Tag "The Players Theater"
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Interview with Jeffery Kin – on his 55th Birthday
7-1-19 In honor of his 55th birthday and to invite you all to his birthday bash – fund raiser I am re-airing an interview I did many years ago with Jeffery Kin. The youngest of six from a farm family in Central Ohio, Jeff broke the family mold by being the “creative kid.” Discovering very early his desire to entertain and the charisma that would later make him so compelling on stage, Jeff was lucky enough to have a mother who saw that he “belonged on the stage.” So he was able to develop not only his acting, singing and dancing skills, but his play writing, directing and finally the administrative abilities that make him the perfect choice to shepherd The Players Theater’ renaissance. Come out to let him know how much we appreciate and love him – Happy birthday Jeffery!!!
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Interview with Actor Alana Opie
8-30-16 Alana Opie always knew she loved to sing – everyone in her family is musical. But when she was ten, a flyer, promising a summer of singing, acting and dancing classes arrived, and Alana knew for sure what she wanted to do with her life. Listen to this charming, passionate woman talk about the way she inadvertently got derailed and how – by never losing her passion for performance – she found her way back to the person she always was – and still very clearly is. And come see her demonstrate the correctness of this choice, as she plays the very challenging role of Blanche DuBois in the Players production of Tennessee Williams’ “Streetcar Named Desire.
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Interview with Dewayne Barrett
Dewayne Barrett knew he was a performer by the time he was four. He was encouraged by a family that recognized and enjoyed his talent – putting him on the kitchen table to do the popular dances and getting him on the Romper Room. Always able to mimic whatever movement he saw Dewayne was offered scholarships wherever he applied; first at the Georgia Ballet Company and the Atlanta Jazz Theater and later with Steps on Broadway. All through high school Dewayne studied dance, voice and acting and remarkably a choreographer saw him dance and offered him a job and a place to live in New York City and Dewayne has been working dancer, actor, choreographer, director ever since. Listen to this charming Southern boy talk about his extraordinary ride. And come see his amazing work at The Players Theater where he directed and choreographed the stunning production of the Broadway musical Catch Me if You Can and to Florida Studio Theater where he choreographed the cabaret piece Never Marry a Girl with Cold Feet.
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Interview with Actor, Michael Mendez
Singer, dancer, actor, bilingual Michael Mendez didn’t intend to be a performer, he just loved to sing and wanted to get better and better at it. So he said yes to a role in Chorus Line thinking that doing it would strengthen him as a singer. He was completely unprepared for the dancing required but Michael always wants to be “going for growth” and so, helped by the early martial arts training which gave him flexibility, he just learned all the routines. And that was only the beginning, listen to Michael describe his journey from a boy who just loved to sing to a “23 year old aspiring artist who is making a living with his art.” And come see him in the musical, Violet at the Players Theater (2/11-3/1 2015), and his solo performance at the West Coat Black Theater Troupe theater (3/2/2015).
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Interview with Michael Newton-Brown
Michael Newton-Brown’s Dad was a high school track coach who put a pole vault in his hands and said jump (listen to Michael’s reaction to that) and tried to interest him in golf. But, a deeply creative person, Michael was drawn to and consequently learned everything there is to know about making theater happen. There were many twists and turns in Michael’s path. He found himself in the middle of several violent eruptions in the 1960’s. He went on the road with the newly discovered Bette Midler and Barry Manilow. And luckily for Sarasota FL he finally found a home there. He is currently directing Cabaret for the Players Theater. Listen to this thoughtful, knowledgeable man talk about his life and career, about the ways the musical Cabaret has changed over the years and why he chose to direct the version he has chosen – also hear a cut from the Broadway cast album of this iconic show.
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Memorial to Jimmy Hoskins
12-30-14 Memorial to Jimmy Hoskins – Audio Interview
Dancer, choreographer, movement coach, director, painter, writer, storyteller, teacher, cook, Jimmy Hoskins was member on the of the Penn State University theater faculty for 10 years, professor emeritus of theater at Florida State University, staff choreographer for the Asolo Repertory Theatre for 45 years, visiting choreographer at Florida Studio Theater, The Golden Apple, the Sarasota Opera, the Banyan Theater, the Venice Theatre and the Players Theatre and adjunct faculty member of the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, following his long and distinguished career in New York, California, Texas, Mexico and Paris.
He wrote three books. “The Dances of Shakespeare,” for which he also did the illustrations; intended for dancer’s, choreographers and directors but which could also be understood by a lay audience. And his two book irreverent and delightful memoir “Our Hearts were Khaki and Gay,” and “No Fairies, No Magic.”
Greg Leaming of The Asolo Conservatory says “He very strongly connected to his students as a friend, mentor and teacher. What he brought into the room was an infectious spirit and a love of the art form.” Richard Hopkins of Florida Studio Theater says “In an age before political correctness, in a society that all too frequently rejected people who were different, Jimmy was proud to be gay. He was adept at teaching us straight guys how to relax with the gay guys, how to revel in our differences, and how to appreciate the depth of our similarities.He was, as Carl Meyer his beloved partner of 19 years says, a “Renaissance man.” But for me the most enduring memories of Jimmy will be of his sweetness and his generosity. Jimmy was always giving – even when he was suffering he never burdened others with his distress. I was lucky enough to be one of the legions of people who benefited directly from his talent and his willingness to give it selflessly and joyfully. My life is changed forever by both what I learned from Jimmy and how he taught it.
In 2011 the Asolo established the Jimmy Hoskins Visiting Artist Chair for Stage Movement and Dance, an endowed fund that brings guest artists in to work with conservatory students.
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Interview with Lynne Doyle
In this week’s show I describe the concept of relationship contracts and how they keep people from making the changes in their life that they wish to make. I also interview actor Lynne Doyle. Lynne always loved plays. She vividly remembers going to see a performance of Carousel when she was ten years old, but she didn’t pursue theater in school because she just didn’t feel like one of the “theater kids,” and anyway she was also drawn to, and good, at athletics. Then there was getting married and having children. Her son’s interest in theater got her involved in the Columbus Children’s Theater and when he went off to college she auditioned there (they used adults as well). Listen her describe how her son’s courage to go back for a second audition after not being cast in his first, gave her the courage to try again when she too was not cast at her first audition. Also hear her talk about her role as Amanda in the upcoming production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie at the Players Theater, which is directed by Elliott Raines and opens on Oct 2nd.
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Interview with actor and director Jeffrey Kin
Jeffrey Kin is a sextuple threat! He sings, he dances, he acts, he writes, he directs, and he produces with talent, skill and joy. Luckily for us he brings all of this knowledge and skill to his position as the Artistic Director of Sarasota’s community theater – The Players. A farm boy who discovered as a small child that he was a performer, listen to him talk about how he discovered that, and pursued his chosen field with a vengeance. Listen to this charming, dedicated, funny man talk about his life, his work and the recreation of the hilarious, back by popular demand production of Lend Me A Tenor which opens on Sept 10th.
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Interview with Michael Newton-Brown
Michael Newton-Brown’s Dad was a high school track coach, who might have wanted his son to be a jock. He tried to interest him in golf and put a pole vault in his hands and said jump (listen to Michael’s reaction to that). But, a deeply creative person, Michael was drawn to and consequently learned everything there is to know about making theater happen. There were many twists and turns in Michael’s path. He found himself in the middle of several violent eruptions in the 1960’s. He went on the road with the newly discovered Bette Midler and Barry Manilow. And luckily for Sarasota FL he finally found a home there. He is currently directing Sunset Blvd for the Players Theater. Listen to this thoughtful, knowledgeable man tell the fascinating story behind the creation of Sunset Blvd the movie and consequently the Sunset Blvd musical.
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Interview with Elliott Raines
Elliott Raines grew up in what says is “now called the East Village, but when I grew up was called a slum.” Second generation, born to parents who believed in giving their children a “well rounded education,” Elliott studied piano and music theory, spent a year at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and most of his high school years in Drama Club, chorus and plays. He got a BA in Theater and an MFA in Acting , taught acting at his alma mater, and had some success as an actor. However at age 28 Elliott realized that the thing he hated most was looking for work, and acting – no matter how successful you are – is always about looking for the next job. Having realized this Elliott promptly went to Law School. He spent a career in law – with forays into acting and directing. And now having retired Elliott is once more able to pursue his passion for the theater. Currently he has directed Terra Nova – a powerful piece of theater based on the true story of Robert Scott’s failed expedition to be the first person to set foot on the South Pole, Terra Nova will run from July 19th-22 The Players Theater.
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Interview with Jeffrey Kin
Jeffrey Kin is a sextuple threat! He sings, he dances, he acts, he writes, he directs, he produces and all this while guiding the fate of Sarasota’s community theater – The Players. A farm boy who discovered as a small child that he was a performer, Jeffrey pursued his chosen field with a vengeance and now brings all of the knowledge and skill he’s garnered to The Players production of A Chorus Line, which opens on Feb 16th and which he not only directs acts in as well. Listen to this charming, dedicated, funny man talk about his life and work and hear a special song from A Chorus Line.
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Interview with Bob Trisolini
Five year old Bob Trisolini and his cousins entertained their parents by putting on plays which always ended with little Bobby being stood on his head and pushed over – a perfect beginning for the entertainer that Bob would become. But like KJ Hatfield, Bob was concerned about making enough money for the life style he wanted, so he took his talents to corporations. Listen to the incredibly long list of companies for whom he created spectacular events which introduced products, celebrated successes, motivated sales forces etc. Now in retirement from an overwhelmingly successful career which took him all over the world, and with a seemingly inexhaustible amount of talent and energy Bob continues to work here and there for FL based companies and to direct and perform in local theater productions. Just having finished directing “Stop The World” for Sarasota’s Golden Apple dinner theater, he is currently directing “Seussical The Musical” for the Players theater. Listen to this irrepressible dynamo and hear a song from “Seussical The Musical.”
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Interview with Jeffrey Kin
Jeffrey Kin is the artistic director of The Players Theater a community theater in Sarasota Florida. The youngest of six from a farm family in Central Ohio, Jeffrey broke the family mold by being the “creative kid.” Discovering very early his desire to entertain and the charisma that would later make him so compelling on stage, Jeffrey was lucky enough to have a mother who saw that he “belonged on the stage” and “took care of Dad’s disapproval.” So Jeffrey was able to develop not only his acting, singing and dancing skills, but his play writing, directing and finally the administrative abilities that make him the perfect choice to shepherd The Players Theater’ renaissance.
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