The Cadi Corner: Unnecessary Blog

Crabfest 11 is over folks. There was seafood, there was corn hole, and there was beer. Oh yes, there was beer. As always I was the pinnacle of moderation and good behavior. As for everyone else I work with, well all I can say is...have you seen Unnecessary Farce yet? Seriously, we were laughing so hard in the rehearsal hall I thought I was going to pee my pants or in the very least I thought my asthma was going to come back. Alas, my pants are as dry as a cracker and my inhaler stayed buried in the bottom of my makeup case. But enough of how funny the play is. This blog is about the backstage folk so let me tell you about woes of building this set.

As always Fouchard has designed a beautiful set so you would never think to look at it that it is hated, NAY, loathed by a one Ms. Liz Brietling. Ms. Brietling is our resident paint charge and a fellow Louisianan so that girl is a few cards short of a deck anyway but this wallpapering business just about put her over the edge. You may be wondering what on earth is so complicated about wallpapering. Well, friends, I was wondering that too! So I asked Liz,

“What’s the big deal? Isn’t it just like gift wrapping your walls?”

She didn’t give me a totally straight answer but her face flushed red, her lips curled away from her teeth and she went a little cross eyed. I backed away slowly and decided to revisit the subject a little later. Turns out wallpapering, especially with graphic patterns and bold colors gets a little tedious and dizzying. I am also told that corners are (expletive) and whoever the psychotic interior decorator is that invented the stuff can go (expletives).

In addition to the pains of wallpapering, our scenic staff is still busy repairing all the inevitable damage inflicted by our band of physical comedians. We actually had to go so far as to install metal plates across the doors so that we weren’t repairing holes everyday. The baseboards also take a good beating but these can be repaired with a few strokes of paint. But after Wallpapergate ’10 I take a deep breath before finding Liz and cautiously whispering ”paint note”.

Now if I’ve turned you off of the show with these war stories here are some testimonials to get you back on the chuckle train. Here is what Alex Webb (of The Coward and Glory fame) heard leaving the theatre the other night:

“I laughed so hard my face hurts”

“Funniest show I’ve ever seen here”

“I only fell asleep twice”

Now that should go on a billboard. See you at the playhouse!

The Cadi Corner: Quinceañera

¡Hola amigos! Oops! Pardon my Spanish, gringos, my mind is still south of the border after the amazing Quinceñera we celebrated in honor of our Production Manager. He wears many different hats and goes by a myriad of nicknames such as Domue, Dom, Domino, the Dominator, Domatron, Mikey, Mookie, Michael Lucinda, and Mikey Delight the Disco Night. His Christian name is Michael Domue and he has been working at Totem Pole Playhouse for fifteen years. He’s the mentsh behind Crabfest, Michaux Brewing Company (Good beer makes us happy), and our resident social director. I thought it only fitting to throw him a Quinceñera to commemorate this milestone. In case you haven’t googled it yet, a Quinceñera is basically a Bar Mitzvah only with less Hebrew and more guacamole.

Captain Kate and I spearheaded this event and played co-hosts of the fiesta. First on the to-do list was a little game we invented called

TOTEMPOLETRIVIA-DOUBLEDARE-MINUTETOWINIT-ELLIMINATION-CHALLENGE-GAME. It is a combination of our favorite board games and game shows: Trivial Pursuit, Double Dare, and my latest obsession, Minute to Win it. Cap’n Kate took over the daunting task of fact checking all of our trivia questions. Here are some of our favorites for you:

A.)How many shows has Wil Love been in at Totem Pole?

B.)How many shows has Carl Schurr directed at Totem Pole?

C.)How many shows has James Fouchard designed at Totem Pole?

D.)What was the first show Paul Mills Holmes saw at Totem Pole?

E.)What Olivia Newton John song did Ray Ficca dance to during I’ll Be Back Before Midnight?

I took care of assembling all of the physical challenges which came from the Minute to Win It website. If you haven’t seen this show, you must check it out. Most of the game pieces can be found in your garage or your pantry. For instance there is a game called “Hanky Panky” here is how you play it:

Using only one hand, a player must empty all the tissues in a tissue box.

Domue did it in 17 seconds. Yes, ladies, he is available.

I prepared over twenty games like that and the competition went like this: Kate would ask the trivia questions and I would jump in if at any time an incorrect answer was given or if a team opted for a physical challenge. It was my Mark Summers childhood fantasy come true. It was awesome. If only we had rigged slime to come down from the ceiling...we live in a rental c’est la vie.

The night was especially special because Carl Schurr, Wil Love, Paul Mills Holmes, and Sue McMurtray who have shared these past 15 years with Domue came out to join in on the fun. So mazel tov, Domue, a big congratulations on your Quinceañera!

In completely unrelated news, we have a new show on the boards! When I say new show I mean it. Totem Pole Playhouse is the very first theatre to produce The Coward and the Glory by Keith Bridges. It was tailor made for this area which is totally cool. It takes place the night before the burning of Chambursburg and it is one exciting ride. The Coward and the Glory has re-enactors! Time travel! Swords! Guns! Love! And betrayal! It is also a comedy and who doesn't need a good laugh now a days? So come on down to the playhouse and laugh your gun holsters off, cheers!

Answers to the Totem Pole Trivia Questions:

A.) 142

B.) 93

C.) 107

D.) There's a Girl in My Soup, 1969

E.) Let's Get Physical

The Cadi Corner: 5 6 7 8!

There are several skills you acquire in high school that you'll never use again. For example, when was the last time you needed to solve an algebraic equation or spell Misisssippi? Well, when I was in high school I was a member of our show choir, Encore!. I know...you're impressed. While in show choir I procured such useless life skills as how to execute a perfect jazz square and how to get deodorant out of sequins. I never thought I'd use my jazz hands post graduation but our current show, The Complete History of America (Abridged), has proven me wrong.

I hope I'm not giving anything away here, but there are a few teeny weeny musical numbers in this play that required some light choreography. Many people are unaware that our Production Stage Manager, Paul Mills Holmes (celebrating his 35th year at Totem Pole Playhouse), occasionally serves as choreographer du jour working under the alias PABLO! You may have seen his eight counts in Roanoke, Father of the Bride, or 43 Plays for 43 Presidents. PABLO! foolishly invited Captain Kate Murphy and me to assist him on these dances. Big mistake.

The thing about inspiration is you never know when it will hit. Any artistic genius will tell you that. Inspiration happened to slap Kate and me across the face backstage during 45 Seconds from Broadway. We decided it was best to let the dance flow through us immediately, rather than wait till the show was over and find a large space with a mirror or two. NO. That's the other thing about inspiration, it is fickle. It can flit out of your brain as facilely as it flitted in- I think Fosse said that. When the dance calls we must answer. So, there we were head cocking and hip popping right in between the rows of prop tables filled with cups of tea, tuna salad, and flatware. Sure it was dangerous but that's what made it fun. The only downside was that actors kept getting in our way.

"Excuse me", they would say, "I have to make an entrance now".

Give me a break. "Can't you see magic is happening?" We thought to ourselves. We let them pass and we pressed on.

The result you can see for yourself because our brilliant steps are featured in The Complete History of America (Abridged). If the dances alone do not bring you to your feet shouting "Encore!" the guys surely will. It's funny, fast, and educational...err sort of. Most importantly, it is patriotic! So come on out to the playhouse during this month of our country's birth, I guarantee you'll have a blast!

The Cadi Corner: Staff Hobbies

When I was in 3rd grade our teacher held a show and tell day where all the kids in the class were supposed to bring in their hobby. Kids brought in baseball cards, comic books, or even worse, stamps. I hated this assignment but did learn an important lesson in faking it. I had no hobbies. I had gymnastics but that wasn’t a hobby that was my life, duh!

I ended up bringing in posters. I’m sure I just dug them from my closet, some forgotten remnant from a book fair splurge in ’91. I got some skeptical stares from a girl named Stacey who brought in her sticker collection, but who ever said stickers was a hobby? That girl probably ended up with a couple of babies and a butterfly tattoo.

I bring up hobbies because our production manager, Michael Domue has probably the coolest hobby ever. He brews his own beer. He’s brewing it right now as a matter of fact. The beers that he’s making will be part of our annual summertime celebration, Crabfest. Back in 2001 he and a few other Totem Pole staffers had a hankering for some crabs. So they bought a couple bushels and a few cases of Yuengling and boom, Crabfest was born. The next year he got the idea to make the beer himself and from one brew sprang another and another. Last year Crabfest celebrated it’s tenth year and 13 beers were brewed. What I’ve learned from watching him brew is that brewing beer is no walk in the park. It’s no stamp collecting. It is a discipline that involves a lot of heavy lifting. I don’t understand all the science that goes into it but from what I gather you have to drink lots of Yuengling, take your shirt off, and eat pizza. This generally goes on for about twelve hours. Then you wrap up by drinking even more beer and celebrating your accomplishments in manhood.

I’ve watched him do this for four years now and every year I get encouraged to find a hobby of my own. For now, people watching will have to do. Speaking of people watching, come watch some of Neil Simon’s kookiest characters in 45 Seconds from Broadway. Directed by son of Caledonia, John Putch. It’s lots of fun and only plays till Sunday so don’t miss it!

The Cadi Corner: Hi, my name is...

You know what’s awesome about having new people around?

Everything.

We have 11 new staff members at The Pole this year. Eleven! And that’s not even counting our new groundskeeper, Fred. Meeting new people is so great. They will laugh at all your jokes and they can’t make fun of you for all the the dumb things you’ve done in the past (like the time your mom spelled your name wrong). It’s a clean slate. It’s just like the first day of school minus the cheerleading uniform.

You know what’s not awesome about having new people around?

The learning curve.

For me, not them. For instance, you could say to a new person,

“Hey, can you put this baby A in the corral please?”

and all they heard was

“Hey, blah di blah di blah di toodley poodley what now please?”

I keep forgetting that you don’t just show up here knowing how everything works. Your welcome bag does not include the extensive list of Totem Pole traditions. Maybe it should, then I wouldn’t have to be the one explaining things. I’m not very good at it. That’s why I could never be a teacher. I just assume that everyone knows everything already. I’d show up to teach a kindergarten class and say,

“Ok, so you know how when you add 2 + 2 you get 4?”

And they’d look up from their graham crackers and apple juice long enough to say,

“Math? I don’t even know how to spell my name.”

And speaking of names, I have a horrible time remembering them. I think most people do. There are a few people I know that are impeccable about it, Carl Schurr among them. I mostly remember people by their hair color and one random attribute, like “brunette who smells like peaches”.

Tonight we are trying to amend the absence of knowing. We are having the annual staff viewing of This is My Father. It is the documentary that John Putch made about his father Bill. It explains so much about how special this place is and how much it has meant to so many people. Plus you get to see Pablo chain smoking in a zebra print oxford. The coolest thing about this year’s viewing is that John himself is here to watch it with us.

Meanwhile...try to catch Sisters of Swing before its gone! Tickets are selling like hotcakes and you only have till Sunday. If you do miss it, never fear! Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds from Broadway directed by the aforementioned John Putch opens on Tuesday! Lordy be we are flying right along, don’t miss out on all the fun!

The Cadi Corner: Swinging Sisters Start Summer Season

Welcome back! It’s FINALLY summertime and that means another great season of music, love, and laughter at Totem Pole Playhouse. It’s our 60th anniversary season, did you hear? If you didn’t, well welcome! How is that rock you’ve been living under? To celebrate we’ve invited back some of our dearest friends.

Our season opener was directed by his excellency, Mr. Carl Schurr and we were fortunate enough to have the magical Jan Puffer who did the original choreography. Jan will be a familiar name to all you loyal Totem Polers out there; she has been in over 25 shows here! She’s even on our wall of fame in the greenroom. We were also lucky enough to cast two local gals who are a couple of the most talented and fun loving ladies ever to grace our stage.

Molly Lahr and Katrina Yauckey are accomplished singers and actors who got their start right here at Totem Pole. As young theatre goers, they used to watch Ms. Puffer onstage so I thought it would be fun to ask them how they felt about working with Jan and what it meant to be a part of this historic season.

What high school did you attend?

Molly: Chambersburg Area Senior High School, there were about 555 people in my graduating class.

Katrina: I’m from Mont Alto and graduated from Waynesboro Area Senior High School. There were about 220 seniors in my class and about 1000 total in the school.

How old were you when you saw your first Totem Pole Play?

Molly: 15.

Katrina: I couldn’t begin to tell you, I had to have been 3 or 4 years old. My mom was doing shows here when she was pregnant with me.

Wow, that must have been a great seat!

Is there a particular show that you saw here that had an impact on you?

Molly: Oklahoma! Jack Rowles was in it, he is WAY older than I am.

(Sorry, Jack)

I was an usher here for like two or three summers.

Katrina: Ernest in Love when I was 6. I watched my mom do a dance number with Doug Robinson. The love of my life, John Putch, was in it and his mom gave me a doll that I named after him.

What was the first show you were in at Totem Pole?

Molly: A Christmas Carol in 1989 with Ms. Katrina Yaukey!

Katrina: 1987 A Christmas Carol. I was supposed to be in an earlier show and I learned all my lines to audition for Bill Putch but when he found out how young I was he sent my mom a copy of Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Laws with a letter that said he was so sorry. He had been so taken with me, he had no idea how young I was. My mom still has the letter and the copy of the law.

What are your memories of seeing Jan Puffer on the Totem Boards?

Molly: I remember seeing her in A Christmas Carol and I thought she was the prettiest most beautiful and loveliest person inside and out. She was like an angel.

Katrina: Are you kidding me? She was so beautiful and lovely and so nice to all of us. I wanted to dress like her, talk like her and write like her. In 1988 I was a rollerskating clown in Carnival and every night I would sit next to her in the dressing room and she would do my makeup.

What was it like working with Jan after having seen her in shows?

Molly: I was eager to please her. I wanted to do a very good job. She was very patient I would say, infinitely patient. Her choreography is really fun and she was just graceful and nice. Can you tell that I really love her?

Katrina: Really just fulfilling on so many levels. It just feels like I’ve come full circle to not just be working alongside her, but to have her directing me, offering me guidance. I just wish everyone in the business was that nice.

How has working at Totem Pole prepared you for other professional work?

Molly: It has taught me a really good work ethic: prepare before you get here and have a super high level of professionalism, excluding Kate Murphy.

(Sorry, Kate)

Working here has also taught me to have so much fun. You can joke around but you can get serious and get your work done.

Katrina: You know, it’s funny because I feel like its really set the standard for talent-

Molly: That’s what I wanted to say!

Katrina: We have a pretty amazing little professional theatre in the woods. Every other place I work has to meet these standards. They always bring in such talented, talented people. People that I admired even before I went to school or worked professionally.

How does working at Totem Pole compare to working at other Professional Theaters?

Molly: I think I have the most fun here. I laugh a lot and probably when I shouldn’t be laughing I think I strike a good balance between immaturity and professionalism; I pull it out when I need to.

Katrina: How does it compare? Well, I definitely have a lot of fun here, more than a lot of places. It just seems there is a common interest of all aspects between stage management, stage crew, and designers. There is a camaraderie here. There is such a feeling that it’s a team and that’s rare and it exceeds other places.

Where did you get your Equity card?

Molly: I got it here in Papa Is All. I was cast as the daughter, I can’t remember her name but it was a really good part.

Were you any good?

I think I was pretty good but I think I’m better when I get to be funny and I didn’t get to be funny in that show, not one single time! I mean, I was hit with a whip! A whip! A Cool Whip! That’s not funny at all. I would never say I hated it, though.

Katrina: It was the 1st National Tour of Victor Victoria. It was 1998 and I was two weeks from getting my card in Florida. But I did 38 of my EMC weeks at Allenberry Playhouse during the “Equity Years”.

What is your biggest mishap onstage?

Molly: Oh my god, in Papa Is All, i thought I was going to throw up because I had a McDonalds cheeseburger.

(Sorry, McDonalds)

I had this scene with my mother and I had an out of body experience like : OK I’m going to throw up. I was picturing the trashcan offstage. But, I didn’t.

Katrina: I have many of them but one of them happens to be here. I was playing Martha Cratchit and I tripped bringing in the Christmas goose. It fell on the floor and broke in half. It was a matinee show and there were a lot of kids in the audience and a lot of laughter.

One of the best mishaps happened on Broadway. I was a swing for the girlfriends in Company. One of the girlfriends got sick two weeks into the run. She had laryngitis and pink eye. I went into that role for three weeks but she came back and was determined to perform. I was outside in a baseball cap and jeans when I heard someone call me over the loud speaker. They wanted me onstage in two minutes to replace this girl who was standing over by the SM coughing and spitting into a bucket. I changed into my costume, walked onstage, passed her leaving stage, and replaced her mid song. The audience literally gasped.

Where are you off to once Sisters of Swing closes?

Molly: I go back to Oregon to resume my position as stay at home mom: the greatest role of a lifetime!

Katrina: I go on the National Tour of Billy Elliot!

I hope ya’ll all come down to the playhouse and see Sisters of Swing. It’s fun for the whole family! And who knows, maybe for our 80th anniversary, your kids will be dancing and singing right alongside Molly and Katrina!

See you at the Playhouse!

The Cadi Corner: Summer Lovin' Had Me a Blast...

Well here we are, friends. The season is closing and so I give you my final blog of Summer ’09. I realize I have lapsed in my entries and I do apologize to you readers out there. I know there are literally tens of you.

I’ve never stuck around for the season close up until now. It is a very strange sensation. We’ve already said goodbye to The Paul Mills Holmes who has returned to his post as PSM at Actors Theatre of Louisville. We’ve kissed goodbye to Zack and Mel, two interns who in the off season are co-eds at Evansville University in Indiana. We’ve wished a bon voyage to Sam, a local gal and our resident story teller who has headed down south to sunny Florida to begin a new collegiate year. And Michael 'hot legs' Domue our Production Manager has traded in his clipboard for booby tassels and will appear as a kit kat dancer in Trinity Rep’s upcoming production of Cabaret in Rhode Island. The rest of the staff is here until closing day of I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change! I hope you get down here to see the show. It’s like a musical on wheels, it never stops moving. There are 153 costumes, 47 costume changes, and 30 pieces of furniture set on 87 casters. And if that’s not enough excitement, it’s about Love! Amore! You can bring your main squeeze or come alone and squeeze a stranger it’s a lot of fun!

Now, besides the show playing on the boards, there is still work to be done. We still have to screw down the louvers, store the lawn furniture, and more importantly, make our staff sign. Now, it is one of our long standing traditions at Totem Pole that at the end of the summer, the staff makes a sign commemorating their year. There is always a theme and it’s filled with funny quotes and memories from that particular season. We hang them in the shop and so it has been done for decades and decades. TOTEM POLE FUN FACT: We give the Totem Pole summer camp kids a tour of the theatre every year and the shop portion of the tour is always the shortest because inevitably we get kids at a fourth grade reading level excitedly shouting, “I just read a dirty word!” and “Is that a butt?!”

Anyway…this year we’ve decided that “Under Construction” should be the theme for our staff sign. A tribute to the endless road work that was plaguing, I’m sorry I mean stimulating our economy on Route 30 in front of the theatre and in front of some staff housing. Also, a shout out to the ever evolving levees and trenches we built this summer to protect the theatre from flooding during all that rain. (Our Lighting Designer Michael Domuwitz thought God was smiting us for making him design Cotton Patch Gospel). We thought this theme also fit because this was Ray Ficca’s inaugural summer as Artistic Director and he encouraged us to try out loads of new things this year like Movie Night and this blog. That man is a genius, no?

I’d say the summer was a huge success. I know I’ve made memories and friends I will not soon forget. I hate goodbyes so I’ll say so long for now and thanks to everyone who made 2009 so special, detours and all.