<p>I have never watched this show and don't know anything about it but I did know that Nick and his sister were in it. My D knows him from Tisch/CAP. Also, his younger sister (not Starr who is older) was in a show with my D three summers ago. Nick is very talented. I just don't follow Amazing Race. But last night I was in NYC and my D was the opening act at a cabaret theater in the village and the other act was a recent grad from CAP21 and so a bunch of people in the audience were from Tisch (AlwaysAMom, btw, I met J.N. who was there and had left CAP at one time to do RENT and my D knows her of course). And I heard some kids (many who are recent grads) talking about Amazing Race and I guess it was on when we were all at the show and so they were missing it. I don't know that they knew the outcome and I didn't even realize it was on last night as I don't watch it but that is pretty cool that they won!</p>
<p>RossJi....Nick WAS BatBoy (GAP show) and my D saw it and said it was great. Nick also played Jamie in the GAP show, The Last Five Years. And he did graduate.</p>
<p>Speaking of The Last Five Years, the co-star of that GAP show just got Sophie in the Mamma Mia Tour; SoozieVT, I'm sure you heard this way before I did! I think that's great! And another CAP21 grad (or soon-to-be??) got a part in the Wicked tour; not sure what part. GO, TISCHIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)</p>
<p>figured i'd represent pace's post/pre graduate successes in one post:</p>
<p>in the past year and 1/2 the following people have been cast....</p>
<p>TOURS:
Anthony Lee Medina - 1st Equity National Tour - Spring Awakening
Donell James Foreman - Hairspray (Seaweed) and Mamma Mia
Abby Stevens - Annie (Grace)
Lara Hayhurst - Bye Bye Birdie (tour goes out in Feb.)
Kenny D'Elia - ...Trailer Park (Edin. Fringe Fest.) and Annie
Ariel Page - Hairspray (Velma)</p>
<p>OFF Broadway:
Chris Brick - Judy & Me </p>
<p>Summer Stock houses PACE students have attended:
Weathervane Theatre
New London Barn
Mt. Washington
Millbrook
Interlakes
McHayden
Weston
Arundel
Galveston
etc...</p>
<p>RossJi, we surely did hear of this great news the day it happened last week! As you are aware, this girl from CAP21 (in our mutual Ds' class) is graduating this month from CAP (will be in the Jan. showcase). During the CAP showcase semester, agents and casting directors work with the students and one such agent offered her representation over the semester before the showcase happened. She went in for the role of Sophie in the Mamma Mia tour and got cast for the year and will start in Feb. We are particularly very excited as YOU know, this is someone my D had grown up doing theater with in our region, having met at a young age when cast in a show in our state and going on to do more shows, taking voice together every week, rooming together at theater camp and then both entering CAP21 and being roommates at NYU for two years. That makes this very exciting as we have shared much together over the years in musical theater and so we are so happy for her to have this good fortune. And KatMT, if you are reading this, this is the same girl who was your Belle in summer stock. </p>
<p>And as far as the other Cappie about whom you refer, she already graduated CAP21 and is cast as the Elphaba understudy on the Wicked tour and starts this winter. She is a very good friend of my D's and was in her a capella group and they also performed in a band together this past fall. Ironically, she played Sophie on the Mamma Mia tour and on Broadway.</p>
<p>You may know that a boy in our Ds' CAP class (has not finished college) is currently playing Boq in Wicked on Broadway. He is also in my D's a capella group.</p>
<p>(PS...RossJi....actually, L. was not Nick's costar in Last Five Years. She played the understudy for Kathy in Last Five Years and was given two performances and her co-star is a boy who graduated CAP this month and is in my D's a capella group. However, L. played other leads at Tisch, such as Catherine in Pippin and Hope in Urinetown.)</p>
<p>Minor error in my post...oops....L's costar (Jamie understudy) in Last Five Years graduated Tisch this month, which is what I meant to say, not CAP21. He and L. were leads in a summer musical my D was in with them in NYC in summer of 2007.</p>
<p>Soozievt -- thanks for the info about "Belle"... As I was reading I was wondering if this was who you were talking about! I will have to send her a facebook "congrats"!</p>
<p>SoozieVT - I think you're talking about someone ELSE who is on the Wicked tour?? Unless I got my info wrong, this girl is a CURRENT cappie in our d's grade who played Rapunzel in Into the Woods; ring a bell? Also, Hilary, to add to your "Pace" list, Ryan Goodale is playing Leaf Coneybear on the Spelling Bee National tour; he's a good friend of my daughter's! And he is HYSTERICAL!!! (although he did not graduate yet)</p>
<p>RossJi...hmm, I wasn't aware of that person but that is great news too then. My D just got home from NYC and I just asked her and she recalls who played that role in ITW but was unaware of that casting news and is not close friends with that person. The girl I meant graduated CAP fairly recently and is cast as the Elphaba understudy and is a friend of my D's but not in their year at CAP.</p>
<p>(The girl who is Elphaba u/s is C.M. The girl who played Rapunzel is M.L. my D says but she didn't know about her casting in Wicked but I told her what you just said)</p>
<p>Yes, I know about CM; the one I'm talking about is M.L., as you mentioned; I think she might have gotten ensemble in Wicked, but not sure. And I should have specified WHICH "Into the Woods" since your daughter musically directed another production of that show!! But you knew, anyway.</p>
<p>Just when I was thinking how wonderful it is that I've heard of so many successes recently, I found out last week that a young man, recent UMichigan grad, who had been cast in the Toronto sitdown of Jersey Boys, has been fired less than two weeks after opening. Ouch. We don't know this particular boy but one of my Ds has several mutual friends with him, and it's likely that several here on CC know him. Very sad situation, and I'm sure embarrassing for him, after such joy just a short time earlier when he was cast. A stark reminder of how difficult, and sometimes ruthless, this business can be.</p>
<p>Why was he fired? Did they just find someone they thought would be better in the role or did he do something to warrant being fired? I thought contracts were supposed to afford protection from the former. Ouch, indeed. I am not accusing this guy of anything, please be assured. I just guess I am rather naive about how this all works. Once under contract, I didn't know one could be dismissed so easily.</p>
<p>I just noticed this should have posted after alwaysamom's #94. Strange glich in the system...</p>
<p>I know nothing about this particular situation, but I have known people to be let go from Broadway and National Tour contracts because the producers felt that they were not growing into the role in the manner that the producers had hoped.... or the producers decided to go a different direction once into the rehearsal process. It happens more than one may think. The people I have known who were let go from a show have continued with strong professional performing careers. It hurts, but is not a career ender.</p>
<p>Same thing happened to me.... interestingly enough alwaysamom's post says it "was" posted at 9:35PM.... although it is 8:16PM eastern time right now...</p>
<p>A "sit down" cast is a cast that plays a show in a specific city for the run of the show (such as Jersey Boys in Chicago). The show is not a traveling show or tour; rather it is booked for a specific city for a specific time period.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Did they just find someone they thought would be better in the role or did he do something to warrant being fired? I thought contracts were supposed to afford protection from the former. I just guess I am rather naive about how this all works. Once under contract, I didn't know one could be dismissed so easily.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, it wasn't a case of them just finding someone they thought would be better in the role. In fact, the understudy has been playing the role and will continue to do so until the new actor they hired is ready to go on. They were not happy with his performance, which is almost always the issue when this happens. There are protections afforded in contracts to both parties, which allows producers to act, as Kat mentioned, when an actor has not grown into a role in the way that they had hoped.</p>
<p>The JB tour spent several months here in Toronto and was so successful that the plan for a Toronto sitdown production came to fruition. The tour left in early December and the sitdown production opened a week later, with two of the tour actors remaining - the star of the tour, Jeremy Kushnier, and his wife. The remaining castmembers were all new, and all Canadian except for this young man who left. When I heard that he'd been cast, I have to admit that I was a little surprised, thinking that he was too young for the role. Although, the actor they are replacing him with is apparently equally as young. I wish him well and I imagine he'll move past this rough patch in the road and continue on in pursuit of the next job. Resilience is certainly a necessity in this business. It reminds me of another young performer who was in the one night open and close production of Glory Days this year. I'm sure he was devastated when his show lasted one night on Broadway but now he's on the final national tour of Rent, a tour that everyone wanted. He's one of the very few who were chosen to join a cast made up almost entirely of experienced Broadway actors who have been in the show previously, including three of the original Broadway cast. Quite an honor.</p>
<p>p.s. I have no idea what happened with the timestamp on last night's post. I obviously posted it much earlier than it is saying!</p>
<p>There has been an issue on CC with the post order and timestamp and it has been reported but I don't know if it is fixed yet. </p>
<p>That is too bad about the young actor in JB in Toronto. I didn't realize that that age would be considered young for the role. My D's friend is in another cast of JB and I think when he was cast, he was about 22 also. He plays Bob Gaudio.</p>
<p>With regard to Glory Days, D's friend/classmate from that short lived show now is in Wicked on Broadway and so I think things can look up even after a negative experience. It likely is part of being in this industry.</p>
<p>I had the opportunity to see rossji's daughter play Olive in the Spelling Bee tour recently, and she was outstanding! She's tiny, adorable, great with acting, and has a fabulous voice! I hope lots of you get to see her while she's traveling with the tour! </p>