The Loneliest Girl in the World Archives - Page 3 of 4

Until next time, Philly…

I couldn’t have been more happy to have seen PIED! come to life tonight at the Merriam Theater. We got to see the way it moves, the way it breathes – all brought to life by an amazing team of actors and collaborators at the University of the Arts.

Thanks to director Ben Kamine for leading the way and giving us a complete picture of the work we have. Thanks to music director Christopher Tolomeo for taking on this monumental task. Thanks to student assistant director Chelsae Bazzel and student stage managers Alyse Hogan and Stef Zamparelli for holding it all together. Thanks to actors Marcus Briddell, Bryce Crandall, Patrick Henkel, Katie Markey, Elexis Morton, Matthew Oster, Hannah Parke, Cody Swanson, Jackson Teeley, Bianca Teresi, and Carrie Thorwarth for jumping into this show so fearlessly and graciously. Thanks to Joanna Settle and Cesar Alvarez for founding the Polyphone Festival and bringing us along for the ride. And thanks to David Jenkins, Aziz Naouai, Catherine Logan, Joshua Campbell, and everyone at UArts for making us feel welcome and well taken care of.

We’re very excited about all that we learned in Philadelphia and can’t wait to get to work on the next draft!

Here comes PIED!

Production The Loneliest Girl in the World

In just three weeks, we get to see PIED! up on its feet for the very first time!

Julia and I have spent the last few weekends in Philly rehearsing, rewriting, and relishing (different re-, I know, but I like things in threes.) I’ve been completely blown away by the cast of UArts students. They’ve been working incredibly hard, engaging with the (admittedly challenging) material head on, making smart choices, asking smart questions, and showing us some brand new sides of the piece. (Now they just need to graduate so we can work with them in NYC.)

They are (clockwise above): Katie Markey (Kay, etc.), Elexis Morton (Koreen, etc.), Hannah Parke (Anita Bryant), Bianca Teresi (Sandra, etc.), Carrie Thorwarth (Mary Ann Mobley, etc.), Jackson Teeley (Dick Clark, etc.), Cody Swanson (Brother Bill, etc.), Matthew Oster (Kyle, etc.), Patrick Henkel (Tommy), Bryce Crandall (Bob Green), and Marcus Briddell (Johnny Carson, etc.)

(I’m equally amazed by our Assistant Director Chelsae Bazzel and our Stage Manager Alyse Hogan, but they don’t have fancy headshots.)

Tickets are now available for the performance. So come on down (or up, or over) to Philly on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30pm and check us out!

Philly, here I come!

The Loneliest Girl in the World

It’s the first day of rehearsal!

This spring, Julia and I get to head down to Philly on the weekends to work on PIED! at the University of the Arts. We’ve got a cast of 11 wonderful students working with director Ben Kamine and music director Christopher Tolomeo to bring the show to life.

And, if you’re in the Philly area, check out the Polyphone Festival at the Merriam Theatre in March! We’ll be kicking the festival off with PIED! on Tuesday, March 24 – but that week will also include performances of THE THREEPENNY OPERA, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Cesar Alvarez’s ELEMENTARY SPACETIME SHOW!, and Stew & Heidi Rodewald’s THE TOTAL BENT. 5 shows, 5 days, $5!

More info to come…

That was some good PIED!

The Loneliest Girl in the World

I had the best time watching a chunk of the show get up on its feet for the first time. After 5 hours of rehearsal, we presented 15 minutes for an enthusiastic crowd. Thanks to Portia Krieger and Rich Silverstein for leading the way, along with our wonderful cast – Libby Servais as Anita, Sam Heldt as Tommy, Dana Steingold as Mary Ann Mobley (RIP)/Sandra Bryant/Lisa-the-meanest-girl, Amy Linden as Joanne Lucille “Runner Up” McDonald/Kay/Sharon, and Adam Stasiw as Bert “Emotionally Putting Out a Cigarette” Parks/Dick Clark/Sister Dorothy.

If you don’t know about the Musical Theatre Factory, check them out! It’s an all-volunteer-run organization that is fully devoted to nurturing new musicals, run by the fearlessly wonderful Shakina Nayfack. Go see a show there, volunteer to tend bar or usher, or (best of all) give them money!

An early slice of PIED!

The Loneliest Girl in the World

Come on down to the Musical Theatre Factory on Monday night for a slice of PIED!

Julia and I are so excited to present an excerpt of the show, up on its feet for the first time, as part of this month’s installment of 4×15 on Monday, December 15 at 8:30pm. Directed by Portia Krieger and with music direction by Rich Silverstein, the 15-minute excerpt will feature Dana Steingold, Sam Heldt, Libby Servais, Adam Stasiw, andAmy Linden (L-R, pictured above.)

The evening will feature 15-minute excerpts of four new musicals (including shows by our friends Andrea Lepcio and Bill Nelson) with some industry feedback after each presentation. It should be a fun night with a fun, new company devoted to new musicals!

Get your tickets here!