Hey everyone!

Well this is it folks.  We just did our last show!  The cast was amazing, the show was spectacular, and the experience was unforgettable. A 25 show, sold out run.  We performed for over 47,000 people in a mere three weeks, and I have enjoyed every bit of it.  Thank you to all who have supported our show, watched my videos, and read the blog.  Have a safe and blessed holiday.

Here’s to the memories:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zKkzR8tQid0

From the Ordway in St. Paul, MN, wishing you all the best,

-Nate the Great

P.S.  Smile :-)

 

Hey Everyone!

Here are three more videos you should check out:


This is a Promotional Video of our show.  So if you can't come and see it, here's two minutes just for you :-)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wmk2kKGf9nc


These next clips are of Matthew Ashford back when he was on "Days Of Our Lives"  In this 2 part video, he plays a practical joke on one of his co-stars.  See, I told you he was always ready for a good laugh.

Part 1:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uCD8CmaqoIA

Part 2:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=61uz9p_bErE

If you got a kick out of the Male Nun photos I posted before, you HAVE to check out this video I created for the Ordway.

Enjoy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DQtS0C7nT7k

 

Hello all!

 

So I admit, it’s been about a week since I’ve posted last.  Besides doing the show every night, I’m still a full time student at the U of M.  But good news: I just got done with finals!!! YAY!  So now I’ll have more time to devote to the blog…which may include a video two :-) But onto news about the show…

I think the first order of business is what I like to call the “Saturday Night Incident”.  To set up this story let me remind you that on Saturday’s and Sunday’s we have a 2:00 and an 8:00 show.  So in between shows last Saturday Ryan Howley decided to eat some Italian candy called Torrone.  This dessert happened to be quite hard to cut, so as Ryan was trying to push the knife down with all his might, the knife slipped out and cut off all of his fingers!!….well, ok, not all of his fingers, but he cut three of them bad enough to be rushed to the Emergency Room and receive 8 stitches.  The doctor said he might have nicked his “Flexor Digitorum Superficialis Tendon” (which we’ll call “Flex” for short), and that if the blade would have went any deeper, his Flex would’ve been all the way up his forearm….so THANKFULLY that didn’t happen, or else the show would have permanently ended up Ryan-less.  But he did miss the next three shows, including a planned understudy performance for Kiana Adams on Sunday.  Which means for that show, 4 of the 6 kids were understudies (Curt in for Ryan, Chance in for Curt, Grace in for Kacie, and Kiana in for Julia).  So that was great fun, they all did a wonderful job!  Ryan is now back in, and Curt (who is Ryan’s understudy) is back to playing his role… Curt.  Live theatre! It doesn’t get much better than this folks.

 

Side Note:  Renee Prola (Company Manager) does everything!

 

Moving on, another great thing about this show is I have had the amazing opportunity to be a spectator.  Many people have asked what’s it like to work with Matthew Ashford (Captain von Trapp) and Jessica Bogart (Maria).  To answer that, working with them is… minimal :)  My actual interaction with them on stage is slim to none, but off stage I can tell you they are phenomenal people.  When you first meet someone of this high of celebrity status, you tend to freeze and just stare.  But after you get past this slightly awkward stage, you come to realize how normal they are.  Matt and Jess are completely down to earth, which can be surprising in a society like ours.  Matthew is always ready for a good laugh.  He likes to joke around, but knows when its time to work.  Jessica is such a joyful person, and she’s so passionate about her work that she makes everyone around her better.  Their respectful behavior to everyone, as well as their joyful outlook on life is an inspiration to the rest of us on how to be true stars of a show.

I love watching their chemistry on stage.  One instance in particular is when I’m an altar server in the second act, I get to watch them get married every night.  Both Matt and Jess have their back to the audience at this point, so the audience doesn’t see what I get to see.  But every night I am amazed at the love and absolute joy both have while getting married.  From the procession in, to their final kiss, both look absolutely head-over-heels for each other, and it is so fun to be a part of. (Sorry for spoiling the ending for those of you who didn’t know about the marriage….. but um, yeah they get married, but don’t worry, cuz uh, the Nazi’s catch them all, and um, send them to jail for…forever.  :-)

Oh, how are we selling you ask?  Oh you know…AMAZING!  Before I told you that the seats were practically sold out for our previews.  And personally, I thought that they were sold out because they were cheaper tickets, and it was opening weekend yadda yadda.  But as it turns out, we have pretty much sold out our ENTIRE RUN!!  People in the cast have said their relatives have tried to call to buy 2 seats next to each other on any day and there were NONE AVAILABLE!  Ushers tell us stories of all the people they see leaving the theatre singing songs from the show, trying to march like the children, and with huge grins, saying how much they loved it.  What does that tell you?  Well, it tells you that people are thoroughly enjoying this show.  So much so, that we have actually added another matinee next Thursday (the 27^th). 

We’re talking close to 1900 people a night. 

 

That’s just awesome.

 

Nate the Great

 

P.S. Watch for a lot of pictures and perhaps a video or two coming soon…

 

 

“Actor Monte Wheeler…is perfect here as the Nazi, Herr Zeller.”

                          -Rohan Preston’s review of one of our actors.

 

From Left to Right: Joel Liestman, John Sloan, Nathan Shrake (Me), Tony Vierling and Monte Wheeler being Chorus Boy Cutie Pies

 

Sister Mary Tony is awfully confident with her legs, but Sister Mary Monte pretty much trumps all with her amazing tattoos.

Hey everyone!  So much has happened in such a little amount time.

We’ve all been rehearsing very hard, which means long days.  But it’s all worth it and necessary to put on such an amazing production.  Jessica Bogart (Maria) and Matthew Ashford (Captain von Trapp) have been working the hardest of all.  They constantly are being asked to sing songs and perform scenes for staging, tempo, sound, and lighting.  We have gotten to the point where we are fine tuning the entire show and can pick at the nitty gritty stuff to make the whole thing appear flawless. 

With the extra down-time some of the cast has acquired during these long rehearsals, they have used it to grasp the opportunity to get other stuff done.  For example:  Many of the nuns have taught the younger kids how to crochet and knit.  Aaron Coker (Male Ensemble) is teaching himself how to play guitar.  Some adults bring in computers to check email and watch videos on YouTube, while other adults, like John Sloan (Male Ensemble), bring in reading material to expand their vast array of knowledge, which then they happily share with the rest of the cast.  I personally either like to be taught tap steps by the great Tony Vierling (Male Ensemble whose a local celebrity having been in over 25 Theatre productions at The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres) or harmonize on Garage Band with Aja Pridgen (Woman Ensemble) thanks to the usage of Aaron Young’s (Rolf) Mac computer.

But sadly, tragedy hit the Ordway stage on Friday evening when Kacie Riddle who plays our little Marta von Trapp fell and hurt her leg.  She was taken to the emergency room where they told her she had a fractured Tibia and would be out for six weeks.  Considering our show runs only three weeks, she unfortunately will not get a chance to perform for an audience.  But the inspiring part about all of this is that she returned to the Ordway and was backstage Monday night for our Final Dress rehearsal in front of a small crowd of Ordway donors, sporting her cool new glittery hot pink leg cast, her little crutches, and her beaming smile.  She will be missed very much, but as we always hear in the theatre, the show must go on.  And Grace Donner, who has been understudying Marta since the first day of rehearsal, stepped right in without missing a beat.  Grace is very excited about this chance to perform and is doing a great job with all of her new responsibilities.

 

Side Note:  9 slices of pizza, 7 chocolate chip cookies, 4 waters, and 2 breadsticks later, I was one satisfied man.  (Read first blog if confused)  :-)

 

As mentioned earlier, on Monday Dec 10 we had a huge benefit to start off this amazing run.  Supporters of the Ordway came all dressed up to bid on different Best Buy items before our show.  Things like Refrigerators, Home Theatre Systems, and Minnesota Wild Tickets were auctioned off.  I even heard entire busses going for thousands of dollars to bring less fortunate kids to the Ordway to experience the magic of a show here.

I have never seen a live auction before, mainly because I have never had thousands of dollars to just bid away at a moments notice, but these folk help keep the Ordway running.  So we are all so appreciative of their generous support.  800, 800, 800, do I hear 950, I have 800, 800, 950 right there, thank you mam, 950, 950 …… and yes, he actually talks that fast.

So, after the show there was a very sophisticated black tie party which we all dressed up for.  The desserts were AMAZING, the people were beautiful, and the Guitar Hero was, well, rockin’.  That’s right, the Ordway decided to set up the video game “Guitar Hero III” just in case any of the kids got bored sipping their Fiji Water.  We’ll just say there were some intense games…

And finally, last night was our first public preview.  After rehearsing for hours before the show, we were all ready to perform for an audience.  As I’ve stated before, the incredible Ordway seats about 1,900.  Last night we were filled practically to the brim.  I would say, without a doubt, we had at least 1,800 people there.  18 HUNDRED PEOPLE!  You now what it sounds like when 1,800 people applaud?  It’s like a giant tidal wave of … glorious noise!  Pretty unbelievable. :-)

 

Well, that’s it for now!  I’m off to our second preview!  Hope you can make it out to see the show soon!

Remember, you can join the incredible “tidal wave of glorious noise” by going to  www.ordway.org/buy or by calling 651-224-4222.

And please, keep commenting, it’s always fun to read.

 

Talk to you all soon!  :-)

 

Nate the Great

 

 

“Let’s Pump It Up!”

                        -Wendy Knox (Director) getting us ready for rehearsal.

 

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first ever blog for the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts production of The Sound Of Music. (SOM)

First, I think I should introduce myself, my name is Nathan Shrake.  I’m a second year at the University of Minnesota, and I live in St. Paul.  I just finished with The Rocky Horror Show here at the Ordway and currently am rehearsing for the Sound of Music which opens on December 14.  I’m a pretty happy, optimistic guy, so I was thrilled when they asked me to do the blog for SOM 

Where to begin? Well, lets start at the very beginning, for as we know, it's a very good place to start…

 
The Principles and von Trapp kids started rehearsing at the beginning of November, while the rest of us joined them towards the end of the month.  With a cast of 41 from all around the , I have been truly blessed with this opportunity to be a part of such an amazing production.  Also with this show comes many “firsts” for a lot of the cast.  For example, performing in a huge house like this is a first for many of us.  We just moved onto the Main Stage this week to start teching the show.  And let me tell you, walking onto a stage that looks out on a 1900 seat house, as beautiful as the Ordway, is jaw dropping. 

Another first for many of the guys (with the exception to Monte Wheeler, ha!) was the wearing of our nun outfits.  Most of the Male Ensemble play nuns at the beginning of the show – keep that on the dl, it’s a little secret only privy to you blog readers.  But you can imagine the excitement as we all put on the 11 piece habit and took wild and crazy pictures of things nuns wouldn’t normally do.  I’m hoping to upload some of these pictures very soon :-)

Also, I have to note, that there is approximately 1 and a half hours until we go on dinner break, where then the Ordway will supply us with a PIZZA PARTY!  And since pizza is my favorite food of all time, I am VERY EXCITED to say the least.  Except I am a little worried! We were suppose to sign up if we were going to attend so they knew how many pizzas to order, which naturally, I was the first to sign up for.  But more than half the cast has seemed to have forgotten to sign up, yet everyone is talking about being there….meaning, if we have 3 pizzas for 41 starving artists, there is going to be some pushing and shoving. 

 

I’ll be back soon to talk about some of the amazing people in this show, and hopefully have a guest blogger or two!  if you all have any questions you would like answered, feel free to comment, and I'll try to answer them the best I can!

And if you haven’t bought tickets yet, BUY THEM YOU SLOW POKE! They’re selling fast!  You can go to www.ordway.org/buy or call 651-224-4222.

 

Talk to you all soon,

-Nate the Great

"We can't hear you, our habits cover our ears!" 
                                     -Nuns' excuse for not listening  :-)