The summer....

So we didn't make it into the Fringe Festival this year (boo) so we actually get to take the summer off for a change. Well, as much as a working theater company can take time off. There is a lot of prep work for "A Few Good Men" for the fall. Have I told you how excited I am for the show?

Other than the fact that I'm getting married, I've decided to take the summer to support all of our other small theaters in this state. For the first time in a LONG time I really have nothing going on for a long stretch. I love a bunch of the theaters here in this lovely state and I have been very bad about attending other shows. Our very own Tuesday Samurai is in "Mame" in June. I must get out and see that. I also want to see "Saved By The Bell" at Bryant-Lake Bowl and "Bye Bye Liver". What else is playing that I must see this summer? Anyone got some ideas?

One week out...

Well, it has been one week since all shows have ended for me. Do I feel a sense of relief? Yes. Is my mind a little clearer? Yes. Can I sleep better at night? Double Yes! Do I have an urge to get started on another show? Nope. Not yet anyways. Even though the Urban Samurai season is one complete calendar year, versus school years that other companies tend to follow, we samuraites still take the summer a bit easier. Does this mean I'm off the hook for doing anything for the whole summer? Well, not exactly. I have already started brainstorming who I would like to bring on as crew, and trying to calculate how much time I will have to take on multiple roles for the show. See, I like to be as involved as possible, especially when I am stage managing a show, because then I feel I can be on top of everything. Not in an egotistical way at all. But in a way, that by doing more, I feel more connected to the show. I know the ins and outs and what that process was to get there. I enjoy that part of getting a show up and running. To know exactly where we started and then where we ended on opening night. It's fun for me!
So what will I do for the summer? Try to put together the most perfect production I have done yet, my wedding. And now I must end, and get ready to do something I never do for a show...drive off to a fitting. There's always a first time for everything!

Tuesday Samurai - Don't Cry For Me, Argentine Tango

We've got to stop meeting like this. It's not healthy to always be blogging when a Dancing With the Stars results show is playing from my DVR.

As (apparently) usual, I've managed to squeeze nuggets of poignancy out of the experience. All three of the finalists (Nicole, Evan, and Erin) chose the Argentine Tango as their favorite dance to be scored again as part of the finale. Now, even though it's easier to compare competitors when they're all doing the same thing, this is dance we're talking about. And dance is a live performance.

The sequence of dance steps may be different for each routine, but one generally knows what to expect. Similarly, the specific story told by a dance routine may change, but the general arc is "I love you, I hate you; I hate you, I love you." Or, more simply, "Let's have angry sex after this."

But it doesn't get boring. No matter how many Argentine Tangos one sees, if it's done well, it's fantastic to watch. There's the potential for unexpected brilliance on every lap around the dance floor.

Such is the excitement gained by other forms of live performance. Like theater. Why go to a play when you can get the DVD and watch it at home?

Because something very different may happen than what you expected. And that's exciting.

And speaking of something very different...it's the finale of DWTS. Which means I won't be bringing you any inane DWTS/vodka lemonade inspired posts anymore.

Or until the next season.

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Bright Ideas review...

Better late than never, right? Well here is a very fair review of the amazing show have been talking about. Take a look and then come see the show to form your own opinion!!

Rich in talent...

I am constantly impressed with the level of talent in this city. Case one would be the incredibly tlented cast of Bright Ideas. Sometimes I'm worried these people will realize how amazingly talented they are and move away to make their millions. For now I'll be happy to have them grace our company with their awesomeness :)

so only two more shows of Bright Ideas before our summer break. If you haven't had a chance to see this show yet, you must come. I have seen it so many times and I'm still laughing. It's that good. After the break we get to begin work on A Few Good Men. I'll be backing the USP stage playing Ross, the role made famous by Kevin Bacon. I'm excited to get to work on this one. Matt is back at the helm and we have again assembled an extremely talented cast. It is the perfect show to end our 2010 season.

Can you believe it's been 6 seasons already?!

Final Weekend of Bright Ideas

Hello once again! The company is entering the final weekend of one of the most fun shows I have worked on in a long time. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed plenty of other shows, I've enjoyed other casts, I've loved other scripts, I've loved other directors, I've enjoyed other processes, but collectively at the same time (and nearly peed my pants often)? Nope. This show had it all for me! Even though I missed about a week and a half of rehearsals, and even though I felt overwhelmed at times, I'm really going to miss this show! Perhaps a large factor can be put simply; that I was able to laugh so much of the time?! Many of the shows as of late have been very much dramas. I think I just needed a little pick me up.
So I will be leaving this show with a smile on my face...although a bit saddened because I won't be seeing these fabulous actors and the fabulous director on a regular basis, it makes me wanting more. Which, for me, is hard to come by. I can't say it enough how much I have loved working on this show.
But onwards and upwards, moving right along...I will start prepping for A Few Good Men. Making spreadsheets and starting to get a crew together! You gotta love it:)

Tuesday Samurai - Miley Cyrus Can't Be Tamed

I have some big news for you: apparently, Miley Cyrus can't be tamed. What the heck that means, none of us know. It has something to do with feathers and birdcages and gay backup dancers. That's right, friends, I'm watching the Dancing with the Stars results show again late at night after a long day, mixing in blog writing and a vodka lemonade, for good measure. Didn't we previously learn what a bad idea this is?

No matter. I have a point. I'm sure I have a point. Somewhere. Let's find it together, shall we?

Miley Cyrus. Where do I begin? I don't want to use the term "talentless hack" because I'm sure there's talent in there somewhere. But the girl is just that - a girl. She hasn't fully developed yet. And I'm not talking about her body, sickos, though it does concern me that she sounds like she's been on a pack a day since infancy. What I'm talking about is the fact that she hasn't fully developed as a talent. And it's evident in her career so far. Let's not pretend she didn't get that audition for Hannah Montana because of her achy breaky dad, Billy Ray. And the last time the country collectively agreed that nepotism was a good idea, we ended up with a two-term president who still didn't know how to pronounce "nuclear" after eight years.

Wow am I ever getting off point. That'd be the vodka lemonade talking. Well, that and common sense.

My point is that Miley Cyrus got her start as a performer for no reason other than being in the right place at the right time thanks to a father who found fame singing the wrong song at the wrong time (it works out if you think of "Achy Breaky Heart" being the right song during a time when everything, in retrospect, was just wrong, very, very wrong, a.k.a., 1992).

And here I've stumbled onto my point. Bright Ideas. You should really see this show. And if you've already seen it, you should see it again. I've seen it several times now (natch), and I always find something new on which to ponder. Why are Genevra and Joshua so obsessed with getting their son into that preschool? Is it really about what's best for their child, or are they more concerned with their own "status"? What does that mean about my parents, who put me in a Montessori preschool when I was that age? Did it make a difference? Is that why I'm a successful human being? Or am I successful? What is success? Does any of it really matter, anyway? Would I have been better off having skipped preschool and merely encourage my dad to contribute some cheesy lyrics to the line-dancing craze?

I'm just full of questions for which I have no answers. And that's why I love theater. You get something new every time!

The only thing I know for sure, though, is that I'm a child of the 80s. Which means my dad couldn't have written a cheesy song for the line-dancing craze that we (shamefully) saw in the early 90s. Perhaps if he'd jumped onto the Electric Slide bandwagon, my life would be different now. I could be the one shaking my tail feather (literally...there were a lot of feathers that I'm still desperately trying to connect to the song lyrics) on the Dancing with the Stars results show.

But with my luck, I'd just end up having some crazy, drunk guy write an incoherent blog post about me.

Wait...

I'll try to be a little bit less strange (but only the tiniest bit) next week.

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Second show weekend

Our opening weekend went on without a hitch! Audiences just loved the show and I was so super proud of all the actors!! Especially for not breaking:) It just shows the professionalism of each of these actors. Considering they were cracking smiles or laughing at themselves or each other up until the final tech night, I was about 95% worried that someone was going to crack at some point, but I was completely wrong! Yay to the actors!
So now it's on to the second weekend, all my checklists are complete, more pasta has been made and balloons will be picked up! The stress level has far subsided now that everything is truly completed. Typically when a show opens I am already in rehearsals for another show, which means my focus has switched and even though I am nearly always on top of things, it just makes it that much harder to concentrate. But not this time! This time I get to sit back and enjoy this whole experience until the end!! And I hope you do as well!!

Tuesday Samurai - A Chat with Jimmy LeDuc

Bright Ideas opened on Friday and opening weekend audiences seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. Were you among them? If not, what's wrong with you?! I kid, I kid (kind of). I know we're all busy people and we can't always make it to the opening of the latest hot show, but I'd better see you there sometime soon! You don't want to miss it - dark and biting...my kind of comedy. And the credit for bringing Eric Coble's excellent writing to the stage belongs to the marvelous director, Jimmy LeDuc.


Jimmy, the credit for our meeting belongs to mutual friend (and Bright Ideas cast member) Mykel Pennington. I heard a lot about "my friend, Jimmy" when I worked on a show with her, and I can only assume she passed on crucial information about me to you. What did she tell you and did I live up to the hype?


Mykel Pennington. She is amazing, isn't she? Not only talented but she is also charming, kind, and SEXY! I was in grad school at The University of Oklahoma getting my MFA in Directing. Mykel had just moved from Memphis (where we had first worked together when I directed her in Wit. The production was actually in Arkansas across the river from Memphis). Anywho, she mentioned working with you and Urban Samurai. The next thing I knew she was convincing me to move to the Twin Cities. She put me in contact with Matt first. I think I first met you via Facebook and Callboard. I volunteered to usher for Halfway Home and met you then. Since that time, we have gotten to know each other much better, especially when I was AD for Homeland Prayer. You have lived up to everything Mykel said. You are hilarious and talented.

How sweet you are...but it kind of seems like I was fishing for compliments, doesn't it? Hmm...let's try some less self-absorbed questions. Let's talk about YOU. Tell me about your personal history with theater.

I started doing theater when I was 9 or 10 after starting out taking tap dance at 3. I acted and also did some stage management. After college, I interned with Playhouse on the Square in Memphis. I did theatre in Memphis and then Atlanta working for several companies, mainly as an actor and teacher but I always wanted to direct. After I left Atlanta, I moved back to Memphis and began working as an assistant director and director and honing my skills. Then, I went back to school and got my MFA and now here I am. Since moving here a year and a half ago, I have worked with Lyric Arts as an actor and teacher. I also did an observership with Theatre Pro Rata, and have worked with USP twice.

Sounds like you've been all over the South, but what sold you on moving up here?

After grad school, I wanted to go to a place with a welcoming and vibrant theater community. The Twin Cities fit the bill for sure. I visited Mykel and fell in love and the rest is history, as they say.

Jimmy, we're far too young to refer to our lives as "history". At least for another year. But, I digress. How does the Twin Cities theater community compare to others of which you've been a part?

The Twin Cities is a great community. I love the people and the amazing talent here. The big difference between other communities is the sheer size of it and the amount of companies. There is not a week that goes by that you don't have your pick of a wonderful variety of plays and musicals. That is quite exciting. It is almost impossible to see everything. I love the support for the arts in the Twin Cities, too.

It's true - there is a lot of support out there, but the opportunities are almost overwhelming. I certainly hope Bright Ideas doesn't get lost in the mix! I've been so excited for this show since we first scheduled it over a year ago. What drew you to the piece and inspired you to propose it for USP's season?

In grad school, I was TA for a Performing New Plays class. I was helping the professor find plays and I stumbled across Bright Ideas. I fell in love with it. It was timely and timeless. The characters were contemporary but there was also a wonderful homage to Shakespeare and especially the Scottish play. I know USP often brings exceptional cutting-edge works and regional premieres to the area. I thought Bright Ideas fit that mission well so I proposed it. The rest is history, as they say...

No, Jimmy. We're not going to say it! Anywho...it sounds like this play has been with you for a few years. How has finally putting it on stage affected you?

The production has affected me in several ways. First off, I got to work with such a great company like USP. I really love playing with you guys. Secondly, I have worked with this tremendous cast. They have brought so much to the table and I have loved every minute of the process. This cast gave 150% every rehearsal and it shows in the characters they have created as they tell the story. Third, it is exciting to bring this timely story to life. Fourth, I have had the great pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people in the Twin Cities theater community through this process. Finally, I have also had the great fortune of being in contact with Eric Coble, who wrote this great script, via Facebook. He has been a huge supporter of our production.

That's awesome! I hope Mr. Coble knows we'd offer him free tickets... Now that Bright Ideas is open, what's next for you?

I have several projects in the works and am super excited about all of them. I am assistant directing The Glass Menagerie at the Jungle Theater. I am also assistant directing A Christmas Story at Children's Theatre Company. Next February, I go to Memphis for about four weeks to direct a production of Grey Gardens (one of my all time favorite documentaries and also musicals). We shall see what else I can get up to in the next year. I love staying as busy as possible doing as much work as I can. I always feel the more you work, the more you learn and grow.

Agreed. Though I'm exhausted/feel-like-a-slacker after looking at your upcoming projects! Jimmy, it has been such a joy to work with you, both during Homeland Prayer last fall and throughout the entire process for Bright Ideas. I hope to snag you for another project in USP's future, but in the meantime, we've been avoiding the big elephant in the room. The time is here. We need to address our mutual love for The Golden Girls.

The Golden Girls. Where do I begin? This show was a part of my childhood. We watched it every Saturday night in my house. Then, I rediscovered a love for it in reruns. I own all seven seasons on DVD. Truth be told, I had to order second copies of some of them from wearing them out. I think it is one of the funniest ensemble comedy shows ever created. The writing is crisp and the acting is stellar. Those four women were TRUE talent. I would have to say I am most like Dorothy with some Sophia thrown in. My mom's side of the family is Sicilian so I get that aspect of the humor. I also love sarcasm and quips so I just relate to that in Dorothy and Sophia. However, Blanche and Rose make me die laughing as well. Blanche's slutty quotes are brilliant and Betty White has amazing timing (and still does as SNL just showed us) The truth is, if I am having a bad day, I can turn on an episode and know I will smile. I brought the comic energy of the Girls to rehearsals by wearing my Stay Golden t-shirt (featuring a cast picture on it) whenever I could.

I know exactly how you feel. I remember watching with my family on Saturday nights as well...I even remember the "Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'" promo they did with Empty Nest in one of the later seasons. The Golden Girls is still as fresh as ever and, as you say, I always know an episode will put a smile on my face no matter how terrible my day was.

Yikes, Jimmy...could we be any gayer right now? I can't believe we're having a mutual love fest for The Golden Girls in my blog! OK, actually, I can totally believe it. The show is great, but we'll have to talk about it more later. It's time to wrap this edition of the Tuesday Samurai up...how should we end it, Mr. LeDuc?

To end this Mr. Grimes, I will leave you with one of my favorite exchanges from The Golden Girls:

Blanche: I have been told I bear a striking resemblance to Ms. Cheryl Ladd, of course my bosoms are much perkier.
Dorothy: Not even if you were hanging upside down by a trapeze!

I love it, Jimmy! Now, everyone, honor the Girls and get your tickets to Bright Ideas today by visiting urbansamurai.org!

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Success...

I attended the opening night of Bright Ideas last night and I have to say it was a pretty amazing show. I have been watching these guys do this show for about a week and a half now. The amount of work the talented cast has put into the show is nothing short of astounding. They were good a week and a half ago, then they went and put in even more awesomesauce. You really must go see this one. It is truly comedic gold.

After the show we hosted an ice cream social complete with all the toppings you would ever want. I had my fill of ice cream. So did the majority of the audience. So...much...dairy....

OPENING NIGHT!

Tech week has come and gone. And the conclusion: This is one funny show! I have had a blast working with such a talented group of actors and one fabulous Jimmy LeDuc:) Sound is amazing, costumes are hilarious, the actors are ready for an audience, the set is painted and fun, the noodles are cooked, and the laundry is in the wash! Do I wish I had just one more day?! Yes. I still need to fix some trouble areas with the lights and would love more than anything to have my light board placed in the audience just one last time. Nothing like a little pressure...But all in all, things will be/are really ready to go! I have my checklist for the day written up, and my pen in hand to start checking things off. Things will get done and the show will be absolutely fabulous!
See you tonight!! With an ice cream social to top it off!

Check.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

All I've been hearing about the rehearsal process for Bright Ideas over the last several weeks is how good the show is and just how much fun the cast is having. Last week I had the honor of taking press photos for the show and I got a little taste of the fun they're having. And the fun you'll be having when you come to the show.

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Tuesday Samurai - Meet Mykel Pennington

The time has come. What once seemed an epic undertaking - weekly introductions of the cast of Bright Ideas - is now in its final installment. Whatever will the Tuesday Samurai do next week? I'll try not to think about it for now with a distraction from the lovely and talented Mykel Pennington, who may be the last cast member to be interviewed, but in no way do I consider her the least of anything.


It's old hat by now, but why break tradition? Why don't we start with your story of how we met.

We met while loading in for USP's original production of Protection Program. I had just moved to the Twin Cities and I was willing to whore myself out to any theatre company that would take what I was offering...and apparently my acting wasn't what USP wanted then. So, after only meeting the company members of USP at the audition of Protection Program, Matt, Aaron, and Nate kidnapped me and took me one hundred miles away, where my cell phone wasn't working, and for 17 hours I helped build your set. Days later, there you and I were fixing those walls to the ground and loading in costumes.

I totally forgot about your kidnapping! For the record, I was only an actor in that show - I wasn't yet a company member and bear no responsibility for your kidnapping. But I remember having a blast chatting you up during load-in. I didn't really know who you were or why you were there, but I thought you were fabulous.

But, I think we really became friends during our production of A Gaggle of Saints, where you and I played young Mormons in love. Which is where you won your Best Actor award and Matt [Greseth, USP Artistic Director] won an award for Best Director and I won everyone's respect...which is hard for a whore, but I really think Blanche in The Golden Girls won everyone's respect and I try to emulate her.

There it is. We did it! A Golden Girls reference in every interview! I loved doing A Gaggle of Saints with you, even if I messed up my lines now and then. We had a lot of lines to learn! And it wasn't all bad - how else would I have learned to not take Benadryl right before performing, no matter how bad one's allergies may be? Speaking of which, that was about this time of year, and here I am sniffling with watery eyes. Damned pollen! Whoops...getting off track again. (Is anyone surprised?) So...now that you've been in the Cities for a few years, in what theater would we have seen you in lately?

I have been lucky to have worked with some of the best theatre companies in town. With 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities, where I am a company and board member, I have been in The Naked I: Monologues from Beyond the Binary, Perfect Pie, and Hot 'n' Throbbing. I was lucky to work with USP in Touch, where I played a whore. And you, Mr. Grimes, dressed me as a whore. I was also in A Gaggle of Saints, as mentioned before, and Sense and Sensibility with The Cromulent Shakespeare Company. Bright Ideas has been my first full-length production in over a year, since I have spent the last year perfecting my craft at the airport as a customer service agent for Delta Airlines. THAT has proven to be my most challenging role yet.

Yeesh, I'd bet! I would totally try out multiple personalities if I worked for an airline. After all, what is the likelihood you'd see those people again? In fact, what a great way to rehearse for Bright Ideas, in which you play a multitude of characters. Do you have a favorite?

My favorite has to be Cate, a Southern know-it-all bitch of a mom, a little like Dorothy from The Golden Girls. I just wish I had Bea Arthur's height, like Marcia [Svaleson, Bright Ideas costar].

Don't sell yourself short (forgive the pun). You have your own...assets...that are put to good use in the show. But I don't want to spoil it for the audience! Bright Ideas reunites you with your good friend, [Bright Ideas director] Jimmy LeDuc, who I remember hearing a lot about while we were working together on A Gaggle of Saints. How long have you known each other?

I've known Jimmy LeDuc for almost seven years now. We met in Memphis, TN, where he had just finished directing an amazing production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and was now trying to cast the lead role in Wit. Fortunately for me, he was looking for someone who didn't have a Southern accent, and I had only been in the South for three years and hadn't yet perfected the drawl, so he cast me. Since that production, he has gone off to grad school and only become a more confident and amazing director. And I cannot believe how lucky we are to have him in the Twin Cities! Yeah! I love Jimmy!

Down, girl. But I must confess, your enthusiasm is intoxicating and I'm so pumped to see Bright Ideas in its full form this weekend! Any other projects coming up afterward?

I hope so. Right now I'm learning to balance my roles of Mother, Wife, and CSA (Customer Service Agent). Theatre is, and will always be, a huge part of who I am. But I am no longer the Theatre Whore I used to be. Right now I have to pick every project I do very carefully. Fortunately, I have some really amazing directors that I have worked with that I will work with again; if they think of a role that might work for me, hopefully they will let me know to audition. Which is why I am working with Jimmy!!! Because he is awesome and I came out of semi-retirement for him. Right now I'm looking for small, meaty parts that let me perform AND be home a majority of the week. I love theatre, but I also love my family. They are pretty awesome!

You sound so happy...it makes me sick! Totally kidding. Having met your family, I can't say I blame you. Your girls are adorable, and your gorgeous husband never seems to have a shirt on when he answers the door. Not that I noticed, or anything...hey, look, a UFO! Speaking of aliens, I have to confess I've never seen ET. Any popular "must-see" movies you'd like to confess to not seeing?

Popular movies? I've seen them all! You haven't seen ET? What?! Do you have NO soul? I just watched that with my daughter, Sophia (named after Estelle Getty's character on The Golden Girls).

Are you for real? Or are you just trying to win the contest for most Golden Girls references in a single Tuesday Samurai interview?

No matter. I had a blast with Mykel and want to thank her, Marcia, Josh, Courtney, and Ryan for making my last five weeks of blog posts such a hilarious, Golden Girls-infused adventure!

Now that you've met the cast, it's time to see them in action. Bright Ideas opens this Friday! Get your tickets now at urbansamurai.org. All opening weekend (May 7-9) tickets are 2-for-1, and we'll be having an Ice Cream Social following the opening night performance, in honor of the spirit of Bright Ideas. I hope to see all of you there!

No shirts, no shoes, no ice cream. Unless you're Mykel's husband.

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Last minute shopping...

Why is it that many theater companies seem to be running around completing little things to big things about a week before they open? Is it because they are completely unorganized and have no idea what they are doing? Actually I think it is because so many artist types seem to work so much better under pressure. I know I seem to find exactly what I have been looking for as far as props/costumes/sound/set inspiration in the last week and a half before the production opens. Yes, I procrastinate. But maybe it's for the better!!

What does everyone else think? Am I the only one who waits so a better product came come out of the frenzy that is tech week?