Guest blog by Kathy Seppamaki

It is one minute until 8 o’clock. From my place in the wings I hear the stage manager call places to the cast, crew and band. From the other side of the curtain, I can hear the slight murmur of audience members who eagerly await the start of the show. I see cast members hurrying to their positions both onstage and off, laughing and talking together, excited to see which family members and friends might be sitting in the audience for this evening’s performance.  Then in a moment the lights dim, the music begins and the magic begins.

Few people understand the time that it takes to put a show together from start to finish. Hundreds of hours are spent building sets, gathering and creating costumes, learning music and lines, collecting props, learning choreography, organizing all of the show marketing, and so much more. It truly takes a village of dedicated and passionate people to bring a show to life from start to finish and so few understand the effort that is given by so many to make it all happen seamlessly.

I have had those who have asked why performers willingly give up their free nights and weekends, for months at a time to do a show. I have had those who want to know why performers seem to be magnetically drawn to do shows over and over again. And there have been those who want to know why we are willing to work ourselves to the point of exhaustion to be a part of a cast.

There are a few reasons why we do this, and will continue to feel the call to go back to the stage time and time again.

The first reason is the feeling of community that is built when you do a show with other performers. When people are thrown together in rehearsals for so many hours in such a short period of time, they tend to bond very quickly. Friendships form throughout the cast and you really do become like a family. It is not unusual to walk away from a show with friends that you will keep throughout your life. There is nothing quite like the feeling of connecting with other creative people, finding other common interests, laughing together, sharing together and creating together. Most of my own closest friends are people that I met doing different shows.

Many performers are passionate about what they do. Whether it is dancing, acting, singing or any combination of the three, that passion is so strong that they will find any chance to express it, and will perform as often as they can. When you love doing something as much as the performers I know do, you don’t even think twice about sacrificing your free time to be involved.  It is something that comes from deep within the creative soul of a performer that draws them back again and again.

As a singer and actor, I can say that one of my favorite things about doing different shows is the opportunity to create a variety of characters that are vastly different than who I am as a person. It can be both challenging and rewarding to delve into a new character, uncover who they are and experiment with different ways to capture their essence and bring that character to life. It gives me the chance to see what it feels like to be someone that is completely unlike who I am, and to do things that I might not normally do in my own life which is a whole lot of fun!

Finally, we do it for the chance to create something special….to create a little magic. There is nothing in the world like creating something that has to power to transport an audience away from their seats in the theatre to another time and place. To create something magical that has the power to make an audience laugh or cry. With each show, we weave new stories knowing that for a few hours, we give our audience a chance to forget about what it happening in their everyday lives and hopefully entertain and inspire them.

So once again soon, I will find myself in the wings at one minute before eight, listening to the buzz of the audience, the laughter of my cast mates and feeling the anticipation of getting to share something that I’ve created with amazing and creative people….all so that we can share the magic with you!

Guest blog by Danny Niati

It seems there is always a very clear moment during a production where I find myself  saying, “Why do I do this again?” This usually during tech week when everything is just beginning to come together in what seems to be a haphazard mess of costume changes, sound checks and light cues.

As I stand back and watch the cast scrambling around, the crew hurriedly moving sets about the stage, random noises erupting from the speakers, and the stage lights flashing on and off like a strobe light, it all seems very comical. For some, it’s very easy to get lost among the hubbub and for others frustration is a factor and it’s time to call the whole thing off. But it’s during this time that I close my eyes and recite, “I do this because I love it. I do this because I love the feeling of performing. But most of all, I do this because there is no greater feeling than getting a group of strangers together for three months and making magic happen.” It’s true that there are no people like show people. No other family ~ yes, I said family ~ can lift you up and send you soaring quite like a theatre-family. And that is the very crux of the reason I keep coming back to the stage because despite my shortcomings, misgivings and severe stage-fright, I can feel that warmth if even for a short moment and that is why I do and will keep doing this again, and again, and again, and again…

Come see Danny in Nice Work. Tickets available now!

This article appeared in The State’s The Extra on Nov. 18. As we approach a new year, we thought it would be a great time to share it on our website.

Town Theatre has delighted audiences for 96 years

Each year, 30,000 people walk through the front doors with the teal awning at 1012 Sumter Street. Actors coming to rehearsal, backstage crew showing up to provide assistance in set choreography, youth of all ages bustling in for weekly classes and, of course, folks who just want to sit down and enjoy a great show. And, for the past 96 years (and counting), Town Theatre’s doors have been open to those in the Midlands and beyond. Town Theatre is the oldest continuously operating community theatre in the nation. Founded in 1919, Town is proud of its role to provide quality, live, family-oriented community theatre as well as to offer the foundation for those who wish to participate on or backstage. Each year Town produces five or six main stage productions from September to May; a major summer musical; two youth theatre productions; a full spectrum of summer camps as well as a mixture of other events.

“The arts are alive and well in Columbia and Town Theatre is proud to have been in the center of it all,” says board president Mary Lynn Barnette. Yet, Town Theatre leadership knows that it cannot rely on its longevity alone. “While we are so grateful for our large membership roster, many of whom have been with us for years, we know that we have to keep providing quality entertainment not only to keep them, but also to entice new patrons,” said Barnette. Whether it is mounting a production that has never been seen on a local community theatre stage (like last summer’s Mary Poppins) or finding ways to expand on Town’s already “filled to the brim” youth arts programming, the theatre enjoys the challenges of filling seats.

Shannon Willis Scruggs has been a part of Town for more than 30 years as a performer, director and now in the role of theatre management taking over the position of Executive Director after leading the SC Bar Foundation for ten years. “I remember when Town turned 80 and thought, ‘wow — what a ride this has been.’ Now that we’re getting ready to turn a full century, I am beyond excited at the things we have in store!”

Guest blog by Em Imholz

Dolly Parton says that singing, entertaining and writing is her way of channeling her feelings and her thoughts, not just her own, but the things that she sees and the people she loves. She writes, “My head would explode if I didn’t get all of this stuff out!” This is the perfect description of how I feel about my love for music, why I create, the reason I keep singing and why I can’t wait to step on that stage. The excitement is intense, the familiar butterflies and my heart pounding like it’s about to leap from my chest. I’m about to do the thing that I live for, that makes me happier than any other thing. I’m about to do what makes me, me. I can hear the buzz of 1,700 people. The audience at the famous Celebrity Theater is just as excited as we are. It’s opening day at Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival. Our 18 member cast is about to bring to life a very unique version of A Christmas Carol for the very first time. I can’t believe I’m originating the role of Fan and Belinda Cratchit here. We are going to sing seven brand-new songs written by Dolly herself. I can hear the music for my solo and then I hear Dolly’s beautiful words coming from me. I’m thinking this is crazy. This is a dream. How did I get here?

That is what I was feeling two years ago and now I am experiencing my third Christmas here in the great Smoky Mountains. I just picked up my employee tickets for the private screening premier of Dolly’s new movie, Coat of Many Colors. I’m very excited to see it. The more I learn about Dolly, the more I feel we were a lot alike as kids. I would sing, dance, and entertain for anyone that would listen. I loved to teach myself to play instruments and write songs and cast my friends in my plays. Like her, I simply loved anything, everything, all things musical. It’s always been more than my passion, it’s my identity. It’s just who I am. When I read about Dolly as a child, she says the same kind of things.

When I was nine years old Shannon Willis Scruggs and Christopher McCroskey took a chance on a very inexperienced little kid and cast me as Jemima in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Town Theatre. That one chance changed the way I saw the world for good. It changed the course of my life and instilled a love for musical theatre in me that burns bright to this very day. I’ve since had the opportunity to do many shows at Town Theatre. Before rehearsals for each show, my Mom would tell me to soak up the other actors around me like a sponge. And that’s exactly what I did. I was blessed to learn from the very best actors and directors around. Such professionals as Shannon Willis Scruggs, Christopher McCroskey, Andy Nyland, Jamie Carr Harrington, Agnes Babb, Christy Shealy Mills, Rob Sprankle, Frank Thompson, Shelby Sessler and so many more. I have even been given the opportunity to tech backstage with Danny Harrington ~ one of the best. These people are my teachers and the Town Theatre stage is my classroom. I’ve taken many classes since Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but nothing has helped me or prepared me for what I’m doing now, more than the generous actors at Town. I will never be able to repay them for what they’ve done for me; what they keep doing. I realize that I have been truly blessed.

Every kid’s dream would be to do what you love in a theme park. Working at Dollywood is so surreal. During The Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival here, six different musicals all run at the same time. Each are newly arranged or originally written by Dolly and other artists from Nashville. Shows like Oh Holy Night, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Christmas in the Smokies and others run in separate theaters back dropped by 4 million dazzling multi-colored lights and hundreds of gorgeous trees and decorations. There are five roller coasters, more than in any other park in the world, with number six currently being built. You can smell traditional Christmas dinner cooking in the air and hear the laughter of children as they roast marshmallows and S ‘mores. You can hang out with Rudolph and friends at the Holly Jolly Junction and even see the big guy himself, Mr. Claus. From the lyrics of one of Dolly’s songs, it’s a hometown country Christmas. I think the park captures the essence of the holiday season. It’s not just about the beautiful trees and lights but about love and celebrating the traditional true meaning of Christmas. The park has won The Association of Amusement Park and Attractions coveted Golden Ticket Award for Best Holiday Event 8 years running. We always win Best Food and Friendliest Park and I just heard that our show, A Christmas Carol, has won Best Show for the second year. Our show uses state-of-the-art holographic technology to place Dolly and two other actors onstage as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. The show marks the very first time that this kind of technology has been used in a theme park anywhere in the world. After our Season concludes, I will have been in almost 500 shows; this year for the first time being cast as Belle, Scrooge’s fiancée. It’s a full-time adult role and I have a swing to give me a rest and a few days off. I’m doing traditional home school this year for the first time. It’s all hard to keep up with, but when it’s your dream you make it work. My Mom and Dad have made so many sacrifices to allow me to fulfill these dreams. My blessings really are endless and to be able to celebrate them for Christmas at Dollywood each year is just incredible.

I really don’t know where my love for all things musical will take me.  But I do know that when I look back, I’ll think of all the fun, encouragement and education I got at Town Theatre. If you get a chance, look for my plaque  on the wall at Town. Mom and Dad bought it for me after Chitty Chitty Bang Bang closed. It says, “This is where it all started.” And you know what? It sure was!

#DineAroundTown

Guest blog by Sharon McElveen Altman

Some songs are deeply embedded in your soul. Something happens in your day, and a song comes to mind – perhaps one you haven’t heard or thought of in years. In fact, I have a friend with whom we make that a game (to our husbands’ dismay), to see in our visit how many songs come to mind!

Examples: Let me see someone walking down the street in the rain with an umbrella, and – of course – I hear Gene Kelly’s sheepish “I’m singing in the rain.”  Or, when I’m about to burst with happiness, I hear him sing, “Gotta dance!” (although I can’t dance!)

Some movie scenes have a similar effect on me:  Let me walk in a room where the loveseat is in the open and like a child, I want to step on it and turn it over to see if I can keep my balance.

Being the Musical Director for Town Theatre’s production of Singin’ In The Rain has allowed me to share my love of this movie. I split my time between my homes in Lake City and Columbia, so seeing the cast now singing these classic songs with such energy and passion (even while dancing!), makes all the travel investment worthwhile.

So there I sit in the audience, just like you: wanting to sing along, and thinking how easy the cast makes it look to execute Joy Alexander’s impressive choreography; how as director, Allison McNeely makes me feel the need to help develop a solution for the ‘new talking picture’; wondering how Danny Harrington copes with a wet stage and questioning, does Lina’s (Shelby Sessler) voice really sound like that?!?

There are so many fun aspects to this production, and I always feel better and more lighthearted after leaving the show. I know you will, too. And I know what song will be in your head the next time you’re outside in the rain!

Sharon is enjoying her second year at Town. Musicals to date include Stand By Your Man, Always Patsy Cline, White Christmas and Sugar. She thanks Jerald (husband), Joye (daughter) and Carolyn (BFF) for their support of her crazy schedule between their Lake City and Irmo homes. Sharon invites you to worship with her at Spring Valley Baptist Church.

Guest blog by Parker Byun

In the Columbia community of theatre, participants come from a multitude of different backgrounds with a wide range of interests. When I step out of the acting world, I often do not realize that being a part of this community really makes me stand out!

I am now in my fourth and final year at the University of South Carolina, and my major is Geography with a Physical Geography track – this is the study of the physical earth, including landform and climate patterns. I plan to work in the field of weather and climate, and yes…this includes being a meteorologist! This past summer, I was a volunteer intern at the National Weather Service of Columbia, and I found it incredibly fascinating to learn the “behind the scenes” work for forecasting. Furthermore, it gave me a better understand and appreciation for the environment around us. I will never look at the weather segments on the news the same again.

While I was developing an unpredictable interest in Geography my first year of college, I KNEW I wanted to continue to work the stage. I demonstrated a mere interest for the stage when I accomplished my first play at eight years old, Don’t Drink the Water by Woody Allen, which some friends of ours put together. I portrayed the role of Kilroy—the tiniest Kilroy ever to be conveyed! A few years pass, and I begin chorus in middle school and high school theatre at Spring Valley High School where I began working with Allison McNeely. I participated in my first Town Theatre show in the Summer/Fall of 2012 where I was cast in The Music Man (directed by Shannon Scruggs). I felt at home with Town Theatre.

With this in mind, talking with my peers, supervisors and professors, the question is always asked, “What do you do for fun?” The answer is simple, I love performing! This answer seems to throw people off in one of two ways: either they never would have guessed I had any interest in the performing arts, or they never knew I would major in Geography because I exude a love for performing! Because the two do not correlate, the joke always comes up that I should be a dancing, singing meteorologist on live TV! To be honest, the gig doesn’t seem half bad!

Singin’ in the Rain is my eleventh show at Town Theatre and I could not imagine a better group of people to share the stage with. I reiterate the variety of the cast. There are some who have never done a show before, and some who have done shows for years. Nonetheless, when everyone is working hard, you would never guess this was the case! Everyone has had the ability to learn from each other and cooperatively work together to put on a memorable experience.

What particularly stands out about this show is that it deals with both weather and performing! (So why wouldn’t I absolutely love this show?) The Singin’ in the Rain aspect demonstrates that no matter how unfortunate a situation can be, or how you think you have hit rock bottom, you can always make joy and bring joy into a situation!

So, in spirit of the weather man who performs on stage, you can expect there to be singing, dancing and scattered showers throughout each performance! “Come on with the rain, I’ve a smile on my face, because believe me, you will leave this show feeling positive and refreshed!”

Guest blog by Ella Rescigno

What a summer! Now that I am back from 20 days in NYC, I can reflect on all of the wonderful things I was able to do this summer. My mom reminds me of a quote she loves,  “Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.”

Every single day of my summer was spent doing what I love.  I am passionate about singing and acting, I love dancing, I enjoy spending time with friends that love what I love, and I’m a dreamer. My family encourages my dreams and I am blessed by God to get to chase them.  I started my summer performing in my dream role, Jane Banks. You see, at age five I saw the Broadway production of Mary Poppins. I sat on a booster seat and cried as Mary left the children. When it ended I told my mom that I would be on that stage one day. Sure enough, Mrs. Shannon cast me as Jane Banks. It was a role that I will always remember and I am grateful for the opportunity. I spent time learning blocking, music and lines. I enjoyed meeting many new people at Town and got to spend my days at my favorite Columbia Theater.

For me, it all started at Town. I was five and joined Mrs. Jamie’s youth program. I was Oz in the Magical Land of Oz, young Cosette in Les Mis and Susan Waverly in White Christmas. Little did all the people surrounding me know that they were feeding my love and my hopes for the future. When I finished my last performance as Jane Banks, I flew out the next morning to begin rehearsals in my very first Off Broadway production of Dream Street.  I was cast in the lead role as Lily. Our plane landed, we raced to our driver, and he dropped me off at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.  For 12 days I spent 8-10 hours in rehearsals with one 30 minute break each day. And honestly, I just wanted more. The production lasted six days on 42nd Street and it was a dream come true for me. One step closer to living my dream.

Our plan was to be home one day before school started.  There are often things I don’t share, but I can share this one.  I got a call from my agent in NYC, Abrams Artists Agency. They asked me to stay and audition for a CBS TV series and an equity National Tour of White Christmas. I stayed for both and was called back the following day.  I felt great about both auditions and callbacks. Then comes the waiting. So many people ask me how I can wait and so often be told no. Unless you love it like I do, you may never understand. Auditions fill my soul, they fill me with excitement.  The preparation, walking into the audition room, performing for people I’ve never met and then letting the process happen. By the time you reach a final callback, it’s not about your talent or ability anymore. It’s about a look, or your size, or your hair color, or your height compared to adult actors being cast. So to answer the question about how I do it and hear “no” so often. Well, “no” means not right now to me. It’s never final. It means “close this door and look for the next one to open.” It means “you made it to a final callback and just didn’t quite fit at the end.” It means “this isn’t the right timing, this isn’t God’s plan for you.”

I am positive about my future, I have thick skin and BIG dreams. So in the meantime, I will train train train. I will sing, I will dance, I will take acting classes for stage and camera, and I will trust that God’s perfect plan and timing will reveal itself. My family and true friends support everything I do. I am surrounded by an incredible team of “trainers” and I have an agency that wants to represent me right into adulthood. But most importantly, this is what I love.  This is what makes me happy. What more could a theatre kid ask for!!

In your Kentucky Blue or Gamecock Garnet, we hope you’ll join us for a fun day of tapping and tailgating! Our Saturday, Sept. 12 show will have a 2:00 PM start time. After the show, we’ll have the Poultry in Motion food truck outside ready to fulfill your tailgating needs. Dine in our courtyard or grab your food and head to the football viewing spot of your choice! Kick-off is 7:30 PM and the game will be televised on the SEC Network so there will be plenty of time that day for a play, poultry and pigskin!

Grab 25 wings with tortilla chips and a pint of PIM’s “world famous queso” for $35. Need a little more? Grab 50 wings with tortilla chips and a pint of queso for $55. Need to feed a smaller crowd? No worries — some of PIM’s regular menu will be available too.

Get your tickets online at www.towntheatre.com! Poultry in Motion will take your order before the show and have your food ready to go after the curtain falls. (And we have to say it… Go Cocks!)