Remember Jayne Taini (who played Sister Aloysius in Doubt)? She just sent us a quick note to let us know that she’ll be playing a guest starring role in this Sunday’s episode of Mad Men!

Here’s her take on the experience:

It was a very fabulous experience. These folks are focused, specific and spot on with their direction and writing.

Truly creates a wonderful look at that moment in time …’62 before anything has hit the fan. And yes I was in period underwear…..girdle and long line bra. Yuk!….but gives a girl a great silhouette.

It plays at other times throughout the following week. Hope you can catch me.

Love,
Jayne

Jayne will be coming back to Portland this winter to be in our production of Snow Falling on Cedars. We look forward to hearing more from her then about her Mad Men adventure!

Storm Large, James Beaton, Jim Brunberg, and Scott Weddle talk love, life, brussel sprouts, and Crazy Enough!

Storm and Her Balls from Portland Center Stage on Vimeo.

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Hard to believe it, but we have our first preview performance tomorrow night.  We’ve been “tech-ing” the show onstage since Wednesday, and our wondrous stage manager, Mark Tynan, the mind-blowing designers and the crackerjack crew have been doing a brilliant job bringing our baby to life. The environment of Apollo is an incredibly layered melding of sound, lighting and video, which must be orchestrated and conducted like the symphony that it is. And oh yes–there are also 12 actors onstage, and “just a few” costume changes. It’s madness, I tell you!  Glorious madness.  I can’t wait for you all to experience it.

I’m grateful that some of my costumes have pockets, because I was able to have my little camera with me onstage during much of tech week. Actors must often stand still for several minutes while lights are focused on them, which afforded me ample opportunity to take some fun character portraits. I also captured some beautiful moments during run-throughs–the photographs capture the scene from a different vantage point than you will get when you’re sitting in the audience of the Gerding Theater.

Here are some characters and images from Apollo :

{photo: Nick Santoro as Bosquet Wev}

{photo: Christopher Shaw as Arthur Rudolph}

{photo: Richard Gallegos as the Dora Prisoner}

{photo: Jeffrey Johnson as Monty Cone}

{photo: Russell Edge as Dietrich Bonhoeffer}

{photo: Lorne Green as Frank Fisher}

{photo: Christopher Shaw as Arthur Rudolph}

I love this photograph, because it affords you just a glimpse of Justin Townsend’s exquisite lighting design.

{photo: left: Christopher Shaw;  right: Andy Hirsch as Eli Rosenbaum}

{photo: left to right: Jeffrey Johnson, Richard Gallegos, Andy Hirsch}

The following images from Apollo Part 1 were taken by Meredith Patt:

{photo: The computer screens of the mad creative geniuses as they orchestrate the environment of Apollo during tech week}

{photo: Apollo Part 1, “Sputnik section,” full cast}

{photo: Christopher Shaw as Korolev, holding Sputnik aloft}

{photo: Ray Ford, observing the madness}

The crew has the Herculean task of completely changing the stage environment, both onstage and behind-the-scenes,  during two intermissions.  We do our best to stay out of their way.  Fortunately, we have this gorgeous green room in which to lounge, eat and play cards.

{photo: Hanging out in the Green Room at the Gerding Theater.}

{photo: Brandon Ford Green and Andy Hirsch playing a vicious game of Crazy Eights.}

Well, that’s the end of my photo presentation.  Now I must rest up for our big Preview tomorrow night!  The countdown is almost over…3…2…1……….Blast off!

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On the first page of the next studio show, How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found – the text reads:

“Security footage captures a successful advertising executive running from the office one morning, and out into the city traffic.  He leaves his jacket, wallet and keys on the back of his chair, and a cremation urn on his desk.  Colleagues report him not having slept for over a week.”

The company assembled to create this journey on the run are both familiar and new:

Cody Nickell, who you’ve seen in The Pillowman, Merchant of Venice and Outrage returns to play Charlie/Adam (the ad exec running for his life).

Kate Eastwood Norris plays Sophie (the coroner) – and though she is a newcomer to PCS, she feels a bit familiar, as she’s married to Cody.  They spent the Christmas holidays starting construction on a log cabin in the mountains of North Carolina.

You saw Darius Pierce last season as Will Shakespere in The Beard of Avon, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in 12th Night.  The year prior he played Gunner in Misalliance.  He’s playing 11 roles in Disappear.

Laura Faye Smith also plays multiple roles, and you’ll recognize her face from Pride and Prejudice, The Thugs, or if you were fortunate enough to catch the terrific production of Adam Bock’s The Receptionist at CoHo Productions earlier this year.

Ebbe Roe Smith plays 8 different roles.  You may recognize him as the Goat in Oh, Lovely Glowworm, Ted Kazynski in Celebrity Row, or several roles in Act A Lady.

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I’m a member of the merry band of Apollo players. We’re all thrilled and delighted to be here, and are getting very excited about the upcoming opening of our show.

I thought I’d share some of the photos I’ve taken since arriving from Los Angeles on December 15, 2008.

FYI, all my photos are taken without a flash to avoid startling the actors during rehearsal (they’re very high-strung and prone to stampeding if provoked) so please forgive the somewhat grainy quality of some of the images. Hey–it’s art!

This is Nancy Keystone, director, playwright, scenic designer, all-around girl genius, bravely trying to explain the gist of our “little skit” (as we affectionately call it) at the Meet & Greet on December 16, 2008.

The rehearsal room is adorned with these marvelous photo panels. Here are just a few:

{photo: Some of the people that appear as characters in Apollo.}

{photo: Wernher von Braun and friends.}

{photo: Ralph Abernathy, RFK, and images of the Civil Rights Movement.}

And here are some of my fellow Apollo crew members:

{photo:From the left: JKaren Thomas, Lorne Green, Angie Browne, Richard Gallegos, Nancy Keystone, Andy Hirsch and Brandon Ford Green.}

Here are some random shots from the rehearsal room:

{photo: Christopher Shaw cradles his beloved Sputnik from Part 1.}

Here I am, having a blast bringing Mickey Mouse to irreverent life in Part 1, along with Jeffrey Johnson as Walt Disney, and Russell Edge as Wernher von Braun.
{photo: Andy Hirsch takes a much-needed break from the rigors of playing Eli Rosenbaum in Part 2.}

{photo:Jeffrey Johnson, Russell Edge, Christopher Shaw (partially blocked) and Nick Santoro dance a smoldering Tango between the German Rocket Scientists and the US Army in Part 2.}

{photo: This is a scene that was recently added to Part 1. Shown from left are: JKaren Thomas, Lorne Green, Angie Browne, Andy Hirsch as Senator Sparkman of Alabama, Ray Ford and Brandon Ford Green.}

{photo: Rehearsing the fantasy production number in Part 2, “Fly Me to the Moon.” From the left: Russell Edge, Andy Hirsch, Richard Gallegos, Nick Santoro and Jeffrey Johnson.}

Be sure to look for my next post, where I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes peek at Part 3!  (If I can manage to take pictures during the run-through tomorrow!)

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