My Mom’s brother lives here in Chicago and my family would take trips from Troy, MI (my hometown) every year or two to see him. When I was 11 years old (in the mid-1990′s), we all got in the car and drove to the Windy City for one of those visits.

One of the events on the itinerary was to see a production of Forever Plaid at the Royal George Theatre. We had no idea what to expect but my family always enjoyed attending live theatre performances. I don’t remember too many details but I do recall sitting absolutely fascinated by the four talented men putting on a perfect show.

Sometime soon after this trip, my Mom bought the original cast recording and proceeded to listen to it often. When I was old enough to start my own CD collection, one of the first things I did was borrow it from her.

After I got cast in this show, my Mom went to break out her Forever Plaid cast recording. She couldn’t find it! It was then I realized that I had borrowed her copy, 15 years after our trip to the Royal George. She let me keep it but insisted that I burn her a copy while I was home visiting in February.

I have been listening to that recording for over 15 years. When I decided to major in theatre and become a professional actor, Forever Plaid was on the top of my dream show list. Two years ago, I was lucky enough to play the role of Frankie in Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings at Weathervane Playhouse in Newark, OH. And now, after dreaming of doing the original Plaid for half my life, I am honored to make my Chicago area theatre debut in the role of Jinx here at Fox Valley Repertory.

Ryan Naimy (left) in "Forever Plaid" with Rob Riddle, Andres Enriquez, and Robert Deason.

Forever Plaid is a heartfelt, nostalgic and charming piece of theatre. You’ll get the references. You’ll know the songs. You’ll even find yourself humming along. And with the cast and creative team Fox Valley Repertory has assembled for this production, you don’t want to miss it!

This show will always have a special place in my heart and I know it will find its way into yours.

-Ryan Naimy, aka Jinx in Fox Valley Rep’s “Forever Plaid,” playing March 28 – May 19, 2013. For more info, visit www.foxvalleyrep.org/ForeverPlaid.

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RYAN NAIMY (Jinx) is thrilled to be making his Fox Valley Repertory debut! Originally from Troy, MI, Ryan spent the last five years based out of New York City and made the big move to Chicago in January 2013. Ryan played Peter Pan on the Disney Wonder cruise ship, toured the country with Curious George, and has even played a dog…and a pig. Favorite shows/roles: Next to Normal (Gabe, Michigan premiere), Sweeney Todd (Tobias), A Chorus Line (Paul), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Linus), Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings (Frankie), Hairspray (IQ) x 2, Evita with Lauren Kennedy. He is a proud Illinois Wesleyan University graduate, BFA Music Theatre.  www.RyanNaimy.com

What theater offers that is different than other entertainment is the live story. Tonight this performance with all its human flaws will only be seen once because from performance to performance there are slight variations, but the biggest reason is you – the audience – changes from night to night.

What you and your fellow audience members bring into theater with you (did you have a good or bad day? are you in the mood to laugh? are you going through a tough time right now?) collectively shapes your response to the story onstage. There is nothing like the anticipation of sitting in the audience before the lights dim. The excitement and hushed voices around you as you wait for the show to begin. It can be electric. And with the right show, the night can truly be an amazing shared moment.

At Fox Valley Rep we plan a subscription season of five shows that were each chosen especially for the Fox Valley. These plays and musicals will each take you on a wonderful journey from a modern day murder mystery (The Art of Murder) to the 1950s for a final concert by teen idols (Forever Plaid) then to a 1960s bachelorette musical (Why Do Fools Fall in Love?) and onto an evening at a Manhattan Penthouse in the 1930s that celebrates the great music of Cole Porter (Let’s Misbehave), and finally to a heart-warming family holiday show (Making God Laugh).

Five nights to share with family, friends and new acquaintances  as you look across the aisle and see young and old all smiling and ready to participate together in the joy of theater. We hope you consider subscribing to this exciting season now.

-John Gawlik, FVR Artistic Director

Ten-year-old Ashley Przybylski  plays the Milkmaid and Girl at Ball  and is very excited to be a part of the Youth Ensemble for the very first time, and wrote a blog about the rehearsal process. Please read on!

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As opening night of Fox Valley Rep Youth Ensemble’s production of Cinderella draws near, rehearsal has entered the final stages. This week, the cast began rehearsing on the stage. Most nights we are running through the entire performance twice. We are all very excited to see it coming together.

Also this week, the cast had fittings for their costumes. It was a lot of fun to see what we will be wearing on stage.

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“Cinderella” will be performed on the Pheasant Run Mainstage in December. A suggested donation of $10 is much-appreciated at the door. Please join us!

December 8 – 22, 2012
Saturdays @ 10:30am
Sunday, December 9 @ 7pm; Friday, December 14 @ 10:30am

www.foxvalleyrep.org/Cinderella

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Rehearsal for Cinderella began about 2 weeks ago, and I must say they are going great! So far we have learned a variety of songs like the classic “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and new songs like “The Prince is Giving a Ball”. From waltzing to a possible salsa type dance during the bows, the cast is learning all different types of dance to add to our show. The auditions were originally meant for 6^th through 12^th grade but this show was opened up to some younger kids, who will be shining stars in their parts as the mice. One of these mice, Kaia Ebel, 10 years old and a 4^th grader, said that she only knew one person coming into the show and now she knows a lot and has made a ton of new friends. Sophia Prette, another mouse, 13 years old and an 8^th grader, said that this show is helping improve her dancing and she loves “mouse camp”. The cast has also been practicing in character shoes that they will be wearing during the performance. Even in the early stages of rehearsal, I can see the show coming together and I know that the ending product will be fantastic!!

-Elisabeth

“Cinderella” will be performed on the Pheasant Run Mainstage in December. A suggested donation of $10 is much-appreciated at the door. Please join us!

December 8 – 22, 2012
Saturdays @ 10:30am
Sunday, December 9 @ 7pm

www.foxvalleyrep.org/Cinderella

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Each day of play practice is very organzied. They send out e-mail before hand to let us know what we will be doing on the next practice.

The fitting days also went good and smooth. When it was your turn you had our own section where we brought our own clothes for our chacters that we thought would work or that the costume had to chose from. If it needed altering she would put pins where it needed to be altered.

Another thing is the dances the director has came up with is easy to learn. She tells you where to stand and how to do it. If you don’t understand them she’ll stop and take the time to break it down.

During Tech week the big thing is to be PATIENT. Because the final touches on the dances, lines, costumes, etc. are going on. It is kind of crazy and you are there for MANY hours a day. BUT then you think to yourself it’s ALL worth it once Opening Day is there. You start to relax and have fun. My favorite part of the show is the bowing because that is when you no they are clapping for you and your performance. You feel good because you know you did your best and they loved it. You even get noticed outside of the theather. After a show, me and my family went to Portillo’s afterwards and I had 2 different people come up to me and say they just seen the show.

Now backstage is all together different. YOU have to make sure all your costumes are back there and ready to be changed into. You have to let the costume helpers know if you need help. But a lot of the times we’d just help eachother if we could. Also if you are on scholarship one of the duties is to help setup or take down the set. I asked which one they need help with and it was mostly taking down the set.

I really enjoyed this 1st experience on the big stage. I made alot of new friends I hope to keep in touch with and plan to try out for another show next summer.

Thank you,

Allison Cole

The cast of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. Trademanphoto.com

How did feel when you found out you would get to go to Drama Camp again this year?

“It felt great because I would get to act; “Tangled” was a good summer camp class for me because I love the movie.  It was cool to be with other kids.  I made a friend that was my partner and made another friend in the show.”

How did you feel about the audition?

“I was nervous at first and then Tracy made me feel happy.  I really didn’t want to be Flynn Ryder at first but then I wanted to be him.  The good spirit of the actresses made me want to be good at Eugene’s (Flynn Ryder’s) part.”

How did you feel about rehearsal every day?

“Good.  We would practice our parts and Tracy teached me to be a good practicer.  She made me feel like that.  She taught me new words like ‘blackout’ means a scene is changing and the actors have to change their spots and choreography is the dance steps!   She told me to use my voice loud and clear.”

How did you feel on the day of the showcase?

“A little scared at first, smiling but scared.  Then I saw my Mom out there and it made me smile.”

How did you feel about your performance?

“Awesome.  My friends and I did a good job!”

How was it to practice at home every day?

“That was a little exhausting.  I was glad though, it helped me learn better.”

What is different between this summer and last summer (The Little Mermaid)?

“I was on the big stage this year.  It felt great!  I think I know drama a little better now.”

Thank you, Lily!

FVR Performing Arts Academy Summer Camps are still in session until the end of August, and are open to all experience levels.  For more information, visit www.foxvalleyrep.org/education.

In my play The Pentaeon, nine MIT astrophysicists find themselves stranded in a retreat house during a hurricane. To pass the time, two perky undergraduates act out the lifespan of the universe. The snapshot above is of Jeanae (Kelly Sloan) and Nadine (Ariana Dziedzic) performing “Act I: The Primordial Era.” In the entire mini-development process at Fox Valley Rep, I was so impressed with the actors’ inventiveness, insight, and willingness to be completely ridiculous. Including turning the primordial era into a Black Power salute.

Left to right: Prianka (Anupama Bhatt), Michaela (Annie Prichard), Dominic (Aram Monisoff), Wendy (Lauren Pizzi), Jeanae (Kelly Sloan), Nadine (Ariana Dziedzic), and Phineas (Aaron Rustebakke). 

And my director was Reshmi Hazra. I don’t know what auspicious alignment of the stars matched us up, but we got along like old friends from the get-go. The whole experience made me so much more excited about a script I’d found so difficult to write—their confidence gave me confidence, and I’m very grateful.

So here’s to the next step for The Pentaeon! The thing’s got legs now.

Madeline Hotham is an 8 year old 2nd grader from Batavia. She showed an interest in performance at a very young age, often acting out scenes from her favorite fairy tales.  “She took ‘pretend play’ to another level”, explains Mom. 

Madeline’s Mom also recalls how Madeline’s interest in musical theater was sparked.  “Madeline’s older brother was involved in a school musical so she would sit in on rehearsals while I helped out.  She absorbed everything that was going on during rehearsal like a sponge.  She came home from rehearsals knowing many of the songs and the lines from the show!  It was then that I knew that I needed to find something for a child her age.”   Madeline’s family found Fox Valley Repertory.

Madeline started her journey at FVR two and a half years ago, taking her first class, The Sound of Music Tots Performance class at the age of 5.  Her Pre-K teacher at the time shared that Madeline had taken it upon herself to teach the class songs from her theater class, such as DO-RE-MI, during break times!

Madeline went on to take two more musical theater performance classes; The Little Mermaid and The Wizard of Oz, gaining more confidence with each class.  One year after her first class, she auditioned for the Kids’ Advanced Musical Annie Jr. and was cast as Molly, the littlest orphan, one of her favorite roles to-date.  Later that year she was cast as Gladys in the Youth Play, Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Madeline then had the unique opportunity to reprise her role as Molly in the FVR Youth Ensemble Production of Annie Jr.   Although the role was the same, the Youth Ensemble Production provided new challenges for Madeline.  The youngest cast member, Madeline had to learn difficult choreography while working with older, more experienced students.   Despite the challenge of the role, Madeline loved the experience and was sad to see it end, even asking her Mom if there was any possibility that she could do just one more performance with the same cast! After Annie, Madeline went on to play Chip in the Kids’ Advanced Musical Beauty and the Beast Jr.

This summer Madeline was cast in the Kids’ Advanced Musical The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy, her dream role!  She is so grateful for the opportunities and experiences that FVR has given her and can’t wait to get back on the FVR stage!   In a recent school writing piece describing her, Madeline exclaimed “I live on stage!”   According to Nicholas Davis, Madeline’s elementary music teacher, “Madeline was born to be on stage. Her ability and talents far exceed her young age. In my 10 years of teaching I have not encountered someone so young with her singing talent. I won’t be surprised to see her on Broadway some day.”

Madeline is especially thankful to have Tracy Whiteside as a teacher and mentor.   In addition to her training at FVR, Madeline works with Dawn Harkins, a private vocal instructor and acting coach, who remarked, “Madeline is a joy to work with! She is intuitive beyond her years and boldly acts on her instincts. Madeline is bright and very quick to learn anything that comes her way. She is a firecracker – the spark that lights up the stage!”.

Madeline’s first grade teacher, Marsha Stierwalt, adds, “Madeline is a beautiful girl both inside and out! She is a pleasure to work with because she puts her heart into all that she does.”

Besides singing and acting, Madeline also studies piano and Jazz dance. Madeline hopes to have a career in the Performing Arts when she grows up and it looks like she has gotten a good head-start on fulfilling that dream! 

I’m piling up a good word count with my rewrite, but still, THE PENTAEON is proving difficult. I’ve become really good at the “well-made play,” meaning one that has a nice narrative arc, rising tension, a denouement, and all that. But like always, I don’t trust what’s easy for me. (See: forsaking writing for science for ten years.) I want to make an un-well-made play. After all, the entire point of THE PENTAEON is that the universe is a-narrative. I want to manifest that alien aesthetic. I at least want to be brave enough to try.

But I’m afraid it’ll just come out looking like sloppy writing. 

There’s nothing to do but keep going, and hope that I write my way into the answer. The universe usually rewards such acts of faith.

-Monica Byrne, Collider Playwright

Collider New Play Project is a part of the St. Charles Summer Theater Festival (July 6 – 22, 2012).

Deanne Capinpin who plays who plays Kelsi boasts, “It is so much fun to be here having this experience.  I heard about the show auditions from a friend and I tried out.  This is my 8th musical but the first time I am at Fox Valley Rep and it is awesome!  I am having a great time.”

Elizabeth Reuter plays Gabriella’s “understudy” and is a “brainiac” and says she “loves being in the cast because the entire group is welcoming and are making her summer enjoyable because the people are so much fun to be around.”

The stage manager apprentice, Genevieve Fowler talks about how she was an apprentice last summer but this is her first chance to work on the children’s ensemble production.  She says she enjoys the energy the kids have and states, “our director, Carly, is so much fun, and she try to make all roles whether on stage or behind the scenes equal.” 

Delaney Carani is playing a “jock” and she states that “Carly the director is easy going, which allows the cast to relax and all contribute to putting on a quality show.”  Her sister Maria is the understudy to the role Kelsie, and plays as a band member,  likes the music and the positive “be yourself” message that comes across in this performance. Both siblings have been involved with Fox Valley Rep before and keep coming back to be a part of the professional atmosphere the shows exhibit.”  The Carani sisters feel every bit of the director Carly screams, “I want to make you shine, no matter the size of your role or the character you are portraying.”

The director herself, Carly Churchey emphasizes that ”she feels a connection with the cast and production team.”   To paraphrase the song lyrics of the show, “we really are all in this together, each member with an important role, a unique purpose, a special gift.” states Churchey.

 Additionally, Cydney Stanton who is one of the upbeat performers in the show, said, “the show is great because it is such a pleasant group of new people I am acting with and it is especially cool that my sister Carly and I are in this musical together. together.”

HSM will be performed on Friday, July 27th at 10:30 a.m. (understudy performance) and August 3rd at 7:00 p.m., as well as Saturdays, July 21st, 28th, and August 4th at 10:30 a.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. on July 29th and August 5th.  It will be fun for all ages so get the word out and get it on the calendar early so you don’t miss it! HSM is also a part of this summer’s St. Charles Summer Theater Fest, taking place July 6 – 22, 2012.