Recharged! (Jan 2012)

From the Green Room:

Happy 2012 from the South Pacific National Tour! As I was preparing this month's newsletter, I was reading over last month's... it seems like AGES since that all happened! 2011 definitely ended in a whirlwind! We had a split week prior to our Christmas break in which we hit Rockford, IL, Evansville, IN, Richmond, VA, and Charleston, WV. I had a good group of friends and my brothers/sisters-in-law come see the shows in Rockford and Richmond which was great! Always nice having someone out there to perform for. After West Virginia, we bid adieu to the wonderfully talented Ann Northern (she was just filling in for Jenny who rejoined us in 2012) and took a much needed two week vacation for the holidays. We reconvened in Salt Lake City for a fantastic week long sit down at the beautiful Capitol Theater. We are currently mid-week at the historic Gammage Theater (one of Frank Lloyd Wright's last designs!) on Arizona State University's campus in Tempe, AZ. We've had a wonderful reception from a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable theater crowd here in Phoenix. We've been having health issues across the board so our understudies have gotten some serious stage time in 2012. I went on for Buzz Adams, the fast talking aviator, for a two show day in Salt Lake City! Fun but nerve-racking! I thought I did a good job, but there's always room for improvement!

From outside the Green Room:

It felt good to be back in the mid-west again. Don't get me wrong, New Orleans and Orlando were awesome... but there's a certain sense of peace I feel when I'm back in the mid-west. It was also great to have friends and family able to come out and show their support. During our two week layoff, I made relaxation a priority. Whereas we may be four of nine months into the contract, we were only about a third done with our show count (app. 80 of 240ish). I had a wonderful week at home in Pittsburgh with my family for Christmas, then got to spend the next week with my girlfriend's family in Destin, FL. While in Florida, my girlfriend, her family, and I were able to record two shows for her mom's local radio show, reading children's stories on air! I think they turned out great! Definitely sparks an interest in voice over work. Here are the FIRST and SECOND shows, enjoy! When it was time to fly out to Salt Lake City, I felt recharged and ready to get back to work! Salt Lake City is a really beautiful city, with mountains rising up on all sides. I was stoked to be able to get out to the mountains for a day of skiing at the famous ski resort Alta with a couple of cast-mates. Phoenix/Tempe has been more beautiful scenery. We spent an afternoon hiking Squaw Peak and another day wandering ASU, a HUGE (80,000 students!) university set in the heart of Tempe. A couple new years resolutions that I've been trying to keep up with are staying more active, eating healthier, and making an effort to stay in touch with friends better. So far, I've been doing a decent job... but of course, there's always room for improvement!

Lessons Learned:

Health and readiness... two incredibly important things when out on tour. As an ensemble member of a national touring company, maintaining my health to ensure I get out on that stage eight times a week is incredibly important. Whether it be vocal health, physical health, or even mental health... there are a lot of elements on the road that can get in the way of you doing your job. I've really been trying to take care of myself better, especially my voice in these dry desert climates. With that being said, if the health of the principal actor fails, readiness kicks in on behalf of the ensemble. There must be a readiness to pitch in a little extra to ensure the show still runs smoothly. This could be as simple as just knowing your understudy track. Thank goodness I knew my monologues for Buzz Adams! I got the call 60 minutes before curtain that I was going to be going on! All of our understudies and swings have done amazing jobs ensuring the curtain stays up! It also could mean being ready to roll with the punches on and off the stage. Whenever a single element changes in the show, it makes it a brand new show. That's the joy of live theater! Figuring out who will say what line, cover what part, make what move, shift what scenery, place what prop... all changes when a single person is switched out. It's what makes live theater so fun! But you must know the show inside and out, more than just what is expected of you. Something I can say there is definitely always room for improvement!

As a side note, I am still trying to figure out my summer plans. I have a couple of leads with summer stock companies but nothing set in stone yet. If you know anybody that could help further along my summer plans/career, please don't hesitate to send them my way! I would love to spend this summer continuing to work on my craft! Thanks so much!

Hope all is well,

Andrew Mauney
www.andrewmauney.com