Brownville and Beyond

The end of Brownville was so bittersweet. I was excited to move on, start my new job, have cell phone reception. But, I was sad to leave a supportive, kind, fun group of people who became my family. I honestly have never felt so accepted by an entire group of people before. Everyone was so welcoming and supportive of each other. It was a beautiful summer full of beautiful friendships. Our shows closed, we had fun at the auction/cabaret for Founder's Day, and we worked hard to close up the theatre right. Brownville Fun Facts- The People-

Xavier (X)- The first person I truly connected with at Brownville. My Sanjar. Such an amazing voice and committed to making himself a better performer. I loved singing with him in The Apple Tree, watching his journey of character discovery in Look Who's Laughing, and seeing him take the bull by the horns as a mad scientist in The Prevalence of Mrs. Seal. Sassy and fun. Moved back to Georgia to be with his family. I hope to one day sing with him again.

Hollyann- The first one to really reach out to me. Hollyann and I bonded over our love for Musical Theatre. We would often BFA-geek out while listening to Musical Theatre tunes, talking about our favorite shows, dream roles, and fake casting various shows. We found out we both auditioned for UWSP the same day and know a girl who grew up in the same town as Hollyann and went to college with me. The girl I could talk about food, music, clothing, everything with. We had THE MOST fun rehearsing during And Then I Wrote...being crazy tired, but always having the most ridiculous fun and never ending laughter.

Mitch- Someone who I am SO GRATEFUL was in Brownville. Mitch helped keep me sane, keep me social, and was always willing to listen. Mitch has an AWESOME vlog which chronicled all the backstage, everyday activities at Brownville.  http://www.youtube.com/user/beanm1?feature=g-user-u.  He was always so smiley, lighthearted, kind, giving, and understanding...yet, had a sense of crazy fun as well as sarcasm that made him so unique. We also had crazy fun during And Then I Wrote both during the rehearsal process as well as making up actor challenges for our final 5 shows. I loved rocking out and having music/dance parties with this kid.

Maggie- Maggie is always so beautiful! We were callback buddies at ACTF, because I thought she looked nice. And I was right! She and I loved to be divas together- singing Celine Dion, looking at pretty dresses, dueting Take Me or Leave Me. We definitely bonded over our love for cheesy pop music (boy bands, Call Me Maybe) and could often be found having dance parties in the living room with Mitch and Rachel. We loved to boyfriend gush and talk Musical Theatre. A true friend to the end, Maggie is FIERCE!

Brian- Brian is that special kind of person who can talk to you about anything. A true theatre artist, I loved talking to him about technique, awesome scripts, reviews, anything. He is also that person who can joke about everything one moment and then be completely sentimental and sweet the next. Acting with him was a pleasure and I enjoyed bouncing my character reactions off of his. He made rehearsal unpredictable and fun. And Then I Wrote was a total trip and oh so much fun with Brian in the cast. Brian moved to New York and I can't wait to hear of his future success there.

Stephanie- Stephanie was probably the most good hearted of everyone there. She always tried to be positive, even if she wasn't in the best of moods. Oh so very talented, she brought to life difficult characters and gave them spice, dimension, and fun. A classical actress at heart, I can't wait to see how she grows in theatre and classical acting. Steph was the kind of girl who you could talk to when you were down and feel instantly better. I love this lady and can't wait to go RAAAAAAGING with her. You can check out her blog at: http://stephaniepiper.blogspot.com.

Ian- Ian was our resident one-liner guy/ nerd extraordinaire. He was quiet until BAM! he surprises you with the most witty and hilarious and random comment. Ian also brought to life some outrageous characters and had some of the funniest physicality of the season. His character in Look Who's Laughing became so iconic over the course of the season that it would often appear in real life situations usually to creep people out. Laid back and intelligent, Ian was a perfect balance to most of us loud, crazy theatre kids.

Monica- Monica was the revolutionary. She was all about fighting for her beliefs which, usually, were seen as a little outrageous to our small town theatre director. Unbelievably cool, full of culture and passion, intelligent, plus increadibly beautiful, I loved chatting with Monica about anything and everything. She is truly a supporter of the human race to become a better world and shows that in her actions. I could talk to Monica about theatre, culture, music, college, life in general and never felt judged for anything I had to say. I also loved listening to her talk about her boyfriend in a way that reminded me so much of how I felt about my boyfriend a year ago. Monica, whatever she decides to do in life, shall succeed. Cause that's just how it is going to be!

Nathan- Every group of people have to have their puppy dog, their 12 year old kid. Nathan was definitely that for our group, but also so much more. In talking to him, I found he was much more than what he portrays on the surface. He is extremely intelligent, an explorer for knowledge, and a very caring individual just searching for acceptance. He worked very hard on his characters and had quite the challenge of being in all 5 shows. He grew so much from this summer and I cannot wait to see his future success in theatre and education.

Rachel- Rachel is just about the most hilarious lady ever; but, also is kind, caring, responsible, patient, and super talented. I loved watching her build her character of Mame in Look Who's Laughing. She worked so hard on that role as well as every single one of her other roles in the theatre including Stage Managing for both Kindly Leave The Stage and The Apple Tree. An amazing actress to the core, she really committed to the work at hand, yet knew that at the end of the day we should just let things go and have a little fun. I loved having dance parties with her as she has AMAZING taste in music. She was also very keen at telling when people might be having a rough time and always reached out her hand in support.

Layne- Layne impressed me from Day One with his committment to his roles. He had some of the longest, most difficult lines in all of the plays and handled it with such professionalism. I loved watching Layne do fantastically random, hilarious things out of the blue. I also loved talking to him about his life and his love. He made me smile whenever he talked about his girlfriend and her children and how much he loved all of them. He is not only hilarious, but also a sweetheart to the core. Layne worked hard and played hard and knew how to make everyone feel welcome.

Kristen- Kristen was interesting to watch throughout the season. Her growth as an artist and a person was outstanding. She was fun to party with and was very skilled at talking to the locals. Even though she was a big city gal, she embraced the quirkiness of Brownville and even found some romance in the process. The poor gal had the difficult job of dealing with the randomness of the And Then I Wrote cast, but dealt with it very well by indulging our craziness here and there (such as singing the Sewers part of the Mario soundtrack for the doorbell).

Jarvis- Jarvis was our Technical Director and a hilarious, understanding individual. I think I can speak for our entire company when I say that this summer would have been impossible without him. He helped us through any difficulties we had in adjusting to Brownville with both sympathy and humor. He also did an amazing job designing all the sets and teaching all of us new technical things if we had little to no experience. Really- he is an AMAZING teacher. Jarvis is also now the father of a brand new baby girl, so congratulations to him!

Doc- There are so many things I could say about Doc- Our fearless leader clad in brightly colored suspenders. He loves BVT. And he loves all of us. And I know he would do anything for us and for the benefit of the theatre. He is hilarious, kind of awkward, and has a boyish sense of humor under an elderly man's exterior. He cares. He loves theatre. And he will continue to support all of us whether or not we return. What more could you ask for?

In closing- Brownville was amazing. I could not have chosen a better place for my summer. I feel empty without my theatre Family near me, but I still feel their support everyday. I still smile and laugh at memories of months ago. I cherish my time at Brownville and cannot wait to see these people, work with these people, and RAGE with these people again.

For now, I enjoyed some time in Kansas visiting with family, celebrating my Granny's 90th birthday. And now I am spending time in Stevens Point (where I went to college) visiting with friends and my boyfriend before my new, post-graduation adventure in Madison with AmeriCorps! This is just the beginning....