Inside Artes de la Rosa with Big Mama Danielle Reboli

This week, we take a few moments to enjoy some time and a bit of Cuban coffee with actress Danielle Reboli who can be see starting September 9th as Big Mama in the Artes de la Rosa production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

• Born & Raised: Born - Big Spring, TX;
Raised- TX, CA, FL, NV, England, & OK. I was a USAF kid.
I’ve also lived in Seattle and Memphis.
• Education:
o 1 year, St. Gregory’s College, Shawnee OK
1 year, OCU, OKC, OK
3 years, Highline College, Seattle
3 years , Baylor University, Waco, TX – earned BFA in Acting
2 years, UTA, Arlington, TX – earned MBA in Business
• Zodiac Sign: Taurus (and it’s pretty dead on!)
• Audition Song: Lady is a Tramp, among others
• Audition Monologue: Hermione, A Winter’s Tale
• First Play/Musical You Ever Saw: Godspell & Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Paladium, 3rd & 4th grade. When Jesus came up from the pit on a cross, I knew I wanted to be a live stage actress.
• Must See TV Show: Stargate(s); Legend of The Seeker; Merlin; Sanctuary; Army Wives; Drop Dead Diva; Saving Grace (, it’s over); Biggest Loser; Vampire Diaries. Ummmm, was I just supposed to mention one!
• Why you work in theatre: I’m miserable, if I don’t.
• First Role: My first real significant role was Winnie the Pooh, in The House at Pooh corner, in the 9th grade. We did the entire play, 6 performances.
• Favorite Play: Anything by Shakespeare or Chekhov. OK, if I have to narrow it down, I’d say “Midsummer”
• Pop Culture Guilty Pleasure: I don’t know if this fits the bill, but I love to listen to the 70’s music station on cable. Really love it!
• First Stage Kiss: I can’t remember, but I’ve had a few. • Pre Show Rituals: Water, apples, lemons. I like to arrive an hour earlier than called, so I don’t have to rush. I also like my quiet time getting ready and then find a corner to get into character, stretch out and do vocal warm-ups.
• Special Skills: I fenced my first couple of years in college and used to choreograph and teach actors, but I’m truly out of that practice now. I can belt out a pretty good jazz number for you. I also direct my own belly dance troupe, called, Brazen Bellies.
• Favorite Post Show Meal: I don’t have one. Do libations count?
• Biggest On Stage Mishap: A summer production of Two Gentlemen of Verona at Baylor. My Baby sister was playing the littlest kid in the children’s gang and she wet her pants on stage! So it wasn’t my mishap exactly, but my 7 year old sisters! As we excited, there was a puddle on the stage.
• Best thing about Fort Worth & the North Side: The Rose Marine Theater!

Costumes are Alive

In our latest blog Costume Designer Justin Kailer shares with us the ins and outs of what it means to be a Costume Desigern.

A costume is defined as live scenery worn by the actor in a particular role in a particular play . It is considered “live” because unlike with set or lights, a costume is designed to move or to restrict the movement of an actor. Therefore Costume Design is buying, making and/or renting clothing that fits into that particular play’s environment and also suits that particular actor’s character.

Any part of theatrical design must start first with the script. Read, re-read, and read it again. . . Make notes, highlight any references to costumes, props, set requirements, etc. Know the play backwards and forwards, upside down and inside out. Then speak to your director, chances are that they’ve had the script for longer than you have. A director may have particular ideas or insights about how they want the production to look. For instance, Tennessee Williams wrote Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, setting it on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. For this particular production however, Adam has chosen to transport this very Southern atmosphere to one that would lend itself better to Hispanic audiences. He chose a sugar cane plantation just outside of Miami that would introduce the Cuban influences as well as the Latin-American lifestyle.

It is my job to costume accordingly, taking into account the given circumstances of the play, such as social status or wealth, religion, climate and location. But also color palate, the form or silhouette. The time of the play, summer versus winter will effect the texture of the clothing . . . Is it light and airy like cotton, or is it heavy perhaps wool or tweed.

Costumes effect not only the overall look of a show but the actors as well. A prime example being that a woman walks differently in heels than she would in tennis shoes or flats. In the same manner, a man is seen differently when he wears pants or dress slacks as opposed to jeans.


Justin Kailer is a Professional Costume Designer and Tailor with a degree from Baylor University. He has designed for both theatre and opera through out the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Inside Artes de la Rosa with Adrian Godinez

Inside Artes de la Rosa’s Cat On A Hot Tin Roof with Adrian Godinez who plays Gooper Pollit in the Tennessee Williams Classic
• Born & Raised: Born in NY, raised in Dallas
• Zodiac Sign: Taurus
• Audition Song: Theme song to the Fresh Prince of Bel-air
• First Play/Musical You Ever Saw: Carousel
• Must See TV Show: Firefly or LOST
• Why you work in theatre: I enjoy the entire process from pre-production, set building, to strike. I enjoy telling stories and tapping into an inner emotional narrative that can connect people to a character, story, setting, ideal and so forth.
• First Role: Nerd – The California School Tales
• Favorite Play: Hamlet
• Pop Culture Guilty Pleasure: I-phone
• First Stage Kiss: I think it was 42nd Street…
• Pre Show Rituals: Check my zipper
• Special Skills: I can play 9 musical instruments and make babies cry
• Any Theatre Superstitions: I never say the “Scottish play” in the theater, never read a review backstage
• Worst Costume Ever: Prelude to a Kiss, it was set in the 80’s and I had a terrible pink button upped shirt that was tucked into terrible jeans
• Favorite Post Show Meal: Anything, because by that time I’m starving!
• Biggest On Stage Mishap: I’ve broken someone’s nose on stage with a door, destroyed a fountain, fell on my knees right on a nail on stage, Broke my finger punching a table, gone through an entire first act with a bloody nose.
• Best thing about Fort Worth & the North Side: The people

ADLR on Stage Directions Blog!

Stage Directions Blog has a Video and Pod Cast up about Artes de la Rosa and the upcoming production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! Go check them out!

http://stagedirectionsblog.com/

Special shout out to Dan and Chris over at Stage Directions for joining us for our Professionals Supporting the Arts Mixer.

INSIDE ARTES DE LA ROSA with Stephanie Cleghorn Bluth

In an effort to let you get an inside glimpse at the world of Artes de la Rosa we'll be doing "INSIDE ADLR" Q&A's with the many different artists that work, live, and play here at the Rose Marine Theater.

Today we spend a few minutes with actress Stephanie Cleghorn Bluth who is sharpening her claws to play Maggie the Cat in our much anticipated production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

• Born & Raised: TEJAS!
• Education: Attended Brigham Young University
• Zodiac Sign: Virgo
• Audition Monologue: Last audition monologue was an original by a good friend of mine, Matthew Greene
• First Play/Musical You Ever Saw: A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum
• Must See TV Show: House
• Why you work in theatre: Because I haven’t figured out who I am so playing other people comforts me
• First Role: A zebra in elementary school and most memorable first role was Harriet in Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass in high school
• Favorite Play: Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca
• Pop Culture Guilty Pleasure: I like to stalk people on Facebook…
• First Stage Kiss: I played Jocasta, he played Oedipus, and he was younger than me and I was so embarrassed the director made all of the other actors leave the room!
• Pre Show Rituals: Vocals, stretching, prayer
• Any Theatre Superstitions: Lucky underwear
• Worst Costume Ever: The zebra
• Biggest On Stage Mishap: Late for an entrance because I was throwing up
• Best thing about Fort Worth & the North Side: The beautiful friendly people

VARIATIONS on Putting It Together Part Three

And the final post from Executive Director Adam Adolfo summing up The Art of making Art

Bit by bit, putting it together.
Piece by piece, working out the vision night and day.
All it takes is time and perseverance
And a little luck along the way.
Putting in a personal appearance
Gathering supporters and adherents...

When we say night and day, we quite literally mean night and day. We frequently find ourselves eating, breathing, sleeping, Artes de la Rosa. Spending long hours at ‘the shop’ building the sets, shopping for props on what should be a lazy Sunday afternoon, sewing into the dark of night to make sure each bangle, dangle, and jewel is on ‘just right’. The designers, technicians, and volunteers who work tirelessly on Artes de la Rosa productions are the unsung heroes of each season. The hundreds of hours needed to produce a single production is mind-blowing and can easily become overwhelming. We persevere because we know the product will be more then the sum of our parts.

Noting every song but in addition,
Harmonizing each negotiation,
Balancing the part that's all musicians
With the part that's strictly presentation,
Balancing the money with the mission
Till you have the perfect orchestration,
Even if you do have the suspicion
That it's taking all your concentration.

Harmony. Harmony isn’t just a vocal conceit. It’s a spiritual one as well. You attempt to create a sense of belonging, family, and unity amongst designers, technicians, musicians, singers, choreographers, directors, orchestrators, librettists, and boards. Its not easy and you don’t always succeed in this endeavor. Spats occur. Feelings get hurt, and then, You get over it and get back to work. Why? Because we live for the art. Oscar Wilde said, THE STAGE IS NOT MERELY THE MEETING PLACE OF ALL THE ARTS, BUT IS ALSO A RETURN OF ART TO LIFE. With that thought, it would stand to reason, that in the theatre is where we are our most alive. Question: How many of us have sat in a dark theatre and fallen in love with the art? So we endeavour for harmony and work together to make art…bit by bit, putting it together.

The art of making art...
Is putting it together
Bib by bit, beat by beat, part by part
Sheet by sheet, chart by chart,
Song by song, Bit by bit,
Reel by reel, Pout by pout,
Stack by stack, Snit by snit
Meal by meal, Shout by shout
Deal by deal, Spat by spat
Shpiel by shpiel, Doubt by doubt
And that...
Is the state of the art!

Any questions?