Slidell Little Theatre Unveils Audience Guide E-Zine

by Don Redman

Slidell Little Theatre today rolled out the first edition of Prologue, an audience guide published as an e-zine (ē · zēn – electronic magazine). The purpose of the online publication is to serve as an educational tool that will evolve to include a variety of mediums – written, oral, and visual – filled with the backstage stories and related topics that will provide audiences with a broader understanding of the play, its creators, and the local talent bringing it to life onstage.

"Prologue" first edition

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I hope the folks at Goodspeed Musicals feel really flattered because the entire premise of Prologue was totally inspired by their excellent publication, Audience Insights.

Our inaugural publication was published using a free service through FlipSnack.com, which promised to convert our massive pdf file (portable document format) into an easy-to-download page flip format. Otherwise it would have taken for evah to download.

It’s not without its limitations (what free service isn’t?), but for the moment we are happy with the results (here). Two pages didn’t make the cut – FlipSnack allows for only 15 free pdf pages and our document was 17 pages – so we’ll work on a way to get those pages posted elsewhere at a later date. In the meanwhile, we will soon link the original pdf file to our website and explore our options, including upgrading to a fee-based site.

The key to the success of Prologue will depend heavily on the director of each of our Main Stage productions and their cooperation in granting us access to backstage stories, insights, drawings, photos, videos and interviews. Of course, when for the moment you’re essentially an editorial staff of one, getting help in generating the stories will also be essential in producing a quality publication.

I'm not sure we will be able to equal the standard set in the first edition and that's largely because of the talented Joanna Messina and her incredible illustrations in the style of Dr. Seuss. She really deserves a ton of credit for the e-zine's whimsical look and feel. Joanna's complete biography can be found in the current (August/Septemeber) edition of Prologue.

Director Scott Sauber is greatly appreciated for his cooperation and willingness to talk about his vision for Seussical, as well as allowing us a glimpse into the person he is.

There are some detractors, of course, who are worried that divulging too much behind-the-curtain business will "ruin the magic," or "spoil the awe factor," but I am of the belief that simply knowing how something works or looks doesn't have to spell the end of imagination or the theatrical experience. A case-in-point: our production of Stellaluna. Travis and Kelly Brisini wrote an excellent article here about how they made the puppets for Stellauna. There were no secrets left untold. And yet, when the puppets hit the stage, two things magically happened -- the puppeteers disappeared and the puppets came to life. The magic was alive and well onstage!

One of our core missions at Slidell Little Theatre is to educate the community in theatrical productions, and I like to think that the information we expect to provide in future editions of Prologue will further enhance that mission, as well as tell the untold story of the talented people in our community who oftentimes labor in obscurity to bring live theatre to our audiences.

As noted earlier, the plan is ultimately to involve all mediums, including audio bites and video clips in future publications.

But for now, baby steps. Of course, we would love to publish a paper edition, but without a corporate sponsor to help defray the costs, it is simply cost prohibitive at this time.

Even before the last champagne bubble has burst in our celebration of the launch of Prologue, we are already working on the layout for Volume 1, Number 2 – Duck Hunter Shoots Angel.

If you have an interest in contributing to any edition of Prologue (or even this blog), please feel free to email me at VPMarketing@slidelllittletheatre.org. We’d love to have you.

About the Author:
Don Redman is a volunteer member of the Slidell Little Theatre Board of Directors, serving as Vice President of Marketing. He also the self-appointed editor of Prologue, a position he intends to hold until the second someone else steps up to take over the publication. He is a former multiple-award-winning journalist and former managing editor of a now-defunct newspaper on the northshore. He currently is employed on the editorial staff of a regional travel magazine.

Ten Audition Tips From Travis Brisini

Thinking about auditioning for a play at Slidell Little Theatre? During the course of the season, Slidell Little Theatre is asking each of our directors for advice that we hope will provide you with the information you need to better prepare for auditions and give you the encouragement you need to audition again and again.

 

On Stage Oct. 4 - 20

Just as we launch the new season in just a few days with the opening of Seussical, we immediately set our sights on the next show on the slate – Mitch Albom’s comedy, Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, directed by Travis Brisini.

Auditions will be held Sunday, August 18 and Monday, August 19, beginning at 7 p.m. at Slidell Little Theatre, located at 2024 Nellie Drive.

In preparation for auditions, detailed character descriptions for Duck Hunter Shoots Angel can also be found elsewhere on our blog here.

We asked Travis to provide us with his Top Ten Tips to Prepare for Auditions. Here is his advice:

1. Do Your Research: The first step in a successful audition process is to be as well informed as possible. While it’s important to become familiar with the piece for which you’re auditioning, being truly well informed goes beyond simply knowing what the play is about. Look up the director on the internet—what else have they directed? Do you see a pattern in the type of person they cast for the sorts of roles you’d like? People develop patterns of behavior over time, and directors are no different.

2. Make Sure You’re Aware of the Audition Process: Will you need a monologue? A solo vocal piece? Will there be an accompanist, or should you bring your own backing track? Is there going to be a cold reading aspect? Are there going to be multiple days of auditions, or is it one day only? Making sure you’re well prepared will lessen your overall anxiety. 

3. Strategize: Once you’ve learned as much as you can about the piece for which you’ll be auditioning and how the audition is going to be run, it’s time to start strategizing. An important (and overlooked) element of the audition process is choosing a complimentary monologue or vocal sample. This is done by assessing the overall tone of the play for which you’re auditioning (Is it funny? Serious? For adults or kids? Dark and disturbing? Wacky?), then picking something similar but not identical. The thought here is that you can demonstrate the particular set of skills that are relevant, without using the actual songs or text from the piece for which you’re auditioning.

4. Your Best Is Not Always THE Best: People often get confused and think that their audition song or monologue should be the song that they sound best singing, or the piece that best shows off their acting…regardless of whether or not that piece has any complimentary characteristics to the piece for which they’re auditioning. In other words, your very best vocal sample may be a truly impressive Wagnerian opera…but that’s not going to demonstrate to a director that you’re suitable for “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.” By selecting a piece that demonstrates relevant qualities—while still sounding good or acting well—you make it easier for the director to imagine you in a role.

5. Timeliness: Arrive early for your audition. This is a courtesy to the director and to your potential future cast-mates. It prevents you from interrupting an audition-in-progress, and helps assure the director that you’re going to be a timely, responsible cast-member. As an added bonus, having a few minutes to look around the space, familiarize yourself with the setup, and calm your nerves will make worlds of difference in your audition performance.

6. Eagerness: As a director, I have no interest in cajoling people into getting on stage. My ideal cast members are those people who are eager to perform, comfortable with the idea of standing up in front of total strangers and giving it their all (don’t forget: you’ll be doing a lot more of that, if you’re lucky). When the director asks for volunteers, put yourself out there. Remember that you’re making an impression the entire time that you’re at the audition—not just when you’re on stage.

7. Don’t Overestimate the Talent of Your Fellow Auditioners: It can sometimes be daunting when someone stands up immediately before your chance to audition and makes a big impression: a wonderful dancer, beautiful singer or emotive actor. Instead of getting discouraged or intimidated, it’s important to remember that you’re not quite sure what the director is looking for, just yet. It could be precisely the sort of acting at which you’re best, or the type of character you were born to play. There really is some wisdom in doing your best: the right parts will inevitably come to you.  

  

8. Be Gracious: It’s important to thank the people who are giving you the chance to get involved in the theatre. This includes the director, the producer, the accompanist, the music director and anyone else on the production team that’s present at the audition. A simple “Thank You”—particularly to the accompanist—is enough to set you apart from the sea of people who take the labor of the theatre for granted.

9. Warm It Up: Heading into an audition without properly warming yourself up is a recipe for disaster. Stretch, warm up your voice, move around and work out the nervous energy. There’s no telling what you’ll be asked to do by the production team; better safe than sorry.

10. Relax: The audition process, like anything else in the theatre, is a skill: it takes time to become competent, and about the only way to get better at it is to do it. If you get the part, that’s a wonderful outcome. If you don’t, take consolation in the fact that every time you audition, you’ll get more comfortable and confident. Acting is something of a long-con: the more you do it, the longer you’re surrounded by it and the more you pretend to be good at it, the better you’ll actually become.    

About Travis Brisini

Travis Brisini is a frequent contributor to the Slidell Little Theatre community, particularly the Theatre for Young Audiences series. A graduate of LSU with a Ph.D. in Performance Studies, Travis has written, directed or performed a wide variety of pieces ranging from the traditional to the avant-garde. When not at the theatre, he can be found reading, writing and gardening.

Book Review: "Leadership Presence" - Teaching Leadership Skills Using Acting Techniques

Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate and Inspire

Review by Don Redman

A recent study in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Applied Psychology claims it has found scientific proof that leaders are born, not made. But leadership coaches Kathy Lubar and Belle Halpern make a rather convincing argument to the contrary in their book, Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach, Motivate and Inspire.

Co-founders of The Ariel Group, an executive leadership coaching service company, Lubar and Halpern use their theatrical background to argue that  whether you’re the head of a company or an elected official or even the president of an all-volunteer organization, leadership skills can be taught using many of the same techniques actors use to master their roles.

More than mere “stage presence,” Lubar and Halpern say leadership presence is more than skin deep –  it is “the ability to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others.”

In their view, leadership isn’t confined to those with titles like CEO, President, Board Chairman, or supervisor, but includes anyone who tries to foster positive change. “A leader is anyone who tries to move a group toward obtaining a particular result. You don’t need a title to lead.”

But you do need presence.

In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I, Welsh rebel Owen Glendower boasts to Henry “Hotspur” Percy, “I can call the spirits from the vasty deep,” to which Hotspur retorts, “Why, so can I, or so can any man, but will they come when you do call for them?” That is the ultimate test of inspiring leadership.

So what can serious business leaders or team managers or even Slidell Little Theatre board members possibly learn from a group of people who pretend to be someone else? Sure, actors can teach techniques like projection, posture and diction, but leadership?

Explain the authors: “The skills that actors use to move, convince, inspire, or entertain have direct and powerful applications in the worlds of business, politics, education, and organizations in general…. Great leaders, like great actors, must be confident, energetic, emphatic, inspirational, credible, and authentic.”

Halpern and Lubar, cognizant of the dichotomy between acting and being authentic, explain the obvious paradox that in order to pretend, the actor must be real. “That need (to be real while pretending) requires the actor to delve inside himself because the only way an emotion can be authentic is if it comes within the actor. Actors, consequently, are probably more aware of authenticity than anyone else, because they’ve studied it, and themselves, so carefully.”

Leadership scholar Warren Bennis echoes the authors in praise of their book: “Leadership Presence does identify one of those important things that do matter, the natural and obvious…connection between leading and acting. They are unavoidably yoked together, these two, by a common social purpose: the creation of mutuality, of transforming feeling into shared meaning.”

Using a four-step formula – or Four Act Drama – Halpren and Lubar have developed the PRES Model of Leadership Presence used to train more than 30,000 executives over the past two decades.

The PRES model is an acronym for what the authors say are the four elements of leadership:

P – Being Present, the ability to be completely in the moment, and flexible enough to handle the unexpected.

R – Reaching Out, the ability to build relationships with others through empathy, listening, and authentic connection.

E – Expressiveness, the ability to express feelings and emotions appropriately by using all available means – words, voice, body, face – to deliver one congruent message.

S – Self-knowing, the ability to accept yourself, to be authentic, and to reflect your values in your decisions and actions.

The four acts contain their own case studies and examples followed by a series of exercises designed to make you stretch as a leader and to engage in some serious soul-searching.

The authors explain the four acts and corresponding book chapters:

Act I – Being Present: Learning to live in the moment and using improvisational theatre to explore “flexibility,” the key feature of how you act when you are fully present.

Act II – Reaching Out: Getting the best from people you lead through empathy and making connections to create relationships with other persons.

Act III – Expressiveness: Expressing emotion and developing passionate purpose and communicating congruently.

Act IV – Self-knowing and Authenticity: Learning techniques to develop explicit beliefs and values through self-reflection, and accepting yourself and living your values to develop authenticity.

Leadership presence, say the authors, combines “power with humility.”

“It’s about where you and those you lead want to go and what all of you want to accomplish and how all of you can benefit from your work together.”

A brisk and easy read, Lubar and Halpern have penned an excellent resource for burgeoning leaders and even those who are currently in leadership positions, be it on the corporate level or as head of the local PTA.

The exercises, however, including journaling, self-reflection, and storytelling, will require considerably more effort, but well worth it if the end results are self-awareness and inspiring, authentic leadership skills.

The authors beautifully summarize the ultimate goal of acting and how it relates to leadership:

“The ultimate purpose of theatre and acting is to create meaning and context in our lives…. In the same way, leaders create meaning for groups and organizations they lead and they do that by authentically connecting what’s important to them to their work as a leader. What makes this so powerful is that it allows the leader and the led to connect with something bigger than themselves and their own self-interest…. We all want meaning. We all want to be connected with something valuable in human affairs.”

Harkening back to Shakespeare’s Glendower and his claim to conjure spirits, Warren Bennis writes: “Genuine leadership…requires more than putting on the trappings of power. It requires the ability to find that magnetic core that will draw together a fragmented audience – not to just call the spirits, but to make them come when they are called…. In essence, the leader is able to create community.”

And that, after all, is the goal of Slidell Little Theatre: to create a sense of community within the organization, and within our society, and  to add meaning to our lives through the performing arts and our work as volunteers, whether as directors, actors, stage crew, board members, ushers, or grounds keepers. Fulfilling that mission – to engage, educate and involve members of the community in high quality theatrical productions – requires inspired leadership, which, thankfully, can be taught using some of the very techniques we employ to entertain audiences every year.

Leadership Presence is a great start to developing those skills and should be included in any organization’s collection of leadership/management resource literature. The book’s lessons and exercises will have you returning to it again and again.

A copy of, Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach, Motivate and Inspire, can be found at the Slidell Branch Library on Robert Boulevard, or can be purchased online here.

 About the Authors

Belle Halpern and Kathy Lubar

Kathy Lubar and Belle Linda Halpern are the co-founders of The Ariel Group, an international training and coaching firm comprised of performing artists and business professionals teaching participants to authentically connect, communicate and build relationships. Halpern has performed worldwide as an actress and singer and has taught music students at Harvard University. A co-founder of Boston’s New Repertory Theatre, Lubar acted professionally for 15 years, playing lead roles in a number of national tours.

About the reviewer:

Don Redman currently serves as vice president of Marketing on the Slidell Little Theatre Board of Directors. An award-winning journalist, playwright and published author and poet, Redman was awarded the St. Tammany Parish President’s Literary Artist of the Year Award in 2006 for his adult comedy, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia’s Wolf Note?” When not volunteering for SLT and other nonprofit organizations, Redman is the associate editor of a regional travel magazine, and creator and sporadic contributor to “The RedmanWriting Project” blog.  Redman is currently working on a comedy inspired by real events and The King, and is writing a children’s story.

Top Ten Tips to Prepare for Auditions

Have you ever wanted to audition for a role, but was hesitant to because you weren't sure what was expected of you at auditions or you weren't sure what you needed to do to prepare for an audition?

Sunday, June 30, 2013
2024 Nellie Drive

Rest assured that you are not alone. Scores of actors – veterans and novices alike – are always asking, “What do I need to do to prepare for the audition?” During the course of the season, Slidell Little Theatre is asking each of our directors for advice that we hope will provide you with the information you need to better prepare for auditions and give you the encouragement you need to audition again and again.

Slidell Little Theatre launches its 51^st Season in August with the family-favorite musical Seussical, directed by Scott Sauber and starring Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and many more of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters.

We asked Scott to provide us with his Top Ten Tips to Prepare for Auditions. Here is his advice:

1. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.

You would never stand up and sing a concert without preparing it first. Do your solo the same favor.  You should never stand up and do a monologue without preparing it...  And there is no such thing as being too prepared.  Also with the internet as a tool - there is no excuse for not knowing something about the show you are auditioning for.  Google it!

2. Say "Thank You" to the people you are working for and working with.

They have a golden opportunity to cast you and stand next to you.  Thank them for that.  Don't apologize to them with awkward facial expressions.  We all feel the same way when we stand up there in front.  Express pride.  Die outside the audition door.

3. Leave your ego at the door.

If you think you deserve it, I am here to prove you wrong -- and I hold the cookies.  I like to reward those that can do a good job.  Not feature those that say, "Me. Me. Me."  And the role I see you playing is because I want to challenge myself and you...not because everyone knew you would get it.

4. Be flexible.

Be willing to work on a project because you trust the director, enjoy the process and want to entertain an audience.  THAT'S how you build a resume.  Accept any and every role.

5. Practice in front of mawmaw and your friends and your cell phone video camera.

Get the nerves out, check your facial expressions, make bold choices.  And please decide what you are going to do with your hands.  They tell a lot about your level of preparedness (see #1)  and they annoy auditioners when you constantly slap your thighs.

6. Dive into the character.

Don't sing how you would sing.  Sing "Mark" from RENT like you are Mark...from RENT.  I am looking emotional connection, facial expression, and a physical choice.  If the character is prim and proper - stand prim and proper.  If the character is a hunchback, by all means - I need to see your hump.  If your character longs for something, hope for it... and show it in your eyes.  

7. Choose a song early and sing it often.

Lyrics should be the least of your worries at an audition.  Make physical choices driven by the character, but don't dance around.  Make gestures, but don't spell it out for me.  Change a rhythm or speak a sentence.  Make it your own -- driven by the character. Find your favorite audition song and sing here, there, and everywhere. 

8. WATCH THE MOVIE "EVERY LITTLE STEP."

The full version is on YouTube.  You see disappointment, growth, hard work, rejection and a CRAZY GOOD monologue that will leave you in tears....all in an audition. And you will learn a lot about life and a little about theatre.

9. When nerves are shaking you up - DO A CARTWHEEL.

The physical exertion calms your nerves.  And if you are willing to do it on stage in front of the auditioners, you've got nerve and grit...and then you're willing to do anything.

10. Did I mention PREPARE.  It shows.

Good luck to each and every one of you coming out to auditions on June 30^th!

Do you have your own tips for preparing for auditions? We’d love to hear what you do to prepare for an audition!

SLT’s production of Seussical is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). A thorough synopsis of the musical and other research material are available through MTI’s website here.

A list of the characters and suggested ages:

The Cat in the Hat                                18 – 35

Horton the Elephant                             25 – 35

JoJo                                                       8 – 12

Gertrude McFuzz                                 22 – 33

Mayzie La Bird                                     21 – 32

Sour Kangaroo                                    23 – 35

General Gengus Khan Schmitz          30 – 50

The Grinch                                           25 – 45

Mr. Mayor                                             32 – 45

Mrs. Mayor                                           30 – 40

Yertle, the Turtle                                  20 – 50

The Wickersham Brothers                 14 – 40

The Bird Girls                                      16 – 35

Jungle Creatures                                  8 – 80

The Whos                                             8 – 90

Seussical opens August 16, 2013 and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through September 8.

A multiple-award winning actor, light designer, director and educator, Scott Sauber teaches Theatre in the Talented Arts Program at Slidell High School and is a graduate of the University of New Orleans Theatre Department.

A complete listing of Scott’s stage and offstage credits can be found here. 

SLT Names ‘Into the Woods’ Season’s Best Show

The Slidell Little Theatre production of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's fractured fairy tale Into the Woods, took Best Show honors at the community theatre’s recent Ginny Awards ceremony.

Named after SLT founder Virginia Madison, the Ginny Awards recognize achievement during the community theatre’s six main stage productions, including categories for acting, directing, choreography, set design, lighting, sound and more.

The winners of the 2012-2013 Season Ginny Awards are:

Best Lighting Design – Ryan Robichaux for “Into the Woods”

Best Sound Design – Josh St. Cyr and Fred Martinez for “A Streetcar Named Desire”

Best Costumes – Larry Johnson, Jr. and Julie Generes for “Into the Woods”

Best Set – Larry Johnson, Sr. and Larry Johnson Jr. for “Into the Woods”

Best Choreography – Larry Johnson, Jr. for “Into the Woods”

Best Supporting Actress – Diana La Salla for “Into the Woods”

Best Supporting Actor – Joshua Brewer for “Into the Woods”

Best Actress – Mary Kathryn Carrol for “Show Boat”

Best Actor – Gary Mendoza for “A Christmas Story”

Best Musical Director – John Giraud for “Into the Woods”

Best Director – Larry Johnson Jr. for “Into the Woods.”

Best Show – “Into the Woods” – Producer Brandee Krieger; Director Larry Johnson, Jr.; and Stage Manager Mitch Stubbs.

Sarah Boudreaux Smith won awards for Best Poster and Best Marquee (both for Show Boat).  Jack Faust was named Ham of the Year for his portrayal of Milky White in Into the Woods.

The Ginny Awards were first introduced during the 1968-1969 Season. That year, “Of Mice and Men” was named Best Show.

BEST ACTOR

Gary Mendoza received SLT’s Ginny Award for Best Actor

for his tour de force performance as the adult Ralph Parker

in “A Christmas Story.” Mendoza teaches talented theatre

at Covington High School.  (Photo by Michael Clark)

BEST ACTRESS 

The very talented Mary Kathryn Carrol, singing with her co-star Michael McAndrews 

in “Show Boat,” was nominated twice in the same season for Best Actress.

She took home the top honor for her portrayal of Magnolia “Nola” Hawks in “Show Boat.”

(Photo by Michael Clark)

Best Supporting Actress

Diana La Salla as the Wicked Witch threatens Little Red Riding Hood

in a scene from “Into the Woods.” La Salla was awarded the Ginny for

Best Supporting Actress.

(Photo by Paul Wood)

Best Supporting Actor

Joshua Brewer as Jack of beanstalk fame has his ear pinched by his mother (Renee Saussaye)

after she learned he sold their prized milk cow for a handful of worthless beans

in the musical, “Into the Woods.”  Brewer received the Ginny Award

for Best Supporting Actor.

(Photo by Michael Clark)

Slidell Radio City Playhouse: Our Shows



Slidell Little Theatre is launching the inaugural production of the newly formed Senior Actors Theatre of Slidell (SATS) with a live broadcast June 15, 2013, of “Slidell Radio City Playhouse,” a re-enactment of programs popular during the Golden Age of radio.

The Radio City Playhouse production will feature three shows from the 1940s: two comedies and one suspense drama!

The shows we’ve selected to re-enact are (in order of production): My Friend Irma: episode “Seeing Ghosts”; Sorry, Wrong Number; and The Great Gilderslevee, episode “Income Tax Forms.”

The following is some background material about each of our shows...

My Friend Irma



Marie Wilson (left) and Cathy Lewis



My Friend Irma, created by Cy Howard, was a top-rated, long-running radio situation comedy, so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films, television, a comic strip and a comic book. Marie Wilson portrayed the title character, Irma Peterson, on radio, in two films and a television series. The radio series was broadcast on CBS Radio from April 11, 1947 to August 23, 1954.

Dependable, level-headed Jane Stacy (portrayed by Cathy Lewis) began each weekly radio program by narrating a misadventure of her innocent, bewildered roommate, Irma, a dim-bulb stenographer from Minnesota. They lived together in an apartment rented from their Irish landlady, Mrs. O'Reilly.

Irma's boyfriend Al was a deadbeat, barely on the right side of the law, who had not held a job in years. Only someone like Irma could love Al, whose nickname for Irma was "Chicken." Al had many crazy get-rich-quick schemes, which never worked. Al planned to marry Irma at some future date so she could support him.

Professor Kropotkin, the Russian violinist at the Princess Burlesque theater, lived upstairs. He greeted Jane and Irma with remarks like, "My two little bunnies with one being an Easter bunny and the other being Bugs Bunny." The Professor insulted Mrs. O'Reilly, complained about his room and reluctantly became O'Reilly's love interest in an effort to make her forget his back rent.

Irma worked for the lawyer, Mr. Clyde. She had such an odd filing system that once when Clyde fired her, he had to hire her back again because he couldn't find anything. Useless at dictation, Irma mangled whatever Clyde dictated. Asked how long she had been with Clyde, Irma said, "When I first went to work with him he had curly black hair, then it got grey, and now it's snow white. I guess I've been with him about six months."

Irma became less bright as the program evolved (she thought flypaper was airline stationery!). She also developed a tendency to whine or cry whenever something went wrong, which was at least once every show. Jane had a romantic inclination for her boss, millionaire Richard Rhinelander, but he had no real interest in her.

The film My Friend Irma (1949) starred Marie Wilson and Diana Lynn, but is mainly remembered today for introducing Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to moviegoers, resulting in even more screen time for Martin and Lewis in the sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950).



CAST OF “MY FRIEND IRMA”

(pictured from left) Kenneth Faherty, Beth Harris, Linda Wendle,

Margaret Rennie, Helen Joffe and Robert Jahncke.



Sorry, Wrong Number



Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Stevenson



"Sorry, Wrong Number" was Suspense radio's biggest hit and became "radio's most famous play," says author and historian Christine A. Miller, and the only Suspense radio play to be made into a movie.  

Miller’s blog, Escape and Suspense! is “devoted to the enjoyment of the CBS radio show Suspense and its sister show Escape.” In addition to providing considerable research into each show, Miller also includes audio links to the actual broadcasts.

The Suspense radio show was a thriller that ran on CBS Radio from 1942 to 1962. Between 1947 and 1954, Suspense also had a sister show named Escape, which focused on classic short stories and exotic adventure.

According to Miller, "Sorry, Wrong Number" was performed eight times between 1943 and 1960, “and it created a phenomenon of its own by provoking tremendous listener response.” All eight versions starred Agnes Moorehead in the lead role of Mrs. Elbert Stevenson.

The radio play was written by Lucille Fletcher and, aside from ‘The Hitchhiker,’ it is her best known work.

In the 1948 film Sorry, Wrong Number, the role of Mrs. Stevenson was played by Barbra Stanwyck, for which she later received an Academy Award nomination.  Stanwyck performed the role of Mrs. Stevenson once on radio, along with her costar Burt Lancaster in1950.

For complete details about Sorry, Wrong Number, please visit Miller’s blog here.


CAST OF “SORRY, WRONG NUMBER”

(From left) Kenneth Faherty, Linda Wendle as Mrs. Stevenson, Robert Jahncke,

Helen Joffe and Beth Harris. Not pictured, Bob Gault.



The Great Gildersleeve



Harold Peary as Gildy



The Great Gildersleeve is a radio situation comedy broadcast from 1941 to 1957. It was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built around the character Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve, a regular character on the radio comedy show Fibber McGee and Molly.

The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest popularity in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in four feature films released at the height of the show's popularity.

In Fibber McGee and Molly, Gildersleeve had been a pompous windbag and nemesis of Fibber McGee. But "Gildy" grew so popular that Kraft Foods—promoting its Parkay margarine—sponsored a new series featuring the somewhat mellowed and always befuddled Gildersleeve as the head of his own family.

The Great Gildersleeve premiered on NBC on August 31, 1941.The Gildersleeve character was located to Summerfield to oversee his late brother-in-law's estate and rear his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forester. The household also includes a cook named Birdie.

At the outset of the series, Gildersleeve administers a girdle manufacturing company ("If you want a better corset, of course, it's a Gildersleeve"); later and during the remainder of the show he serves as Summerfield's water commissioner.

A key figure in the Gildersleeve home was cook and housekeeper Birdie Lee Coggins (Lillian Randolph). In the first season Birdie was often portrayed as less than intelligent, but she slowly developed as the real brains and caretaker of the household.

His niece Marjorie matured to a young woman through the 1940s, marrying in 1950 Walter "Bronco" Thompson, star football player at the local college. Look magazine devoted five pages in its May 23, 1950, issue to the wedding. After living in the same household for a few years, the newlyweds moved next door.

Leroy, who remained age 10–11 during most of the 1940s, began to grow up in the spring of 1949, establishing relationships with the girls in the Bullard home across the street. He developed interests in driving, playing the drums and dreaming of a musical career.

Outside the home, Gildersleeve's closest association was with the executor of his brother-in-law's estate, Judge Horace Hooker, with whom he had many battles during the first few broadcast seasons. After a change in scriptwriters in January 1943, the confrontations slowly subsided and the two men became friends. During the second season, pharmacist Richard Q. Peavey and barber Floyd Munson joined Gildersleeve's circle of acquaintances.



In the fourth season, these three friends, along with Police Chief Donald Gates, formed the nucleus of the Jolly Boys Club, whose activities revolve around practicing barbershop quartet songs between sips of Coca-Cola.

Several women passed through Gildersleeve's life during the series, including three he almost married before settling into a pattern of casual dating.

In 1950, Harold Peary was convinced to move The Great Gildersleeve to CBS, but sponsor Kraft refused to sanction the move. Peary, now contracted to CBS, was legally unable to appear on NBC as a star performer, but Gildersleeve was still an NBC series. This prompted the hiring of Willard Waterman as Peary's replacement. Peary, meanwhile, began a new series on CBS which attempted to reproduce the Gildersleeve show with the names changed. The Harold Peary Show, lasting one season, included a fictitious radio show within the show. This was Honest Harold, hosted by Peary's new character.

Starting in mid-1952, some of the program's long-time characters (Judge Hooker, Floyd Munson, Marjorie and her husband) were missing for months at a time. In their place were a few new ones (Mr. Cooley, the Egg Man, and Mrs. Potter the hypochondriac) who would last only a month or so. By 1953, Gildersleeve's love life took center stage over his family and friends. His many love interests were constantly shifting, and women came and went with great frequency.

In 1954 the show's format changed drastically. After missing the fall schedule, it finally appeared in November as 15-minute episodes that aired five times a week. Only Gildersleeve, Leroy and Birdie remained on a continuing basis. All other characters were seldom heard, and gone were Marjorie and her family as well as the studio audience, live orchestra and original scripts.

The show quit broadcasting in 1957.

CAST OF “THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE”

(from left) Ginger Stevens, Kenneth Faherty as "Gildy", Helen Joffe

Robert Jahncke, Don Boyle, Becky Eaton and Beth Harris.



YATS' Lonnie Hass Scholarship Award Winners

Slidell Little Theatre proudly announces the recipients of the 2013 Lonnie Hass Scholarship award, presented by the Young Actors Theatre of Slidell (YATS) to qualifying graduating high school seniors who intend to study the performing arts in college.

Anna Rudesill

Anna Rudesill

A 10-year veteran of the renowned YATS program, Anna Rudesill is a recent graduate of Pearl River High School. Anna says her audition at Slidell Little Theatre at age seven changed her forever. Anna is described as bringing a “passionate involvement and kindness to her endeavors” with “professional communication skills.”

This fall, Anna will attend Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond where she intends to major in Communications with a minor in Theatre.

She is bittersweet about leaving SLT, which has been her summer home for 10 years. It is the place she believes where “magic truly does happen.”

Michael Pagones

Michael Pagones

At age seven, Michael Pagones used to watch YATS participants with envy. He couldn’t wait to be old enough to sign up! Once he was old enough, he jumped in with both feet and spent the next 10 summers in the YATS program. Michael is described as a talented young man with a “beautiful rich maturing voice” who is “consistently challenging himself.” He recently achieved the honor of Eagle Scout, which requires that a successful candidate “plan, develop, and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community.” For his Eagle Project, Michael organized improvements the theatre stage at his church – a perfect illustration of his belief that “theatre is a team sport.”

A graduate of Slidell High School, Michael will attend the University of New Orleans in the fall with an emphasis on Film and Music.

                                            Abigail Marie Gardner

Abigail Gardner

Abigail Gardner believes that “you should pursue what you love,” and that’s why this graduate of Mandeville High School/New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) is heading this fall to Texas Christian University to major in Musical Theatre. Abigail is described as having developed just the right sized ego: “big enough for her to attempt this competitive life, yet not so large that it overshadows compassion for others.” A five-year veteran of YATS, Abigail is already looking past her successful Broadway career and sees a time when she will become involved in a big way at a local community theatre with the intention of inspiring others as she has been inspired.

Christopher Milligan

Christopher Milligan

Christopher Milligan got the “bug” when he was only nine years old. Described as having a “contagious, positive energy” that enters the room with him, those who have worked with him say Christopher is “committed,” “focused” and able to “handle tasks with commitment and maturity.” A graduate of Slidell High School/NOCCA, Christopher describes himself simply as “a starving artist pursuing his dreams. A member of the YATS program for five years, Christopher will attend Pace University in New York and study Musical Theatre, Acting and Dance.

                                          Valerie Aucoin

Valerie Aucoin

Valerie Aucoin says theatre has been a part of her life since she was a little girl and she can’t imagine her future without it. A graduate of Slidell High School, Valerie is described as “always prepared and poised for auditions,” and is “an example of where talent matches a strong work ethic.” A four-year veteran of the YATS program, Valerie describes her dream job as a performer at Disney World.

Valerie will attend the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg where she will focus on Theatre, with a minor in Library Science.

About YATS

Unlike any other children’s theatre camp in St. Tammany Parish, Slidell Little Theatre’s program is the only one to offer help with college tuition to its YATS graduates through the Lonnie Hass Scholarship.

Lonnie Hass is a Life Member of the Slidell Little Theatre and was a leading force behind the founding of Slidell Little Theatre’s Youth Workshop program in the 1970s, serving as its first chairman.

When the Youth Workshop program was restructured in the late 1990s, organizers envisioned a scholarship fund for participants in the newly-formed Young Actors Theatre of Slidell program.

As the YATS program grew and monies could be set aside, the Lonnie Haas Scholarship Program was officially established to provide financial support for participants graduating from high school and going on to study the performing arts in college.

Since the year 2000, Slidell Little Theatre has disbursed nearly $50,000 to local YATS high school graduates to help further their studies in the performing arts.

The YATS summer program is designed to introduce young people between the ages of four and graduating high school seniors to the stage through age-appropriate theatrical productions and workshops.

·        Mini-YATS: entering Pre-K4 through entering 3^rd grade
·        Young Juniors: entering 4^th grade through entering 5^th grade
·        Juniors: entering 6^th grade through entering 7^th grade
·        Young Seniors: entering 8^th grade through entering 9^th grade
·        Seniors: entering 10^th grade through finishing 12^th grade

The Mini-YATS program engages children from four to eight for five days, during which they learn their lines, music and blocking, make their props and costumes if necessary. The week culminates in a performance on Saturday afternoon.

The older YATS participants are separated by age groups to form the casts of up to five different productions. The older groups begin the session by attending a series of workshops designed to expose them to some of the skills needed for the stage. Ranging from dance and voice to stage combat and culminating in auditioning skills they are ready to tackle the audition process. Often viewed as the toughest part of the art, participants are guided through their own audition in a supportive atmosphere designed to identify the individual participant’s strengths so the best opportunity for success within his/her particular play can be identified. All participants are then cast into appropriate roles. And the rehearsal process begins.

The Juniors groups usually perform plays written for young people that last in the range of one to one and a half hours. The Young Seniors and Senior groups stage full two act plays, with the Seniors performing a Broadway musical with a live orchestra.

Teenagers who participate during their high school years become eligible to apply for The Lonnie Hass Scholarship, which is awarded to graduating seniors who intend to study the performing arts in college. There is a fee for participation in the YATS program, with special adjusted rates for members of Slidell Little Theatre.

The Northshore’s premier community theatre since 1963, Slidell Little Theatre is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to engaging, educating, and involving members of the community in high quality theatrical productions. SLT is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs.

Slidell Little Theatre – where the magic comes to life!