Latest / Voices of the Albemarle / Ep. 12: Through the Looking Glass of The Center Players

Transcript

Ep. 12: Through the Looking Glass of The Center Players · Voices of the Albemarle

• 0:13
  SPEAKER_05: Hello and welcome back to Voices of the Album Marle.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_05: I'm your host, Izzy Kelly Goss, and this is your co-host, David Prizer.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm here.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_05: And today we are going to hear from Natalie Hill, who is the director of Arts of the Album Marl Center Players.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_05: Natalie, say hello.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_04: Hello.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_05: And we're going to be talking with her ahead of the two center player shows coming up: 101 Dalmatians Kids and Alice and Wonderland Jr.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_05: We are also fortunate enough to have Emiline Lancaster, who plays Alice with us.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: Hi.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_05: And Cameron Cahun, who plays The Caterpillar with us as well.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_05: Hello there.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you guys so much for coming on the podcast.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_05: I'm so excited.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_05: To start off, I want to talk about the center players in general.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: This is the first by the way, this is the first time we've ever had a live caterpillar on the podcast.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_05: That's true.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_05: That's true, yes.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_05: And a girl that shrinks and grows larger, or so they tell me.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe the last two.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_05: Oh gosh.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_05: You never know.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_05: Natalie, I want to ask you how long you've been the director and what made you want to take on this role.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so I've been the director of the center players for the last two years.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_04: We started with Annie in spring of 23.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and we've grown from there.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I've been directing, I directed in Las Vegas for 13 years before we moved here.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_04: My husband's in the Coast Guard, like almost every young family here.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_04: And we moved here.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_04: I took a little break from directing and I realized how much I missed it and kind of remembered that it's one of my passions is children's musical theater.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so we I started doing research on the different programs, saw that there was a need here in Elizabeth City at Arts Dab Moral, and I reached out to Lauren Luther, the director, and it just kind of took off from there.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_05: And I feel like that's such a valuable asset for the area.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_05: Because, like you said, two years ago there was a need.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_05: The center players has been around for a long time.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_05: I was in the production of Alice in Wonderland Jr.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_05: as a kid, um, probably around your guys' age.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_05: And I started doing center players, I think when I was around nine, but how old, Emiline, how old are you?
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I'm 13.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_05: You're 13, Cameron, how old are you?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_05: 13 as well.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_05: 13 as well.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_05: So you guys are both 13.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_05: How long have you guys been doing center players?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I've been doing center players since November of 2024.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, so a a couple of years now, or almost a couple of years.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_05: Emiline, how about you?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm the same with Cameron.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_05: So you guys started at the same time?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: I yeah.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_05: What show was that that you guys started with?
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_05: Was it Annie?
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: Aladdin Jr.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, Aladdin Jr., okay.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_05: So what made you guys want to join?
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I wanted to join because in the summer of 2024 I did a Center Players boot camp where I learned about what center players is and found out I really liked it.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: So at my school we do an open house every year for the beginning of the year.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: And Lauren was there, had us set up a table, and I volunteered to help.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: And that's when I learned about Aladdin Jr., I auditioned, and here I am.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_03: And what role did you have in Aladdin Jr.?
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_03: Aladdin.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_03: Aladdin.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_05: So much talent in the room with us guys.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_05: Emiline, what made you want to join?
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I remember I was like, well, I first did center players when I was like eight, but with a different director, and it was kind of like a different deal.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I remember I just like wanted to like sing a lot and I really liked it.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I kind of want to do that when I'm older.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I noticed that center players like it had like musicals, and I was interested in trying out.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: And then after all these, I've ended up here today.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_05: And so you said center players was kind of like a different deal.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_05: I know like the audition process can be kind of different now than it was originally.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_05: How was that for you guys?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_05: Was it were you guys nervous this time around, or was it kind of just you've done it enough times now that it's okay?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_03: When I first did my audition for Aladdin, it was what ran through my mind was I was really nervous at first.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: But now, since I've gotten into the groove of auditioning, it's really become like an asset for me.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_05: An asset.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_05: Ooh, I like that.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_05: What about you, Emiline?
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, I'm always nervous.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_05: You always nervous?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's like every time um, like there's an audition, I'm like, okay, I have to like do a list of things.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_02: I have to like pick two characters at least that I want to try out for, and then like try to nail those down.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: But I remember my audition for Alice in Wonderland.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: I thought it like, and I feel like sometimes you kind of have like a mindset of like how your audition went.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: But I remember this one, I like actually did not feel confident in it.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: I like I memorized my whole monologue, and then the second I went on stage I had to improv the whole thing.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: But um, then after that, the two songs were they were pretty good.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: And then I found out I was Alice, which was crazy because I did not even audition for her.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_02: And they never asked me to sing Alice, so I thought that was pretty cool and confusing, but confusing.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_02: How did you who did you audition for?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like the Queen of Hearts and actually the Caterpillar.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, so what was going through your mind when you found out that you got Alice?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: I remember when I was looking at the cast list, I was like not thinking because it was like 6 a.m.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: in the morning, and at first I saw parentheses for Rose, and I was like, oh, they double casted Rose.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm probably gonna be Rose, and then something like a card, um, which I think is pretty cool too.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but then uh I scrolled down a little bit more and I was like, oh, I'm probably gonna find something else.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_02: And then I was like, Alice.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like very shocked.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_02: I went downstairs and I was like, mom, I'm Alice.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: And like, yeah, it was like really interesting.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: And now like I like kind of like see it.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: I see it.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_05: You see it?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's good, that's good.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_05: It means you're confident growing into your role, and you're correct.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_05: There's nothing wrong with being a card.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_05: I played the ace of spades, yeah.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_05: And Cameron, what was going through your mind when you found out that you were gonna be the caterpillar?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm gonna be completely honest.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: I was really hoping to be the white rabbit, but it turns out as I've gotten more and more into the character, I feel like his wittiness actually describes me really well, and I've come to love the character.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_05: What's your favorite thing about playing the caterpillar?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it's a little funny.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_05: Funny, yeah.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_05: So do you like playing comedy roles?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I've played comedy roles before.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_05: Aladdin is a that's a there's some comedy in that for sure.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_05: A little bit.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_05: Emma Line, what's your favorite thing about playing Alice so far?
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: Probably that I get to do a lot of cool things.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I think one of them that I can recall is like jumping off the stage.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: I don't I think this is my first time jumping off the stage.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: So it's pretty cool to me.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah um and then like running around a lot, and I actually get to like do some of the cool things that they like said as like I wanna say like in like in plays, like you don't like you pretend to do some stuff, but then there's like a scene where I actually have to play the game and it's like really cool, and it's like yeah, like so getting to act, like really act out what you're doing on stage.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_05: That's what I'm gonna say.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_05: That's a lot of fun.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: I can ask a question.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this is gonna sound like the world's dumbest question.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Alison Wonderland, a musical, right?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so the question I have for you what is it about being on stage?
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Is it the music?
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Or do you like being on stage or is it the combination?
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: What what what is it?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: I think probably uh the feeling of like being on stage and then like the singing.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: I really like that.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: How about you, Cameron?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I like being on stage, I like having fun, and the singing is really fun.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Have you guys ever performed in anything that wasn't a musical?
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: Talent show.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_03: The talent show, that's one thing.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_05: Um you say talent show, is that like a talent show at your school or oh no, it was a North Carolina's Got Talent.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_05: You won third place for that, right?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, yes.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_05: I was there, I covered that for the paper.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_05: You did amazing.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_05: He sang a song from The Lion King and powerhouse performance.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_05: Um kind of switching gears, Natalie.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_05: You guys aren't just doing Alice of Wonderland Jr., you're also doing 101 Dalmatians Kids.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_05: That's gotta be an undertaking.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_05: You're putting on two shows at once with two completely different tasks.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_05: What's that like for you?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_04: We are.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_04: It takes so much planning and coordination on our parts so that the kids get what they need.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_04: We've split these kids by age.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_04: So we have some third through sixth graders doing 101 Dalmatian kids, and then sixth through 12th grade is doing Alice in Wonderland.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we really like it when we split up because it allows us to take more kids into our production um and reach more kids in the albemoral area.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um it's really exciting to switch up my week a little bit.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_04: So I start with Alice rehearsals and then I go into Dalmatians and then I end with Alice.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but it's I love it.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Can I ask you a question?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh again, I hear now I'm I'm gonna beat the last dumb question.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: Here's the dumb question.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm going to presume that that you've directed plays more than once.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you'll do it one one year, maybe you'll do it the next year or the year down the road.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: So when you do that and you have different casts, how does the tenor of the whole performance change?
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, does it take on the personality of the the different casts?
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Do you find that that maybe you'll there are be some areas of the of the musical or the play that will be emphasized more than others that will that will resonate more with the with the audience?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so I directed Alice in Wonderland previously in 2015.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um, that was obviously 10 years ago.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_04: So I've changed my perspective, my view on the world has changed in those last 10 years, but I always try and tailor it to the kids.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_04: Luckily, my memory's not so great with age.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_04: Um with Tuesday night, we were doing Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and I was trying to remember what I did 10 years ago, and I could not remember it.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_04: So things like that changed because of my brain, but I definitely try and tailor it to the kids individually.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not sure what I did this morning, so it really doesn't matter.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_05: So, like you said, you've done Alice before.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_05: So obviously you have a little bit of a handle on that, but have you done 101 Dalmatians?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_05: What's that gonna be like?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_05: Like, what can people expect from that show?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_05: Because it is a kid's show, it's not a junior, so it's a little different.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so a kid's show is about 30 minutes, um, 30 to 40 minutes, and then a junior show you're looking at about 55 to 60 minutes.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_04: I have not done 101 Dalmatians before.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_04: I have seen it when my sister directed it.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_04: I come from a family of directors, so that's kind of fun.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um, it's an adorable show.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_04: You have these adorable puppies running around stage.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_04: They're all in elementary school, and we have a like two or three in middle school.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_04: So, of course, they got that cute factor.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_04: And then we have even adore more adorable than the puppies.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_04: We have these little tiny Dalmatians, probably the cutest little girls you've ever seen on stage, saying the most adorable lines, getting last from the audience.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_04: Then we have our villains, they're larger than life.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_04: We have our Cruella, she's amazing.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Horace and Jasper, her assistants.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_04: They're these two girls that are just powerhouses.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_04: They make us laugh so much in rehearsals.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_04: They're trying accents.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_04: These kids are in fourth and fifth grade, and they have different accents they can do, which is amazing.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_04: That's great.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_04: We also have narrators on stage that tell tell the story, and then this lovely family in London that owns these puppies.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um, this show is going to be so cute.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_04: It's probably gonna be the highlight of everyone's weekend because you're just gonna be saying aw the whole time.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_05: And just for our our audience, our listeners, can you give everybody um like the dates for the shows just so everybody knows when to come out?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so Dalmatians is April 30th and Mar May 2nd.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_04: Alice in Wonderland is May 7th, 8th, 9th.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_05: So you guys make sure to get your tickets with Arts of the Albumarl.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_05: I think it'll be exciting.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_05: So obviously, Natalie, coming into the Center Players two years ago, um, you guys didn't have to start from scratch, but you did have to get things rolling again and you know, things evolve over time.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_05: So, what changes have you guys been making to the center players and like the school of the arts that you feel have really been making a difference with these kids?
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so something I loved about the program over the past, we just celebrated 16 years, I think, this year with the center players.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_04: And something I loved about those 16 years is it changed with the kids and what they needed.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_04: So some years they did you guys did more play, some day years they did less.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_04: Sometimes they did review shows, which is songs and scenes from different musicals.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_04: But it really evolved with the kids.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_04: And so we tried when building this program to pick decide what the kids need first and then go from there.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_04: We also try and start small and not overwhelm people with too much and just throw a bunch of kids into these huge, large productions, the hardest choreography, uh, the hardest songs.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_04: So we definitely have tried to meet the kids where they are, see what they need first.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um, some of my favorite changes that we've made um are the new students we've been able to take on with School of the Arts.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_04: We started in 2023 with about 20 students.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_04: And right now we average about 100 to 120 students with School of the Arts.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_04: Center players, we started with 21 in Annie, and now we're up to 55.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_05: Wow.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_05: That's amazing.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_05: And you know, there's so many things that you guys can do with center players.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_05: Um, there like David was saying, there are plays, there are musicals.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_05: What can we expect to see from you guys next?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so the we had a meeting this morning actually where we talked about the five-year plan for the center players, where we're going.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_04: We're trying to build up to full productions, which instead of it being 60 minutes, you're expecting two hours out of middle and high schoolers.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_04: We obviously I talk a lot to the kids about how I don't expect you to take pre-algebra every single year in middle school and high school.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_04: I expect you to go to pre-algebra, then algebra one, then algebra two, and then try geometry.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_04: And that's how I feel about the center players.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_04: I don't expect them to stay at the same spot.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_04: I expect them to grow.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_04: I expect their dances to get harder, their music to get harder, them to try new things, try new acting, try out different parts too.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: With Emiline, you know, she makes Alice this time, but she's gonna have to learn how to be a sidekick and she's gonna have to learn comedy, and she's going to have to learn how to be a villain.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_04: Those are all things that you can expect from these kids.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: How how do you choose the the musicals that the plays that you want to perform?
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so I look at our kids and I look at their strengths.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_04: I also look at their weaknesses, and we have a list of musicals we can choose from, obviously, and that makes it a little easier because then I'm looking at a list of 20.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um we take this list and we just kind of narrow it down.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um, obviously, we try not to repeat plays that we've done in the past three years, so that narrows down a bunch of plays.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um, this plays really whimsical, so we're looking at plays that are a little less whimsical next time to create really well-rounded performers.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: You two guys aren't the only stars in the in in this group.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: I I actually no, not at all.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: I actually performed in a play when I was in either fifth or fifth grade, but I was gonna ask all of you.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it was a Gilbert and Sullivan musical.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_05: Which was it?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, pardon me?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_05: Which one?
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: The Makado.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: I was Pooh Bailey.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my gosh.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_05: So we've talked briefly about how I am like a classically trained singer and so many, and that's what when you said that, that's what I was hoping you were going to say.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_05: I have so many songs to talk about.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_05: I don't think so.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_05: That's okay.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_05: You'll learn as you advance with the center players, right, Natalie?
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_05: As I was the first one to say no.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_04: We will learn.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: I I guess, I guess the thing I was thinking, um the the plays that I'm hearing that you're doing are the musicals, they're valid, they're good, they're very popular.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm talking about Gilbert and Sullivan, valid, good, maybe not as well known because they're older.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, have you ever done a a more like that type of genre, uh older type of thing?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_04: So this fall we did songs and scenes from different musicals, and we included South Pacific, Sound of Music.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, really?
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um we are looking at golden age musicals.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we're looking at things like Guys and Dolls for the fall, along with along with Disney classics as well.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, cool, cool.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_05: And because, you know, I did Center Players and I did I did Coast Players as well at COA.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_05: I did this literally my whole childhood.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I just have to ask my own personal favorite question.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_05: What are you guys looking forward to most?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_05: Doing the school shows or like the general audience shows?
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_05: Because there's a really different vibe.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_04: And let's talk about what the school shows are first.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, did one of you guys want to share about the school shows?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_04: They're my favorite personally.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_03: School shows are that's when we figure out all of the mishaps with what's going on.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_05: That is so true.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_03: Because most of the time the school shows on the last show, there was like sound things, song changes.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_03: It was chaos.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_03: But when we got to the um regular shows, it w we were down pat.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: It was like Spitfire.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_03: We knew what to do.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_03: And it was it was easier for the regular shows instead of the school shows.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: Really got the hang of it.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: Going back to that, I actually have an example.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I was backstage for one of the kids' shows, and for one of my songs, I'm supposed to hold a microphone.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: And the song I sing, it's called Don't Right On My Parade, if anybody knows.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: From Funny Girl.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I had a lot of blocking, which I loved, and I heard my song play.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: And at the time I was like asking player like advice if I didn't hit the note.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I had to run on stage, and then I was like, Don't tell me not to live.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'm doing all my blocking, trying to catch my breath with trying to also make sure everybody can hear me because I did not have a microphone, and so just straight vocals.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_05: That's really impressive.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_04: Straight vocals, straight chaos, but with the best audience members you can possibly imagine.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_04: I don't think you would ever guess that elementary school and middle school students make the best audience members.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_04: They really are so excited to see them.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_04: They don't care that you guys are making mistakes and they get the nerves out.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_04: They're really the best audience members, I think.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: I I have to say that both of you are, and this is a compliment, both of you are extremely articulate, you're both well well, very well spoken, that could have been learned through through your practices in performing, or maybe you have been that way all along.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I'd like to ask you, what about just conducting yourself in the world have you learned by being on stage and performing?
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: Are there traits that you learned how to communicate?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh is there anything that that you think you can you're taking with you as you get out when you're not acting?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um usually when we are backstage, we have to sometimes communicate.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_03: And it's it's really hard because we're not supposed to talk backstage.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: And if they're on the other side of the stage, I I know how to lip read, so that way that way when they talk to like anyone, I can tell the other people what they're saying that way they know what to do.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_03: And so that way they can do um get the prop set up, get the um get other costumes ready.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's pretty much like Morse code just with um lip reading.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_02: For me, it's probably articulation and like saying full sentences without stuttering, because I have I'm really bad at stuttering.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so like you're very bad at what do you say?
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: Stuttering.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_02: Really?
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, and so So like having lines have like really helped me to like in like in the real life like just like be able to like stutter less.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: So please continue because as you get older, you're not gonna want to hear this.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's like some an old person telling you something.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: But you guys communicate so well as you get older, that's gonna help you get through so many situations.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: People will listen to you, you'll be able to be understood so much quicker.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you're directing something, people will understand that I'm I'm I'm very impressed with both of you.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_05: And now just for my last question, I just want to ask you guys what has been your favorite part of the show that you think anyone who comes to see will enjoy?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_05: Why should people come see you in this in this musical?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of funny scenes, like it's like really dark but funny.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um and probably like really like it's like has like a really good plot.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's like Alice in Wonderland, like you're going through with all these different characters, and then all these different characters are gonna come together at the end.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's like it's just really like magical and fun.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: It's a classic.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a classic.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_03: Adding on to what she said about the funny scenes, there's multiple scenes, especially one at the end of the end of the show.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_03: Queen of Hearts wants to play a game, and Alice says, I'm guessing you want to play croquet with upside down flamingos, and she said, Oh darling, crochet is so 19th century.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: Chessau cats who are like, sorry, and then she and then Queen wants to play, Simon says, a modern game.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: That way it's more modern themed instead of back in the day.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, adding on to that, um like I actually got to play it, and it's like it's like lightning rounds, and it's like I actually had to do it, and it's like really fun.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what you were talking about earlier, right?
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: That's what I was talking about earlier, yes.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I think you guys have a great show on your hands.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_05: I'm so excited to see it.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_05: I know you guys are gonna do great.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, big props to Natalie.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_05: I think you've obviously done very well.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_05: And everybody make sure to come and see 101 Dalmatians kids on April 30th and May 1st.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, May 2nd.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_05: I'm so sorry.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_05: Don't go on May 1st.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_05: You will not see the Dalmatians.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um, yes, first Friday.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_05: And then for Alice and Wonderland Jr., they will be there May 7th, 8th, and 9th.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_05: And thank you all so much for listening to.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_05: You're giving autographs from FUBA from FUBA.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_05: And I guess I'll give autographs for the Ace of Spades card.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_05: Um, no, but in all seriousness, thank you so much to our listeners for staying tuned into another episode.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_05: Please be sure to check back again.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_05: Episode 13 will feature the Edenton Steamers General Manager, Lauren Baker.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_05: She will be joining us next week, and we are very excited.