1. Hi there Jenn! What is your role in this production? I am the Stage Manager for Altar Boyz. During rehearsals my job is to write everything down so that later when someone forgets where they enter or where they are standing during a scene I have the answer. As we get closer to opening I am “on book” which means I call lines when people forget. I also facilitate communication between the rehearsals and the creative team as well as create rehearsal schedules. This mainly just means I take lots of notes and send lots of emails. During the run of the show I can be found in the booth “calling the show”. Basically that means that I am giving the lighting and sound operators cues to go and communicating with my Assistant Stage Manager backstage.
2. What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I took drama classes in junior high but then life got in the way and I didn’t peruse theatre after that. When I moved to Edmonton I needed something to fill my time so I began taking vocal lessons and acting classes and it reminded me how much I loved theatre. In 2016 my friend Louise asked me to be ASM for a show she was working on, Boeing Boeing, and I was hooked. Since then I have been involved with Walterdale in many capacities; I acted in The Women and last year’s From Cradle to Stage, I was a sound operator for Leave of Absence, I joined the Board of Directors this summer as the Secretary, and I will be the Props Master for the upcoming 5@50 in April.
3. Why did you want to be a part of this show? I originally came on board with this show as the Assistant Director, but stepped into the role of Stage Manager after auditions. I wanted to gain experience with directing and was ecstatic to be working with such an incredible team. Gregory Caswell (director), Bethany Hughes (choreographer) and Sally Hunt (musical director) are all artists I look up to greatly (talent crush is probably a more appropriate phrase) and I have learned so much from working with them. Despite my shift to the stage manager role, Gregory been incredible in involving me in the creative process and teaching me about directing.
4. Why should audiences come see this show? Audiences should come see this production because it is incredible in so many aspects. Many people have put countless hours into making this a top notch performance. The costumes are flashy and fierce, the lighting gives an effortless concert feel, the set is the perfect place for this show to unfold, the choreography is just the right amount of cheesy boy band moves, the music is amazing, and the band blows it out of the water each night, and the boyz are incredible singers and dancers who really bring their characters to life. I am so excited to welcome audiences to our show as they are a huge part of the atmosphere we are hoping to create.
5. What’s your favourite boy band song and why? I was originally going to say Get Down by B44, but Renell already used that one (I guess great minds think alike). My second favourite would have to be Bye Bye Bye by *NSync. I remember my sister listening to that song over and over again when we were kids and that one really stuck with me. A lot of guys used that when auditioning for this show, and I loved it every time!
Click here to watch and listen to Bye Bye Bye by *NSync!
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