A Little Ditty About Jimmy and Amanda
Jimmy O'Neill and Amanda Doria are two board members of Beari Productions. They're both tremendous resources when it comes to producing, stage managing, set construction, prop wrangling, lighting configuration and any of a multitude of backstage chores and tasks. Because of their combined abilities they're always running the show from the wings.
Did I also mention that they were both extremely talented performers? Because of their production skills, you seldom see them ON the stage any more, which is bad for everybody including them. So, when I was offered the chance to bring F2F to the stage at Beari Productions, casting was a no-brainer. I wanted Jimmy and Amanda.
Oh, and they're a real-life couple, too. That has little bearing here, but their combined force as a twosome is even more intense than both of them individually.
We only have six weeks or so to put this together. It's going to be tough. On the plus side, blocking will be a snap. And once they get a good grasp of the characters, it'll go rather smootly.
The challenges are twofold. First, there are a LOT of lines for each. I mean, it's a two character play, and they're both on stage the entire time. Second, it's gonna be a hard sell. Granted, my unknown plays have been a draw in the past, but this doesn't have the benefit of the "friends and family" audience since Jimmy and Amanda move in the same circles. We need to find an audience beyond friends and family.
This time we get to use the downstairs space at Beari. There's a downstairs space? Sort of. It'll be small but I feel it'll be quite effective. This will be theatre VERY upclose and personal, with the first row literally 3 feet from the actors' noses.
But I'm overjoyed to finally bring what I consider to be my best work to the stage, and I'm always happy that Beari says "yes" to me. They're good folk. It's going to be a lean and mean six weeks. Stay tuned for progress reports!
Did I also mention that they were both extremely talented performers? Because of their production skills, you seldom see them ON the stage any more, which is bad for everybody including them. So, when I was offered the chance to bring F2F to the stage at Beari Productions, casting was a no-brainer. I wanted Jimmy and Amanda.
Oh, and they're a real-life couple, too. That has little bearing here, but their combined force as a twosome is even more intense than both of them individually.
We only have six weeks or so to put this together. It's going to be tough. On the plus side, blocking will be a snap. And once they get a good grasp of the characters, it'll go rather smootly.
The challenges are twofold. First, there are a LOT of lines for each. I mean, it's a two character play, and they're both on stage the entire time. Second, it's gonna be a hard sell. Granted, my unknown plays have been a draw in the past, but this doesn't have the benefit of the "friends and family" audience since Jimmy and Amanda move in the same circles. We need to find an audience beyond friends and family.
This time we get to use the downstairs space at Beari. There's a downstairs space? Sort of. It'll be small but I feel it'll be quite effective. This will be theatre VERY upclose and personal, with the first row literally 3 feet from the actors' noses.
But I'm overjoyed to finally bring what I consider to be my best work to the stage, and I'm always happy that Beari says "yes" to me. They're good folk. It's going to be a lean and mean six weeks. Stay tuned for progress reports!
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