The sweltering Washington summer is nearing an end (hopefully), and there are many cool things happening in Kensington. Read on to find out more about Company auditions, our 4th Annual Gala, and the latest entry in Tom Lane's theater blog.

In Good Company

Book by George Furth Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Directed by Craig Pettinati Music Direction by Josh Tuckman Choreography by Diego Prieto Produced by Robin Covington Auditions: Tuesday, Aug. 16 & Wednesday, Aug. 17. Callbacks: Thursday, August 18. All at 7:30pm. Show opens Friday, October 28. Come one, come all. KAT is holding auditions for the Fall 2005 show, Sondheim's COMPANY. Casting six males & eight females ages 20 to 80, minorities encouraged. Prepare 32 bars of an up-tempo number, and come dressed to move. Winner of the 1971 Tony Award for Best Musical, COMPANY uses the clashing sounds and pulsing rhythms of New York City as the underscore in this landmark "concept" show, considered by many to have inaugurated the modern era of musical theater. We follow bachelor Robert as he makes his way through a series of encounters with April (the stewardess), Kathy (the girl who's going to marry someone else), Marta (the "peculiar" one), as well as five married couples where he explores love, commitment, fear and the joy of being alive. On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert contemplates his unmarried state. In vignette after hilarious vignette, we are introduced to "those good and crazy people," his married friends, as Robert weighs the pros and cons of married life. An honest, witty, sophisticated look at relationships, COMPANY is as contemporary and relevant as ever (witness the recent hit revivals on Broadway and the West End). It features a brilliant energetic score containing many of Sondheim's best-known songs, each song revealed outside the scenes rather than part of them. You can't guess so well in advance when the dialogue is building to a musical cue. The ensemble of quirky, memorable Woody Allen-esque characters which doubles as the show's chorus. Click here to go to the Company page »

KAT's 4th Annual Fundraising Gala - A Summer Spectacular

Friday, September 16, 8:00pm at Rockville's Glenview Mansion The theater group is growing, and we have new ideas and concepts to bring to our audience. We have decided to hold a fundraiser that will help bring light to these visions. This fundraiser is designed to raise money so that we can create the most cutting-edge musical theater in the area. At present, we are faced with constraints, as we have only been in existence for three seasons. We have design ideas, set ideas, costume ideas and orchestral demands that prevent us from putting on certain shows that we feel are worthy of being told. This is an affair to celebrate KAT's direction. The night will include a silent auction featuring prizes such as vacations, dinners at exclusive restaurants, first class tickets to theatrical and sporting events including the Washington Wizards, an open bar, light fare, and high-quality entertainment...KAT's brightest talents singing songs from Broadway's best! The admission price per person is $75. However, if you are a KAT member or a Kensington resident, admission is $70. It is more than past galas, but we are doing it for a reason. Providing all the above mentioned, we look at the price as a donation. It is a donation toward a community theater group that provides insightful, thought-provoking work. Best of all, the event is tax-deductible as we are a 501(c)(3) group. You can help a theater group dedicated to creating meaningful work and receive a tax break in the process. Join us!!! We look forward to seeing you. Click here to go to the 2005 Gala page »

Sealed With a Kiss

KAT ended its 2004-2005 season in style with KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. The cast included three leads well known to the KAT audience, Andy Izquierdo as Valentin, Karissa Swanigan in the title role, and Diego Prieto as Molina. The supporting cast and ensemble featured familiar faces as well as many new ones. Michael Toscano of The Washington Post called the show "compelling," and goes on to elaborate on how the show's director, Craig Pettinati and KAT "don't flinch" when challenged to "tackle" this unusual and difficult production. He added that newcomer Amy Martin's musical direction was "rich and lush," and Matt Karner's set was "refreshing" to the on-looker. For the first time at KAT, the orchestra pit was placed above and behind the performers. Matt Karner and many others worked long hours to build a raised platform for the pit in order to create a consistent place for musicians and to create more room for both the performers and the audience without sacrificing the musicality of the production. Some of the fresh new faces involved in this production came to us from various walks of life, and we are extremely grateful for the relationships made with them. Kevin Boyce and Jenna Ballard were a wonderful duo in the creation of our light design and execution. The husband and wife team have also joined the KAT 2005-2006 Board of Directors. Mark Hamberger is currently working as the Costume Stock Coordinator with The Washington Opera, which proved useful when he asked to assist in the costume design and procurement. He and his partner Erik will be costuming our fall production of COMPANY. Robin Covington, who wore more hats in this production than Dr. Seuss, is also working with us again as the producer of COMPANY. One thing's for sure - KISS wouldn't have been successful if it weren't for Robin. KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN was an artistic success due in part to every single person involved with the production. Thanks to everyone for all they did to make sure we pulled off a great show. Thanks especially to Craig, whose vision was clear and realized. Click here to go to the Kiss...Spider Woman page »

Tom-Katting Around

Following the resounding lack of hate mail I got after my first two-part column, I am going to venture another two-parter. These next two columns will cover the implicit compact between us, the performers, and the director. The second column will go into what the director owes you as a performer, but that is for another season. Today, I am going to give you my thoughts on what we performers owe the director. First, please bear in mind that I will be using "director" throughout these columns as an all-inclusive term. While the topics I discuss apply most specifically to the stage director, they will be almost equally true in your relationship with the music director, the choreographer, the guy who mops the stage (sometimes known as the "assistant director") and the stage manager (sometimes known as "the guy who mops the stage"). If I have occasion to refer to the director as a pronoun, I am going to use the masculine version, even though I have been directed more often by women than by men. We have already been through the audition process, however superficially. Let me take things from where you have been cast. The first and most important thing to do is be there when you are supposed to be. That means, be on time for the rehearsals you are supposed to attend. If you are in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area -- and I'm guessing you are -- then that means often making allowance for very heavy traffic. The second part of being there is to show up on the nights you are scheduled to rehearse. Almost all of us who have ever done a show have conflicts, and the casting process will make allowances for them, especially early in the rehearsal schedule. If you are going to have conflicts during final tech week or the show itself, you might get the director to make an accommodation for you, but do not imagine for a moment that such consideration is a basic right you have. If something of a non-emergency nature comes up that you did not foresee, such as an audition for a future show elsewhere, you should ask permission from your present director to be absent during that rehearsal. It has been my experience that such permission will not be unreasonably withheld. Still, you should be prepared to deal with the answer being no. And by "deal with," I mean you don't miss your rehearsal. What you do in that instance is to ask the show you are auditioning for to make the accommodation. Illness and injury are separate matters. In the case of communicable disease, you should use your best judgment. I was once in a cast of about 30 where, at one point, I and one other fellow were the only two members who did not have a bad cold or the flu. Perhaps if the first sufferers had not decided to "tough it out," some of the rest of the cast may have been spared. As with your paying job, if you are too sick or hurt to show up, you need to get the word out ASAP. I recently caught a kidney stone the afternoon before a rehearsal. These, as some of you know, are very painful. One of the first things I did when it hit me was to call my director and tell him what was going on. "That's OK," he told me, "I'll just tell everyone you're home getting stoned." Next is something that is so basic to the process, I am amazed it has to be brought up at all, yet it does. If the director had occasion to speak to you individually, would you listen to what he had to say, or would you run your mouth while he was trying to talk? I am guessing that you would listen. Why, then, is it different when the director is addressing you collectively? He may be talking to a group of people, but he is still talking to you. Listen in the same silence you would give him if he were talking to you one-on-one. What he has to say is probably just as important for you to hear. When you are in the process of rehearsing, allow the director to call you by your character's name if you are cast as a principal. This is for two very good reasons. The most important and obvious one is that your director has far more pressing stuff to keep track of than your real first name, even though he does know what it is. Give him a break and let him refer to you by the name on his script, which is right in front of him, rather than the name on your audition application, which may be in some distant filing cabinet. The second way this helps the director is that you may share the same first name with others in the cast. I was once in a show that had five Davids. Another time, I was one of three Toms. This can happen in real life, but I know of very few playwrights who deliberately wrote a script featuring five guys named David. If there is something out of the ordinary that you will not do, that is your decision to make, but the director needs to know about it before, not after, you are cast. If you are unwilling, for example, to perform in your foundation garments or, rarely, no garments at all, be up front about it. You may not get the part, but you will not be resented for misrepresenting yourself, which could affect your future chances. Note: the best way to avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings is to let any information about extraordinary requirements be known during the audition process. Another example of this sort of thing might be in the area of stage combat. When I did Kiss Me, Kate. The fellow who was cast in the lead role was superb in every aspect except one: he absolutely refused to allow his face to be slapped. The director did not find out about that until we were too far along to recast the part. We ended up doing without the face slapping, and it seriously marred the production. I have saved the most important consideration you owe your director for last. That is this: do not expect him to dictate every last tic of your eye or furrowing of your brow. You will be told how, where and what to move, what parts of the music to sing and what lines to say. You may be given some general notes regarding nuance, but, if you are really focusing on your part, you should not need them. Anything beyond these rudiments, you need to come up with yourself. Project the life of your character before and after the life of the script, so that you will better know how to behave during it. There is almost never one hard and fast way a character should be played. You need to find one that not only makes sense, but works for you. You will probably not be able to develop this stuff in your first few rehearsals, but you should always be ready to grow your character until you have something substantial to offer. To that end, do not be afraid to develop stuff for your role. If you have a creative touch to add, add it in during the rehearsal process. The director may not want to use it, but he will probably appreciate the fact that you are making a serious effort to put life into your character. It is far less embarrassing for both you and the director if he has to tell you something like, "Let's forget about flipping off the audience at the end of that number," than it is to have to tell you, "Come on, look alive!" Break the leg--tcl – Tom Lane Click here to read about our next auditions »