December 28, 2011
As promised, I can finally share some stories and photos (video
footage still to come!) from “Out of the Box,” the original play from
Daytime Moon’s fall program with the Peoples Improv Theater. “Out of the
Box,” written by Meredith Hackman and Cooke Center Academy Intern
Nagisa Mikami, chronicled the story of 5 museum artifacts attempting the
save the job of Emily, the museum curator, by thinking of an exciting
new exhibit. Meredith and Nagisa’s script was based on original
characters developed by the cast over the course of the program.
Preparation for “Out of the Box” was, as with any theatrical
performance, fraught with hilarity, hard work, joy and (at times) a
little craziness. After finding out that Jeffrieal, who had developed a
character based on his favorite baseball players, was leaving early for
the holidays, we rushed to film all of his lines so that he could appear
in the museum as a painting that came to life! Certainly tech design
brings its own level of insanity, but thanks to Meredith’s determination
and everyone’s refusal to accept that Jeffrieal wouldn’t be a part of
the final performance, Jeffrieal was onstage like the rest of the cast:
dancing, speaking, and pretending to be a dinosaur! All of our other
actors also were 100% dedicated to making “Out of the Box” a huge
success–you’ve already seen footage of some of their character
interviews, of Jake’s songwriting session with country singer Harold
Allen, and some of the commercials they made, but I can’t even begin to
tell you how much additional work each actor put in to learn their lines
and deliver them loudly and with emotion. Talia even perfected an
accent for her role as Princess Anastasia!
I continue to be amazed by the achievements of our participants, and
“Out of the Box” was no exception. They played to a packed house on the
mainstage at the Peoples Improv Theater, and frequently had to stop for
laughs and cheers as the audience actively engaged with and responded to
the story being played out. Every single participant had their moment
in the spotlight and they shared the stage with such presence. They
showed us the purest aspect of theatre: the sheer joy in creating and
expressing. I’m so proud to have been able to witness it.
Enjoy the pictures!
Libby helping Nicky get into his Tyrone costume
The cast and I checking in before the show started
Jake sneaking a peek at the audience
Nicky breaking out of the box as Tyrone the Dinosaur
Teddy as Ben Franklin
Jake as the Famous Country Singer
Jake, Talia and Nagisa during Curtain Call
The whole group (including Jeffrieal!) after the show
Cheers!
Jenna
Jenna
