Welcome To Vaudeville

American Vaudeville, more so than any other mass entertainment, grew out of the culture of incorporation that defined American life after the Civil War. The development of vaudeville marked the beginning of popular entertainment as big business, dependent on the organizational efforts of a growing number of white collared workers and the increased leisure time, spending power, and changing tastes of an urban middle class audience. Business savvy showmen utilized improved transportation and communication technologies, creating and controlling vast networks of theater circuits, standardizing, professionalizing, and institutionalizing American popular entertainment.

Since the auditions for the Christmas Carol are coming around the bend, I'll be posting the dates of the Christmas Carol soon. The next blog will be a play review of the Laramie Project.     

The history of Method Acting and Stanislavski

Konstantin Stanislavski was born under an different name. He was known as Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev. His hometown is in Moscow on January 5th 1863, amidst the transition from the feudal serfdom of Czarist Russia under the role of Peter the Great, to the free enterprise of the industrial Revolution. By the time Stanislavski was born, the Alexeyev business of gold and sliver thread production had made the family name well known throughout the world.

Stanislavski coined phrases such as "stage direction," laid the foundations of modern opera and gave instant renown to the works of such talented writers and play wrights as Maksim Gorki and Anton Chekhov. Konstantin Stanislavski's process of character development, the "Stanislavski Method," was the catalyst for "method" acting-arguably the most influential acting system on the modern stage and screen.

"How does an actor act?... How can the actor learn to inspire himself? What can he do to impel himself toward that necessary yet maddenly elusive creative mood? These were the simple, awesome riddles Stanislavski dedicated his life to exploring. Where and how to 'seek those roads into the secret sources of inspiration must serve as the fundamental life problem of every true actor'...If the ability to recieve the creative mood in its full measure is given to the genius by nature", Stanislavski wondered, "then perhaps ordinary people may reach a like state after a great deal of hard work with themselves-not in its full measure, but at least in part".

The next blog will be on the history of Vaudeville Theater.

The difference between Drama and Musicals

In the theater world we came across different theater genres such as Dramas and musicals. Both of them are different in alot of ways and at times they can be similar as well. Let's start with Drama. Drama is an type of theater that can only do tragedies such as Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman. The emotion within drama can bring about saddness and guilty emotions. For example in Romeno and Juliet Romeno killed himself for the love of Juliet had consumed him. We can't help it for being sad what Romeno did because, he loved Juliet and he is willing to follow her to the end.

Both musicals and drama are similar because they are played within the theater and both of them are genres in the theater world. Musicals are different because their emotions can bring similes and laughter within the theater. The classics of musical theater can include Intermittence and the Frog Prince. Both of those plays are musicals and they have music in them. The next blog will be about Method acting and how we used it the theater and the history of Konsition.

What is it like to be the new kid at the Black Box Theater?

The Artist's Exchange went under development in the year of 2004 a year after when I first entered Gateways in 2003. Elaine Mckenna and Kathy McGillivray thought of an idea to make the store successful by developing an theater space where the actor's can perform. That's when I came in. Other people wanted to become actors as well. They both came in. The theater won't be successful so we started to look for an theater teacher. Richard Morra actually fit the ticket for being an theater teacher and director since he had enough experience in the theater.

Our very first production at the Black Box Theater was the Christmas Carol in 2004. We used improv at first, years afterward we started using the script. In that production I was the lead character of Ebenezer Scrooge. That play was so successful it actually made our theater more popular in the newspapers and Motif Magazine. We continued doing the Christmas Carol in 2005, 2006 and 2007. This photo was shot in 2005's Christmas Carol of which I played Bob Cratchit.

Not only we do plays, we also have theater lessons. On my first day we learned about the safety of the theater and stage directions such as: stage left, stage right, center stage, center stage left, center stage right and so on. All these lessons can actually hone on your skills as a performer such as using the Meiser Techinque and Method Techniques. Other skills to use as an performer are eye contact, articulation,focus,concentration,memorization and using your body and voice for the character as well. Patience is also important to an actor to learn about as well.

Other plays became popular. Spoon River Anthology was popular, The Laramie Project, The One Act Play Festivals, Intermittence, What Color is your River? and Salute to Vaudeville was exteremely popular as well. The first year we did Salute To Vaudeville was 2007 at Woonsocket's Stadium Theater. I got an extremely important part of being the Co masters of Ceremonies with a great guy named Bob Colonna. The second year I get to be in the spot light as an performer. My favorite skit in this year's show was JCPenny. I played JCPenny. He actually ran half naked since his clothes got taken away.

The next blog will be posted soon. The next blog is about the differences between Drama plays and musicals I have done with Kaliedoscope.

What is it like to be the new kid at Kaliedoscope Theater?

When I first entered Kaliedoscope Theater in 2005, I didn't know what to expect. The people are very supportive and friendly. When I first started looking for a job in 2004, I went to see a play at Rhode Island College with my mom. I bumped into Tommy Irafrati at the entertance near Robert's Hall. I overheard back then that Tommy is looking for a new actor to be part of his theater company. I went immediately to Kaliedoscope Theater to see what's up. When I got there, they ask me to read from the script for one of their fairytale plays. They also asked me to sing a song from the Frog Prince called "How I Love This Feeling". They were totally impressed by my singing voice so they gave me a job with them.

My very first play with them was I'm Special, You're Special. We started

that play in 2005. The play was a total success and it touched the kid's hearts. The theme of the play was tolerance and acceptance with people who are born with down syndrome. I played the maine character of David Brown who was born with the same condition I was born with. He had an tough time in his school that he was included with his brother and sister. At the end David made friends with the class mates and the teachers expect from Beth Turner. I also earned a second place ribbion in the science fair and became an manager on his brother's basketball team. We continue doing this play in 2006, 2007 and this year as well. It was that popluar.

Kaiedoscope has more plays as well not just school touring plays. They also have dinner theater and fairytale musicals in the summertime. My very first fairytale with Kaliedoscope Theater is the Frog Prince in 2005. It became so popular that we decided to do the Frog Prince in 2007.

In 2006, I did Jack and the Beanstalk for the very first time. That play was wonderful and I got an excellient role of playing an magician who does tricks for the audience. That play was also popular so they put that play on the list for the summer 2008 series. I also did Sleeping Beauty for the first time as well in the 2006 summer series. I loved that play! In the play, I was Domenic. In the beginning Domenic protected young Stefen as an servant. Domenic had big dreams of becoming an knight someday. At the end, Domenic became the very first knight under the teachings of Stefen.

I will continue of working with Kaliedoscope through years to come. This is my big chance of entertaining the children audience.

Artist's Exchange next production

The Artist's Exchange is hosting another play called the Clouds by the Greek Play wright named Aristophanes. The play is a satire and it takes place in Athens Greece. Socrates is the character that they are poking at making fun of him as a village idiot or clown. The era of this play is during the 1960's so you will be hearing oldies within the play, and peace signs and flower power. For Reservations call at this number:490-9475. I'm going to be watching the play this time. Here are the dates and times of the play itself:

September 11, 12, 13 at 7:00p.m.

September 18, 19, 20 at 7:00p.m.

Come on down and enjoy this beautiful play

How Did I get involved in the theater business?

When I was a kid I love to make believe. I imagine myself as a hero flying through the sky with a red cape flowing through the breeze trying to save the day. I always love to make believe that I'm somewhere else on this earth. I got bitten by the acting bug when I entered Jr. High in the year of 1996. Back then acting is just a hobby. I never thought that acting can be a career choice for me, because I need the academics and having an experience on stage before I make that choice. When I entered the Drama Club on my very first play "Don't Rock the Boat", that magical moment arrived. I continued with my imagination both in the Drama club and the Talent Shows until I moved into Rhode Island in 1998. When I entered Toll Gate in late 1998 into 1999, I decided to rekindled my acting magic in high school. I entered the Drama club one last time on my very first musical "Once Upon A Mattress." I had an excellent part of playing the Court Jester. He had his own solo song and sung with both the king and the minstrel. After the production they wanted me to work behind the scenes or become an extra. My moment arrived to pursue other acting opportunities so I quit the Drama club. I got involved in the talent shows, poetry slams and arts Integration festivals. I even performed at AS220 on my senior field trip. Upon leaving high school, I entered college to continue my education in the drama business. I also found out that I can continue acting in college so, I did my very first college play called "The Member of the Wedding." Finally someone has discovered my Talent. His name is Richard Morra. He went to the same high school as i did when I was a baby. He took me into the Artist's Exchange since it's development in 2004. He started to teach me acting can be important for everyone. The plays are carefully chosen by each people's abilities. They turned out successful. As it turns out those plays are just a test to my abilities as an actor. So I decided to get a part time job in the theater business. He landed on a part time job with an professional traveling theater called Kaleidoscope Theater in 2005. My very first play with Kaleidoscope is on inclusion with a kid who is born with Down Syndrome into special schools. That play is extremely important to school students who are different and wanted to be accepted as humans. Their fairy tale plays are wonderful to the child audience. In the Frog Prince, I played an squire who falls in love with the princess's cousin. In Jack and the Beanstalk I played an magician who can do magic tricks for children. In Sleeping Beauty I played an brave squire who wanted to become an brave knight under the teachings of Stephen. He finally became an knight at the end. That's how I got involved in the theater business, from an child actor to an musical theater performer of today. I'm sure that someday their will be other people that are interested in theater, that door will be opened for them as their career choice.