Thanks to our marketing team at Blue Gate Musicals / Blue Gate Restaurant & Theatre, I present to you a special interview they did during our first couple of weeks here in Shipshewana. You'll get to see some clips from the show and hear a little more about me and my experience with THE HOME GAME!
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I have in my hands my very first Original Cast Album! Today, we got these beauties at the theater. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were spending time in Nashville and Franklin, TN, recording with Dennis Dearing and Menace Music Studio. Because of my voiceover background, recording was a comfortable and fun experience. Dennis made it quick, easy, and effective. I'm so excited to give these a listen! And, of course, send to my family and friends across the country who can't make it up to see the show. Do you want a copy? Send me an email and I'll see what we can do. Proud to be a newly-minted member of the Equity Membership Candidate program with Actors' Equity Association! Thanks to TheatreZone in Naples, FL for offering me my very first equity points with INTO THE WOODS in March.
The candidate program can lead to eventual membership into Actors' Equity. Founded in 1913, "Equity" is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 Actors and Stage Managers. We are about to start our second weekend of the world premiere musical THE HOME GAME at Blue Gate Musicals in Shipshewana, IN, and I have to say... it's been quite the exciting trip so far around the bases.
This is my first time being part of a world premiere. That means I'm getting to originate a role and have a hand in the creative process. Under the direction of musician/composer extraordinaire Wally Nason and producer Dan Posthuma, this cast of nine was put to the test in rehearsing a brand new musical in a little more than a week. And boy was the pay-off nice! Our first audience on Friday night was a wonderful surprise. They laughed and cheered the entire way through. With script changes and costume changes and track changes down to the wire, every one was flexible and professional and the outcome was fantastic. The music tracks are absolutely gorgeous -- each was orchestrated and recorded by a 40-piece orchestra in Nashville. Speaking of Nashville, the cast is headed to there next week, April 24-27, to record the Original Cast Album. I'm looking forward to the Opening Night "premiere party" on April 22, and until then... let's Play Ball! Thrilled to share my latest Voiceover for the Young Living Essential Oils Dream Team! Amazing work by HuB Studios in Sarasota, FL, and animator Eduardo Correa. It's opening for INTO THE WOODS at TheatreZone in Naples, FL! And what a ride into the woods it has been. From looking at the photo, you may notice there are no fairytale books and there are no woods. Artistic Director Mark Danni created a fun new adaptation of Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS and set the piece in a child's bedroom with the added characters of a small boy and his father (the storyteller/narrator). The story comes to life inside his bedroom (think of The Drowsy Chaperone) and it worked great in the space.
With musical direction by Michael Horsley (resident music director at The Muny in St. Louis), I got the chance to work with many Broadway vets and professional actors from Florida. The cast included Billy Sharpe as The Baker, Laura Needle as The Baker's Wife, Megan Jimenez as The Witch, and more. Playing the role of the Stepmother was a wonderful treat for me. I love playing big character roles, but it was even more fun to play with my two darling step-daughters. Why, you may ask? Because they were played by men! Also in this version, Mark Danni had the brilliant idea of doubling the Princes as the Stepsisters (Steven Geyer and Gerritt Vandermeer). And it happened with great hilarity and fun. I'll miss my quick jaunt through the woods, but hope to be able to play in this show again in years to come. I always love working with Ringling College, one of the top film schools in the country. They do a plethora of student projects throughout the year, and although it's a "student film," it feels like the utmost professional set. It's given me great experience working on set as an actor, and I'm learning a lot about the process of film. Over Valentine's Day weekend, I shot a film that could not have been more apropos for the "weekend of love." I played a surgeon who literally attempted to steal someone's heart... the blood-pumping kind, not the metaphorical kind. We shot the short film (roughly 5 minutes) in the Ringling Film House, a few blocks from campus. It's a blank slate house with multiple bedrooms, living spaces, bathrooms, and kitchens that can be transformed into anything their minds can think of! We did all the shooting in two rooms (but primarily one) that had been done up as a creepy abandoned warehouse complete with syringes, IV bags, ropes and restraints, and old newspapers blocking out the light. It was very cool. The film was written & directed by Stefan Gerhausser, produced by Joey Correa, and cinematography by Cole Kornell. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turned out! Photography below by Josh C. Webb. I'm pretty sure A CHORUS LINE is cursed. Or maybe it's just one of those physically demanding shows that can cause injuries, accidents, and unforeseen circumstances. The last time I did A CHORUS LINE, our "Cassie" broke her foot during Music and the Mirror... and continued to do the show AND the run! That's endurance!
In a previous production at Manatee Players, Diana (who stands at the end of the line) fell ill during the show and left stage and collapsed. Because the cast is on stage the entire time, they had to play a game of telephone to notify actors on the other side of the line what had happened. And for the first time in the HISTORY of A CHORUS LINE... Maggie sang "What I Did For Love" and made the line! I've commiserated with other A CHORUS LINE vets and I keep hearing similar stories. During our production, our "Bobby" tore his achilles-tendon during the opening number and was out for the rest of the run and in a cast. We had a few actors leave the show two weeks before we opened for personal reasons. Replacements, injuries, and swings... oh my! It only made our cast bond closer and hold each other more fiercely. I loved living in Sheila's three-inch LaDuca's every night. I'm not sure I've ever had more fun playing on stage before. Sheila has a snarky comment about everyone on the line, and the depth of her character was such a thrill to explore. I had fun playing "Judy Turner" at the Arundel Barn Playhouse in 2014, but "Sheila" was something else. **SPOILER ALERT** I also loved how she didn't make the line in the end. Audience members would come up to me and say how they were rooting for me and how they were so upset I didn't "make it." That is the reason why A CHORUS LINE works so well. You fall in love with each character and their journey. I'm missing the "line," but I'm ready for what's to come next! Hopefully I get to don Sheila's nude leotard again... A CHORUS LINE at MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER || January 7 - 24, 2016 Danae is thrilled to have joined the cast of Show Palace Dinner Theatre's A Christmas Spectacular! This is her first experience working at a dinner theatre, and it's been very exciting.
The show (directed, choreographed, and created by Jill Godfrey) is filled with a plethora of Christmas tunes, carols, and an endless amount of fun! Danae is a featured soloist in several songs, including "Winter Wonderland," "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "Home for the Holidays." And you might not recognize her, she plays Clara in The Nutcracker... though, in the Show Palace version, Clara is a darling little dancing hippo in a pink tutu. Yes, you read that right: a hippo! The show runs November 28 through December 25, 2015 with several daytime and evening performances throughout the week. The Show Palace is located in Hudson, FL - about an hour North of Tampa. For ticket information, visit here. I'm so thrilled to announce THREE upcoming gigs! In November and December, I'll be in Hudson, FL with The Show Palace Dinner Theatre as part of their CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR, directed and choreographed by Jill Godfrey. We'll be singing holiday tunes and Christmas carols in a family-friendly revue show. I have wanted to work with this company for awhile now, and am excited to finally make my debut! The show runs Saturday, November 28th - Friday, December 25th. In between performances at The Show Palace, I'll start rehearsals in Bradenton, FL at the Manatee Performing Arts Center for their upcoming production of A CHORUS LINE. I'll be returning to the line as Sheila, which is a total dream role! (I played Judy Turner at the Arundel Barn Playhouse in Maine) And, the icing on top? I get to work with Dewayne Barrett, one of my favorite directors in the area. The show runs Thursday, January 7 - Sunday, January 24, 2016. Then, in February, I'll head to Naples, FL to join the cast of INTO THE WOODS at Theatrezone. I'll be playing the wickedly hilarious Stepmother. It's been one of my favorite musicals for quite some time, and I can't wait to finally be able to work on it! It will run Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13, 2016. I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2015-2016 season! |
AboutDanae DeShazer is an actress, singer, and dancer living in Sarasota, FL. Archives
May 2023
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