By Gillian Ellis
Three Musical Theatre alumnae were in attendance at the final on-campus run through of this year’s Meadow Brook Estate Senior Showcase, cheering on the 2011 seniors who were perfecting the songs and monologues they will use to demonstrate their talents to an invited audience of agents, casting directors, producers, directors, and other arts professionals at their Showcase performance at the New World Stage in New York on May 2.
The three women, all working actors, were in town because they are currently starring in Meadow Brook Theatre’s latest production,
Shout! The Mod Musical, which is set in London in the “Swinging 60s.” Each of them portrays a young woman discovering herself as she grows to maturity during that most turbulent decade, when women’s roles and expectations were changing as never before. And they do it musically, reviving some of the songs made famous by Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and other iconic 1960s female vocalists.
Renee Turner, originally from Rochester, graduated from OU in 2006 and has spent some of the intervening years living in New York, “auditioning and working.” She returned to Michigan eight months ago as an Acting Intern at Meadow Brook Theatre, and has worked throughout that time in almost every aspect of production.
Shout! marks the end of her internship and when asked what she will do next she answers, “I don’t know yet.” Renee and her co-stars are on life’s path at a similar point to the characters they play, but as Renee’s breezy comment about her immediate future shows, they have so many more options open to them than young women did in the 1960s.
There are five characters in
Shout! each of them struggling to make sense of newly-won freedoms. Renee’s character, the Yellow Girl, is the only American, making Renee the only actor who doesn’t have to master an English accent. “My character is in love with Paul McCartney and I travel to London to go find him.” She doesn’t find him but she does meet a man who reminds her of Paul. To find out what happens next, you have to go see the show! No spoilers.
Katie Hardy, who graduated from OU in 2009, plays a streetwise cockney girl with a good heart but loose morals. “The sexual revolution has already started for me,” says Katie, referring, of course, to her character, the Green Girl, not herself. Katie explains that the characters write letters about their situations to a fictional “Dear Abby” character, an advice columnist at
Shout! magazine, whose voice is heard but who is never seen. Does Katie find true love? No spoilers.
Katie says she was very lucky to find work at Meadow Brook, in
Sleepy Hollow, straight out of school and she has not given any serious thought to moving out of state. “Everyone at Meadow Brook is no nice and so gracious,” she says. Katie, who is originally from Bloomfield Hills, has a history with Meadow Brook. At age ten she played Belinda Cratchit in
A Christmas Carol and at age eleven she played the Ghost of Christmas Past. She remembers Booth Coleman yelling at her during the first rehearsal because she didn’t know her lines, causing her learn every one of them that night. She goes on to say that Mr. Coleman became “like a grandfather” to her.
Allison Hunt, originally from Sterling Heights and a 2007 graduate, is currently living in New York, and back in Michigan especially to play the role of the Blue Girl in
Shout! She attended Meadow Brook’s general auditions last spring, when she was in town for a wedding, and was delighted to receive a call back. Her 1960s woman is confident and seeking a career as a model or a “Bond girl” but writes to the advice column because she is never happy with any boyfriend. She experiences a moment of enlightenment after taking the “Man Test,” a quiz of the type still seen in magazines such as
Seventeen. But no spoilers!
All three alumnae actors believe the show is entertaining and high energy. “We do a lot of dancing . . . which keeps our appetites up,” says Allison, explaining why Kate eats throughout the interview! There is no fourth wall in the production and audience participation is encouraged, even if that means they sing along to the songs, which will be familiar to a lot of people. Allison says she knew many of them because her parents often listened to the oldies station.
Renee, Kate, and Allison were happy to have the opportunity to show their support for this year’s Senior Showcase, since they had all participated in the past. In fact, although she is very modest about her activities and keen to acknowledge the work of many other people, Allison Hunt was a student leader in the drive to organize the very first New York showcase performance in 2007. She says she was lucky to have a sister living in New York at the time, which allowed her to travel to the city and get things done there without incurring the huge expense of hotel bills.
Renee also took part in that first showcase, when she says they used the phrase “You Don’t Know Us Yet, But You Will” to promote themselves. They have an experienced view of an actor’s life now and acknowledge it is tough and full of rejection. Each of the women has at least one story “from the trenches.”
Renee has tried out for
American Idol several times and she says the reality is somewhat different for the show’s television portrayal. It may seem, she says, that
the judges see everyone who wants to audition, but in fact there are several panels of producers to get past first. She estimates that if 10,000 people show up for an audition in any given city, only 200 of them will go before the judges, and of course, some of them will be bad, for comic effect. Renee has performed successfully through several panel rounds and been told her voice is wonderful and that she will certainly have a career, only to then hear that she “is not what we’re looking for” or “not unique enough for the show.” Renee is comforted by the knowledge that the panels make mistakes, pointing out that Jordin Sparks, who won the competition in 2007, was rejected in one city before “making it through” at another set of auditions.
Katie auditioned for a part on the ScyFy Channel and got a call telling her they would offer her a different role. As a dancer. Katie says she asked them, “What kind of dancer? You mean like a ballet dancer?” “Not exactly,” they told her. And after further explanation Katie decided that kind of role was not for her. “I decided to pass on that golden opportunity,” she says ironically. She’s also auditioned for several parts in Michigan-made movies but says ultimately the producers always seem to go with a California-based actor.
Allison, who has made appearances in a couple of New York producations, including
Christmas Rappings, which she says was “an awesome show,” has a story which illustrates perfectly that talent is not enough. She lost a part through sheer bad luck, because she received the call while she was working and not able to answer her phone. The role had been recast by the time she could return the call.
But all three of them remain undeterred. They are unwavering in their belief they will “make it” and Alison says being back at OU helps them “see how far we have come.” Katie says, “It feels strange being back,” but adds that Associate Professor Fred Love helped her with her Meadow Brook
Dracula performance, even though she is no longer a student. Renee says that Fred has also continued to help her.
Renee, Katie, and Allison are part of the MTD family and even though they will be on stage in Michigan this week, we are sure their thoughts will be in New York with this year’s Musical Theatre graduates as they perform in the momentous and potentially life-changing production that is OU’s Meadow Brook Estates 2011 Senior Showcase.
The 2011 Oakland University Senior Showcase is made possible by the generous support of Oakland University Offices of the President and Provost. More information:
http://www.oakland.edu/seniorshowcase
Shout! The Mod Music runs at Meadow Brook Theatre until May 15. More information:
http://www.mbtheatre.com/20102011Season/SHOUTTheModMusical/tabid/370/Default.aspx
Photograph: Left to right: Allison Hunt, Katie Hardy, Renee Turner.