Latest / Inside the OSD / S2 E22 - Mamma Mia Cast Ft. Kyle Kapusta, Beau Jacobs, and Erica Briski

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S2 E22 - Mamma Mia Cast Ft. Kyle Kapusta, Beau Jacobs, and Erica Briski · Inside the OSD

• 0:00
  SPEAKER1: The Oregon Straw Hat Players is a very strong and vibrant community theater program in Oregon.
• 0:07
  If you've driven around town this summer, you're sure to have seen the many signs about the upcoming production, Mamma Mia!
• 0:14
  Today, we're going to get the inside scoop on this show from some of our OSD students and an OSD graduate who is back to be part of the cast this summer.
• 0:24
  Whoa! Mamma Mia!
• 0:29
  SPEAKER2: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids.
• 0:34
  Here is your host, lifelong educator, and our superintendent, Doctor Leslie Bergstrom.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER1: Thank you for joining us today.
• 0:44
  We know that you've been very busy with rehearsals and preparation for opening night, which is this Saturday, August 3rd.
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  Could you start by introducing yourself?
• 0:56
  SPEAKER3: Hi, I'm Kyle Kapusta.
• 0:57
  I graduated from Oregon High School in the year 2020.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER1: And what's your role in Mamma Mia?
• 1:02
  SPEAKER3: I'm playing Pepper.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER4: Thank you. Hi.
• 1:05
  My name is Beau Jacobs, and I am going to be a junior at Oregon High School.
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  And I'm a part of the ensemble.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER1: Thank you.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER5: Hi, I'm Erica Briski.
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  I will be a senior at Oregon High School this fall, and I'm also in the ensemble.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER1: Thank you. All right.
• 1:18
  Um, so first of all, we need a summary of Mamma Mia!
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  For our listeners because they might not be familiar with the story.
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  So, Kyle, can you take that one on?
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  SPEAKER3: Yeah. So if you haven't seen the the movie before of Mamma Mia!
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  Or seen any other production, the story goes a little like this.
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  It's centered on an island in the country of Greece, so very tropical location.
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  And our story revolves around our main character, Sophie, who is getting married on this island in a few short days and she has no clue who her father
• 1:45
  is, and so she only knows about three possible candidates from her--her mom, Donna's diary that being a guy named Sam, Harry and Bill.
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  And so she invites them all to her wedding to possibly weed out who her dad might be.
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  While that's also going on, Donna is a little conflicted after seeing her three--her three ex-boyfriends all appearing on this island at once.
• 2:08
  And so she's kind of having her own little crisis and trying to connect with so-- with Sophie during this, as they sort of start having their falling out
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  while, uh, Donna reconnects with some of her old bandmates from her, uh, her youthful days.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER1: Oh my goodness, that was an excellent summary.
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  The whole--absolutely!
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  Not bad. The movie was going through my head as you were saying it.
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  I was seeing Meryl Streep, so it was great.
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  Okay. A production of this quality is a really pretty major undertaking and takes up a lot of time, probably most of your summer.
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  So why was it important for you to dedicate your time to this...um, this summer?
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  So I'm going to start with you, Erica.
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  Well, I
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  SPEAKER5: mean, it's a big commitment to take on this type of production.
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  I mean, um, if you want something to look at in the end, you have to put time towards it.
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  So, I mean, you dedicate as much time as you can and then you put in what you want to take out.
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  So if you want something good in the end you got to work for it.
• 3:01
  Nice.
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  SPEAKER1: Thanks. How about you, Beau?
• 3:03
  SPEAKER4: Uh, pretty much the same thing.
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  Like you go in it to get something out of it, and I'm willing to work at it.
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  SPEAKER1: So how much time do you guys spend?
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  Uh, what? How much are--how much time do rehearsals take each day?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER4: Uh, two hours.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER3: Usually about 2 to 3.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER4: 2 to 3 hours. Okay.
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  SPEAKER1: Every day. Got it. So tell us how rehearsals have been going.
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  And I'm going to ask Kyle about why he does this in a minute.
• 3:30
  So we'll get to that in just a second.
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  But tell me about rehearsals.
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  SPEAKER4: Um, they've like tech week, like we just started tech week.
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  So this week's going to probably be like--what is
• 3:42
  SPEAKER1: Tech week for those of us who have no idea?
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  SPEAKER3: So. So for those who aren't familiar with the the theater know-how, tech week is once we start putting every aspect of the production together, that's where
• 3:54
  all the stuff that the cast has been working on meets the lighting team, making sure that all of our lights are in the right spot, making sure that in case
• 4:00
  someone needs to be in a spotlight, they hit where they need to be, and it's also where the band comes in.
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  So all the music is sounding like it's supposed to be.
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  Because these past--the past few weeks before, uh, we met with the band, we just been using our, our music director, Lucas Finley, who is just on the piano.
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  And for those people familiar with Mamma Mia!
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  It's more than just a piano.
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  There's a lot of percussion, there's a lot of guitar.
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  And so adding that aspect has been really nice for us.
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  And it's just one of those.
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  It's probably the most strenuous week of a production, because it's one of those things where you have to stop and start a lot.
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  It really tests your patience, but it it all comes together for a good product in the long run.
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  SPEAKER1: Oh, that sounds really fun.
• 4:40
  Mhm.
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  SPEAKER3: It can be. Yeah.
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  SPEAKER1: Anything else about rehearsals?
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  SPEAKER3: Um I just say like the, there have been a few moments where just like things just haven't seem to have been clicking, but once they do you're like "oh wow.
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  Oh, we've got something here." Because this is a-- it's a show where--for those not familiar with Mamma mia!
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  It's all the music in.
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  It is based off the songs by the band ABBA.
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  And so taking something that isn't like entirely original music and doesn't follow like a true story, having to fit that all in and make it into the story
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  has been has been a challenge, but it's one that I think that we've really, really met head on and tried to try to make something special out of it.
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  SPEAKER1: Can all three of you think back and remember the minute it started to come together where you're like, "oh, this is it?" Or is it this week?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER3: It's been this week.
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  Probably our first inkling of it was our sitzprobe, where we first met with the band and we first how first heard how it was actually going to sound.
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  SPEAKER4: Okay. Yeah.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER1: Oh that's exciting.
• 5:41
  Yeah. So every production has something a little bit unique about it.
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  Without giving away anything special about giving anything away, what's special about this production or your role in it?
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  SPEAKER6: Hmm.
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  SPEAKER3: I think one of the most interesting things about it is, uh, that I haven't seen done with a lot of other versions of Mamma Mia!
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  Is we take a few moments to glance back into, like, Sophie as a young child, like possibly having her confront her younger self and having those moments
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  where she's like, staring at herself through a mirror.
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  But it's--we have this, this younger member of the cast named Eliza.
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  She's wonderful and she just brings so much energy to it.
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  And there's a there's a moment I won't spoil anything in the beginning of act two, where it's just like a real "whoa, what is going on?" moment.
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  SPEAKER1: All right, so you guys came up with that yourselves?
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  You added it into it?
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  Yeah. Nice.
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  Okay. Anything else you two are thinking of?
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  SPEAKER4: Uh. The set.
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  I feel like it came together yesterday, and I know I was surprised because we've only been on, like, a blank canvas.
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  But yesterday, the set really came together, and.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER1: It looks pretty cool.
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  SPEAKER4: Yeah. It looks. Do you
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  SPEAKER1: feel like you're on an island in Greece?
• 6:51
  SPEAKER4: Now? Yeah.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER1: Yeah.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER7: Okay.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER1: That's awesome. Okay, so, Kyle, you're a graduate who's come back for this performance and you've come back for other performances.
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  I mean, Beauty and the bBast last year, that was.
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  That was amazing. That was a fun one.
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  So we've definitely watched you grow as a performer in your time here.
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  Right? Because you've been doing this a very, a very long time.
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  And last year's performance, as I said that one was so much fun.
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  So what keeps you coming back?
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  SPEAKER6: So I--
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  SPEAKER3: I just recently graduated from Millikin University with a degree in musical theater.
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  Because I grew up with Straw Hat, I grew up with the with the high school.
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  I've loved doing theater around this town for so long.
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  This is actually my 14th year being a part of Straw Hat and a fun story.
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  I originally wasn't really involved in this production.
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  Uh, I wasn't able to make it back in time for auditions.
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  And so I was like, "I'll sit this one out.
• 7:45
  I've had a long time doing this." And the first week we did it, uh, our stage managers, Jordan and Sydney, were going on vacation, so they needed someone to
• 7:53
  step in. And so--are those sisters?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER1: Jordan. Cindy.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER3: Yeah. The sister Sydney.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER1: Yes.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER3: Yeah, yeah.
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  And they do wonderful work.
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  And so that first week while they were on vacation, I stepped in to do the stage management role.
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  So I got to see what that was like for firsthand.
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  And while that was going on, uh, part of the cast list, we were missing the character of Pepper just because we didn't have certain people come out and
• 8:17
  audition. And then our director Q approached me and was like, "hey, would you like to do this?" And I thought on it for a little while and was like, "you
• 8:26
  know, what's the harm in it?" Because I haven't been doing much else with my summer, and I love Straw Hat as an organization.
• 8:33
  And so I was like, "you know, I'll give it one last hurrah."
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  SPEAKER8: Awesome.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER1: All right, so what's next for you post production.
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  What's on your list of things to do?
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  SPEAKER3: There's a lot going on I need I need to start doing more professional auditions as those are always coming up right now.
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  Actually coming up right after the show, I have a final callback scheduled for Universal Studios in Japan and China to possibly
• 8:59
  work overseas, and it would be a 13 month contract if I get it.
• 9:03
  And it'd be it'd be cool living overseas for a whole year.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER1: Yes it would. What could you possibly what would you--what are what's within the realm of possibility for you to do in that there's a Universal Studios?
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  SPEAKER3: There's a lot that happens just if you like, start working your way up.
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  But the thing that I have a callback for, uh.
• 9:20
  Get this. I might be a Charlie Chaplin impersonator.
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  SPEAKER6: Oh my
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  SPEAKER3: Goodness. Yeah.
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  Not many, not many castings come out for guys under, uh, under 5'7".
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  So I take what I can get.
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  SPEAKER7: All right.
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  SPEAKER1: But that's a big, big, uh, step forward for Robert Downey Jr.
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  I know.
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  SPEAKER7: Right?
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  SPEAKER1: So you never know what could happen, right?
• 9:40
  Yeah. You could be under contract with Marvel soon.
• 9:42
  Oh, okay.
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  SPEAKER7: I can only hope.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER1: So whenever we have the opportunity to speak with alumni, I like to ask this question.
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  And that is, what is the most valuable thing you learned in the OSD that helped you prepare for the path you've taken?
• 9:56
  And then what advice do you have for current students like Beau and Erica?
• 10:00
  SPEAKER3: Yeah, I'd say
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  SPEAKER6: Just--
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  SPEAKER3: One of the big things that I've learned, both coming out of high school and throughout college and even now, is just you're not always going to agree with
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  people. You really aren't there, especially in something that's as meticulous as a creative process where everyone is coming from different, different ideas
• 10:18
  and different mindsets.
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  You're not always going to agree with everyone, but it's always coming together and being like, "okay, what can I do to help you?
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  What can you do to help me?" It's always having that compromise where you can create something truly special.
• 10:33
  And once everyone's, once everyone's two cents have been put into something, that's when magic truly starts to happen.
• 10:38
  All right.
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  SPEAKER1: So you're talking about collaboration skills?
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  SPEAKER3: Yeah. Yeah. That's a that's a big aspect of it because, uh, I did a lot of student run theater in college where when it's new, a lot of people doing first
• 10:49
  time directing, first time like sound designing, first time lighting, there's a lot of people that aren't quite sure like how to communicate their ideas, but
• 10:59
  once you have that first like first pipeline of communication, it really starts to come together.
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  SPEAKER1: Well, that's fantastic advice.
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  Listen to other people make room for their opinions so that they'll make room for yours.
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  And the ultimate product will be better.
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  SPEAKER6: Mhm.
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  SPEAKER3: Because one thing that just I've, I've seen throughout my time, I say that as if I'm not 22.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER1: You've been doing the theater programs for a long time.
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  SPEAKER3: That's true. But just one thing I've seen is a lot of times when you shut down another person's ideas or just say, that's wrong, nothing goes anywhere,
• 11:35
  because then there becomes like a wall that you have to try and breach again when they're doing something that you're not particularly in the know.
• 11:43
  How about that?
• 11:45
  It's just hard to get there once you've walled them off.
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  Yeah. Mhm.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER6: Yeah.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER1: Thank you. That's really great advice.
• 11:53
  Any final thoughts from any of you Beau or Erica.
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  Anything you want to add?
• 11:59
  SPEAKER4: Come see the
• 11:59
  SPEAKER7: show. Yeah yeah yeah.
• 12:02
  These these two
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  SPEAKER3: have been putting in a lot of good, good work.
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  Uh, they're probably some of the highlights of the ensemble.
• 12:07
  They're always. They're always emoting.
• 12:09
  You can always see them like doing what they do best, especially since YouTube like pretty much been around each other your entire school career.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER7: Yeah. Pretty much.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER1: Yeah, I suppose so.
• 12:18
  So thank you all for speaking with us today and we can't wait to see this performance.
• 12:25
  Thanks to our listeners for tuning in this week.
• 12:28
  Mamma Mia! Performances are August 3rd, fourth, eighth, ninth and 10th at the Oregon High School Performing Arts Center.
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  You can get your tickets online at WWW.
• 12:40
  OSHPonline.org.
• 12:46
  Remember that you can find links to all episodes of Inside the OSD and submit topic ideas on our website at Oregonsd.org
• 12:55
  /podcast.
• 12:57
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• 13:01
  Make sure to subscribe if you're listening on one of these apps to get notifications on the most recent episodes.
• 13:07
  We'll see you next time on Inside the OSD, where it's all about the kids.