Familiar Faces

Repulsing the Monkey director Kevin Six tells us why he uses certain actors -- a lot.

Kevin Six and Jewell Karinen in the Coffee Shop Chronicles.

I don't think you'll ever hear a director or a producer tell you they had trouble casting a show before it opens. But every director of every production has trouble casting. This is because, as many directors have stated; directing a production is made considerably easier with a good cast.

You hear all the great stories after the show closes and the director and producer look brilliant for having cast a certain actor. But, trust me; they struggled with every casting decision. Any director or producer is going to go a little mad until the cast is just right.

Steve Smith and Laura Bohlin in Simply Sci-Fi.

This is why I have come up with a go-to list.  It's not in writing, there is no actual list, but when I read a play, certain faces and voices take over. When I look to cast, I remember those voices and the good times I've had on stage or giving direction.

With Repulsing the Monkey, we got exactly everyone we wanted for the staged reading. The cast of the full production is not that cast. But -- and this is why I think Theatre is my actual religion -- miracles happened in casting and we got people who are good at what they do, bring tons of experience and talent, and are fun to work with.

Joshua Jones in Calendar Girls.

To me, the most important part is the fun. At a certain level, everyone has talent. When it comes right down to it, I am going to cast the person I know well over the person I don't. This is because I know what their habits are, how they approach a part, and how fun it is to work with them.

Do I get casts full of these familiar faces? No. I've worked with everyone in the cast but some only once. The thing is, if you get a critical mass of good, fun people, your show is going to be better. Better than any show where people had to "make it through" to performance.

For the non theatrical reader, opening night is the time when the director and actors part ways. No more direction, no more notes, no more anything. The director has just got to hope that he/she imparted enough of his/her vision on the cast and that the momentum generated carries the show forward. The Repulsing the Monkey cast is a momentum machine!

Kevin Six and Tyler C. Jiles

I have been lucky enough to cast people I trust in every role; people I have worked with in every role; people you will like (or hate depending on the demands of the part) in every role. I resisted the urge to audition people -- especially because we loved the cast so well after the reading that we offered them first right of refusal.

But who are they? Oh, yes. The cast of Repulsing the Monkey:

Danny the native Pittsburgher -- Steve Smith
Janey his sister -- Laura Bohlin
Dylan the native Californian -- Joshua Jones
Kylie, native Californian Yoga instructor -- Maelyn Gandola
Ethan the native New Yorker -- Tyler C. Jiles
Sophia the uptight native New Yorker -- Jewell Karinen






Repulsing the Monkey, by Michael Eichler, will be performed at the Kensington Club at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays from August 25-September 3, 2015. For tickets visit 

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157

Repulsing the Monkey on Brown Paper Tickets

There is movement on the ticketing front. Brown Paper Tickets is handling the Box Office for Repulsing the Monkey and sales are brisk. With only 76 tickets per performance -- and only six performances...

You get the picture. Click the photo on the left or the link below to get your Repulsing the Monkey tickets. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2002157

Repulsing the Monkey - Save the Dates

Repulsing the Monkey is officially in production! We've got the venue and we're putting a dynamite cast together We're releasing tickets in steps for this site-specific event so you need to save these dates:

• July 18, 2015: Co-Producer Tickets available
• Six Reserved (booth), discounted ($15) seats and Co-Producer Credit
• July 20, 2015: General Admission Tickets ($20, unreserved) available
• August 25: Opening Night
• August 26: Performance
• August 27: Performance
• September 1: Performance
• September 2: Performance
• September 3: Closing Night

NEW EICHLER-SIX PRODUCTION

Sometimes when you are developing a play you can't wait to see a production of it. You hear it read by an excellent cast and you have to have more. You imagine the set, the music, and the movement. When REPULSING THE MONKEY was read, there was already a commitment in Pittsburgh to have it performed there this Fall. But what about San Diego? The response was so positive we have decided not to wait for a theatre partner. We will be producing it ourselves. We hope to have you all involved in this because it will take a team effort to make it happen. So you too can be a co- producer. Much, much more to follow. Check back and follow THE MONKEY!

MONKEY LOVE

REPULSING THE MONKEY had a house reading on May 31 and those in attendance showed lots of love for the quirky little play and its' excellent cast. Michael Eichler's play centers on a brother and sister who inherit a bar in a working class neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Two couples, one from LA and one from New York are looking to reestablish themselves in Pittsburgh. The bar is put up for sale and the out of town couples compete to purchase it. Under Kevin Six's direction, the audiance reported praise for the diologue, the characters, the plot twist and the music. The play is based on the real situation of 20- somethings with money moving to Rust Belt cities and changing the neighborhoods. Hats off to Steve Smith, Tiffany Tang, Josh Jones, Maelyn Gandola, Ben Shaffer, and Jewell Karinen for portraying Pittsburghers, Southern Californians, and New Yorkers so brilliantly. You know, they really are different.

LEON LOVES AIR TRAVEL

This October, Michael Eichler's new play REPULSING THE MONKEY will be performed in Pittsburgh. To get it ready, Kevin Six will be directing a house reading on Sunday May 31st at 7:30 p.m. Included in the evening will be homemade desserts, a reading from a fantastic cast and a chance to shape the play with your comments and insights. Michael has reserved just two spaces for blog readers. To get those last two spots, reply and tell us why you'd like to participate. Good luck! There is a rumor that LEON will appear!

Future Thingies

We cannot say much so we will let a picture take up one thousand of them.  More soon...