:35:10,320 You came in and still every scene you were in real life. 795 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,599 So I was totally OK with that because I knew that story. 796 00:35:13,739 --> 00:35:15,699 Right. And I was like, oh, this is a thing. 797 00:35:16,179 --> 00:35:17,619 So I really did like that show. 798 00:35:17,940 --> 00:35:21,320 So, yeah, I did so much research on that man just for that show. 799 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:22,000 That's all right. 800 00:35:22,559 --> 00:35:23,280 Love Ben Johnson. 801 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:25,079 Yes, he's great. 802 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:26,059 He's great. 803 00:35:26,059 --> 00:35:29,039 It was nice to say this about Shakespeare, 804 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,519 even though they like were mortal enemies the whole time. 805 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:33,400 Absolutely. 806 00:35:34,639 --> 00:35:37,840 But it's so cool because he's like the only person he's 807 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:42,239 he's buried standing up because he didn't want to pay for a full funeral plot. 808 00:35:42,539 --> 00:35:44,360 That totally tracks. 809 00:35:44,460 --> 00:35:45,159 He was super cheap. 810 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:46,440 So I don't know. 811 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:49,440 One of the great things about doing this program as long as I have is being 812 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:53,800 to go see other productions that my kids are in either on stage, off stage. 813 00:35:53,860 --> 00:35:55,280 I don't care. I'll go see whatever. 814 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,059 And I've seen some really amazing stuff. 815 00:35:57,260 --> 00:35:59,219 I've seen some really weird stuff. 816 00:35:59,460 --> 00:36:01,239 That's that's one of the great I mean, 817 00:36:01,380 --> 00:36:04,699 and I've gone all sorts of weird places to see plays 818 00:36:04,699 --> 00:36:06,539 that I never would have known about otherwise. 819 00:36:07,059 --> 00:36:10,219 So did you get or didn't they they redid your theater? 820 00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:13,139 No, I redid my theater. 821 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:16,780 I'm actually the entire summer I've been renovating the theater. 822 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:17,920 So what did you do? 823 00:36:18,019 --> 00:36:18,960 Was this paint the floor? 824 00:36:19,659 --> 00:36:21,539 So we redid the backstage. 825 00:36:21,780 --> 00:36:23,860 It was not well executed. 826 00:36:23,860 --> 00:36:28,659 There was a ramp that wasn't even like you had to like go around things to get to. 827 00:36:28,820 --> 00:36:32,139 So it's like if you had anyone in a wheelchair, they're not getting on the 828 00:36:32,139 --> 00:36:37,739 stage and it was just like as a person who is trying to be like a space 829 00:36:37,739 --> 00:36:41,800 for everybody, like I can't have that and the ramp is not ADA compliant. 830 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,579 However, it is now accessible to the door 831 00:36:44,579 --> 00:36:47,500 backstage, whereas it was like in the backpack. 832 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:52,019 And then there was just like you had to step down into a closet for like 833 00:36:52,019 --> 00:36:52,679 lighting equipment. 834 00:36:52,679 --> 00:36:56,219 And I was like, hey, I'm getting old and my knees are bad. 835 00:36:56,300 --> 00:36:57,559 I can't keep doing that. 836 00:36:57,559 --> 00:37:00,559 So I was like, how do I add a staircase back here? 837 00:37:00,559 --> 00:37:02,860 So I like there's an area now that we 838 00:37:02,860 --> 00:37:06,679 can do shop work and then not have to step down into a closet. 839 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:08,340 I didn't know you have that much space. 840 00:37:08,340 --> 00:37:09,059 That's awesome. 841 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:13,039 Yeah, no, there's it's not like a huge amount, but it's enough to like if 842 00:37:13,039 --> 00:37:15,940 we needed to build a wall, we could probably do that back there. 843 00:37:16,179 --> 00:37:18,699 So I just I took the stage in on the back. 844 00:37:19,460 --> 00:37:24,679 We repainted the floors from I'm pretty sure it was painted in the 60s and has 845 00:37:24,679 --> 00:37:28,460 never been touched because it was like maroon and gray. 846 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,900 And it just those color choices felt really old. 847 00:37:32,260 --> 00:37:34,219 And I was like, it's time to just refresh this. 848 00:37:34,619 --> 00:37:39,219 And so in doing that, it has pointed out the fact that our seats are older 849 00:37:39,219 --> 00:37:45,000 than sin, so hopefully it just keeps we just we find some funding. 850 00:37:45,340 --> 00:37:48,460 I had to buy a new curtain because ours was out of fire code because it was 851 00:37:48,460 --> 00:37:51,159 bought in 2007. Oh, ours is super out of fire code. 852 00:37:51,539 --> 00:37:53,280 Yeah. Fire Marsha was like threatening to find us. 853 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,420 So we're like, OK, we're going to we're going to fix that. 854 00:37:55,500 --> 00:37:57,159 It's like sometimes people who design 855 00:37:57,159 --> 00:38:01,800 theaters don't actually use theaters in their job. 856 00:38:02,139 --> 00:38:03,880 They design things that don't make any sense. 857 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,340 So our next next thing I would like 858 00:38:06,340 --> 00:38:09,800 to get what has to be done are important because the holes are just 859 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:12,840 getting I could put a child through a hole in the back curtain. 860 00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:17,039 I think if I needed to or there's a couple of spaces around here that are 861 00:38:17,039 --> 00:38:20,400 just not being tended to that are like this would be such a cool space if you 862 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:24,519 would take care of it because so much money, so much money. 863 00:38:24,900 --> 00:38:25,980 So what you should do with your seats 864 00:38:25,980 --> 00:38:28,440 is what Horse Cave did where they just took out all the seats. 865 00:38:28,860 --> 00:38:32,159 You just do that and then people can bring lawn chairs after Robert left. 866 00:38:32,179 --> 00:38:35,460 Somebody else got a hold of it and they took it all the seats and they did 867 00:38:35,460 --> 00:38:38,460 cool stuff out there. They did that one man Hamlet out there. 868 00:38:38,559 --> 00:38:39,280 Oh, yeah. 869 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,179 They did Shakespeare, a bridge they did. 870 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,320 There's a there's an Oregon Trail musical. 871 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:45,960 If you want to do a musical that might be. 872 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:50,880 I've thought about that because StarKid has Oregon that Oregon Trail musical. 873 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:55,500 It's because it's audience participation like they they run around with animals 874 00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:58,480 like cardboard animals and there's like a hole in the animal, 875 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:01,340 the basket behind it, and the audience has foam balls 876 00:39:01,340 --> 00:39:04,320 and you try to throw them in the hole and that's what they get to eat. 877 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:05,480 The audience earns points. 878 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:07,719 It's really it's a fun show. 879 00:39:08,119 --> 00:39:09,980 Maybe I should do that. That sounds incredible. 880 00:39:10,179 --> 00:39:13,039 It's only like five or six people, I think, because they did on that. 881 00:39:13,039 --> 00:39:15,300 They didn't they did that really tiny stage there at the Horse Cave. 882 00:39:15,300 --> 00:39:19,619 So it wouldn't work for me with the 70 dancing munchkins or whatever. 883 00:39:20,059 --> 00:39:21,059 But part of this operation, 884 00:39:21,139 --> 00:39:24,099 because part of it is I want to talk to people that I adore and tell stories 885 00:39:24,099 --> 00:39:28,599 and wander off the beaten path is to help people who are new to theater 886 00:39:28,599 --> 00:39:31,360 programs or are interested in starting theater programs. 887 00:39:31,579 --> 00:39:33,500 So he came into a program in twenty 888 00:39:33,500 --> 00:39:37,739 twenty three that had just lost a long time director. 889 00:39:38,260 --> 00:39:38,980 Right. Yeah. 890 00:39:39,059 --> 00:39:42,659 So Covid had busted up a lot of what was happening there. 891 00:39:42,860 --> 00:39:44,599 That's the worst time to come into 892 00:39:44,599 --> 00:39:49,500 a program because I feel like you had lost a bunch of momentum because nothing was 893 00:39:49,500 --> 00:39:52,420 happening. I can't imagine starting a theater program right after Covid. 894 00:39:52,539 --> 00:39:57,980 So what's something that you wish you had known then when you were having to 895 00:39:57,980 --> 00:40:02,400 basically restart this program that you would tell somebody now who was 896 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:07,579 either starting from whole cloth or has come into a program that has lost 897 00:40:07,579 --> 00:40:08,559 has lost long time director. 898 00:40:08,659 --> 00:40:10,059 Did you get a lot of help from him 899 00:40:10,059 --> 00:40:12,480 coming in or was he kind of already gone by the time you got there? 900 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:18,139 So I had a weird situation because he actually retired in the spring of twenty 901 00:40:18,139 --> 00:40:21,420 nineteen. Oh, they were going back. 902 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:25,239 They had put out the call to hire somebody and then Covid hit. 903 00:40:25,340 --> 00:40:29,440 And so that program just wasn't touched for a year and a half. 904 00:40:29,539 --> 00:40:31,539 Three years. Oh, my God. 905 00:40:32,119 --> 00:40:34,760 And so it was just the admin assistant taking care of everything. 906 00:40:34,820 --> 00:40:36,380 And so she was part time. 907 00:40:36,579 --> 00:40:38,179 So like she was just kind of like here 908 00:40:38,179 --> 00:40:39,579 and they're trying to figure out what to do. 909 00:40:39,659 --> 00:40:42,119 There was multiple events and stuff that he was doing. 910 00:40:42,119 --> 00:40:45,760 Like a teen theater festival, the autumn shorts film festival. 911 00:40:45,980 --> 00:40:49,699 He was teaching film classes like he was doing a lot. 912 00:40:49,780 --> 00:40:52,179 Then he retired and like all of that stopped and then Covid hit. 913 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:56,619 And then when they brought the new girl in in twenty twenty one, 914 00:40:57,199 --> 00:41:00,699 she had to like go through all of these documents with no help. 915 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:04,719 They hired an admin assistant who was like more business minded, 916 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:08,239 who didn't understand the logistics of theater and of art. 917 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,059 Because like you have like we do spend a lot of money. 918 00:41:11,059 --> 00:41:17,679 But it is in assistance for other things like you can put art anywhere. 919 00:41:17,900 --> 00:41:20,699 And that's something that I've been trying to get the college to see is 920 00:41:20,699 --> 00:41:24,619 that like there is art everywhere, that it is not just us 921 00:41:24,619 --> 00:41:26,619 spending money, willy nilly, being crazy. 922 00:41:27,019 --> 00:41:31,179 But it is like we are furthering goals and things like that. 923 00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:37,139 So when I actually was Julia's admin assistant the year before she left 924 00:41:37,139 --> 00:41:40,840 because she decided to get married and have a good fulfilling life in Austin, 925 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:44,719 Texas, and so they were like, hey, you have a master's degree and like, 926 00:41:44,780 --> 00:41:46,820 you already work here. Do you want to apply for this position? 927 00:41:46,820 --> 00:41:49,800 And I was like, I've seen what she has to do. 928 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:50,780 Sure. 929 00:41:52,699 --> 00:41:54,579 So they hired me on. 930 00:41:54,820 --> 00:41:57,840 And so I had a little bit of things from with Julia. 931 00:41:58,539 --> 00:41:59,980 But that's actually what I've been 932 00:41:59,980 --> 00:42:02,679 working on this year is actually going through all of the paperwork 933 00:42:03,380 --> 00:42:06,619 from Steve, who was there for thirty five years. 934 00:42:06,619 --> 00:42:11,780 So like I have thirty five years worth of things to decipher. 935 00:42:12,380 --> 00:42:17,000 And so there is a little bit of that help while also not. 936 00:42:17,019 --> 00:42:18,139 So are you full time? 937 00:42:18,239 --> 00:42:19,079 Is that a full time job? 938 00:42:19,460 --> 00:42:20,780 Yes. So I am full time. 939 00:42:21,079 --> 00:42:25,559 I teach a full class load as well as office hours and on top of rehearsals 940 00:42:25,559 --> 00:42:29,260 and whatever else I decide to do, because no one tells me no. 941 00:42:29,420 --> 00:42:30,599 I just have to justify. 942 00:42:31,099 --> 00:42:32,400 So that's fun. 943 00:42:32,900 --> 00:42:33,619 And if they do tell me no, 944 00:42:33,659 --> 00:42:35,579 they're like, you should find a different way to do that. 945 00:42:35,579 --> 00:42:39,900 So but I like I have a lot of paperwork that I have to sift through. 946 00:42:40,559 --> 00:42:43,119 And Steve was kind of around a little bit when I first started. 947 00:42:43,119 --> 00:42:45,260 But every time I'd ask him a question, he was like, I mean, 948 00:42:45,260 --> 00:42:46,360 that's not my space anymore. 949 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:48,019 So I don't know where that is. 950 00:42:48,019 --> 00:42:49,780 I was like, that's super helpful. 951 00:42:49,980 --> 00:42:54,760 Thank you for a bit before you never remember stuff. 952 00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:59,519 Things that I should have known that I know now is make sure to save all 953 00:43:00,739 --> 00:43:03,719 receipts, make sure you know where everything is all the time, 954 00:43:03,719 --> 00:43:05,599 because people will ask and then you have to have an answer. 955 00:43:05,659 --> 00:43:07,260 And if you don't have an answer, you have to find the answer. 956 00:43:08,079 --> 00:43:12,539 But yeah, no, I think this kind of goes back into like just go with it is 957 00:43:12,539 --> 00:43:15,500 like there's no one right way to do it. 958 00:43:15,699 --> 00:43:20,139 And this is like a talk that I would love to give is the Tina Fey way of 959 00:43:20,139 --> 00:43:24,280 doing things of like if you don't have that, like if you don't have 960 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:27,519 the audition, if you don't have the spaces to do things, 961 00:43:28,159 --> 00:43:32,239 do theater in your apartment, like invite friends over to do theater there. 962 00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:34,900 Just make your own path like whatever you want to do. 963 00:43:34,900 --> 00:43:36,019 You can do it by yourself. 964 00:43:36,320 --> 00:43:37,519 If there's a show that I really like 965 00:43:37,519 --> 00:43:39,079 that I'm like, oh, man, how do I do this? 966 00:43:39,420 --> 00:43:43,539 I can kind of write it myself, but it's you know, and if there's like, 967 00:43:43,719 --> 00:43:46,219 there's like, man, I think this is really cool idea that I really want 968 00:43:46,219 --> 00:43:48,079 to try out, but I don't have a space to do it. 969 00:43:48,079 --> 00:43:49,400 You can ask your friends like, hey, 970 00:43:49,599 --> 00:43:53,860 I want to do this like improv about Shakespeare as a pirate. 971 00:43:54,019 --> 00:43:55,639 Like, like, let's go do it. 972 00:43:56,300 --> 00:44:00,619 It's the Tina fake it to you, Tina, make it is what I call it. 973 00:44:00,619 --> 00:44:02,300 Oh, I totally. Yeah, I agree. 974 00:44:02,619 --> 00:44:04,300 I mean, the goal was always to do 975 00:44:04,300 --> 00:44:06,659 educational theater and everywhere I went, nobody had it. 976 00:44:06,659 --> 00:44:08,340 So I was like, oh, now we do this now. 977 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:09,760 Like no one said, you want to do this? 978 00:44:09,780 --> 00:44:12,179 I just said, no, we're doing it. 979 00:44:12,179 --> 00:44:14,739 And that's a lot of creative people do that. 980 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:18,880 Like there's a David 10 has a really good podcast where it's like it has 981 00:44:18,880 --> 00:44:21,440 the person's name, the title of the podcast, like talks to David Janet. 982 00:44:21,679 --> 00:44:23,079 And a lot of the people he's talked 983 00:44:23,079 --> 00:44:26,480 to, they talk about how they weren't getting the opportunities they wanted 984 00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:28,619 as whatever kind of creative they were. 985 00:44:28,619 --> 00:44:30,500 So they just made their own, you know, 986 00:44:30,739 --> 00:44:32,800 and that you can't sit around and wait for somebody to call you and be like, 987 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:34,000 hey, do you want to come do this? 988 00:44:34,139 --> 00:44:36,420 You have to say, let's go do it. 989 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:42,179 And then I've never tried to do something where everybody said no. 990 00:44:42,320 --> 00:44:44,539 Like there are people that I can't right now or I don't want to. 991 00:44:44,619 --> 00:44:46,119 But I've always been able to find 992 00:44:46,119 --> 00:44:47,860 people who are like, yes, I want to come and play. 993 00:44:48,139 --> 00:44:51,019 And of course, they're sitting ducks right there in my class. 994 00:44:51,099 --> 00:44:53,239 So if you don't come and play, you fail. 995 00:44:53,519 --> 00:44:56,820 And like Flashback, I think is a lot of good work with that because they 996 00:44:56,820 --> 00:44:59,559 have done it in so many really interesting spaces. 997 00:44:59,599 --> 00:45:01,179 And that's something we have not done. 998 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,280 I think we've done one show in the gym. 999 00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:05,360 We did that murder mystery in the gym that was interactive. 1000 00:45:05,719 --> 00:45:10,219 They are talking about there's some land, apparently we have the district 1001 00:45:10,219 --> 00:45:13,960 owns like back behind the school board, the school board and the school 1002 00:45:14,460 --> 00:45:21,059 that's all wooded and club is talking about building a trail through there. 1003 00:45:21,059 --> 00:45:24,840 And wouldn't that not be cool to do a play in the woods? 1004 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:29,679 I have wanted to do a trail theater production. 1005 00:45:31,699 --> 00:45:33,260 And my concern has been, well, it 1006 00:45:33,260 --> 00:45:35,780 has to be off campus somewhere because we have a space like that. 1007 00:45:35,860 --> 00:45:36,880 But if they build this trail that's 1008 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:40,199 on school property, then we can hike on up that hill during class. 1009 00:45:40,420 --> 00:45:43,059 Yeah, because there's all there's lots of good things for that. 1010 00:45:43,099 --> 00:45:46,480 I saw Midsummer Night's Dream at Regent's Park in London. 1011 00:45:46,679 --> 00:45:47,719 And Puck will be like, come on. 1012 00:45:47,739 --> 00:45:49,340 We had to run after him. 1013 00:45:49,559 --> 00:45:51,199 And I thought I was like 19. 1014 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:53,539 I thought this is this is cool. 1015 00:45:53,559 --> 00:45:54,300 I want to do that. 1016 00:45:54,300 --> 00:45:55,760 And I've just never found a way. 1017 00:45:56,019 --> 00:45:57,480 So I do want to do more. 1018 00:45:57,599 --> 00:46:00,420 I want to try to find more ways that I can do things that are not in the 1019 00:46:00,420 --> 00:46:03,619 auditorium, but scheduling with children is hard because I can't be like, well, 1020 00:46:03,619 --> 00:46:05,619 we're going to take over this classroom because they're like, no, 1021 00:46:05,639 --> 00:46:07,300 they're having class in there. 1022 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:09,219 That's a really interesting idea is 1023 00:46:09,219 --> 00:46:13,179 doing theater in the wilds with no no net. 1024 00:46:14,079 --> 00:46:17,719 Yeah, the Kentucky Renaissance Fair actually has a Dickens Festival where 1025 00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:21,360 you can like watch a Christmas carol and walk around their entire grounds. 1026 00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:23,840 Like each scene is a different area. 1027 00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:28,219 That is the first two weeks of December, weekends of December. 1028 00:46:29,079 --> 00:46:32,519 They because I want to say their auditions are have happened or are soon, 1029 00:46:32,579 --> 00:46:33,699 but they've done that every year. 1030 00:46:33,699 --> 00:46:35,480 And that's one thing I really want to do. 1031 00:46:35,500 --> 00:46:39,360 But I just it's in Eminence, Kentucky, which is two hours from me. 1032 00:46:39,619 --> 00:46:40,280 So it's up there. 1033 00:46:40,300 --> 00:46:41,699 OK, because I didn't have that right. 1034 00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:42,880 That's why I lived up there. 1035 00:46:43,059 --> 00:46:44,119 Well, that's cool. 1036 00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:46,880 It's a it's a really cool space. 1037 00:46:47,019 --> 00:46:48,679 Yes, just over to their 20th year. 1038 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:51,079 Yeah, no, that's how I'll go. 1039 00:46:51,219 --> 00:46:52,539 That's let's go. We should go. 1040 00:46:52,539 --> 00:46:54,400 Yeah, I am honestly. 1041 00:46:55,039 --> 00:46:57,179 So I have anything that I'm yeah, we should do that. 1042 00:46:57,179 --> 00:46:58,500 I will I will go with you. 1043 00:46:58,699 --> 00:46:59,280 I will let you know. 1044 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:01,579 I will Google that and figure out when I can do it. 1045 00:47:01,599 --> 00:47:03,659 And then we'll go. 1046 00:47:04,199 --> 00:47:07,260 What what else should we do a podcast about? 1047 00:47:07,440 --> 00:47:08,719 What else should we digress about? 1048 00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:10,400 Do you think there are so many things 1049 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:14,139 to digress about some different pathways of people like what like if 1050 00:47:14,139 --> 00:47:17,099 you didn't pursue theater, like what are you doing instead? 1051 00:47:17,300 --> 00:47:18,739 Yeah, that's a good idea. 1052 00:47:19,159 --> 00:47:22,440 How is how has like your time in drama? 1053 00:47:22,440 --> 00:47:24,739 How has that affected like what you're doing now? 1054 00:47:24,739 --> 00:47:26,820 And like what skills have you taken on? 1055 00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:33,639 Because that is where my life has been has come from, I guess, is like 1056 00:47:33,639 --> 00:47:35,559 transferable skills from theater. 1057 00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:36,559 That's the point. 1058 00:47:36,940 --> 00:47:40,860 But I built this program and look at all these kids that I mean, 1059 00:47:40,860 --> 00:47:43,460 I don't think it's completely because of me that they've gone on to do 1060 00:47:43,460 --> 00:47:45,780 great stuff, but I think we gave them a little boop. 1061 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:47,719 No, I can agree to that because I 1062 00:47:47,719 --> 00:47:50,480 think the things that I learned from you were not always academic. 1063 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:52,920 It was always just be a good person. 1064 00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:53,619 What are you doing? 1065 00:47:54,159 --> 00:47:55,840 Yeah, we're trying to be nice. 1066 00:47:56,199 --> 00:47:57,119 OK, what else? 1067 00:47:57,260 --> 00:48:01,960 Anything else that you want to tell our audience of people that we've 1068 00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:06,800 done theater with us and also hopefully people who are new and trying to get 1069 00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:10,760 it together and freaking out in a different way that we are freaking out? 1070 00:48:10,780 --> 00:48:12,400 Like we're still freaking out. 1071 00:48:12,599 --> 00:48:14,719 Yeah, you'll never stop freaking out. 1072 00:48:14,739 --> 00:48:16,179 Like that's the fun part of it is 1073 00:48:16,179 --> 00:48:19,480 like I never know what I'm going to walk into every day. 1074 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:22,320 I never have an ordinary day. 1075 00:48:23,059 --> 00:48:27,159 And that's I think that's the fun part is like you don't ever have to worry 1076 00:48:27,159 --> 00:48:30,280 about it being boring. No, no. 1077 00:48:30,519 --> 00:48:31,440 We do cool things. 1078 00:48:31,860 --> 00:48:32,619 We do. 1079 00:48:32,820 --> 00:48:33,599 Oh, I just cannot. 1080 00:48:33,780 --> 00:48:35,480 I just oh, I love you so much. 1081 00:48:35,500 --> 00:48:36,380 And you're doing such great stuff. 1082 00:48:36,460 --> 00:48:37,500 I'm excited about Dracula. 1083 00:48:37,559 --> 00:48:38,920 That'll be the next thing, right? 1084 00:48:39,460 --> 00:48:39,840 Yeah. 1085 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:41,500 You have dates on that? 1086 00:48:41,719 --> 00:48:45,539 Yeah, it'll be October 30th, 31st 1087 00:48:45,539 --> 00:48:46,800 at 8 p.m. 1088 00:48:46,900 --> 00:48:48,300 because I wanted to make sure after 1089 00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:51,639 Halloween people had time to like take their kids home or whatever. 1090 00:48:52,179 --> 00:48:55,179 And then November 2nd at two thirty. 1091 00:48:55,579 --> 00:48:57,480 OK, that might be easier for me to get to. 1092 00:48:57,840 --> 00:48:58,099 Yeah. 1093 00:48:58,599 --> 00:48:59,159 All right. 1094 00:48:59,239 --> 00:49:01,119 Well, I will just tickets at the door. 1095 00:49:01,719 --> 00:49:02,539 Yep. Tickets at the door. 1096 00:49:02,559 --> 00:49:05,039 If you want to call, we can reserve tickets that way. 1097 00:49:05,159 --> 00:49:07,619 All right. Well, I love you very much and I appreciate you coming. 1098 00:49:07,900 --> 00:49:09,420 And we hope to see you. 1099 00:49:09,500 --> 00:49:13,280 I'm going to I have to get a rehearsal schedule out for my play soon 1100 00:49:13,920 --> 00:49:15,300 and finish production analysis. 1101 00:49:16,099 --> 00:49:16,880 I'm about halfway through that. 1102 00:49:16,900 --> 00:49:18,960 So that's today's goal, I guess. 1103 00:49:19,519 --> 00:49:19,820 All right. 1104 00:49:19,820 --> 00:49:20,500 Thank you very much. 1105 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:22,880 Yeah. Thank you so much for coming. 1106 00:49:22,980 --> 00:49:25,760 And we will see everyone are here. 1107 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:27,300 Listen to everyone. 1108 00:49:27,559 --> 00:49:31,679 They will listen to us the next time we produce an episode of But I Digress. 1109 00:49:49,699 --> 00:49:52,239 But I Digress is a 1110 00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:54,599 We've Snatched production.