Backstage Pass: AHT
The only place to find all the backstage dirt on American Heartland TheatreYou Could Be A Star! AUDITIONS AT AHT!
11 April 2011 07:35:16
AMERICAN HEARTLAND THEATRE ANNOUNCES AUDITIONS FOR ITS 2011-2012 SEASONOpen auditions will be held for American Heartland Theatre’s 2011-2012 Season. All auditions will be held by appointment at the theatre. Dates are as follows: Sunday, April 17, 2011 4:30-6:00pm Singing 6:00-8:30pm Acting Tuesday, April 19, 2011 2:00-5:00pm Acting 5:00-6:00pm Singing Wednesday, April 20, 2011 1:30-4:00pm Acting 4:00-5:30pm SingingActing auditions should consist of two contrasting monologues, not to exceed one minute each. Singing auditions should consist of two contrasting songs no longer than 32 bars. An accompanist will be provided.To schedule acting and singing auditions, please call the theatre at 816-842-9999 Monday through Friday, between 10:00am and 5:00pm. The theatre is located in Crown Center at 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 314, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. For more information on American Heartland Theatre, visit our website at www.ahtkc.com.
Wow, this show is one of the technically-tightest-tuned shows I've ever worked on!
24 March 2011 15:08:54
By Guest Blogger Jan Kohl - Stage ManagerI'm Jan Kohl, one of the two swing-stage managers employed by American Heartland Theatre. My job is to come on board after Opening weekend and take over the show from Resident Stage Manager William Christie. So in a matter of a few days, I learn the mechanics of calling cues and running the light board for any given show, and I prefer fast-paced musicals which keep me very busy in the booth. This show certainly falls under that category.And this show keeps me very busy in the booth, keeps the Sound Operator busy in Sound Bay, keeps the 3-person crew backstage very busy, and, of course, keeps the actors very, very busy.Typically, we run with 1-or-2- person crews; rarely are our shows big and/or busy enough for 3 members. But with literally hundred of props, a turntable to keep different sets arriving and departing smoothly, and lots of costume and wig changes, we need our 3 able crew members. They set all the props and furniture, and this production walks such a fine line that everything must be set exactly right. If not (as we've discovered), one misplaced prop, just slightly misplaced, can wreak havoc. We found that a chair, almost-but-not-quite tucked under the table, can get caught in the turntable. A prop set a titch differently on the shish-kabob cart can alter the entire cart and all its props. So the crew checks and double checks, from their preshow checks until the very end of the show. We speak after each show, making sure that everything ran according to plan, and take notes on anything needing mended or changed. For this show, there are almost always postshow notes which need the attention of various people, whether the set crew, properties designer, costume designer, or all three.It's an exciting and rewarding show.
First Peek at Maybe Baby, It's You!
28 December 2010 18:05:39
Young Couples
Older Couples
And everything in between!Finding your soul-mate has never been more fun and more complicated!
We Wish You a Very Merry Christmas!
24 December 2010 06:20:46
From all of us at AHT to all of you!Have a very Merry and Safe Holiday this year!
Chirstmas Music
13 December 2010 10:09:40
By Guest Blogger: Ian Jordan SubsaraIan plays Jinx in Plaid TidingsChristmas is a very special time of year for me! My favorite part of the holidays is always Christmas Eve in my hometown on the outskirts of Buffalo, New York. I go to church with my family for the Christmas Eve service at 6pm; it has become a yearly tradition for me to play piano and sing a Christmas song or two at this service. After wards, my mom’s side of the family always comes over to our house for a Christmas Eve celebration; we have dinner, exchange gifts, and spend the whole night laughing while some of my favorite Christmas music plays in the background. I love the music at Christmas time and I think that’s why I prefer Plaid Tidings to Forever Plaid. We cover SO many traditional Christmas songs in Plaid that I was surprised to find that my favorite wasn’t in it!I would have to say my all time favorite Christmas song is “Some Children See Him” by Alfred Burt. Here is a rendition sung by James Taylor if you’ve never heard it before; the lyrics and that piano part ARE SO BEAUTIFUL (click here to have a listen!).My two favorite songs to sing in the show are by far “The Christmas Song” and the closing number, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. The 4-part arrangements of these songs are truly gorgeous. Come see the show and comment on the blog – let me know which song was your favorite!!
It Is Great Being A Plaid!
30 November 2010 11:51:25
By Guest Blogger: Ian Jordan SubsaraIan plays Jinx in Plaid TidingsI LOVE being in Plaid Tidings! I have performed in Forever Plaid twice, and it is always such an exciting rehearsal process for these Plaid shows! I enjoy a challenge, and those 4-part harmonies are REALLY hard to learn – although, I usually have it the easiest because the top line is frequently the melody. I have to hand it to those guys who are singing lines that make no sense by themselves – but when put together sound beautiful!! We all get along really well, which is great because we have to work really hard together as a team to make it a truly solid performance every time. I am tremendously fortunate to have three really talented and hard-working guys to sing with. They are all good musicians and made the process of learning the material very smooth. And we wouldn’t be what we are without our magnificently brilliant music director Anthony Edwards – who knows everything there is to know about music! During warm-ups before every show, we go over the most difficult parts of the score to keep it fresh in our minds and voices. I adore the music in Plaid Tidings and sincerely look forward to singing it every day! 
Bassist Brian Wilson and Musical Director and Pianist Anthony Edwardsprovide the accompaniment for The Plaids;Ian Jordan Subsara, Adam Branson, Grant Golson and Seth Golay
First Time in Kanas City
19 November 2010 05:34:21
By Guest Blogger: Ian Jordan Subsara Ian plays Jinx in Plaid TidingsThis is my very first time in Kansas City! In fact, this is the farthest west I’ve ever been in my whole life!! This is really a GREAT place to be for theatre – there is so much here. So far, I have gotten to see The Love List at the AHT, Evil Dead at the Off-Center, and The Seafarer at the Unicorn! And I hope to see much more while I am here.I love working for the American Heartland Theatre, and am so privileged to have such a fantastic cast, creative team, and crew. The theatre puts me up in my own room right at the Westin Crown Center … so I don’t even have to walk outside to get to “work!” I LOVE Crown Center; there is SO much here – it’s almost as if I never have to leave. The Apothecary is a little store downstairs that carries everything you could ever need – and they even have a discount card for Crown Center employees!I do have my car here – so I have had the opportunity to explore Kansas City a bit. I love the Plaza! During rehearsals, the guys in the show and I took a few trips over there for dinner. We went to Tomfooleries twice; I’ve also dined at Noodles & Co. – which I really enjoyed. It’s definitely not difficult to go shopping here either – aside from the Plaza, I’ve also gone to Zona Rosa and Oak Park Mall. I truly LOVE Kansas City, and hope I get the opportunity to come back and perform here again!
A Different Love List
19 October 2010 18:05:32
By Guest Blogger: Shanara Gabrielle Shanara plays Justine in The Love ListIf Justine had a Love List for Bill:1. sweetly gullible2. is a good influence on his friends3. intelligent4. a natural red-head5. a lover of statistics6. a suspenders kind of guy7. cautious8. excitable9. adorably nerdy10. realistic, based in realityAndrea's Love List for Leon:1. a guy's guy2. likes coffee and cake3. tries really hard at darts4. looks great in hawaiian shirts5. likes good whiskey, but will drink any whiskey6. irreverent7. loves steak and eggs8. writes books that I can read in a day9. likes his alone time10. he recognizes his mistakes
Justine's Shoes
14 October 2010 11:34:02
By Guest Blogger: Shanara Gabrielle Shanara plays Justine in The Love ListYes, those shoes hurt my feet a little. But for fabulous shoes, we women will sacrifice a lot.So, ladies, here it is:Pair #1 – the black patten leather, 4 ½ in heels: GUESSPair #2 – the t-strap teal and maroon be-jeweled wedges: STEVE MADDENPair # 3 – the lacy black mules that every woman slips on after she's slept in on Saturday: FREDERICK'S OF HOLLYWOODPair #4 – the clear floral accent jelly's (at least that what we called them in the 80's): STEVE MADDENPair #5 – the fabulous cream strappy number, that are actually the easiest to walk in!: ALDOPair #6 – a reprise of #2Pair #7 –for the curtain call I reprise #5...and after the show, if you see me in the lobby, you'll often catch me in my “backstage slippers”!
Review: Johnson County Sun
05 October 2010 11:49:01
Strong performances make “Love List” memorableby Russ SimmonsJohnson County SunSeptember 29th, 2010As Stephen Sondheim aptly put it, "You gotta have a gimmick if you want to get ahead."Playwright Norm Foster came up with a pretty clever gimmick for his situation comedy "The Love List," now playing at the American Heartland Theatre.In a twist reminiscent of John Hughes’ 1985 film "Weird Science," a couple of guys accidentally concoct the "perfect woman" only to discover that perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.Upon arriving home after his 50th birthday dinner, a nerdy statistician named Bill (Sean Grennan) is given an unusual present by his pal Leon (Scott Cordes).The gift is a form to fill out for a dating service run by a strange gypsy woman. Bill is to list, in order of importance, 10 traits to define the perfect woman. Reluctantly, Bill fills out the form and shortly thereafter,voila! A gorgeous, smart and successful woman named Justine (Shanara Gabrielle) appears at Bill’s door.Carrying on as if they’d been involved in a lengthy affair, Justine makes herself at home. At first, Bill thinks that someone is putting him on. Soon, however, he learns that he can affect Justine’s behavior any time he erases an item from the list and inserts a new trait.This Frankenstein-meets-Henry Higgins experiment starts going terribly wrong as Bill discovers that getting what you wish for can be dangerous. While there are some funny moments in Foster’s script, his ideas are generally better than their execution.Grennan makes Bill an awkward everyman, a decent soul caught up in existential dilemma. Cordes provides the right note as Leon, an unapologetic chauvinist who isn’t nearly as cynical as he claims to be. Gabrielle is a real find, displaying great timing and intelligence as the woman of Bill’s dreams. Her ability to quickly shift gears as Bill manipulates his list is an impressive demonstration of sharp acting skills.Paul Hough’s direction is rock solid. He’s proven able to improve upon the material he’s been given. Thanks to strong performances and slick execution, another otherwise forgettable play is made memorable."The Love List" runs through Oct. 24 at the American Heartland Theatre, 2450 Grand Ave., Kansas City, Mo. For tickets, visit www.ahtkc.com or call (816) 842-9999.
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