"Like a mosaic"

There’s only one more week until tech, and all the sections of our show are stringing together very nicely. I am enjoying every part of this process, especially choreography. We’ve been focusing so much on honesty- being able to act and respond keeping in mind the circumstances and objectives of your character. I’ve never paid this much attention to that word until this production, and I feel it's making me a stronger performer.

In the show, I play the Bullfrog; a comedic, ukulele-playing fellow who gives Ugly a boost when he is feeling down about his unfortunate looks. The Bullfrog is the first person to whom the duckling may relate to, because he too knows what it’s like to walk through life looking unsightly. I’ve learned his humorous demeanor is really his way of distancing himself from reality: no one will come up to him and kiss him to reveal a handsome prince. When Ugly comes to know of this through the frog, I feel it’s one of the most open, honest moments of the scene, because the frog lets his guard down for once.

 The big number, “Warts and All”, sung by Ugly, The Bullfrog, and the ensemble holds the message: someone’s going to love you in spite of your flaws. It’s not only a way of assuring Ugly, but it’s also a much-needed boost for the Bullfrog- that one day someone will love him for who he is.

Putting this piece together has been a challenge, but it’s coming along great. Like our other songs, Cynthia Marten, the music director for this show first taught us the parts we had to sing. The rhythm of this piece and the long phrases we have to sing are probably the most difficult vocally. Once we got a handle on the singing, we learned choreography. Though I’m not a part of the ensemble’s dance for this song, I’ve watched them learn and practice the choreography numerous times in rehearsals. I was once asked to step in for someone absent. As I went through the dance I remember thinking: “The counts are fast-paced; if I’m not in sync with my partner it’ll pop out. Our ensemble has worked so hard in combining these two aspects, and they really bring the song to life.

In past musicals I have been in at STC, a popular adaptation of that story involuntarily had some impact on character development for me. Because the story of The Ugly Duckling has not been adapted in all aspects of the show, there is a lot more room for originality. For example, when I play The Bullfrog, I feel I don’t have to conform to anything. I can interpret the role freely, and I can see everyone's bringing their own, distinct touches to their roles. A great example of this is the geese squadron in “Wild Goose Chase”. Each actor is unique, and they come together like a mosaic. When I watch run throughs of the show, I always look forward to that part. It’s the specific things they do which make it so humorous, and honest.

This is going to be a really fun, honest, and original show!

Julie-Michelle Manohar

Home

Home. It can mean so many different things to so many different people, and yet despite what you or to me or anyone else might visualize when we think of home, I think the feeling that we each feel is probably the same - a sense of belonging...a sense of peace...a sense of safety.

I had a less than stellar childhood. My “home” was never a place I felt like I belonged, and I rarely ever felt a sense of peace or safety. School was not much better. Growing up in rural Iowa as a young man with zero interest in sports or hunting or fishing made me just a little “too different” to fit in and as someone who was a sophomore in high school before he broke 100 pounds, an easy target for bullies.

And then I found the stage. It was the end of my 8th grade year, and I had a music teacher intent on pulling me out of my shell. She got me to sing for the variety show (by threatening to fail me for the quarter). I was terrified...for about a minute. Then it hit me, and it was in that moment I knew I wanted to perform. I was home.

My first experience on stage was transformative. I found a place where I belonged. I found a place where I could be me. It didn’t make the problems at home or the bullying at school go away, but for that brief time onstage, none of it mattered.

Our current production of “Honk Jr” is a musical adaptation of “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Anderson. I don’t think I’m giving away any spoilers when I way that the ugly duckling isn’t really a duck and  transforms into a beautiful swan by the end of the story. That’s what stepping out on stage the first time felt like for me, and I think that’s why this production is so special to me. I’m honored to be able to work on it for my first show as Production Manager and to watch the work involved from start to finish.

A play comes together and transform much like the ugly duckling. Discarded clothes and stacks of material become incredible costumes. Piles of wood and cans of paint spring to life as the set designer’s vision becomes a reality. A flawed and well-worn story gets new life breathed into it and becomes something beautiful though the creative vision of the director and the hard work of the actors involved.

That feeling of home - those feelings of belonging, peace and safety? That’s why I’m involved in Story Theater Company. Being able to be a part of an organization that gives that same safe space to the current generation of young actors (my own included) is a blessing and a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

I am so excited to see how far Story Theater Company has come, and I’m even more excited for the future.

Todd
Production Manager

Stereotypes

            When I first read the script for Honk Jr., I was very skeptical. I could tell that all the characters were very stereotypical, and I felt that the script was written simply with the idea in mind that “kids need to be able to understand this”. I was worried that this show was not going to be good. I was wrong. Instead, this may be one of the most honest shows I have ever been in.

            With the common story and characters, it is easy to fall into the stereotype of the character. But with the help of Kivan and fellow cast members we have all been striving to follow character objectives and to break the stereotypes. A great example of this is the wild goose chase scene. You can see all the clear objectives of the Geese and Ugly. This scene was far more emotional for me then I expected. Even though I knew what happened at the end of the scene, it still took me by surprise. The sudden change from COURAGEOUS to “We failed…” is perfect.

            We all need to strive to break stereotypes and think about our character. When we think of an objective, we need to think of all the little details behind it, for instance, Drake is a stuck up butt. Why? Because he is scared of being a dad. Why? He is afraid his reputation will get ruined. Why? Because he thinks he will mess up really bad and Ida will leave him. Why? All you need to do is keep asking the question “Why?” and suddenly you have not only broken the stereotype, but your character now has new objectives and a new reason to be were he/she is.

           

            -James VanDyk (Drake)

My Experience With Honk so Far

When I discovered this show actually existed, I was a bit skeptical at first. A show about singing animals? This could be a disaster. I auditioned anyway because I knew my director would look at the show differently and hopefully not make it into a bunch of kids playing cute little animals.

I was right, my director turned it into something different then I had feared it might have been. The choreography is great, the music is great, the blocking is great, everything that we have worked on so far has been great. I expected some things to not go right the first run through because it’s our first run through. The songs are my favorite part of the show. The script is okay but I really like the songs. We have done a lot of Disney musicals recently and this show is a nice change of pace. I can truly discover my character and this show entirely new because I hadn’t heard of it before. I can tell by the work that we have put into this show this far that the finished product will be fantastic.

My role in this show is the Turkey. I have made many discoveries about my character as the show has progressed. The Turkey is the teacher at the school in the duckyard. He teaches the ducks all sorts of things like quacking and bad manners. He isn’t the greatest role model as he completely leaves the children to fend for themselves while he listens in on a conversation about french bread. He also is deathly afraid of Thanksgiving. Assuming birds don’t really know the human calendar too well, Thanksgiving could happen at any given moment. Since I’m the only Turkey in the duckyard, I’m kind of doomed. I can use these thoughts to my advantage to keep the tension in my character. Something else about my character is that in one of my scenes, I teach the ducklings. I can use this scene as a way to explore my relationships with other characters. I can also use this as a way to explore more things about how my character thinks and acts. Being the Turkey has also given me the opportunity to work with some people that I normally don’t work with often.

I was very excited to start working on this show and I have learned many things about theater and about my fellow castmates. I have even discovered some things that I can do in a theater setting. My improvisational skills aren’t that great and because of this show they are starting to get better. It has been an honor to work on this show and I have had a lot of fun working on it!

(As the Emperor, Mulan 2015)

Ryan Hinderaker

"Words don't make a story, actions make a story ..."

Rehearsals for “Honk! Jr.” have been going on for a few weeks.  So far it has been a very different experience than the last two shows I’ve done here at STC.  In the past I struggled with being too closed off, and afraid to try new things, and we were all hesitant to say something didn’t work, but in Honk everyone is realizing a problem can’t be fixed if no one adresses it. Beats are something I find we have worked more in this show, just breaking moments down and trying to get the emotions down rather than just doing a set movement.   

The readthrough was a good opportunity to get a better feel for the script, as we all moved freely while reading through.   This helped a lot when it came time to block, stage, and choreograph because we already had a light feeling of movement and who we were interacting with.  For example, Zander Reed and Grace Bernard form a nice relationship as the characters they play; they are always leaning in, listening, and paying attention to objectives and given circumstances.  Zander does a good job showing the PTSD that Greylag may experience, and you can tell certain words upset Greylag. I also think, of all the cast members, Grace always has the best input to a scene we are working on. She thinks into it and isn’t afraid to say something that could be improved. I think having actors so honest and willing to jump in helps all the other cast members to be more open.  

     There is hardly any time when people are just sitting around.  If we aren't in the primary scene being worked, we go work on other acting techniques;  In one case, we decided to work on the scene between Ugly and Penny, and swapped different people in to play the different characters.  This helped us see what we could do, and what we were doing that maybe wasn’t such a great choice for the scene.

 We have been able to run through the first act twice now.  I can already see it improving, not just the blocking but down to decisions and beats.  Asher Suski is doing an amazing job of this, every time he sings or says a line there are clear motives behind it and you can see him always assessing and listening to everything.  It is really easy to get lost in a scene when you forget the person you are working with isn’t actually a character.

 We tried running as much as we could off book, there were some scenes where lines were rough but for the most part everyone had their lines down.  It’s really nice to watch the choreography become less of a panic and more of a beautiful dance.  Warts and All has some of the best choreography in my opinion, the kick-line is becoming very clean and pretty to watch.  

 This musical has been an opportunity for everyone to do something that maybe wasn’t originally what they were cast for.  Such as Gwen Stewart as a ducking; she has a very soft, sweet voice that she gets to show in the Blizzard with a solo.  Same with Josh Gartin, he plays Barnacles the goose, but he also has a solo in the Blizzard.

 “Words don’t make a story, actions make a story and words are a natural product of the emotion.”  

I’m really excited to see it all come together.  I think this is going to be a show to remember.

          Parker McIntosh.

If We're Honest ...

When you’re sitting in the audience, watching the play, you might be wondering how a children’s show like this looks so professional. Is it the complex set? Maybe it’s the gorgeous costumes?  Or is it that they just have extremely talented actors?  These most likely all fit into the grand puzzle, but what really sets a play or musical apart from the rest, is one that has actors who understand the character so well that they are actually almost one with this character.  In theater, we call this, “being honest.”

Here is an example that will clarify the importance of honesty a bit more:

Drake, played by James Van Dyk, is actually The Ugly Duckling’s father.  At first, when you look at the character, he seems like he is probably a lazy coward, who tortures his hideous son.  Hard to relate to, I know.  One of the challenges James faces was trying  to understand the reasoning behind Drake. Why is Drake lazy?  Why does Drake torment his own child?  Next in the process, James has to make up reasons why.  The more specific the better.  Basically, he’s writing a story from his character’s perspective.  After he has understood the logic behind his character, he now has to stop anticipating so much when he plays his character and act like the events happening to him are happening for the first time. This can be quite difficult because everyone has a subconscious part in their brain that tells them what to do next and when to make facial expressions, gestures, etc. While this may look okay during the first few times, we actually want to stop thinking that way.  Otherwise, it appears forced or practiced, which takes the audience out of the story.  James, has already shown us this multiple times in rehearsals that he understands this, so not picking on you, James.

Therefore, at STC one of our major focuses has been on honesty, which is leading to better developed characters and an overall more entertaining show.   In fact, this is the reason why every show is amazing. If we were not honest to our character, then our program would turn out just like a first grade play, except with really cool sets and costumes.  

Honesty has probably been the greatest idea that I have used to be a better actor.  Whether I’m in STC, or doing improv, if I am just being general in my acting, you might be less inclined to lean in, and hear from my point of view as a character.  It just brings everything together when you’re acting.

What truly makes a play great is every actor being truly honest to their character.

Jacob Peters    

              (Snowy)

My Character

Recently, we have been working on the scenes in this production where I play Jay Bird. Getting into the head of this character, who seems like a stereotypical news reporter at first glance, has been very interesting. At first, I was frustrated that the cheesy script consistently got in the way as we struggled to play our characters honestly. Then, I decided to use the stereotypical traits to my advantage. There must be a reason that people show the traits they do that make others feel they fit a certain stereotype. I began to think, “What makes Jay Bird seem like any news reporter without many unique traits?”. I decided that his super objective, the main thing he is trying to achieve, is getting a good story. He wants to make people like his story, and this becomes a priority over communicating facts. He says many things to get everybody watching his channel to feel a certain way such as, “Can you manage a tear for the camera?”, “That’s good. Defensive yet emotional.”, “Some viewers may find this image disturbing.”, and “In a sinister new development”. He very rarely communicates actual information about the incident. Nobody cares about a whole bunch of random information, but people care about their own emotions. Jay Bird needs people to care about his stories or he will lose his job. I came to a conclusion that my character doesn’t have a lot of “human moments” because he is constantly trying not to lose his job. In fact, Jay Bird doesn’t demonstrate his true feelings about his news story until his final exit.

One challenging aspect of my character has been his transatlantic accent. The transatlantic (or midatlantic) accent was not a natural accent. Important people trained to use the dialect in the 1920’s to 1950’s since it made them sound more distinguished and was picked up by the radio waves more easily. It did not fall out of use until the late 1950’s because honesty was not the focus of performers. (Our story takes place in an early 1950’s social climate.) The artificial aspect of the accent makes it more challenging since it is hard to know how subtle to make it. Is it overdramatic to make sure that people hear my story through the radio waves? How well-trained is Jay Bird at the transatlantic accent? Does his inadequate accent contribute to the fact that he is always struggling to not be fired? Since he is the most famous television figure in the duckyard, is he one of the most stellar performers with the accent? I will continue to think about this issue as I work on my accent for future rehearsals. Another challenge has been the logistics of the accent. I wrote each of my lines into my script phonetically to help me when I was working on saying my lines with my accent, but I still have many things I am working on understanding. How much do I soften the vowels? Am I putting emphasis on every “t” or did I forget some? I am confident that I will be able to make progress with the requirements of the transatlantic accent as we continue to rehearse. At our last rehearsal, Jacob talked with me since he participates in radio news for speech contest. He told me about how they worked on putting breaths at strategic places and not breathing in places where it wouldn’t help sell your story. I thought this was a very interesting idea, and I have been working on making every single thing I do contribute to my objective.

During my second scene as Jay Bird, the scene begins with my character in the middle of giving a live broadcast about the disappearance of Ugly. Every movement I make is supposed to contribute to making the story more dramatic than it is. Kivan encouraged me to watch Robert Stack as the host of Unsolved Mysteries. It really helped me think about how to make every aspect of the production, my television show, contribute to the story. It also gave me a concept of what tactics I could use when my character tries to tell a story in the most interesting way. I am going to build off of these ideas to create my own way of being a news reporter. One of the dangers of watching other performers is losing your originality and honesty and trying to copy them instead. I will try my hardest to remain honest, even when I am getting ideas from another actor. When we blocked my scenes Kivan challenged me with many fascinating ideas. He made me think, “Does Jay Bird start to care about the story when Ida gets involved? When he sees the affect this situation has had on Drake does he start to care? Does he always have selfish motives?” I decided that Jay Bird is always trying to get a good story when he is on camera, but as soon as he is not being seen by the general public he has true emotions. He is no longer at risk of losing his job. I used this idea when I decided that he would show his true feeling about the issue after he is done filming the episode he is working on. He doesn’t care a lot about what is actually happening within the story, but he sees that Drake is suffering when his wife is gone and shows sympathy. I think that most people would have to feel compassion toward Drake when he is in the state that he is.

I am having a blast exploring this character and the other animals that I play as I am sharing the story of Honk!. I am trying to put equal consideration into my parts when I am playing characters in the ensemble, such as a farmyard animal, a frog, and a father duck. I am so excited to keep on exploring this show and watching everybody explore their characters. I am amazed at every rehearsal by what we are accomplishing as an ensemble.

Ben Siegel

Jay Bird