Applause: The Guthrie Talks Performing Arts

What do George Burns and Tyler Perry have in common? They've BOTH worked with our guest, Jeff Warren. From his early days in Grove City as a Plaidette, a band member, a thespian and big Guthrie Theatre Fan to his work on stage, screen and on the air, Jeff discusses the fun of growing up in Grove City and the journey he makes to his present career in the arts. 

We are so excited to release #11! We had to put off releasing this episode (it will be obvious) but Ric Ryder is nothing but awesome! We literally had a fabulous time interviewing Rick and we're so excited to have him on Applause. You will LOVE this interview with talented, expressive, interesting, funny Broadway actor and professional performance coach, Ric Ryder! Find out more about him on his blog and website:

https://ricryder.com/contact/

https://rydervoiceworks.com/my-story/

Hey, if you want to rent the Theatre, just send an email to: sonj.veritasarts@gmail.com

This episode's guests are very special: 3 of the cast and the Associate Director of the upcoming SRU musical "Making Melrose!" Last episode's guest was Aaron Galligan-Stierle- Actor, Master Teacher, Director and member of Slippery Rock University's Musical Theatre Faculty! Aaron and his SRU team got seriously creative and are ready to present their World Premiere: MAKING MELROSE

by Daniel M. Lincoln and Omri Schein

a new world-premiere musical comedy presented by the SRU Theatre Department, directed by Aaron Galligan-Stierle

Impersonating someone often comes with consequences… SRU’s Theatre Department presents the world premiere musical MAKING MELROSE by Daniel Lincoln and Omri Schein. This digital age musical takes the Cyrano story, spins it, shakes it, blends it and turns it onto its silly, irreverent, modern social media smoothie head!

Performances will be virtually streamed on January 28, 29, and 30.

Tickets are $5 for students, $7 for non-SRU students. The performance runs approximately 90 minutes. Slippery Rock University Virtual Musical "Making Melrose" with the link to purchase tickets for online viewing. https://www.sru.edu/events?from&to&category=184&keyword&fbclid=IwAR2KvAzGGeZ_rJCbQ_1qZzawJYYAE2H4VuF1beIf0eLR-mg5ENZ_lL7JG6E

Meet the Cast and Associate Director:

Shawn Faroni (Milo Jacobson)

A Sophomore Musical Theatre major from Robinson, Pennsylvania. Shawn has appeared in the Slippery Rock University productions of Dogfight, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Home and Belonging, and Making Melrose. A few things Shawn enjoys are Pentatonix, quality time with friends, YouTube, free time, music, and piano. A few fun facts about Shawn are that he is a twin, he can sing two notes at once, and he has double jointed fingers.

Abigail Malczon (Cassidy Winters)

Abby Malczon is an actress and singer from Cromwell, Connecticut. She is a current freshman BFA Musical Theatre major at Slippery Rock University. In the past, she has performed in school and community theatre productions with roles such as Mother Superior in Sister Act, Scarlett in Clue, and Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!. She was most recently cast in the debut of Making Melrose: A Social Media Musical as Cassidy Winters. When she’s not performing, she is spending time with her friends and family.

Gwen Lillycrop (Imogene Holloway)

Gwen Lillycrop is a freshman at Slippery Rock University. There, she is a BFA Musical Theatre major with minors in Dance Performance and Special Education. She is originally from Westminster, Maryland, where she is currently residing. In the past, Gwen has performed with various theatre companies in her area. Some of her most recent roles include The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Judy Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at South Carroll High School. From 2019-2020, she served as Co-President of her high school drama club. She has also had nine years of dance classes and nine years of classical vocal training. When she is not in rehearsal, Gwen enjoys being outdoors, thrift shopping, volunteering with a local children’s group, and spending time with her family and two lovely cats.

AJ Sansonetti (Associate Director)

AJ is a sixth-year Theatre-Acting BA student at Slippery Rock University. He is an active member of the Musical Theatre Society at Slippery Rock University in which he has directed two full-length musicals: The Wedding Singer (2017) and All Shook Up (2019). He has also directed a few minor productions within both the SRU Theatre Department and The Musical Theatre Society at SRU. As well as directing, AJ has also appeared in SRU Theatre Department productions of Dogfight as Boland, Luna Gale as Cliff, Heathers: the Musical as Ram, and others.

Remember to support the Guthrie! https://ticketing.useast.veezi.com/sessions/?siteToken=9v3ze20qencsen7cxr2c30esh0

So excited about this new year/new podcasts! We're starting off with episode #9: Aaron Galligan-Stierle- Actor, Master Teacher, Director and member of Slippery Rock University's Musical Theatre Faculty!  

Aaron Galligan-Stierle is an accomplished actor, director, and producer with critically-acclaimed work that ranges from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare. He is also a highly sought-after audition coach, providing exclusive workshops and one-on-one training for professionals in the Broadway community and at top universities across the country. With Aaron's wonderful credentials, you'll want to read them for yourself! https://www.aarongs.com/band

Be sure to check out the Slippery Rock University Virtual Musical "Making Melrose" with the link to purchase tickets for online viewing. https://www.sru.edu/events?from=&to=&category=184&keyword=

Remember to support the Guthrie! https://ticketing.useast.veezi.com/sessions/?siteToken=9v3ze20qencsen7cxr2c30esh0

Dance Like EVERYBODY'S Looking! Alex and Lisa discuss what's going on for the Crossroads Dance Academy in Slippery Rock while they're coping with COVID and yearning for the normalcy of dance, for the students as well as the instructors! Sarah DiFrischia, Robyn Hughes and Belle Hughes lead this extraordinary dance academy. These women have great personal inspirational stories as well as the desire to share the art of dance with the region. We discuss the teachers that motivate and inspire, Andrew Wilson (our guest from Episode 5) and his time at Crossroads, and what dance brings to everyone, regardless of age. Learn more about Crossroads Academy: http://www.crossroads-dance.com

Andrew Wilson has lived an extraordinary life; growing up in Grove City PA, Andrew shares his inspiration and memories on the road to Broadway. He talks about the people and events in his early life that inspired and challenged him. Alex and Lisa have some of those questions that we love to hear about: what is the life of a dancer? What inspires you, what gives you joy? Andrew generously shares many of the lessons of a life in the arts, This is a podcast you CANNOT MISS!

Andrew Wilson has a fantastic bio: Andrew lives in New York City, where he is a faculty member at the world-renowned Broadway Dance Center, teaching theater dance and acrobatics. He was recently seen on Broadway playing the role of Tumblebrutus in the Andy Blankenbuehler-helmed revival of CATS. He served as the dance captain and swing for the 1st National Tour of Newsies The Musical, and reprised his role of dance captain and featured Newsie in the live-capture of Newsies for Netflix and Disney+. Other touring credits include Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan, CATS 25th Anniversary International Tour and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. For Disney Cruise Line, he was in the opening casts of the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy, as well as opening over 11 shows for them, including Toy Story: the Musical, Aladdin, Villains Tonight andDisney’s Believe. Regionally, he has worked at Casa Mañana, Pittsburgh CLO, the MUNY, Sacramento Music Circus, Riverside, TUTS, La Mirada and Disneyland. He has also performed on SNL, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Access Hollywood, and has performed across the county for numerous corporate industrials. Other New York City credits include being a featured dancer for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, performing Peter Pan at Madison Square Garden and the dancing in the Disney On Broadway 25th Anniversary Gala at the New Amsterdam Theater. He has danced and acted in national commercials for CNN, FX, Gaiam and was the motion-capture “Mr. Peanut” for Super Bowl LIII commercial spots. 

Alex & Lisa talk with Spencer Folmar, an amazing artist, philanthropist and visionary film maker. Spencer is the owner of the Guthrie Theatre in Grove City, is a Hollywood director and an artist with a passion for Pennsylvania. Spencer talks to us about his journey to the present and the many turns it took to get there, including a stop at Grove City College, NYU, overseas and back again, and, of course Hollywood. He has some great insight into what the future of films and the Guthrie Theatre. 

Grove City High School Drama Department Spring Musical: "Mary Poppins"  Principles "Mary" and "Bert" , along with their director, share the ups and downs of a musical that wasn't meant to be.

Patrick McElroy, director, is the GCHS librarian and has enjoyed acting, writing, and directing since he was in high school, and has directed 24 productions at GCHS, including the 2013 original production of Sasquatch: the Musical, which he co-wrote with Matthew Lucas and later co-directed for a professional reading at the National Comedy Theatre in NYC.

Abby Weller "Mary Poppins," a rising senior at Grove City High School, has been an active participant in the GCHS theater program since her freshman year. Her shows include: Radium Girls, CATS (Jennyanydots), Antigone (Antigone), Mamma Mia (Rosie), Sense and Sensibility (Elinor Dashwood), and most recently would have appeared as Mary in the High School’s production of Mary Poppins. Performing on a stage may seem intimidating to some, but to Ethan Hines "Bert," an upcoming senior at Grove City High School, it's his favorite activity. He loved Bert because of the joy that the character brough and most importantly - he got to dance! Chamber and Show Choir are also places where you will find Ethan singing and dancing inside the high school.