CONGRATULATIONS DEBI LEWIS!!!

One cast member in our Fall production of Maltby & Shire's musical, "Baby," took her role to heart and is now expecting!!

Debi has offered to let SLOLT tag along during the pregnancy. She'll be checking in with us to report how things are going and share ultrasound pictures, too! Here's the first in our 9 month series of interviews with Debi.

Congrats to the parents-to-be! :-)


SLOLT: Debit, can you tell us what role you played in Baby?
I recently played the leading role of Lizzie in “Baby.” The show followed her character through a full term of pregnancy, complete with the birth at the end of the show!


SLOLT: What made you want to audition for the show?
I was in the ensemble of “Baby” when I was a sophomore at Cal State Fullerton working on my Musical Theater degree. I was too “young” to play the role then, but the show struck something in me and has always been dear to my heart. I just love the relationships and the music. I’ve wanted to play Lizzie ever since then, so I was thrilled when the opportunity arose.

SLOLT: We've heard a rumor that you actually became pregnant during the run of the show, is that true? Was it planned?
I DID get pregnant during the show. I’d like to think it was all of the baby mojo and lovely ladies in the cast who would rub my “belly” and pray for a true blessing to come to us. Now I can technically say that the baby has already been on stage. Ha! This baby was VERY planned! My husband and I have been married for 5 years, had great travels together, and reached the point in our lives where we really wanted to have a baby. I guess we just had to wait so we could have a fun story to tell about conceiving during “Baby!” I am thrilled to have the support of so many great theater colleagues and patrons too!


SLOLT: When is your due date? Do you know the sex yet?
My due date is July 24. We find out on March 6 what we are having. We can’t wait!!!

SLOLT: How are you feeling right now? Any fun morning sickness/cravings yet?
I am feeling great now! I had a rough first trimester, with quite a bit of morning sickness, but it was manageable. I know many women have had it far worse than I did. I am happy to be part of the statistics that enter the 2nd trimester and feel like a champ! I haven’t had any cravings yet, but I am eating my share of pickles...but no ice cream with them! :)

Feel free to leave your comments/congratulations for Debbie and stay tuned to see how this theatre baby develops!

Lend Me a Tenor director, Gailee Walker is offering acting classes!

Award-winning actor, writer, director, Gailee Walker will conduct two winter/spring workshops for serious actors and writers beginning in March.

“Stop Acting and Be”, a 10 week workshop that meets on Sundays from 11 – 2 once a week is for any actor – stage or film – who dares to throw away the safe crutches used by too many actors and become a powerful presence on the stage and in film. A former Equity company member of Stages Rep, Ms. Walker has studied with Michael Shurtleff, the British American Drama Academy, and was heralded as “the next Meryl Streep” by Variety before she retired from acting to raise her children. Actors will develop cold reading skills by learning how to immediately discover character, relationship, conflict, and need. Understanding of the importance of humor, mystery and secret in every moment will be explored. The differences between working on an intimate stage, a theatre that seats thousands, and being in front of a film camera will be experienced.

The workshop begins on Sunday, March 9th at 11 am runs for 10 weeks. For more information call 466-3538

Catching up!

My apologies for the gap between our last post and this one. Between flu season and a very busy month, it simply got lost in the shuffle. I've got lots to report, so keep reading!

Our yearly Legend Series FUNdraiser opened last weekend to sold out houses and rave reviews. "What'd I Say: A Musical Tribute to Ray Charles" will run through March 23rd. Tickets are going fast, so be sure to get yours soon. Don't forget to check out our new online ticketing system. Simply go to our website and click on the 'tickets' tab. Why deal with a voice mail system or play phone tag with the box office if you can do it yourself? If you prefer a personal touch, however, our box office staff is always happy to make your reservation. :-)

My Fair Lady auditions were a huge success. Congratulations to everyone in the cast. If you're curious to see the cast list, please visit the audition page on our website. If anyone would like to help out on the technical side of the show, please call our Volunteer Coordinator, Jeffrey Salsbury at 781-3889 x 11 or send him an email at volunteer@slolittletheatre.org.

This Saturday, March 1st, between 8 am and Noon we will be cleaning out our closets! For one day only we are opening our costume closet doors to the public! If you like it, you can have it! Costume, hats, shoes, purses, props. All different sizes, colors and time periods! Donations will be accepted. For more information, please contact our Production Manager, Katie Mack-Montenegro at 781-3889 x14 or katie@slolittletheatre.org!

Our upcoming Readers' Theatre production of Waiting for Godot will run on Thursday, March 27th at 8 pm and on Friday, March 28th at 8 pm. Tickets are only available online or cash at the door. This special production features local high school talent, so you won't want to miss it!

That's the update for now. I will be sure to keep you posted on any new and exciting events at the SLO Little Theatre. :-)

Wendy-Marie Foerster
Executive Director

My Fair Lady Auditions!!!

Come one, come all! Auditions start in only 3 days!

Directed by Rachel Hockett

Music Direction by John Cribb

Choreography by Zach Johnson

When: Mon Feb 11 OR Tues Feb 12, 6:30 pm. Callbacks if necessary Wed Feb 13, 6:30 pm

Where: Trinity United Methodist Church, 490 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos

Audition plan:

Vocal--Please prepare 16 bars of a song not from My Fair Lady. Audition accompanist provided; bring sheet music.

Dance--We will teach you a short routine; be sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothes for dancing.

Dialect--We will ask you to "repeat after me" in both Cockney and standard British.

Roles--No monologue preparation necessary; reading from the script only (sides provided).

A perusal script is available at the reference desk of the main branch of the SLO library, 995 Palm St (corner of Osos).

Important: Please appear either Mon OR Tues promptly at 6:30, and save Wed in case you are called back.

Also important: We encourage you to try out, even if you are feeling reluctant. A fun audition is promised. Remember: You gotta be in it to win it!

General Rehearsal Schedule: March 3 - May 21. Rehearsals will take place at different locations in San Luis Obispo City vicinity. A more detailed schedule will be available for perusal at the audition.

Preview: Thurs, May 22, 8 pm

Performances: May 23 – June 22, Fri and Sat at 8, Sat and Sun at 2

Eight principals, many featured roles, and a large ensemble, including young actors; no small parts. (Age ranges are flexible.)

Women:

Eliza Doolittle* (age 18-28): A streetwise, intelligent, and unschooled cockney girl from Lisson Grove working outside Covent Garden. Her potential to become a “lady” becomes the object of a bet between Higgins and Pickering.

Mrs. Pearce* (age 25-60): Higgins’s very proper housekeeper.

Mrs. Higgins (age 50-70): Henry’s long-suffering and elegant mother. Ensemble singing only.

Mrs. Eynsford-Hill (age 40-70) A friend of Mrs. Higgins’s and Freddy’s mother. Ensemble singing only.

8-10 featured roles/ensemble, including 1 or 2 young actors (ages 8-17): Speaking in dialect, singing, and dancing required.

Men:

Henry Higgins* (age 38-50): Upper-class professional bachelor, an ill-mannered curmudgeon with redeeming charms, a world-renowned phonetics expert, a teacher and the author of “Higgins’ Universal Alphabet.”

Colonel Pickering* (age 50-70): Retired British officer with colonial experience, kind and earnest and with all the manners that Higgins lacks, the author of “Spoken Sanskrit.”

Alfred Doolittle* (age 40-60): Eliza’s father, the elder statesman of the dustman set.

Freddy Eynsford-Hill* (age 20-35): Upper-class young man who becomes completely smitten with Eliza.

8-10 featured roles/ensemble, including 1 or 2 young actors (ages 8-17): Speaking in dialect, singing, and dancing required.

*Principal singing roles.