Dr. Horrible - Volume 5

We had to end our mini[blog]-series with a shameless plug! See you this week!

  
Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog will be performed March 30 - April 3 at 7:30pm and 2pm (Sunday) in the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre in Thompson Hall. All performances are free to the public, with a $5 suggested donation. Donations will help fund the next Student Studio. Tickets will be available at the door.

More information here. 

Dr. Horrible - Volume 4

Evil laugh montage for your viewing pleasure...

Tune in next Wednesday for our final volume of the Dr. Horrible mini[blog]-series!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog will be performed March 30 - April 1 at 7:30pm and 2pm (Sunday) in the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre in Thompson Hall. All performances are free to the public, with a $5 suggested donation. Donations will help fund the next Student Studio. Tickets will be available at the door.

Dr. Horrible - Volume 3

Welcome to the third installment of Dr. Horrible mini[blog]-series.

I welcome any of the new minions who have only recently been introduced to this status quo-breaking blog. Alas, if Dr. Horrible has taught us anything it is that the status is not quo. (And, if Dr. Horrible hasn't taught you anything yet/this makes absolutely no sense to you I recommend you mark your calendar to snag a seat to this production - pronto).

In last week's post we searched into the realm of darkness,

unearthing the weaknesses names, majors, etc. of our cast members.

This week I dove deeper into the darkness and into the light (Literally. Rob had to turn the lights on for me so I could get some decent pictures). Let's see what was found:

Gurney. Never bodes well.

Gadgets and knobby things:

And you can imagine my utter joy at finding this state-of-the-art technology:
(I believe there was an audible "sweet sassy" when I set my eyes on it for the first time,
followed by the sound of the heavens opening. I'll let you interpret that yourself).

My mind immediately went to the last place I had seen machinery like this:

(some of you may recall my soft spot for anything Doogie Howser, MD).

And let's keep this train moving right on through our NPH 3 degrees of separation

and bring it full circle, people!

Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible:

OK, enough of that. Here is our Set Designer, Rob working on the set:

This is a picture with some of the small buildings that are on stage.

I attempted to take a Godzilla-like picture, but failed, so this is what you are left with:

Back of flats.

A better look at the main backdrop:

That's all I have for you this week, but we've still got 2 to go.
Check back in next Wednesday for Volume 4.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog will be performed March 30 - April 1 at 7:30pm and 2pm (Sunday) in the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre in Thompson Hall. All performances are free to the public, with a $5 suggested donation. Donations will help fund the next Student Studio. Tickets will be available at the door.

Dr. Horrible - Volume 2

As we continue our search into the realm of darkness Dr. Horrible mini[blog]-series, I thought it wise to really see how the cast measures up. I mean, if I am committing a couple hours of my life to a sing-a-long in March/April, I want to really know what I'm getting into. But, let's face it, I wouldn't miss this sing-a-long for anything!

With that, I girded my...myself with my...camera (let's keep it PG 13!) and grilled this "Horrible" cast for more information, including what their own personal superhero or villain would be.

Name: Eric Wilbanks
Role: Dr. Horrible himself
Year: Freshman
Major: Spanish Education
Superhero name: The Not-so-Stupendous Spork
Superhero power: Saving people from the terror of having to choose between the utility of the fork and the usefulness of the spoon.
Nemesis: The Flying Foon

Name: Lizzy Ozamiz
Role: Penny
Year: Sophomore
Major: Textile Engineering - Information Systems
Villain name: Lizice
Villain power: Can turn people into ice with one look

Name: Andrew Enloe
Role: Captain Hammer
Year: Freshman
Major: FYC
Villain name: Psych-O
Villain power: Telekinetic powers that enable me to control the molecules around me so that I can move things with my mind, stop the flow of time, and even make things implode with my mind.

Name: Paul Brothers
Role: Moist
Year: Senior
Major: Visual Arts Applicatons
Superhero name: Awkward-o
Superhero power: The power to break down common social boundaries through inappropriate actions and comments with impeccable timing


Name: Brett Williams
Role: Groupie
Year: Sophomore
Major: Zoology
Super villain name: Color Wheel
Super villain power: The ability to make every white crayon in the world disappear for 5 seconds at time.

The Bad Horsemen from right to left: Scott Spence, Nat Conti, Caroline Hopping

Name: Nat Conti
Role: Bad Horseman
Year: Freshman
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Superhero name: Lampshade
Superhero power: To make everyone invisible but myself invisible, so I wear a lampshade to hide.

Two cast members aren't pictured, but I'll cut them some slack this time... I think they've got a good thing going so far.

Check back with us next Wednesday for Volume 3!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog will be performed March 30 - April 1 at 7:30pm and 2pm (Sunday) in the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre in Thompson Hall. All performances are free to the public, with a $5 suggested donation. Donations will help fund the next Student Studio. Tickets will be available at the door.

Dr. Horrible - Volume 1

Welcome to our Dr. Horrible mini-[blog]series!

(for an intro. to our Dr. Horrible student studio, check out this post)

Leading up to our student studio show, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog we will be providing you with blogging insight, evil and entertainment... going light on the evil.

I invited myself asked if I could sit in on the student studio production meeting to get a taste for their progress and also got some feed back from them about how the process is going so far (make sure to check out the pictures below!):

EC: What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

BS: I've really enjoyed meeting the cast, everyone is really excited and things are moving forward.
ZS: I have really enjoyed starting rehearsals and working with the actors. Having rehearsals makes things feel like we are getting closer to the performance dates.
RS: So far it is collaborating with the other designers and working with the actors. Everyone is excited about the project which makes it so much easier and fun.

EC: How have the staff advisers [Jayme Mellema and Allison Bergman] been able to guide you?

BS: The staff have been amazingly helpful. They are helping us with the planning process and making sure that we are on track.
ZS: The entire University Theatre staff have been great to work along side with. They have been able to help us get the information we need while still allowing us, the students, to put everything together.
RS: They really help you to stay organized and gauge exactly what we can and cannot do. They want to see us succeed. Their doors are always open.

EC: How important has collaboration been between the three of you?

BS: The collaboration between Zac and Rob has is what makes me so excited to be a part of this production. We each have something special to bring to the table and together I feel like we will put together an awesome show.
ZS: We have been corresponding with each other a lot throughout the process. We have our own distinct jobs, but good communication between us has been a great advantage. We talk multiple times a day about Dr. Horrible in order to make decisions.
RS: Collaboration on this project is key. In fact, we have all had our hands in just about everything we are working on. It definitely helps weaken the work load for each of us.

EC: What advice do you have for those who may be interested in producing the student studio in the future?

BS: Get the ball rolling early. The student studio really is produced by the students, so it is up to you to start the process. Have fun with it, working with your peers in this type of a production is a truly unique experience.
ZS: 1. Start talking about it now with others who may be interested.
2. Plan ahead and make a calendar to follow.
3. Pick a play you know you will enjoy working on.
4. Have a super-duper, zippy-zang-zing, great, fun time with it!
RS: Work with people you get along with. Don't try to do it all on your own because there is a lot of stuff involved. Do a lot in the beginning so you aren't sprinting at the end.

and now...pictures!

Horrible scripts and music (see what I did there with "horrible"...)

The student studio team meets every week with the staff advisers.

Meeting of the minds.
I thought this constituted a "look at this ridiculously large conference table" shot.

....and from another angle!

Check back with us next Wednesday for Volume 2!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog will be performed March 30 - April 1 at 7:30pm and 2pm (Sunday) in the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre in Thompson Hall. Tickets will be available at the door.

Who doesn't love a sing-a-long... blog?

(From Left to Right - Zac Schnell, Blake Sharrits, Rob Steinberg)

University Theatre is excited to announce this Spring's Student Studio: Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog. Auditions are Feb. 1 & 2, 2011 in Thompson Hall's Studio Theatre at 6pm.(From Left to Right - Zac Schnell, Blake Sharrits, Rob Steinberg)

Performances will run in Thompson Hall's Studio Theatre March 30 - April 3 at 7:30pm

_________________________________________________

I was able to track down our busy trio in charge of this endeavor and get the scoop on each person's role and their preparation for the production:

Why did you all want to put on the student studio?

Rob Steinberg:

I really wanted a chance to direct a show and get some perspective of what its like behind the directors table as opposed to from the actors point of view.

Blake Sharrits:

I have always been interested in creating a show from the ground up. I also look forward to once again being part of a student studio. After having Andrew Payne as my director for Waiting for Godot [08/09 student studio], I got really excited about putting on my own show, I hope that working with Zac and Rob we can make a legendary Student Studio.

Zac Schnell:

I have always been interested in directing a show to gain more experience on that side of the theatre spectrum, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I also wanted to have a great show to share with other students of NCSU.

Why did you choose Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog?

A couple friends of mine showed it to me and we thought it was hilarious. Something college students would really enjoy. Plus it was a low budget short film so it wouldn't be hard to turn it into a low budget production. The show itself is about something that I feel will really reach out to our college community here at NC State and be a show that everyone can relate too.

How would you describe the application process for the student studio? [Any student interested in a student studio has to propose their production to UT staff. For more information, contact Allison_Begman@ncsu.edu for future production opportunities.]

It wasn't bad. If anything it totally helped to get the planning process going.

How did you build your production team?

RS: Haha, it kind of just came out of nowhere. I heard that Zac and Blake were both interested so we talked and just got the ball rolling. Really all we had to do was ask someone and they were instantly on board. Our whole team is really excited about this show.

What are each of your roles for this production?

RS: I am “technically” technical Director.

BS: Director

ZS: Producer

How did you decide who would be the Technical Director, Producer and Director?

RS: We plan on combining all our roles each helping fill out every role, but Blake has taken the Directing class so he was the logical choice as the director, Rob has technical experience, and Zac has worked on the production side of shows before. It all came down to who knew more about technical theatre and since I was the only one with any experience around the lights or sound in the theatre it was a fit. Zac does a great job at VP for APO so Producer wasn't far from what he normally does.

What are each of you most looking forward to during the course of this production?

RS: I'm really looking forward to the rehearsal process and working one on one with the actors. With three directors its going to be easy to distribute the work load in my opinion.

BS: Starting with a blank slate and creating an entire universe to give to our actors to let them live in.

ZS: Working with the people from the cast and from the staff members of University Theatre to present an amazing production.

What would your super hero or villain name be?

RS: I really shouldn't be releasing this sensitive of information but... Captain Rob.

BS: Dr. QED

ZS: Master Magic Zac, maybe a captain get in the title later.

What lessons does Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog have to offer about love, evil, or the status quo?

“Lines are becoming blurred, there is no longer such a thing as pure good or pure evil. Things are constantly changing and everything is becoming relative. The status is not quo! The world is terrible place and I just have to rule it!”

Stay updated on Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog through our facebook page: facebook.com/ncstateuniversitytheatre and by signing on to our listserv at ncsu.edu/theatre