"Curtain up! Light the lights!"

I love theater. This is a love that has evolved in me since early childhood from a passion for film and Broadway (thanks in great part to my mother, who shares this love).

When I was in high school, I was a proud member of the drama club and participated in many theater productions as a techie - behind-the-scenes, stage managing, directing, even dabbling with some choreography. One of my best friends from high school took his love of drama to another level.

Erik Neilssen (also MLHS '02) is far more talented than I could ever hope to be. You see, Erik does it all - acts, writes, directs, produces... you name it, he can do it. Acting from a very early age, he has been in a myriad of shows and proven himself as a well-rounded thespian. Several years ago he had a vision for a community theater program which he has since made into a reality. I had the pleasure of seeing N.E.A.T. Productions' latest production this past weekend in NYC.

The group put on a double-feature radio show with H. G. Wells' The Time Machine and Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was a joy to see high school and college-aged actors combining their voice talents, foley artist & musical skills, and that is the beauty of community theater. The show was great, but even better was knowing that these young theater lovers are able to practice the craft with their peers before a live audience. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for these young people to grow, both as thespians and as people.

I urge everyone to support school and community theater programs. I will be posting blog entries with information on upcoming productions as I hear about them. If you know of any upcoming local shows or auditions, please email me or leave a comment on this blog entry.

Since life is already filled with so much drama, why not enjoy some that is scripted?

*Blog title taken from "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from the musical Gypsy*

“To being an us for once instead of a them – la vie boheme!”

“Oh, I’m not… I’m just here to… I don’t have… I’m here with… Mark! Mark! I’m Mark! Well, this is quite an operation…”

When Mark Cohen sings these words in the song “Life Support” from the Broadway musical Rent, the audience gets a sense that at that point in the show the aspiring filmmaker is almost painfully unsure of himself (fellow Rent-heads know that he grows out of this as the show goes on). That initial insecurity, however, is not something I felt when listening to the man who originated that role – Anthony Rapp.

Rapp spoke candidly at Southern Connecticut State University Wednesday night for a pretty packed house in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center Theatre. The actor/singer/writer has been touring the country over the past year and a half to promote his book “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical Rent” as well as the Broadway production and film adaptation. More than all that, though, he painted a moving scene of what it has been like to be a part of something that is almost as tragic as it is successful.

Back in 1994, Rapp was working at a Starbucks while trying to find work. He met with a new agent who immediately gave him a breakdown for an audition. It was for a workshop performance of a new rock opera called Rent. A skeptical Rapp auditioned with R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” and although he accidentally skipped a verse in the song, he was asked to come back. He went on to receive the role of Mark Cohen for that workshop and would maintain the role for the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of the musical, reprising it once again for the film adaptation.

Throughout the show’s evolution, Rapp befriended the show’s creator Jonathan Larson. The power of Larson’s lyrics resonated with the cast members and they poured themselves into Rent. On January 25, 1996, the evening of the final Off-Broadway dress rehearsal and the night before the show’s first preview, 35-year old Larson died of an aortic aneurism. It took everyone by surprise, and the cast (along with Larson’s family and friends) knew that they needed to make the show a great success to do justice to his creative genius.

Rent went on to win Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize, and continues to enjoy great success as it nears the opening of its 11th season on Broadway. Rapp said that it is currently number seven in the top ten longest running Broadway musicals of all time. But of course, the show’s success comes at a cost.

“All of the elation of the show was tempered by the bittersweet knowledge that [Larson] wasn’t there,” Rapp told the SCSU audience.

He said that all of the original cast members (which include Daphne Rubin Vega, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Jesse L. Martin and Wilson Jermaine Heredia) know that they are forever changed as a result of their roles in the show.

“It’s continued to be this gift in all of our lives,” Rapp said. “The success of Rent has really validated everything I believe in.”

When asked how it feels to be a part of such a major piece of theater history and contemporary pop culture, Rapp answered humbly. “It’s an honor.”

*blog title taken from Rent's "La Vie Boheme"*

"How do you document real life when real life's getting more like fiction each day?"

I'd like to start off here by thanking all of you wonderful people who reached out to me after my last post (which, I know, was two months ago now; I'll be blogging regularly from here on out). It really touched my heart to receive such kind words and thoughtful gestures from those who read my posting. Thank you so very much. You have no idea what that means to me.

Picking myself up, dusting myself off, starting to push ahead - that's where I'm at right now. One of the events that will help me do this is something I want to tell all of you about.

At 7:30 p.m. this evening, Anthony Rapp will be speaking at Southern Connecticut State University's Adanti Center Theater. For those of you unfamiliar with his name, Rapp was one of the original cast members of the Pulitzer Prize & Tony award-winning musical "Rent." He has also appeared on stage in other productions (including "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"), acted in films (including "Dazed and Confused," "Six Degrees of Separation" and "A Beautiful Mind") and released a studio album in 2000 called "Look Around."

The appearance at SCSU is part of his book tour for 2006's "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent." Admission is free, and I encourage everyone to head there tonight. Even if you aren't a Rent-head, Rapp's talk has something to offer anyone who has ever been torn between great joy and greater sadness, or who has struggled to come to terms with who they are.

I plan to attend and will post reflections on the event later this evening. Hope to see you there!

*blog title taken from the title track of the "Rent" soundtrack, written by Jonathan Larson*