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

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

Tuesday Samurai - Meet C. Ryan Shipley

There's only two cast members of Bright Ideas left to introduce in the Tuesday Samurai, which means something really crazy - Bright Ideas opens in two weeks! Do you have your tickets yet? If not, get thee to urbansamurai.org immediately and get your tickets for the May 7th opening!

This week's Tuesday Samurai welcomes C. Ryan Shipley, who makes his USP debut as a bevy of characters in Bright Ideas.

I've started every introduction by asking how we met, and guess what? I'm asking you, too.

We met during How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Bloomington Civic Theatre (BCT), which was my first show here in the Cities. We were two of FOUR Ryans in that show. I will always remember standing between you and Joe Botten during "Brotherhood of Man" and feeling incredibly short for the first time in my life. I can't believe we have known each other for almost five years!

I am entering the "older than dirt" zone. That's probably really offensive to people older than me...like all the other USP company members. Whoops, I should probably move on. Where would our audiences have seen you lately?

Well, I've mostly performed in musicals during the past five years since I graduated from St. Olaf (blatant Golden Girls reference). I've worked quite a bit at BCT, most recently in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Crazy for You. I've also done five shows at Minneapolis Musical Theatre (MMT), where I first worked with [Bright Ideas costar] Courtney Miner in Summer of '42. I also got to play the role of Goat in The Robber Bridegroom, which is my most favorite role I've ever done...ooh, and I was in Zanna, Don't, too! Last year I was in DreamBoys, which was a blast. Then last fall I was in a production of Biloxi Blues with Theatre Or ([USP venue] Sabes Jewish Community Center's theatre company), directed by Claire Avitabile. I was incredibly honored to be in that show. So...I've done a few things here and there. *wink*

I somehow get the distinct impression that you do a lot of musicals...but Biloxi Blues and Bright Ideas mark a new chapter in your career, where you take on more non-musical roles. What's that transition like?

Lately I've been trying to do things that scare me: straight theatre, waking up before 9 a.m., eating at Hooters, etc. I think that musical and non-musical theatre each have their challenges. I am finding it very refreshing to sort of rediscover what I am capable of as an actor and to sort of remind myself that I have to be an actor first, even if I am doing a musical. Biloxi Blues was the first "straight play" that I've done since college. I was really nervous because I was cast with such fantastic actors and I wasn't sure if I could pull off some of the more dramatic scenes of the play. I remember there was one rehearsal where I made an entrance and Claire said, "You just made a musical theatre entrance." And I realized that I had actually done a sort of prep-step to come onto the stage. I felt like Kurt from Glee trying to play Judd in Oklahoma. Whoa...that joke was SO gay.

Sometimes the most accurate way to explain something is to make it really gay. It's the only way I know how to explain diamond mining in Botswana. But that's for a later (and much different) blog post. You play an insane amount of characters in Bright Ideas - do you have a favorite?

Hmm...I'm not sure if I can pick one favorite. I kind of love all of them because they are SO different from each other. I really love playing the airline steward, and Mr. Scott is pretty fun to play. We're having a hard time making it through certain scenes without laughing onstage because we are cracking each other up so much. I am enjoying the challenge of creating six very different characters and Jimmy has been such a fantastic help in shaping everything.

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy! All I ever hear is how great Jimmy is! Ugh! Enough! He can't be that great. OK, I'm totally kidding. I think he's awesome - it's why we're so excited to have him direct for us! And it's not just his love for The Golden Girls...he really has a vision for this show and everyone has been having a great time with him. But this is your time to talk about Jimmy [LeDuc, Bright Ideas director] - 3, 2, 1...go!

I feel like this is one of those movie press junkets (that word sounds hysterically inappropriate, doesn't it?) and this is where I gush about my director. In all honesty, though, Jimmy has been one of the best directors I've ever worked with. In fact, Courtney and I were just talking about this on the way home from rehearsal the other night. He is very smart and knows how to communicate the idea he is trying to get across or the moment that he is trying to create. We all know what he means when he screams, "Blanche it up!" (He means, "Slut it up!") He screams that at me a lot. And not always during rehearsals. "Blanche it up, Shipley!!"

OK, I know this interview is about you, but I'm about to go rogue here. I can't say enough how much I have come to appreciate Rue McClanahan's performance as Blanche in my adult life. All the Golden Girls are funny, but I would go so far as to say hers is the most nuanced. So many jokes of hers that I didn't get when the series first aired make me laugh so hard now. But I really need to get it together. This is about YOU, Ryan, not ME, Ryan. That makes no sense. Anyway, what's next after Bright Ideas?

Actually, I'm assistant directing Mame with MMT as we speak. I am missing the first two weeks of rehearsal for Bright Ideas and then diving right in. After that I'm playing a groomsman in Colleen Somerville and Nicholas Leeman's wedding (they also happen to be the stars of USP's fall production, A Few Good Men). After that, I will be directing the first short play of An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Possibly a couple other projects in between and afterward...fingers crossed.

Yeesh, I thought I was busy, but listening to all you have coming up is downright exhausting! With all that theater work, do you have any time to kick back and relax...maybe watch some TV? Ooh! Wouldn't it be great if your life was a TV show? If I had to pick, I'd say I wish my life was like that of Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, so that the life of me and my friends was dubbed over with my poignant and eerily topical musings.

Um, I've never seen Grey's Anatomy...is that bad?

Of course not. It's a nutty show, but the perfect example for this little exercise in silliness I've concocted. What show do you want your life to be?

My ideal life would be a combo of Buster Bluth from Arrested Development, Karen Walker from Will & Grace, all four Golden Girls combined, Kenneth Parcell from 30 Rock, and C.J. Cregg from The West Wing for good measure.

Wow, that sounds really complicated. How would that even work?

I'd be an anxious, drunken, horny, ditsy, old weirdo who is also the Press Secretary for the fictional White House. Wait. That is my real life. Bwah bwaaah.

Oh, you crazy kids and your Bright Ideas! (Yes. Yes, I did.) What is going on at those rehearsals? These interviews get zanier every week! I can't imagine what will happen next week, when the Tuesday Samurai presents the final cast introduction, Mykel Pennington. She would have been the first person I thanked when I won an acting award, but those Missourians wouldn't let me speak. Grr...

Maybe C. Ryan Shipley can help me find justice when he's promoted to Chief of Staff in the fifth season.

Bwah bwaaah...

Ryan Grimes

Managing Director

Urban Samurai Productions

Tuesday Samurai - Meet Courtney Miner

In the last two editions of Tuesday Samurai, I introduced you to the actors portraying the couple at the center of our upcoming production of Bright Ideas (Marcia Svaleson and Josh Carson). Now let's turn our attention to the remaining cast members, who all pull sextuple (is that a word?) duty (if not more). First off, it's Courtney Miner, who makes her return to USP after a hilarious turn as the owner of The Girlhole in our raucous 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival hit, Musical the Musical.

But my history with this lovely lady goes farther back than 2008. How is it that we first met?

When I first read this question, I thought, "Crap, I can never remember when we met and Ryan and I have had this conversation before!" But then, as I started to answer, I remembered! Magic!

We met at a group outing to see Triple Espresso, shortly after you saw me onstage in Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical. We hit it off because of my inappropriate sense of humor and love of reality TV.

Ah, yes...that seems so many years ago. You were hilarious in the "token lesbian scene" in that show! I just love to hear you laugh - it's what got me through way too many seasons full of annoying The Bachelor contestants. So, your list of acting credits is already sounding interesting - what else have we seen you in?

Well, I mostly do musicals, but have taken an involuntary hiatus. (a.k.a., Why don't you cast me? You know who you are.) Right before this I was in The Fresh Five with 20% Theater Company, playing an 8-year-old. In fact, most of my career has consisted of playing little girls and high schoolers. Little Sally in Urinetown, that little crazy murderer girl in Ruthless!, Gloria with a lisp in Summer of '42. Ya know...young nerds. That's what I'm good at. Young nerds.

Hush now, you're good at playing adults, too! And you finally get to play one - several adults, in fact. Do you have a favorite character of the multiple roles you play in Bright Ideas?

Well, I'm really loving Mom #2 right now, actually. She's a perfect blend of Blanche and Rose (from The Golden Girls). She has Blanche's southern accent and Rose's ditz factor. But my favorite might be Mrs. Heath in the opening scene. You'll have to come see it to find out why.

I think I have an idea, and I can't wait to see it! And it looks like the dream Josh Carson shared with me last week is coming true - The Golden Girls has been mentioned in every week's introduction so far. That must be the influence of Jimmy [LeDuc, Bright Ideas director].

He's pretty friggin' great, actually. I love his drawl and he is unabashedly his own person, no matter what. His insticts as a director are spot on. Every suggestion he's given has worked inside my dull, egotistical actor brain. So, he's brilliant, actually.

The only improvement I would suggest? If he were a little bit MORE of a Golden Girls fan, I think he would be an even better director.

OK, now you're just poking fun at my mutual love for The Golden Girls...or maybe you're just saying if Jimmy was as big a fan as me he'd be a better director. What does that mean for me? Never mind...this isn't about me! This is about you - do you want to tell me about your upcoming theater projects?

Nope. I got nothin'. I am, however, ramping up for the big musical audition season! I'm learning a new song. Rhymes with "Schmeverbody's Smirl".

Ooh! If my rhyming skills are still up to snuff, I think that may have been a suggestion from me. I can't wait for you to try it out! Perhaps you'll have to drop by and sing it for USP at our auditions for [title of show].

I'm super excited for Urban Samurai's next season. It's right up my alley. (That's what she said.)

Oh, you! This here column is a classy piece of real estate! (I can't even type that with a straight face.) It's like we're hanging out and watching TV and saying whatever comes to mind. That can only be done with a movie you've seen before and don't need to pay attention to - like one of those guilty pleasure movies from when we were younger, the kind you know you shouldn't like but will watch if it's on TV and puts a smile on your face. Is it awkward that my favorite would be The Craft starring a nutty Fairuza Balk and a scaly Neve Campbell? Please tell me I'm not alone in this!

Mine would have to be Teen Witch. With Robin Lively (what happened to her???), Zelda Rubenstein (R.I.P.), and that hunky dude that also played the jerk boyfriend in Son in Law. But there are so many others...like Mannequin (Andrew McCarthy, Kim Catrall, James Spader, Estelle Getty...SHUT UP) and She's Out of Control. (Tony Danza as an overprotective parent...what a stretch from Who's the Boss, eh?)

I don't know...was the name of his "character" Tony? Can he play anyone but himself? I haven't seen that one, and can't say that I care to, but I LOVE Mannequin. I think I asked my parents to rent that at least once a month. If only I had a Delorean and could go back and see what my parents said about me behind my back as a child. It's probably no different than what they say behind my back now.

But I need to stop making this about me! This is about Courtney...well, at least it was. It's over now, but I'm sure it made you want to know more. You'll just have to get your tickets for Bright Ideas, which are currently onsale at urbansamurai.org. And don't forget to check in next week when I introduce you to C. Ryan Shipley.

Until then, "I bind you, Nancy, from doing harm. Harm against other people and harm against yourself."

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Tuesday Samurai - Meet Josh Carson

In this week's Tuesday Samurai, I continue my series of introductions of the cast of Bright Ideas by chatting with Josh Carson, who makes his USP debut as well-intentioned dad, Joshua Bradley.

As I pointed out last week, I happen to have known all the cast members before mounting this production. How did we meet, Josh?

We met ten damn years ago (A decade, Ryan! A friggin' decade!) at the University of Minnesota, where we were taught the difference between theatre and theater. (Theatre's art. Theater pays. Here's your degree.) All the college stories worth telling are being withheld until the release of my explosive, controversial tell-all, Just Joshin'?.

Ooh, I've always wanted to be a part of a scandal! Where may audiences have seen you previously?

For the last year, I've been on the front lines of interactive theater, whether it be the drunken best man in Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding or the drunken bingo caller in We Gotta Bingo. When I was cast in Bright Ideas, I was anxious to finally be playing a character that wasn't going to be groped by the real housewives of Eden Prairie or wind up shirtless, suckling at a bottle of vodka by the end of the night. Then I saw the script and realized that I'm not quite out of those woods yet. Ooh, teaser!

You've always been a big tease! Is that how you found a way to relate to your character?

It's a widely known fact that the hardest part of acting is learning to respond to a new name. Well, my character's name is Josh, so 85% of my work is already done. It does get a tad confusing during rehearsal, because statements are thrown out like, "Josh is so spineless," or "Josh is extremely off-putting," or "Josh clearly has an alcohol problem." And I'm all, "You guys are talking about Character Josh, not Me Josh, right?" Then nobody says anything for a solid six minutes. Then I say, "Why'd everybody stop talking at once?" And they say, "You guys remember Troop Beverly Hills?" And I say, "Why are you changing the subject?" And they're all, "We didn't." And I'm all, "Why won't you look me in the eye?" And they're all, "We are." And I go, "You're not even facing me!" And then they're all, "Tori Spelling was the evil Wilderness Girl in Troop Beverly Hills, isn't that crazy?" And I yell, "Quit making this about Troop Beverly Hills!" And they're all...wait, what was the question?

I'm not sure anymore. All I know is that I don't think Tori Spelling was in Troop Beverly Hills. I'll have to IMDB that...or maybe Jimmy [LeDuc, Bright Ideas director] would know. He's full of knowledge.

Jimmy is, in many ways, the perfect director for me because he speaks in very specific pop culture references. This has sped up the process considerably because I can suggest that I'm essentially playing evil Phil Dunphy and we'll both instantly be on the same page. Also, there's the Golden Girls obsession. I hope that's brought up in every interview.

I try to bring up The Golden Girls every day of my life. Is that not normal? But I totally get the evil Phil Dunphy reference. Modern Family is my favorite new show of the season, and if you're a fan of that show, you'll certainly love Bright Ideas! But enough TV...any upcoming theater work you want to tell us about?

After Bright Ideas, we're remounting the smash hit Saved by the Bell Show at the Bryant Lake Bowl (featuring the real Mr. Dewey! If you know what I'm talking about, you already got your ticket). A few buddies and I are developing a sketch comedy with the theme of breaking up. (Write what you know, eh? Sigh...) And once upon a time, I used to write and produce my own shows to some slight acclaim. I keep threatening to make a comeback, whether people want it or not. However, that comeback suddenly seems more likely within the year, so stay tuned.

I definitely will! I loved Video Guy...that was the first Fringe show I ever saw. I'm so old... Time for a Three Musketeers bar. How about you, Josh? What's your favorite candy?

Dots. No question. Everytime I eat a package of Dots, I stick two of them in my teeth, preferably red, and pretend to be a candy vampire. Every. Time. And, yes, I'm thirty.

Hey, there's nothing wrong with re-living the simple joys of childhood. I've been known to whip out a few childhood habits here and there...but that's for your scandalous tell-all book to reveal.

Thanks to Josh for the crazily hilarious chat! I wouldn't have expected anything less. And way to call Tori Spelling's role in Troop Beverly Hills - I stand corrected. What a career that nutty lady has had! Be sure to come back next week when I put one of my favorite people, Courtney Miner, in the Tuesday Samurai hot seat.

Have a good week, candy vampires!

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Plotting It Out

So there's a play in rehearsals (Bright Ideas)

And a play in auditions (A Few Good Men)

And then there's the play in development (Leave)

Leave (or The Surface of the World) is moving ahead on two fronts.

Matt Greseth and I sat down over the weekend and mapped out some key dates on the calendar between now and the opening of Season 2011 in February.

April 22, once Matt has auditions and casting for A Few Good Men behind him, the two of us will get together and pick the script apart scene by scene - get an idea where the strengths and weaknesses are in the script as a one act, and where the potential expansions lie, further explorations of character, situation and subject matter.

May 20, once Bright Ideas is open, we'll touch base once again. My writing group will have had its last three meetings before its summer break, so whatever hacking away I've been able to do in the interim will be ready to dig into. It'll also be good to touch base one more time before I head off to Omaha for

The Great Plains Theatre Conference, May 29 to June 5

My reading is first thing, 9am on Monday morning May 31. So, death slot, basically. I'm contenting myself with the thought that

1) I'll get getting out of town and just having the chance to be a writer and nothing else for a week

2) They're paying all my registration fees, putting me up (in a dorm - ah, nostalgia), and feeding me

3) The workshops look interesting - might jumpstart this, or other, ideas for future use.

4) It's not wall to wall events. There's breathing room around the edges and I'll just be able to kick back and scribble, bat Leave around a bit

5) It's an opportunity to work again with my pal Marty Marchitto, a director who's done three of my scripts, and whose instincts about new work I trust implicitly. He'll have a lot of insights to share.

6) Marty works with good actors, so I'll be able to pick their brains, too.

7) Whoever shows up to see the thing (there's gotta be *some*one, right?) will no doubt have their opinions and won't be shy about sharing them.

8) Seeing the script in another context, between the incubator it grew up in during 2008, and the next level it will be entering during 2010/2011, can only be a good thing.

9) Since networking and socializing terrify me, this will be a learning experience. Like auditioning, you only get better by doing. There will be plenty of other scripts being read and writers to meet, and (gasp) gatherings where mingling is kind of the point.

10) Again, I get to be a writer for a week and get the heck out of town.

June 10, a debriefing session with Matt about what I learned about the script at the conference

After the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Matt goes into A Few Good Men mode in earnest.

October 10, A Few Good Men and Season 2010 closes

November 7, a reading of whatever the new version of Leave exists with the company, and of course, more feedback

Early December - auditions, by which time, the bulk of the rewrites should be done, the new structure in place

Of course, in the process of auditioning and other actors getting their hands on the thing, we'll all see things we didn't before, and the tweaking begins.

Early January, rehearsals begin, and the last of the tweaking.

February, Season 2011 and the new version of Leave arrive in front of an audience.

All of which, when I lay it out like that, seems like no time at all.

Tick tock.

Matthew A. Everett
www.matthewaeverett.com
USP Board Member, Resident Playwright

Bright Ideas opens in 28 days
Great Plains Theatre Conference starts in 51 days
Minnesota Fringe Festival arrives in 118 days
Leave, via Urban Samurai, 10 months off

Tuesday Samurai - Meet Marcia Svaleson

It's still Tuesday, I swear! I'm so sorry to be coming to you late again, but I'm very excited to start a series of blogs over the next five weeks leading up to the opening of Bright Ideas on May 7th: I'm going to introduce you to each of the five cast members.

You'll already be familiar with our first featured cast member: Marcia Svaleson. She's the ninja of our company (and Sunday blogger) and will be appearing onstage in Bright Ideas as the desperate mom with a mean pesto recipe.

Marcia, I realized that I have a personal history with each cast member. How did we meet?

We met at the audition for Protection Program, and the first thing I said was, "Hey, Matt, look...this guy's taller than ME!" And then we had to hump on stage in American Apathy. That was maybe my best theater moment.

Made all the better by our kick-ass blond highlights. Now you're working on Bright Ideas - do you personally relate to your character?

Yes, because even though I'm not a mom, if I were, I would be a psycho mom. And Genevra definitely starts out normal and becomes crazy crazy. Like, ca-caw crazy.

Is working with Jimmy [LeDuc, Bright Ideas director] as awesome as I think it would be?

Well, on our first night of blocking rehearsal he showed up in a bright yellow Golden Girls t-shirt. I think that says it all, don't you?

'Nough said. Nothing endears me to a person more than a mutual love for The Golden Girls. Any theater projects coming up you'd like to talk about?

I'm really stoked about next year's season. I can't stop talking about it.

I've noticed. I think it appears right before this blog post, in fact. Not that I blame you. I've just about messed myself over Season 2011. OK, not really, but I'm really excited. Moving on from uncomfortable topics, just to prove that I'm not all business, I want to ask what your favorite nut meat is. Mine is cashew.

I do enjoy a good cashew. It's between that and almond. Peanuts are for special occasions; they remind me of drinking in bars.

Ooh, or Texas Roadhouse. But that's a treat for me when I'm visiting my parents in Iowa. Or happen to be in Coon Rapids...which never happens.

Well, there you have it, folks. Marcia and I talked about nut meats, onstage humping, and how tall we are. That's how we roll at Urban Samurai. Or, as Marcia might say...

I do what I want.

Be sure to come back for next week's Tuesday Samurai, when I chat with Marcia's onstage husband, Josh Carson.

Tuesday Samurai - Dancing With the Bright Ideas

My apologies for bringing you the Tuesday Samurai so late in the day. It's been an eventful day! The first rehearsal for Bright Ideas was earlier this evening, and though I couldn't be there myself, I can't wait to meet with the cast tomorrow evening and hear about all the fun that was had tonight.

Is it coincidence that the first rehearsal of Bright Ideas was on the same night as the first elimination on Dancing With the Stars? Yes, of course, that's a complete coincidence. But as I unwind with the results show (most of which can be skimmed), I'm struck by the fact that with judges' scores combined with audience voting, the people who are eliminated aren't necessarily the ones who deserve to be. Buzz Aldrin, national treasure and aerospace pioneer that he may be, is in his 80s and just not a good dancer. There's no way around that. And yet he's the sentimental favorite.

I have nothing against Buzz, but Shannen Doherty, tonight's eliminee may very well be lamenting his status as a national treasure, whereas she'll forever have the shadow of the misunderstood Brenda Walsh to battle. What the heck does any of this have to do with Bright Ideas? Well, I'll tell you. It's a loose connection, but it's there. Josh and Genevra Bradley love their son more than anything in the world and want the very best for him - namely, the very best preschool. And why shouldn't little Mac have a spot at Bright Ideas Early Childhood Development Academy?

Because life isn't fair. That's why. Is that a grim outlook? No. It just means that you have to work with the circumstances you're given and make the most of them. Some people, like Buzz Aldrin, use charm. Others, like Shannen Doherty (or, at least, her scheming alter ego) use more sinister tactics. Now, the real question is, which do you find more interesting? The charmer or the schemer?

In an ideal world, everyone would be a charmer, and we'd lolly gag about in clouds made of cotton candy, praising each other for our latest good deed. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for entertaining theater. Which is why the shenanigans that Josh and Gen find themselves in during the whirlwind of Bright Ideas will make you gasp, laugh, shake your head, and maybe even pee a little.

You'll just have to wait to see the show before you decide who you're rooting for...and to see if you agree with the results. But I guarantee it - the journey to those results will be entertaining.

Tuesday Samurai isn't so cohesive later in the day, is it? I'll try to get the brainwaves moving earlier in the day next week. Until then...our sword is the stage.

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Tuesday Samurai - Cutting Edge?

Hey there, it's me, Ryan Grimes, your friendly Tuesday Samurai. I've been working with Urban Samurai Productions since 2006 and became Managing Director in 2008, while we were working on our Fringe Festival hit, Musical the Musical. What do I do for the company? Well, many things, but mostly I try to keep the other Samurai (and that rogue Ninja, Marcia) in line.

So, I'm here to declare officially that Bright Ideas opens in 52 days. Period.

Now that I've laid the proverbial smack down on the little stuff, let's talk about the big stuff. Urban Samurai Productions' mission is "to produce and premiere cutting edge theater and provide a voice to new and upcoming theater artists in the Twin Cities." So, what does that mean, exactly?

Well, there's a few ways to go about that. The definition of "cutting edge" is "a sharp effect or quality." For my fellow Urban Samurai and me, "our sword is the stage." How's that for a sharp effect? But, enough semantics. We focus on new and rarely produced works because we want to present our audiences with stories with which they're likely unfamiliar through perspectives they may not have seen - or may even make them a little uncomfortable.

Take a look at the movie listings at your local cineplex for this weekend. How many of those movies can you predict exactly what will happen? How many of those movies' previews have already given most of the story away? I'm not a psychologist or sociologist, so I can't tell you what exactly it means, but one thing's for sure - people don't want to be surprised anymore. Or maybe that's just what the studio executives think of us. Me? I like surprise. I don't want to figure out the end of a movie 20 minutes in. I don't want to play a game like "Avatar is really just Dances with Wolves meets Fern Gully." I want to be surprised by what I see, and live theater is the best way to attain that goal.

In May, we'll be presenting Bright Ideas. When I read the description, I expected it to be a standard comedic take on two parents trying to get their child into the best preschool. Boy, was I ever wrong. I don't want to give it away - I want you to be surprised, after all - but this isn't traditional comedy. And if you think you know how this one ends, I won't blame you, because I thought so, too. But I'd guess you'll be as surprised as I was.

Then, of course, there's A Few Good Men, which we'll produce this fall. "But, Ryan, how can that show be cutting edge?" Well, let me tell you. We're not putting the famed film on stage. Yes, someone will say, "You can't handle the truth." But that's not the only great line in Aaron Sorkin's brilliant script. He presents a topic that is as poignant as ever, and I can't wait for our audiences to experience that "sharp effect".

And for you actors out there, check out our audition posting for A Few Good Men that we just posted on Minnesota Playlist this afternoon. There are a lot of great roles, and we'd love to see you there! (I'll refrain from stating that we need "a few good men" even though, well, we do...crap, I just did it, didn't I?)

I tend to be long-winded, so I'll take my hands off the keyboard for a week. See you next Tuesday!

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions

Bright Ideas

In case you were wondering what the heck Bright Ideas is about - which I was, til I read it...

It's the kind of play that results when a writer wonders, "What if, instead of trying to murder their way onto the throne of power, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were just trying to get their kid into the very best pre-school - and they'd stop at nothing to make sure it happened?"

And I mean nothing.

Thank God it's really funny, or it'd just be... well, sick.

You'll probably get more detail from company member Marcia Svaleson, blogging Sundays, since she's Lady Macbeth... I mean, Genevra, in Bright Ideas