Becker

Sara Becker does the famous work of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” for her second production as a director at UH’s School of Theatre and Dance. She received her B.A. from Fordham University in NYC, and an MFA from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Becker has performed in many theaters throughout the nation including The Public Theatre of Maine and brings a great deal of expertise to the stage.

The Daily Cougar got a chance to sit down with Becker to discuss the play.

The Daily Cougar: What is your background like and when did you start directing?

Sara Becker:  I started specializing in voice when I was a grad student, and during the summer I worked as an assistant vocal coach. My big love is helping actors use language to tell stories. When I hear a voice that is telling the story of someone’s heart, I really light up.

TDC: What do you like most about directing?

SB: Most of my professional work is as a vocal coach. As a coach, my primary focus is on the language of the play, and how it is getting communicated out to an audience. I love working as a director because I get to carry that care for the story out into the visual life. I have a great time collaborating with designers on lights, sets, music and costumes. Directing is like hosting a party.

TDC: Did you work on the script?

SB: “As You Like It” is written by William Shakespeare, but about a year ago, I worked with the dramaturges from the MA program to refine the script. We combed over many different editions of the play, creating our own script in the process.

TDC: What is the play about?

SB: This play is about how we try out new identities. You may have heard the famous speech, “all the world’s a stage” — the monologue talks about how in the course of our lives we play a lot of different roles. It can be easier to make changes when we are around people we don’t know, or on a vacation, or at a bar that we plan on never returning to.

A lot of the characters in “As You Like It” are out of their comfort zone — they have decided to run away, they have gotten kicked out of their home, they are up for a road trip. What I love about this is play is that it’s about freedom and a big life-changing journey.

TDC: How did you go about selecting your actors and actresses?

SB: We held auditions for the show back in November of last year. I asked people to come in with two monologues — one from Shakespeare, preferably — and to play some music. I teach Shakespeare and Voice in the theater department for both the graduates and undergraduates, so some of the students I already knew from that. I was really excited to see the level of skill and talent we have at UH, and I sometimes sit in rehearsal just so thankful that I found the exact right person for each role. You want to see that they have the chops to be able to handle the material, and then the imagination and spirit to also fully embody the story. We have both.

TDC: Does the whole cast and stage crews rehearse at the same time, or are rehearsals split into sections based on which characters are in what scenes?

SB: The rehearsal process officially starts with everyone at the table: actors, designers and directors. The first listen of a play is electric. You’re hearing all the exciting things you have read and imagined for however many months, you are seeing pictures of beautiful costumes, research images from designers, music playing, etc. After that we start digging into the small detail, and usually that is just the director and the actors. The designers and the directors will meet once a week to make sure we are on the same page, while stage managers coordinate all of the communication.

At a certain point we start putting the small pieces into larger chunks; the entire first act or the entire second act. Actors head off to fittings and dramaturgy may sit down with an actor to share research on the time period or history of the play. At some point we perform it just for the designers. Then we move into our theatre space; we work from then on making sure the story carries into a larger space. Then we add design elements, and then we add that very important final component: the audience.

Let me tell you, adding the audience is the best part.

“As You Like It” will be performed on April 19 through 28 at the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre. The play opens at 8 p.m. on April 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27. The play will also open at 2 p.m. on April 21 and 28.

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Paradise Hotel premiered on Friday and was directed by Gus Kaikkonen. | Courtesy of School of Theater and Dance

Infidelity and sexual desire have been common themes in all forms of entertainment, and Paradise Hotel, a comedic drama being performed by students of the school of theater and dance, is no exception.

The play follows Benoit Pinglet, played by second year acting student Matt Severyn, as he pursues a clandestine relationship with his best friend’s wife, Marcelle Paillardin, played by senior Sarah Cortez.

On Friday night, the play premiered at the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre, and it will run until March 3.

From the moment Severyn stepped onto the stage, the audience was immediately captivated by his charm and humor. A contagious cacophony of laughter filled the air.

The light pink walls, the metal balcony and the lounging chair placed in Pinglet’s study successfully brought the audience into the world of 17th century Paris.

Sophomore Shelby Blocker, who played Pinglet’s wife, Angelique, convincingly portrayed a woman with a voracious personality and a big heart.

All cast members had great chemistry on stage — this was most necessary during scenes where Pinglet confessed his lust for Marcelle. There was no awkwardness present as he blatantly told her how much he wanted her and swiveled his hips against her legs.

Junior Miguel Angel Garcia played Marcelle’s husband, Henri Paillardin. He brought to life a man who is much too worried about his work as an architect to spend intimate time with his wife. His gestures and manner of speaking effectively conveyed to the audience how lacking his desire for a physical relationship was.

Another standout was senior Jason Ronje, who played Matthieu, a widowed lawyer with three daughters who stutter when it rains. When he was on stage, audience members laughed twice as much as they did before.

Junior Michaela Heidemann, who played the Pinglets’ maid, brought a tantalizing amount of sultriness to the stage as she seduced Maxime, the Paillardin’s nephew. Maxime was played by freshman Zachary Leonard, who persuaded viewers of his nerdy innocence.

Paradise Hotel is a play that will most likely induce serious fits of laughter, while also making viewers slightly uncomfortable at the same time. The message transmitted is of the common human feeling of desire, and what lengths people will go to to get that desire fulfilled.

All the actors displayed an enormous amount of commitment and love for their craft.

Alumnus Greg Cote, who played the lead’s best friend, Kelso, testified to Wuhl’s genius. “He knows what he wants,” Cote said. “He knows comedy.”

Cote will be playing Kelso on stage at Queen’s Theatre when the play debuts in New York next month.

He won’t be the only one leaving Houston; two current UH students have been picked to go with Wuhl to New York: theater senior Rachel Dooley and junior Christly Guedry.

“The actors were all selected by audition, including the equity actors who came from New York to work on the production,” said Steven Wallace, director of the School of Theatre and Dance and co-director of “Hit-Lit.”

“So it’s talent and skill. Being ready at the right time and the right place. There is no real formula nor are there any shortcuts — just hard work.”

Dooley is going to New York to work as a tech for the play.

“Rachel will go as an equity stage manager. In other words, she will receive her union card and enter the profession working as a union member on ‘Hit-Lit’ in New York,” Wallace said.

“This is not an opportunity someone gets at my age,” Dooley said. “I don’t often work with two directors, so that was new.”

She recalled her freshman year, when the stage management program was still small. Now she teaches younger students.

“Now, I have two ASMs (assistant managers). I help educate them about how things work and how we communicate,” she said. “We’re continuing to grow and produce bigger and better things. We’re not just doing college theater, we’re preparing for the outside world — the professional world.”

Guedry will be traveling to New York as an understudy.

“She will understudy and watch an equity actress play the role. That should be a great learning experience,” Wallace said. Guedry agreed that getting to see the play from an outside perspective, as an audience member, would be helpful to furthering her career.

Guedry worked with Wallace before on “Cripple of Inishmaan,” and described the director as “intuitive” and a “great team.”

She, like Cote, said Wuhl “knew comedy,” and she thought that gave the cast a lot of confidence.

“His jokes were just there,” she said. “We didn’t have to work hard to make it funny.”

Coincidentally, Cote, Dooley and Guedry have worked together before, on “Our Lady of 121st Street,” a play directed by Keith Byron Kirk, that debuted at the Jose Quintero Theatre in October.

“Christly’s best quality is that she’s talented and works really hard. She’s not satisfied with (underperforming),” Cote said. “Rachel works hard, too. Rachel’s always doing things for the actors.”

About Cote, Wallace said, “It is a great vehicle for him to be seen in New York City and to use it as a bridge to the profession. He was selected because he can stay play the entire show; the rest of the actors would have to come back and continue on in their classes after Spring Break.”

“A supporter of the School of Theatre and Dance – and UH in general – has provided his private plane to fly 10 of our cast and crew to New York to attend the opening and UH Alumni Day at ‘Hit-Lit’ at the Queens Theatre,” Wallace said.

“It’s a generous act to fly our students to New York so they can experience the process of transferring a production from academic theatre to professional theatre. It’s through the generosity of individuals like this gentleman that the arts continue to grow and thrive at UH. We are grateful for his support of our undergraduate and graduate students.”

Whether the trip to New York enables the beginnings of a career or not, the chosen few said they will benefit from and be thankful for the experience.

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Professional actors Adam Harrington and Karish Danish were part of the ‘Hit Lit” cast along with UH theater students. | Courtesy of School of Theatre and Dance

The comedian is back. Alumnus Robert Wuhl debuted his play “Hit-Lit” for a sold-out show on Tuesday at the Jose Quintero Theater.

“In all my years of doing stand-up comedy, I’ve never been nervous and right now, I’m nervous” Wuhl said during his opening speech.

The Emmy Award-winner described this play to be fun with its amount of graphics, animation and music.

This intelligent and well-written production stood up to its expectations.

Set in New York City, Phoebe, a young woman who is passionate about her job, strives to make a name for herself by searching for the next best-selling book. It takes a turn as she assumes that she has witnessed a murder and makes a risky decision by hiring the “hit-man” to write his life story.

The costumes were simple but vibrant and didn’t away from the dialogue, which made paying close attention to the humor more enjoyable to watch. Phoebe wore flirty skirts and blazers in bright red, deep purple and black. Julian, the hired “hit-man,” was always nicely dressed in the classic black suit with a white button down and black skinny tie.

The set-up of each scene was humble and did not take away from the dialogue, characters, music and animation. A desk, a bench, a bar, a Ferris wheel seat and a pull out bed were the only props used in the play.

“Hit-Lit” is a satire on the publishing world in today’s society, littered with the laugh-inducing comedic references. It stars professional actors Karis Danish as Phoebe, Adam Harrington as Julian and Richard Hollis as Norman Pfatt. UH theater students were also a part of the cast.

For more information about the UH School of Theater and Dance, visit www.uh.edu/class/theatre-and-dance/index.php.

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Van Marren

Moores School of Music recently showcased Dimitri Shostakovich’s satirical musical “Moscow, Cheryomuskhi” on Friday and Monday night at the Moores Opera House. The leading female role of Lidochka was played by first-year voice performance graduate student Katrina Van Maanen. The Daily Cougar caught up with Maanen to get behind the scene details of the Russian theatric spectacle.

The Daily Cougar: What did you enjoy most about playing Lidochka?

Katrina Van Maanen: I loved playing the part of Lidochka because she is very dynamic. She is a total nerd, but as the opera continues we see her different layers unfold.

She is witty, loyal, vulnerable, a little unpredictable and she is not afraid to say what is on her mind. For this reason, she seems very real and I really identified with her.

TDC: How would you compare “Moscow, Cheryomushki” to other operas that you’ve participated in?

KVM: ”Moscow, Cheryomushki” is different from other operas because it hasn’t been done very much, so the performers and the audience don’t have much to compare it to. When you’re dealing with operas that have such a rich performance history, many roles come with certain traditions or carry certain expectations with them.

With this show, there were no preconceived notions and no legends to live up to. It was more or less a blank slate that we were able to bring to life, which can be challenging as an actor, but it also takes off some of the pressure.

TDC: How did you feel after opening night?

KVM: I felt great after opening night, mainly because the audience enjoyed the show so much. We had a great turnout and they gave all of us so much energy during the show. It’s such a pleasure to perform a show that makes an impact on the audience. Everyone seemed to walk away laughing, smiling and humming the tunes.

There is no better feeling as a performer. It makes you feel like you really did your job.

TDC: What did you take away from being apart of this production?

KVM: Our music director, Buck Ross, did a fantastic job coaching us through the dialogue. We don’t get a chance to perform very dialogue often in opera. Sometimes we tend rely on the music to help us communicate, and here we couldn’t use that as a crutch. Buck really helped us to communicate effectively through our dialogue and I will apply what I learned from that experience into the work I do in the future.

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A show written and scored to entertain, “Moscow, Cheryomushki” tells the story of three Russian couples and their friends as they fight for new apartments in Cherry Town and find love in unexpected people.

Directed by Buck Ross and conducted by Jake Sustaita, the opera premiered Friday night and was well-received.

The production was put together with darling vintage designed costumes and visual stage effects that gave the show a whimsical element, reflecting the originality of the opera. Dancers Katie Mae Kennedy, Nicole Young, Erik Sampson and Jorge Cardozo performed ballet numbers throughout the show that added to its charm.

Lead performers Brandon Grimes and Katarina Van Mannen gave a terrific performance from their effortless on-stage chemistry to their breathtaking vocals.

Grimes swept the audience off its feet with his cool boyish attitude, bringing trouble and wit to the main stage, while Van Mannen brought the saintly and adorable character, Lydochka, to life with her graceful manner and flawless solos.

Amongst the many endearing characters, another dynamic duo shared the spotlight: supporting cast members Nicole Woodward and Tyler Tucker brought laughs as the charismatic love-struck couple Masha and Sasha.

Together the cast and chorus were vibrant and wildly hysterical, carrying the comedy with personality as it unraveled from start to finish.

Opening night attendee and theater enthusiast Jessica Owens described the production as “not a traditional” opera.

“In most operas I’ve seen, the acting isn’t as good, but the acting was very well done,” Owens said.

“It was very different, very lively, a lot of comedy — overall it was really nice.”

This season the Moores Opera Center bravely took on “Moscow, Cheryomushki,” a strange and lesser known opera and made it a hit.

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After weeks of practice, members of the orchestra had to play to the best of their abilities to make up for star Eric Lindsey’s sore throat from allergies. | Aisha Bouderdaben/The Daily Cougar

The Moores Opera House transported itself into 18th century Spain with its stunning performance of “The Marriage of Figaro.”

“The Marriage of Figaro” features the twists and turns of a love triangle that takes place in a castle outside of Seville. At the heart of the plot are Figaro and his bride-to-be Susanna. Figaro finds out his boss, the Count of Almaviva, has passionate feelings for Susanna and hijinxs ensue.

The opera premiered at the Moores Opera House on Thursday and ran through Sunday. It was produced by Buck Ross and starred Eric Lindsey as Figaro and Trevor Martin as Count of Almaviva while Amanda Sauceda and Kyla Knox alternated between the role of Susana and Rebecca Kidnie and Gwendolyn Alfred alternated between the role of Countess of Almaviva.

The cast brought the classic to life by performing in Italian while English subtitles were projected above the stage.

During Saturday night’s performance, the cast faced a little trouble. Lindsey was suffering a case of allergies that prevented him to sing the parts that went with the orchestra. Before the show began, Ross went up to the stage to let the audience know that doctoral student Jaime Rodriguez was able to fill in those parts from a corner booth.

Lindsey’s allergies did not interfere with his performance. He embodied all of Figaro’s characteristics: sure of himself, adventurous and head over heels for Susana.

Knox transformed into Susana with her humble and charming manner. She hit her notes beautifully.

The set and costumes drew the audience into the past. From Susana’s simple bonnet and skirt to the Count’s lavish coats and pants, viewers were transported to a world of kings and peasants, something straight out of the storybooks.

Sometimes it was hard to keep up with what was going because the subtitles were not always on the screen, causing the audience to guess what was going on. It would have helped heighten the experience if the subtitles would have been up the whole time.

Overall, the cast did a great job and successfully drew the audience in to the world of “Figaro.”

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The Daily Cougar got a chance to sit down with Wuhl and talk about his show.

The Daily Cougar: You’re an actor, comedian, writer, producer and director. Which role has been your favorite and which has been your strongest?

 Robert Wuhl: Directing is my favorite. However, writing is the basis of my career.

TDC: What is “Hit-Lit” about?

RW: It’s a screw-ball romantic comedy about a mistaken identity set in the publishing world. I wanted to do a satire about media because that’s the style that I like to write about. “Hit-Lit” is about the culture of celebrity and the culture of satire on media, and at the same time, I wanted to do a love story about professionals.

TDC: What was your inspiration while writing “Hit-Lit”?

RW: I get a lot of inspiration from the screw-ball romantic comedy that people like Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, Cary Grant, Doris Day and Blake Edwards do. Those were the basic influences for this play even though the style of this is more contemporary.

TDC: How did you get the idea for “Hit-Lit”?

RW: It started out as a film script and then it became a play. The studios said it was too smart of an idea for the film industry because of the nature of what comedies are doing these days. The marketplace has changed. You have to appeal to your audience.

TDC: You’ve written scripts for episodes in a television series, award shows and now a play. Have you noticed a difference in the style of writing?

RW: Yes and no. I like film. However, it’s all storytelling. That’s what I like to do — tell stories. As long as you tell your story and are able to express it to an audience, it’s fine.

“Hit-Lit” will open at the Jose Quintero Theatre at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and will run through Saturday.

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The club, formed in 2006 by Katelyn Halpern, is a haven for non-theater majors who still wish to participate in the performing arts and has solicited short plays written and performed by students, utilizing the theater’s members as actors, tech crews and anything else the organization needs.

This year, six plays were selected and performed. The first play, “Do Sea Monkeys Dream of Electric Puffer Fish,” written by biology freshman Lindsey Bruel, had the attitude similar to the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

It was a hodgepodge of literary and pop culture allusions strung together with constant breaking of the fourth wall and self-referential meta-humor that was clever, but perhaps not as clever as intended.

The acting was gleefully unnecessary and madcap. The play was an upbeat romp, but a bit of a mess altogether.

“Illusions,” the second play written by history and philosophy sophomore Olivia Macias, revolved around an aborted suicide and an unlikely friendship that forms as a result.

The humor here strives to be dark and edgy, but isn’t written pithily or profoundly enough to carry that kind of weight with the highlight of the dialogue being a “Fifty Shades of Grey” reference.

The troupe then performed “Kentucky Jones and the Enchanted Eye of Dawn,” written by
history sophomore Michiko McMahon and Macias, whose title character was a send-up of the Indiana Jones mythos.

“Kentucky” might have been deliberately obnoxious, but no less so for the intentionality. The highlight of the show was a Nazi Zombies reference — the cast had to be sure to throw in an applause break so the laughs wouldn’t step on the lines of dialogue that followed.

There was a brief intermission followed by “Timmy the T-Rex,” written by English freshman Jacob Wagner, which was a solid play from start to finish. Creative writing freshman Josh Hundl played the eponymous dinosaur, and his flair for physical comedy was tremendous. The crisp, energetic scene changes and flawless blocking moved the play along at a rapid clip, and Wagner’s turn as Timmy’s therapist was an absolute delight, sharply articulate and had a surreal kinesthetic.

The fifth production, “Trust Me,” written by business sophomore Kaitlyn Redmond, opens with a standoff between two handgun brandishing ex-lovers and numerous expletives.

The narrative conceit — a black widow story in which the female protagonist is compelled to shoot the men she dates — is actually provocative and interesting, but wasn’t executed subtly and whimsically enough to give it the story and characters it deserved.

Finally, the evening’s events wound down with “Seconds Anyone?” written by Hundl, a comedic endeavor that addressed sex, relationships and camaraderie.

While always quick and witty, the substance of the conversations never raised above a Seth Rogen-esque level of raunch, and the actors seemed to revel in blue turns that were discouragingly misogynistic and backwards.

Still, the protagonists felt real and relatable. The debate regarding a basketball analogy used to explain the concept of sloppy seconds is reminiscent of Kevin Smith and the best moments from “Clerks.”

The production suffered from the venue, which was hastily arranged at the 11th hour when the original venue backed out of its commitment. The ambient noise from the air conditioner made some impact on every play, and the lighting was generally poor, but one has to factor in the unfavorable turn with location.

All of the plays had moments of clarity, poignancy or wit, but the pieces after the intermission were stronger.

The acting was somewhat inconsistent as one might expect from non-majors, but there were several inspiring and noteworthy performances, especially from Hundl and Yelamo, who stole the show with their sharp, engaging performance.

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The School of Theatre and Dance’s presentation of “Snow Queen,” premiered Friday and it part of the University’s Theatre for Young Audiences series. Sophomore Sarah Ornelas was casted as the lead antagonist and wore a costume that consisted of feathers, pearls and sequins. “Snow Queen” will run again Friday and Saturday. | Pin Lim/Forest Photography

The School of Theatre and Dance students at this year’s production of the “The Snow Queen” was overshadowed by the central characters in the play. The loving relationship between the lead roles kept the performance entertaining.

The play is part of the Theatre for Young Audiences series, which aims to familiarize stagecraft to elementary and middle school students.

The third production of the theater season stars freshman Jacob Perkel and junior actor Paige Wharton, whose caring friendship leaves the audience rooting in their favor and not for the icy Snow Queen.

The play, originally a fairy tale written by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, begins with the story of the Snow Queen, who is played by sophomore Sarah Ornelas. The queen ruled her magical kingdom with an icy cold heart and a mind obsessed with perfection.

After the audience learns of the queen’s enchanted mirror breaking, the play shifts to a poor town where the children Cei and Gerda live.

Young Cei’s character is immediately introduced as a joyful and spirited boy after being scolded by his school teacher for drawing a penguin on his homework. Cei’s school teacher, who is also Gerda’s father, is played by theater education freshman Duggan Friendshuh.

Following class when Gerda’s father demands that she never see Cei again, Wharton does a good job at letting the audience feel her pain.

The morning after Gerda’s father’s decision, shards of the Snow Queen’s broken enchanted mirror fly into Cei’s eye and he falls under a spell. Cei becomes cold-hearted and rude to his loved ones. Perkel successfully embodies this new character that eventually breaks Gerda’s heart.

After school lets out early, the new Cei asks his peers to compete in a game of sledding. After reaching the bottom of the hill, Cei is whisked away by the Snow Queen to her far-away land. The queen makes Cei help fix her broken mirror, and with Cei as her helper, she has a plan to freeze the hearts of all living things and once again rule a world of snow and ice.

Once Cei has gone missing, Gerda stays hopeful that he is still alive and decides to go on a journey to find him, which initially seems confusing and unfitting to the plot’s story.

She first lands in what seems like the Old South, with a jealous country-like maid who insists that Gerda stays. The second stop resembles a 1920s beach town, and the third and final stop is set in a forest infested with gypsy-like carnivores.

Later these stops are referred to as the lands of spring, summer and fall. Without that connection, one would have never guessed the importance of those settings.

The only hope that lies within the play is that Gerda gets back her friend and saves the day.

Fortunately, Gerda saves Cei from the queen’s spell and sets the seasons back in place, providing the fairy tale ending.

“The Snow Queen” will run again at 2 p.m. at the Wortham Theatre on Friday and Saturday.

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The stage management and well executed production allows for the character Mother Courage to shine, but the passive acting and the dominance of one role deteriorates the viewing experience of “Mother Courage and Her Children.” | Pin Lim/Forest Photography

The actual performance is eclipsed by the behind-the-scenes production in “Mother Courage and Her Children,” the latest theatrical from the School of Theatre and Dance. The stage management, projections and lighting overshadows the cast of fine arts students.

The second production of the theater season stars second-year graduate student Shannon Hill, who successfully exemplifies the annoying, defensive and overbearing Mother Courage.

The play, originally composed by German playwright Bertolt Brecht in 1939, is set in the 1930s American Dust Bowl and Great Depression. It was fittingly chosen by director Keith Byron Kirk for audiences to compare it to the Great Recession of the late 2000s.

Mother Courage travels across the land with her three oddly unique children — eldest son Eilif (Mateo Mpinduzi-Mott), younger son Swiss Cheese (Miguel Angel Garcia) and mute daughter Kattrin (Kristin Rice).

While Mpinduzi-Mott and Garcia receive a decent amount of time on stage, their presence fades out because of their character’s light and forgettable roles being overpowered by Hill’s.

With the exception of a particular scene regarding one of Mother Courage’s sons, Mpinduzi-Mott and Garcia’s limited roles offer neither interest nor spark.

Rice impressively captures the audience’s attention with body language, facial expressions and hand gestures. For a character that doesn’t have any dialogue interaction and is forced to be silent, she manages to effectively execute her role by providing the anxiety and suspense in the second half of the production.

The play’s title is justified, as Hill is present in almost every scene and everyone’s role revolves around her character. This, however, creates a drowsy syndrome on the audience, causing the play to seem to run longer than it does. It loses the audience’s attention as viewers tune in and out.

The effort, thought and time put into the stage management is the highlight of the production. The play relies on stage design, props and lighting to draw audiences into the dull cast of characters.

Stage Manager Ciara Ayala and her peers, including Projection Designer and Props Master Matthew Plamp, Set Designer Frankie Teuber and Lighting Designer Chelsea Touchet, incorporate recognizable elements of Western culture into the play, making it a delight to watch.

Kirk also allows several students to show off their musical abilities by incorporating their talents into the play before and after scene transitions, distinguishing the production.

“Mother Courage and Her Children” will run at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 to 3 and 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Wortham Theatre.

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“Butch,” written by David Schoen and performed by Frederick Mead, is a story of one person’s journey of self-discovery through varying stages of life as a transgender man.

It’s a program involving constant monologue, light comedy, on-the-fly costume changes and a touch of risqué humor.

Mead puts on a great performance in what’s essentially a one-hour talk-a-thon, complete with constant voice changes and seemingly improvised audience interaction.

He starts the show emerging from behind the audience, catching everyone off-guard, and the action doesn’t stop there.

He shows boundless energy, rarely stumbles and never stops having fun — especially with the audience.

There are some uncomfortable moments in the production, particularly when Mead dresses in little more than lingerie during the costume change from the gay man to the transgender woman. Audiences may find the scene regarding the sexual reassignment surgery graphic as well.

The story begins with the only portrayed character, Butch, a construction worker during the 1950s, who uses the audience as a sound board for a litany of complaints in a very casual tone — almost he’s speaking to a friend over coffee.

He complains about his wife not doing housework or taking care of the children, refusing intimacy and boasting about his role as breadwinner in typical chauvinist fashion.

As a redneck character, Mead establishes many themes and personality traits, which repeat in various forms for each stage of Butch’s transformation.

On the surface, Butch is a jerk — a very unlikable character who only manages to change who he is on the outside, but the core of his character remains the same.

The audience will feel sympathy for Butch as he tries hard to find love and a place in the world but can’t get past personality limitations.

The script was written in the ’70s, and the comedy is full of stereotypical jokes not normally seen in today’s age of political correctness.

The writing has flaws. Butch does not have any real conflict with the choices he makes and never seems to take and time to reflect. Each of his jovial characters seem almost trivial.

According to Mead, Schoen wrote the performance at a time when there was no LGBT community and people who didn’t identify with heterosexuality were labeled as “gay” — even women.

It seems that Schoen never considered bisexuality as a major transition of sexual orientation: Butch jumps from being a straight man to gay man with one night of passion and abandons his attraction to women, only to pick it up again after his reassignment surgery.

There’s no conflict with his new attraction to men and women, and he immediately embraces his newfound bisexuality.

Directed by Christopher Owens, “Serious Money” is a snapshot into the infant stages of globalization and the possible perils that follow. Though the story starts in Britain in 1987, it eventually spreads to the U.S. with the conniving Marylou Baines and has tentacles in Africa and Peru.

Audiences take a front row seat to the world of shady, leveraged buyouts through the journey of Scilla Todd as she investigates the death of her brother, Jim.

Scilla untangles a world where corporations use shell companies, deception and underhanded deals to accrue the capital and stock necessary to gain an ownership stake in another organization.

The setting of “Serious Money” is placed in a world where the absence of greed and presence of compassion can immediately remove competency, and life on Wall Street — or its British counterpart — is antithetical to life on Main Street.

Billy Corman, a ruthless CEO, exemplifies the difference.

“Being in debt is the best way to get rich,” he said.

Corman encourages employees to cheat and lie. He also personally and illegally woos investors with promises of cash and stock in his other corporations.

Others are playing both sides of the fence. Jim Todd, Jacinta Condor, the Peruvian millionaire and Baines all work for or against Cormin, depending on the greenbacks.

It’s a world where double-crossing should be expected and one that the older generation can’t accept.

Rex Koontz, the director of the School of Art said the play will teach the audience about how history can repeat itself.

“We’re still living with a lot of those problems, and I don’t think (Thatcher) solved them, and I don’t think we’ve solved them yet so it’s good to think about. I’m proud of these guys for putting this on.”

“Serious Money” will be hosted at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 through 6, and at 2 p.m. Oct. 7, in the Jose Quintero Theatre.

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“Girls Only ­— The Secret Comedy of Women,” which only stars a two-women cast began running in early September and will end in mid-October at the Main Street Theater in Chelsea Market. | Courtesy of RicOrnel Productions

Media directed toward women often has a bad reputation. Women’s comedies always seem badly written and tired with plots about screaming, middle-aged women who obsess over clothes and men.

Lately, Hollywood and other media have been trying their best to shake this stereotype with movies such as “Bridesmaids” and proving very successful — both critically and commercially.

However, instead of trying to defy the stereotypes, “Girl’s Only — The Secret Comedy of Women,” a sketch play created by Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein, embraces them in a play that is not only painfully unfunny, but is a downright bore to sit through.

Before the play even begins, the audience is hit over the head with two nameless characters played by Tracy Ahern and Keri Henson sitting in a bright, pink bedroom in their underwear singing along to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” This sets the tone for the rest of the play, as the actresses bring in the audience to simplify the complicated female experience into bras, puberty and sanitary napkins.

The play uses skits, puppet shows, commercial and PSA clips, and audience participation to haphazardly jump from jokes about life as a young girl, to the history of women, to jokes about life as an adult woman.

The only real laughs come from the improvisation, as Ahern and Henson show that they can work with the audience and bounce off of them organically.

However, this was ruined as they sometimes overstepped their boundaries. In one skit they took two purses from the audience members and dug through them, flashing the contents to the audience. Henson even took out a phone and put it down her shirt.

The cherry on top of the cringe-comedy sundae proved to be one skit consisting of a “crafts corner,” where the actresses dressed as old women and joked about crafts that could be done using sanitary napkins.

Tampon angels were flung onto the crowd and Ahern awkwardly tried to skate on the floor with pads stuck to her shoes, as all semblances of dignity or subtlety were downright obliterated.

At its heart, the play comes off more as created by a 30-year-old man whose only interaction with women is from ‘80s chick-flicks, rather than two real women. The entire play is one big inside joke, which proves rather awkward for the people who aren’t in on it.

Ahern and Henson segmented jokes about memory boxes, Girl Scouts and locked diaries with a wink and a “Right, ladies?” as if these are experiences shared by all women.

As a result, a play that should be catered toward all women becomes a play catered toward straight, white, middle-class and middle-aged women. And even then, many of the jokes fall flat anyway due to awkward delivery and poor acting.

At its best, the play does service its very specific audience. At its worse, the play downright demeans and insults women, with stereotypes and tired jokes that prove women’s comedy still has a long way to go.

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The Alliance Art Gallery in the Houston Arts Alliance will be home to a gallery providing “…a snapshot of CTC’s history, featuring photographs, costumes, designer renderings, and ground plans from our past seasons.”, according to a press release. The gallery will be open to the public through the month of September. | Hendrick Rosemond/The Daily Cougar

The Classical Theatre Company (CTC), Texas’ only theater company devoted entirely to  performing classical theater year-round, celebrated its fifth year anniversary on Thursday at their  offices with the Houston Arts Alliance.

Founded by Executive Artistic Director John Johnston in late 2006, the CTC has strived to meet the needs of a niche that was previously unfilled.

“My initial thought was, I looked at the initial landscape in Houston — theatrically — and I felt that, for being the fourth largest city in the United States, Houston desperately needed a company whose sole purpose was to produce classical theater,” Johnston said.

Though they began in 2007 with only a single reading, the CTC now performs up to three shows and two readings a year, and all of plays are at least 100 years old.

Their shows have ranged from popular works such as Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” to lesser-known titles like Colley Cibber’s “Love’s Last Shift.” The plays are often tweaked and twisted with different settings and details, bringing a modern spin on classical works.

“I think everybody gets scared of classical, because they think of lifted language and no laughing, and it couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Carol Phillips, an advisory board member.

“I think the real kind of fun thing for me is that no matter how things change, the plays always remain the same because it’s all about love and family and fear and the big issues. And somehow the big issues that were a hundred years ago are still relevant now, and how cool is it to be able to see them.”

Despite Houston’s size, the actors’ salaries are the third highest in the city. Sets are minimalized and the artistic team is forced to think creatively in order to adhere to budget.

“The quality of production is something that we tried right off the bat to achieve. I feel like our productions have had a pretty steady through-line from the beginning of a very high quality, at least in performance,” CTC Communications Director Blair Knowles said.

“That’s interesting because if you perform well, the audience is entertained and engaged. Beautiful scenery and costumes have a wow factor for about five seconds, and then you’ve seen them already, and it’s just there. But if the performances are top-notch, then you’re entertained for the whole two hours.”

The CTC was opened just before the current economic crisis and has had an even tighter budget as a result. But the company has persevered and will soon be opening their own performance hall.

“Quite honestly, just getting this far through the economic conditions that were existing is probably the accomplishment that I’m most proud of,” Johnston said.

CTC’s next show, “Miss Julie,” originally written by August Strinberg and now directed by Julia Traber, will be featured Sept. 26 through Oct. 14.

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Billy Strtich, Sally Mayes and Sharon Montgomery who are alumni of the University, closed the “Legacy: A Celebration of the UH School of Theatre and Dance” event Friday evening at the Wortham Theatre when a rendition of a Grammy award-winning record. The event attracted many UH alumni throughout the city who are connected to the School of Theatre and Dance. | Courtesy of Pin Lim

“Legacy: A Celebration of the UH School of Theatre and Dance” welcomed back six alumni to celebrate the program and its long tradition of producing successful entertainers in show business, Friday at the Wortham Theatre in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.

Guests of honor included Brett Cullen, Sally Mayes, Sharon Montgomery, Brent Spiner, Billy Stritch and Robert Wuhl who entertained a sold out crowd with songs and stories.

They recognized the impact the school had in their careers and lives, and the proceeds from the ticketed event benefited the Cecil J. Pickett Scholarship Endowment Fund — a scholarship named after a former theater faculty member who made a significant impact to the school and Houston’s theater community.

The scholarship will benefit theater undergraduates and give the University of Houston’s drama program a chance to compete with prestigious drama schools such as New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and Yale’s School of Drama.

Mayor Annise Parker declared Sept. 7 as Cecil J. Pickett Day in Houston at the start of the event.

The very touching moment was capped off by a short speech from Pickett’s daughter, Cindy, thanking the crowd and the University for their continuing support.

Cullen and Wuhl read off a list of UH alumni that included Loretta Devine, Star Jones, Master P., Jim Parsons, Dennis and Randy Quaid, Jack Valenti and Lil’ Wayne.

Afterwards, Wuhl kept the crowd laughing with an interactive comedy act that included stories of his parents, childhood, how he ended up at UH and he even gave the audience a pop quiz.

Spiner and Stritch, on the piano, were accompanied by 2012 graduate Jenna Simmons who was invited to perform with them and show off her vocal talents. The three sang tunes connected to Stritch’s time in Houston.

Dennis Quaid, who could not attend the event, sent a video message thanking everyone for their support of the School of Theatre and Dance.

Mayes, Montgomery and Stritch — a jazz vocal trio during their time at UH — reunited after 30 years to conclude the event.

The trio performed a variety of songs that ranged from ballads to comedies and even included Stritch’s 1994 Grammy award-winning song “Does He Love You?” recorded by country superstar Reba McIntyre.

As the event came to a close, UH President and Chancellor Renu Khator thanked the alumni and the audience for coming and for helping elevate the University to its Tier One status.

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The Miller Outdoor Theatre was the site of an academic center Tuesday when parents and their children filled the seats to view a live production of “Pinocchio.” | Wikimedia Commons

Hundreds of summer school, summer camp and after school program kids sat at Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre to witness an exciting rendition of the classic tale and to take part in an exhilarating learning experience with InterActive Theatre’s “Pinocchio” play.

InterActive Theatre likes to tell both familiar and original stories while allowing their young audience to help tell the story’s narrative and have done so since 1998.

InterActive somewhat keeps true to Pinocchio’s story, a wooden puppet who aspires to be a real boy, and throughout the play the cast pick out the little volunteers from the audience and have them hop on stage.

The giant stage of the outdoor theatre downplays InterActive’s small and uninteresting set: a colorful, yet boxed curtain that actors use to pass through and go around and a prop box, both of which are placed in the center.

“Pinocchio” is known for having memorable settings throughout its story so it was sad to see that there was no extra flare added to the stage in order to enhance the scenery.

Knowing that InterActive is capable of better stage presentation in their other plays, their edition of “Pinocchio” is slightly disappointing in the visual department.

The crew makes up for it with their stage presence though.

Through them, reliving the story of Pinocchio is very exciting.

The small cast of five interchange between different characters while using eccentric accent, clothing and movements that allow children to enjoy Pinocchio, Geppetto, the Fairy and other characters that they know and love.

The small changes in the story such as “Toyland” being renamed to “Funland” and missing scenes of Catchfool city and the weasel trap are noticeable but not critical to the point that it harms the overall experience.

“Pinocchio” is known for its hidden moral teachings about the value of a school education and telling the truth, and the cast chimes into those elements very well, especially during the Funland-donkey scene.
The young audience and their parents were very receptive and impressed. Still, the play would have been near perfect if the cast had used the entire stage.

Despite the splendid rework of an old child’s tale, InterActive Theatre should rethink presenting any of their plays at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.

The humid weather can ruin the feel if you are not seated under the giant, air-conditioned shade.

InterActive Theatre makes learning about the story of “Pinocchio” feel new and authentic, but their lack of visual stage production and poor venue choice can damage part of the experience.

InterActive Theater will be performing “Pinocchio” again at 6 p.m. Friday at the Bellaire Parks and Recreation Center.

Joshua Hyle Hoppe (left) was cast as Cripple Billy. Hoppe is also the artistic director of the Vagabond Theatre Project, an independent studen-run company. Christine Arnold (middle) plays Helen and Jason Ronje (right) performs as Bartley. | Courtesy of Michelle Robinson

I don’t know about most people, but I enjoy my plays to be less all-over-the-place and with better pacing. Fortunately, I also like my plays funny and well acted.

Over the past couple of days, UH’s School of Theatre and Dance has put on “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” a scattered-brained, 1930’s Irish play by playwright Martin McDonagh. Productions will continue this weekend.

I have some issues with the show, but luckily for the cast and crew, my criticism have nothing to do with their contribution to the performance.

The story begins in early 20th-century Ireland with characters Kate (Kayla Brown) and Eileen (Laurel Schroeder), the overbearing aunts of Cripple Billy (Joshua Kyle Hoppe) who is a persecuted young, Irish lad with a bum arm and leg.

As the story goes on, we find out about the tragedy surrounding Billy’s life and the cruelty dolled out to him by his neighbors.

A film crew comes to cast people away from not-such-a-bad-place Ireland and despite the doubt placed in him by these sneering busybodies, Billy hitches a ride with Babbybobby (Colin David) in his boat for a spot in this movie.

You will need to see the play to find out what happens next. Despite all its issues, it is definitely a show worth seeing.

For students, the acting was phenomenal.

Notables were actress Christine Arnold (Helen) playing the spicy, egg-obsessed girl with a horribly dirty mouth, while seasoned actor Philip Orazio (Johnypateenmike) delighted the audience with his rendition of a male yenta.

Hoppe performed the oppressed, young cripple and beautifully evoked feelings of extreme shock over his treatment.

The Irish accents each character put on were also good.

Director Steve Wallace did a fantastic job at making this a delightful and funny show.

The set design was beautiful, convincing and cozy.

The production staff was even so kind as to supply the audience with your-everyday-guide to Irish slang in addition to the beautiful before-show reception and Irish-folk fiddler.

However, the pacing in the second act was awkward and confusing. It was as if McDonagh decided to make faux-endings to mock stereotypical tragic or romantic endings. If you enjoy roller coasters with so many twists, this is the play for you.

After the second half of the performance, the stage went frequently to black. Then, the lights would come on again as if to say, “Just kidding! The show isn’t over yet.”

Overall, the execution was fantastic and it definitely lives up to the spectacular and high standard that I discovered in the theatre earlier this semester when I attended the showing of “The Crucible.”

But, frankly, I just didn’t “get” or enjoy what McDonagh was doing while crafting this dark, Irish comedy.

For more information on the play, visit www.uh.edu/class/theatre-and-dance/.

Editor’s note: An earlier edit of this article misconstrued the writer’s review of the play, which, overall, was favorable towards the work of the UH cast and crew. The author originally only took issue with the playwright’s work.

The event was moderated by Houston PBS’s Ernie Manouse and gave the actors the chance to share their stories about their earliest endeavors as actors at UH and their experiences with their late director and mentor Cecil J. Pickett.

Pickett raised the reputation of UH’s theater department by teaching acting and directing at the School of Theatre from 1970 to 1988; he directed productions for the Shakespeare Festival as well.

Manouse preceded the discussion by speaking about the importance of the connection between the teacher and student, which was so important to each actor’s success.

“It all comes back down to one fundamental thing and that is the teacher-student relationship,” Manouse said.

He brought to mind the goals the actors pursued which were fundamental to their careers so many years ago.

“The message today is about the value of a university education,” Manouse said.

Quaid mentioned that he knew he wanted to act after the first week of taking Pickett’s class at Bellaire High School where Pickett taught theater from 1956 to 1968.

Pickett’s focus and techniques on centrality and character development helped Quaid develop as an actor.

“He made us all fascinated by what it was like to actually experience someone else’s life,” Quaid said. “He would have us just go out in the street and just watch people.”

Wuhl was at the University for seven years and did not start out as a drama student, but eventually acquired a strong love for theater under the wing of Pickett.

“It was amazing how influential he was on me and how much I appreciate him more with each day,” Wuhl said. “I felt I had a huge leg-up because he taught craft.”

Cullen noted Pickett’s stress on literature and its influence on the work Cullen would study as an actor.

“He taught me about myself. He made me examine myself. He also made me read more than I’ve ever read in my life; I took almost every English course at the University because he made me,” Cullen said.

To top off the discussion, the actors welcomed questions from those in the audience and told their favorite stories about Professor Pickett.

When asked if there was any one thing that the actors wish they had been told at the beginning of their career, Cullen offered to share his own advice.

“Learn how to write. That’s one thing I wish I had done early in my career. I think college, university and local theater — when you’re young — is a great place to grow up.”

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