Observe the Sons…
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Hey everyone, this is part two of updating what’s been going on in my life. This one dedicated to the theatrical things I’ve personally been involved in.
Evil Dead: The Musical, opened and closed as a roaring success. We had 65 or so people come each night, and everyone left with positive remarks. A bunch of people have commented about how they’d rather see this on Halloween night instead of Rocky Horror Picture Show, so we call the whole experience a win. I’d like to thank each of the people involved in the show, both cast and crew, and I know I’ll forget people, so if you don’t see your name here and you worked on the show…you’re thanked. Thanks to: Matt Musgrove, Angelica Duncan, Nicole Intravia, Marcin Pawlikiewicz, Elizabeth Hake, Danny Lindgren for being a wonderful cast to work with; thanks to: Nick Bombacino, Pete Kielar, Nia Sciarretta, Sledge Shendge, Natalie Scott, Jason Barrera, Kendra Slack, and many more for being an awesome production team and crew. If I have forgotten you in that list, I apologize greatly…don’t hurt me.
I was also involved in a staged reading of an irish show by Frank McGuinness called: Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. It’s a beautiful play about a group of irish boys who sign up to fight for England during WWI. It’s interesting because this is a group of protestants, all fighting to keep Ireland connected to England. They’re fighting to see that home rule never happens, which is something that usually isn’t discussed. I was cast last friday and the show was today so it’s been a hectic week. It was an amazing experience as I was working with four upperclassmen from the Theatre program, as well as an english major, a film major, and someone whose major I don’t actually know. Also in the cast was a faculty member who played the older version of me and that was just a wonderful experience to work in.
Now, however, my theatrical life subsides as a performer. I’m still working on the paint crew for Ithaca College’s Mainstage production of Metamorphoses, which is going to be amazing. I’ve been painting the pool required for the show and it is not fun. I love working on the technical side of a show and seeing just how amazing the behind the scenes work is in this department, but it’s a lot of odd hours and strange painting techniques which can get monotonous. Despite all that, I’m having a fabulous time and the set looks amazing.
I am currently working with Elizabeth Hake (another freshman Musical Theatre major) on a scene for our review, which is approaching steadily. We have been assigned an open scene by Susannah Berryman (a faculty member here) and we have come up with circumstance, characters, and all other aspects of this scene which is nothing but generalities. It’s been a challenging endeavor but I think our scene has turned out quite wonderfully. We are reviewed either the monday or the wednesday after Thanksgiving break so that day is approaching steadily.
I also had a fun moment the other day when I discovered that I had located a song by Cole Porter that not a single person I talked to in the theatre department or the music school had ever heard of. It’s called When Love Beckoned on 52nd Street, and it’s a lot of fun, if you can find a recording of it check it out.
For me that’s everything that’s been going on, I got back to my room tonight at 8:30, which is the first time arriving back before 10:30 in 3 and a half weeks and that’s just a miracle. So now I’m going to head to bed.
Talk to y’all soon,
~Ned Donovan
