SHIRLINGTON ZOMBIE WALK 2011

FRIDAY NIGHT- SECOND ANNUAL SHIRLINGTON ZOMBIE WALK!

Friday night the 28th, get ready for the second annual Shirlington Zombie walk. Bar will be open at 7, come on by for some Happy Hour specials on drinks and food, and get zombified in the lobby! Bring your own zombie make-up, and one of our zombie experts will give you tips, if you need them. Then the walk begins! We walk the Shirlington Strip, then return to Signature's "Club Blue" for a zombie dance party!

Respond to the Facebook invite HERE.

4 Performances of Boy Detective Fails left!

We close on Sunday matinee, everyone. You have 4 more chances to see this amazing show. And no, I don't water ski in it, but I should.

Shows tonight, Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday at 2pm.

Hope to see you there.

xoxosgs

Nevermore Opening Night!

Nevermore opens tonight at Creative Cauldron! Tonight's performance is a benefit to save the Edgar Allan Poe house in Baltimore. A portion of the proceeds will go towards saving the house! Visit www.creativecauldron.org for ticket info, and come on out and see this amazing piece of theatre. It runs October 7th through the 30th on Fridays through Sundays.

xoxoxsgs

Hump Day Check In - Nevermore will the Boy Detective Fail...

Good Morning, interwebs! I am writing this blog from my new laptop! Yes, folks, the blog will lurch back from the dead now that I have a tool to write on again!

So what is going on? As always, very much.

The Boy Detective Fails is still running for 2 more weeks, so I have about 8 more performances as Billy Argo, Boy Detective. This makes me incredibly sad, and this role has been 2 years in the making. Letting go of this show is going to be like ripping off a very large band aid. Not looking forward to it.

Matt is directing a production of his first show, Nevermore at Creative Cauldron. It features many area favorites, including Priscilla Cuellar, Mary Payne Omohundro, Karissa Lynn Swanigan Upchurch, Katie Culligan, Dani Danger Stoller, and Sean Thompson. I had the priveledge of seeing a run through last wee, and am seeing another one tonight, and can assure you, it is money WELL spent.

It is, first of all, an incredibly SEXY cast. Secondly, the talent of the cast is overpowering. Matt has done some really amazing directing as well! So all in all, I am verrrrry excited about the entire production. Check out www.creativecauldron.org for details and tickets!

And in further Nevermore news, Musically Human Theatre Company, a new emerging company in NYC is looking to produce it's initial season using all Matt Conner shows! They are kicking this off with a concert version of Nevermore, featuring the original Edgar Allan Poe, Dan Cooney, and also Eleasha Gamble! The Concert is November 7th at the Duplex in NYC. Details will follow. After the concert, the group will do a reading of NightoftheLivingDead in December, followed by full productions of both in the spring/summer! The company is raising funds for the Concert over at our favorite fundraising page, Kickstarter - visit their Nevermore event page and donate anything you can!

In other news, I will be posting a look back at the summer, sharing some atrocious movies that I have had the pleasure of discovering, and much more, including coverage of the opening of Nevermore at Creative Cauldron, to coverage of the closing of the AMVP Rep at Signature next week! Please stand by!

xoxosgs

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

The Boy Detective Fails Trailer!

AMVP Rep at Signature Theatre - NOW PLAYING!

For the first time in known theatrical history, Signature Theatre is offering two world premiere musicals running in rep with each other. One is called The Hollow, with music and lyrics by Matt Conner, and book by Hunter Foster. The other is called The Boy Detective Fails, with music and lyrics by Adam Gwon, book by Joe Meno.

I have the honor of portraying the title role in The Boy Detective Fails, and my partner, Matt wrote the music and lyrics to The Hollow. So, as you can imagine, this rep is of some great importance in our household.

Both of these pieces are very cutting edge and challenge the viewer in many different ways. Not all people will like being challenged, and some will prefer that their evening ends wrapped up in a nice and neat bow. But if theatre that makes you think, talk to friends, and have heated discussions is your cup of tea, then what are you waiting for? Plan your trip now!

Listen to what people are saying: THE HOLLOW

"...a dark gem...entirely engrossing and deeply powerful..."

-

Theatremania

"sing all

the power of

myth, Foster and Conner effectively address the negative effects bigotry and small-mindedness have on a community. Through their

characters, story and music, they have created a dynamic new legend in "The Hollow," a valid contribution to the cause of the new American musical, a cause to which Signature Theatre is firmly dedicated."

- Washington Examiner

"Henriette Van Brunt,

played with voracious self-righteousness by Sherri Edelen, one of the show’s vocal powerhouses, who whips her contemporaries up into a frenzy against Crane."

- Washingtonian

Also with both shows, it seems that everyone is seeing 2 different things...

"The music too often doesn’t

illumine the characters

very well or move the story along with conviction."

- Roy Maurer -

DCtheatrescene

"...But those characters have all been transformed in the

musical, fleshed out and made to illuminate even more clearly

than the original..In addition, Conner's music and lyrics move the action of the musical along."

- Barbara Mackay - Washington Examiner

Come decide

for yourself!

"Captivating...Spellbinding...Perfect"- MD Theatre Guide

"the story’s tragic resolution, with many questions still left unanswered, proves more unsettling than the thought of a ghostly figure and his horse with glowing red eyes."

- Washingtonian

"The Hollow shares some of the ambiance of Conner's previous musical,Nevermore, but

here, some of the lyrics are unadorned, while others blossom into an eerie dimension, sometimes carried by wafts of classical-sounding music. The effect is almost unremittingly hypnotic...Director Matthew Gardiner harnesses his cast's energies, allowing them a measured, deliberate energy at first that suggests there is vast power

being held at bay. When the force is finally released, it explodes in psychological violence. Yes, The Hollow is a horror show, but it's the horrors found within us which

do the scaring here, not monsters or special effects."

- Theatremania.com

THE BOY DETECTIVE FAILS

community."

ton Examiner

"Smith is onstage almost nonstop for 2 1/2 hours, and his singing is superb every .

"The thread that does hold things together, to the extent the material allows, is Billy himself. Stephen Gregory Smith achieves what every actor aspires to, but few can do consistently: he makes us believe, completely , that he IS the person who he’s portraying. It’s that simple, and it’s that complex. Smith is that boy."

- Kyle Osborne - EntertainmentorDie.com
"Smith is mostly fine, exploring an odd character who is both high-strung and tense, yet engaging. However, he occasionally strays into cartoon territory -- which director Joe Calarco should rein in." - Theatremania

COME AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF!

"Though "Boy Detective" is based on a book,

what makes the show successful is that

it's not a singular vision. There is a clear meeting

of minds: everything from

the acting to the music to the precise

choreography hits the same perfect

one-two note of sadness and joy, that

weird melancholy of childhood

spinning into adulthood.

"Boy Detective" never just hands you the story,

but requires you to assemble it

clue by clue. As a result, what would

otherwise be just a sweet bildungsroman

becomes instead something much more moving

and complex as we confront

with Billy the maddening riddle of growing up."

- BrightestYoungThings.com

- actually - that entire review is written so well

and is so insightful that you

should probably go to their website and

read the whole thing HERE.

There is also another commentary piece from "AskMissA" over HERE.

In closing, these are two incredibly young and

spunky children who were just

birthed over at the Signature Theatre.

They have quite the journey ahead of them,

and I highly reccomend that you come and see them!

There are student tickets available -

read about that HERE.

""As brought to life by director Joe Calarco,

Smith gives a winning performance as Billy,

with a shuffling posture and shyness that vividly

demonstrate the dislocation of a child trapped in

a man's body. "

- TalkinBroadway.com

Contact the box office at 703-820-9771 or at Signature's website.

And ps, sorry I haven't written on here in awhile,

but my computer has crashed

and burned, and in addition,

I've had my hands full,

as you can see. I promise

to get back on here more this fall, as Matt and I

have many things up our collective

sleeves to tell you about! xoxosgs

Next Up...Billy Argo, Boy Detective.

If the Rapture doesn't ruin my next gig, you will see me at Signature Theatre in The Boy Detective Fails, opening August 25th. This photo appears in the program for Side by Side by Sondheim at Signature (ON SALE NOW).
Details to follow. I am more excited about this show than I can say. Also pictured to my right is Sam Ludwig, who will star in The Hollow, which will run in rep with The Boy Detective Fails. The Hollow is written by Matt Conner and Hunter Foster, and The Boy Detective Fails is written by Adam Gwon and Joe Meno.
More to come soon.
xoxo
SGS

Judgement Day

For followers of radio preacher Harold Camping, doomsday is expected to arrive tomorrow, May 21, 2011.
During the so-called rapture on May 21—said to be Judgment Day—Jesus Christ is predicted to return to Earth to gather the faithful into heaven, according to Camping, the founder of the independent ministry Family Radio Worldwide. In preparation for this monumental event, I found these Judgement Day FAQ's for you, constant reader. Click HERE to read. So, since this is supposed to happen tomorrow...umm...talk soon?
xoxo
SGS

Super Outbreak 2 - wrap up.

(Photo right: Stafford, VA)

Not since the 1974 Super Outbreak have we seen such a violent tornadic outbreak in the US. In the past several days, over 160 tornadoes have touched down in multiple states in the Southeast, killing as many as 249 known people. Many are still missing or unaccounted for. It is a rarity to have such an outbreak in the DMV region, though we have had strong tornadoes in the past. Nine years ago today, an F4 tornado ravaged Charles County, and La Plata, MD in particular. But to have this many funnel clouds and Doppler indicated tornadoes, as well as spotted tornadoes on the ground is very much out of the ordinary.

The South also suffered horrific damage, including a horrific F5 tornado that hit Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama. The Capital Weather Gang wrote a good summary piece about how this outbreak happened, and in their post, you can watch incredible footage of live news coverage from downtown Tuscaloosa as the monster storm approaches. Click HERE to read the article and see the video. And to step back and really look at the big picture on a human scale, you should look at this link of photos from the devastation. Click HERE. The photos bring tears to my eyes.

Below are several photos that I have found of tornadoes throughout the DMV region from yesterday. After this week's devastating and too close for comfort storms, my hope is that everyone develops a tornado plan for themselves and their family, in case you have not already done so. After 249 deaths, 8 of which occurred in Virginia, I really hope you do. Stay aware and stay safe.

SPOTSYLVANIA/STAFFORD VA

DUMFRIES, VA

CLINTON, MD

ANDREWS AIRFORCE BASE

You can follow your local DMV weather at my links to the side, Weather.com, Capital Weather Gang, or WTOP News. Tornado season is just beginning. Have a plan of action for you and your family.

xoxo
SGS

UPDATE: The death toll has risen to 272 and counting. This now ranks as the 2nd deadliest outbreak in the past 50 years.