It's the final weekend for Frankenstein at TLT, and we'd like to introduce you to two more of our cast members.
Meet Ty Wold
If you're mostly familiar with the old Boris Karloff version of Frankenstein you might be surprised to learn that Mary Shelley's Creature was not only intelligent, but also articulate. After Victor casts him out the Creature finds a friend and mentor in the blind hermit, Delacey. Delacey teaches the Creature to speak, among other things.
Delacey is played by Ty Wold, a TLT veteran. You may remember Ty from Witness for the Prosecution, Cabaret, or last year's production of 12 Angry Men. Ty is also a member of the TLT Board.
Tell us a little about who you are when you're not on stage.
I work in radio as the Key Accountant Manager at Cumulus Tallahassee.
How did you first get involved in theater?
First as a kid, then as a high schooler, and then the last 33 years in Tallahassee.
What do you love most about acting?
The opportunity to be character and tell stories that entertain, inspire, and make people smile.
What has been the most challenging aspect of this show for you?
The fight choreography.
What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
Just do it! Plus, Tallahassee has some great coaches.
Meet Nicolas Nelson
As Victor Frankenstein's little brother, William, Nicolas has some very intense and scary moments on stage. It's a big job for a young actor. But Nicolas isn't a stranger to the stage. He previously played a newsboy in It's a Wonderful Life, and Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. Tell us a little about who you are when you're not on stage.
I'm a video game and Lego fanatic.
How did you first get involved in theater?
Young Actors and my parents.
What do you love most about acting?
People staring at me.
What drew you to Frankenstein?
My first death scene.
What has been the most challenging aspect of this show for you?
Accents.
What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
It's fun!
This is the final weekend for Frankensteinand tickets are selling fast! Purchase yours today so you don't miss this spectacular production. Tickets are on sale now via our website, or you can call the Box Office at 850-224-8474.
When most people think of Victor Frankenstein's assistant they probably imagine a hunchbacked and hideous Igor. But in Mary Shelley's classic, Victor's assistant was his friend Henry. Jonathan Clow brings Henry to life in TLT's Frankenstein, playing three final performances this weekend.
Jonathan isn't a stranger to the TLT stage. He, along with Frankenstein's Scott Mock previously played the devious duo of Borachio and Conrad in last year's Much Ado About Nothing. He's also been seen in Cabaret, Quincy's production of Sweet Charity, and TCC's Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.
Tell us a little about who you are when you're not on stage. Currently I'm a student through the Pennsylvania State University's World Campus studying homeland security. I also work as a tech at a local fitness studio and try to stay involved in the local theatres when I can. How did you first get involved in theater? I'm sure the simple answer is to say something like "elementary school productions" but I have a feeling those turned me away from theater in the long run. Instead, I stumbled upon Theatre Strike Force, a student-run improv comedy group at UF that was open to everyone on campus. After seeing one of their shows and how much fun it seemed to be, I knew I wanted to get involved. One semester of participation led me to take my first acting classes just before I graduated. After returning home, I got in touch with some friends in the community who led me to start auditioning and taking classes under Naomi Rose-Mock two years ago. Several classes and auditions later, I've been supremely lucky to be a member of five shows so far and work with so many wonderful people!
What do you love most about acting? Creating characters and stories. The story may be written but it's up to you to tell it, and how you tell it is different from anyone else. Your character is a extension of yourself and they'll tell a different story within the story than another character at any time. Creating these characters, through changing movements, adding accents, and adding costumes really helps to give perspective on the lives of those around you and where you fit into the stories that you see and play a part in every day, even as you tell your part of an ongoing story on the stage! Really being able to adopt another personality for a brief time provides a fantastic experience by delving into the "what ifs" of that life that truly allows you to live a part of a story as you never could before. What drew you to Frankenstein? Shelley's Frankenstein is the classic tale of one man's struggles to achieve greatness through science and the terrible tale of science gone wrong. It combats several themes on many levels, and above all makes us ask and wonder "what truly is human," which is a question I think important especially in this day and age.
What has been the most challenging aspect of this show for you? Every show, cast, and directing staff is different and do things differently, so it all takes some adjusting to really get into. It has definitely been the case with this show, where time management really is a necessity since the show is very intense. It's always an initial challenge, and definitely the hardest, but once everything is out of the way and you can really put yourself into the show it really takes a life of its own.
What would you say to encourage someone to try acting? Just do it! Everyone brings something different, including you, and every director knows that. Show up with your best and you'll leave the best impression you can. If you don't get pulled for what you were looking for don't be discouraged. Just keep trying, learning, and adapting and you'll find roles that you'd never have imagined you would do. Don't be afraid to be involved even if you don't have a role, either. Working backstage provides another perspective to the action and provides just as important of a role to the players and audience as the players themselves and everyone appreciates the help!
Scott Mock (left) and Jonathan Clow in Frankenstein
Frankenstein runs through October 28th. Tickets are on sale now via our website, or you can call the Box Office at 850-224-8474.
Summer Hill Seven was a performer before he found TLT. He is the author of SQUIRCULAR: An Actor's Tale!, the final book in the Poemedy Trilogy (www.squircular.com) and the director of The Poemedy Project, a hip-hop theatrical documentary film about education in America (www.poemedy.com).
In Frankenstein, opening TONIGHT, SH7 plays The Creature. This is not Boris Karloff's bolt-necked, grunting monster. The Creature is intelligent, articulate, driven, and full of strength. His burning need to find out who created him, to discover why he was made, is something that as humans we can all empathize with. A little bit of Mary Shelley's Creature dwells inside us all.
Frankenstein is his first TLT production and we're thrilled to have him!
Tell us a little about who you are when you are not on stage.
I am a father and a Poemedian which involves being a performer and mixed-media artist entrepreneur. In short, buy my book - SQUIRCULAR: An Actors Tale!
How did you first get involved in theater?
In college, I was Paco in The Night of Iguana, by Williams.
What do you love most about acting?
Experiencing the creative transformation that is always available to humans at any moment and the empathy with various beings.
What drew you to Frankenstein?
The role and journey of the creature is unique, inspiring and beautifully tragic.
What is the most challenging aspect of this show?
The movement and voice work.
What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
Go for it and read everything and listen to everything you can devour on the subject.
Summer Hill Seven, as The Creature. With Scott Mock as Victor Frankenstein.
Frankenstein opens tonight, October 11th, 2012 and runs through October 28th. Tickets are on sale now via our website, or you can call the Box Office at 850-224-8474.
Scott is a TLT veteran, having appeared in several shows over the last few years. You might recognize him as the put-upon stage manager, Tim, from 2010's Noises Off!; as the intelligent Inspector Hearne from Witness for the Prosecution; as the dim-witted but loveable Ellard in The Foreigner (for which he won an award as Best Character Actor 2011); or most recently as the scheming Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing.
This is Scott's first lead role at TLT, as the doomed genius Dr. Victor Frankenstein, in Frankenstein opening this Thursday, October 11th.
Tell us a little about who you are when you are not on stage.
I work for the Florida Department of Transportation crunching numbers in the General Accounting Office as a Locally Funded Agreement Accountant.
How did you first get involved in theater?
I started with theatre my freshman year at Leon High School because I needed an elective and fell in love with all aspects of the stage. I kind of fell out of it for a few years, but was drawn back during the 2009-2010 season. Not just with acting but also volunteering to work backstage and with the front of house. I love how when all elements are brought together, a kind of magic occurs.
What do you love most about acting?
I love the opportunity to step into someone else's shoes for a bit. If you see me outside of the theatre, I am typically a pretty quiet guy, acting allows me to unlock my hidden gregarious side.
What drew you to Frankenstein?
I had first read the novel when I was about 13 years old, and it stuck with me. I think the story is much more than just your typical monster fare. There is an underlying tragedy of a man who goes too far and loses everything as a result.
What is the most challenging aspect of this show?
I think making Victor as a relatable character is kind of challenging. It would be easy to go over the top and make him a mad man in his quest to create life, but in order for the audience to want him to succeed in the end, he has to be grounded.
What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
If you have ever thought about it, definitely come out and audition. You never know you might have something that a director was looking for. And if you don't get cast, don't let that discourage you there are plenty opportunities to be a part of the show and hang out with some pretty cool people.
Scott Mock as Victor Frankenstein
Tickets for Frankenstein are on sale now!
You can purchase yours online here or by calling 850-224-8474.
Meet the Director (and Designer!) of TLT's latest production, Frankenstein, Joel Daavid
In 1816, a then-18-year-old Mary Shelley sat down to write a horror story based on a dream she'd had. What resulted is one of the best known novels of horror and suspense ever written, and possibly the world's first science fiction novel. Shelley's tale of young genius Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his quest to create life out of death caught the imagination of the world, and its lessons still echo today.
It's been a few years since TLT tackled a well known horror story (Dracula back in 2007). We wanted something to match the spirit of the season, and we knew we also wanted something different, something that Tallahassee theatregoers had never seen before.
Enter Joel Daavid. Joel comes to us from Los Angeles, where he's an award winning director and designer. When we decided we wanted to do Frankenstein Joel stepped forward and volunteered to bring this monster to life. His unique vision and talents have created a show unlike anything Tallahassee has ever seen before. Over the next few days we'll be giving you some sneak peeks at the production design for Frankenstein, but first we'd like to present the man behind the monster:
First, tell us a little about yourself and what you do when you're not involved in theater?
When am I NOT involved in theater, that's the question. Theater has become integrated into every area of my life so much that it has become my life-- and I'm good with that. My mother first took me to theater when I was very little and in doing so introduced me to what has become my greatest passion. In the theater, I have done everything; acting, singing, designing and directing, even reaching into opera and ballet. Fortunately, love may be found in the theater as well, as I met and began dating a terrifically talented scenic painter and actress who became my girlfriend, Marine.
How did you first get started in theater? What drew you to it? I first got involved in theater when I was drawn to stage crew in middle school. There, a little ragtag band of technicians gave me the desire to work backstage and develop my first love for the theatre. I did everything I could imagine except costuming. Unfortunately, my foray into acting was fairly short lived. I remember enthusiastically taking the stage in a Shakespeare play, but as curtain opened, I stood there alone, not being able to remember my first (or any) line. When the curtain closed, after what felt like an hour, not a single word had been uttered by either me or my scene partner. The embarrassment faded along with the lines, but began molding my preference to express myself creatively backstage.
My passion for everything arts-related such as photography, fine art and filmmaking also found an outlet in the theater. Theater allows me a larger pallet on which to work; telling the story visually through set and lighting design, it is a natural draw for my artistic interests. I was also drawn to the magic of transporting the audience to a different place and time and the satisfaction of challenging the audience to think about how their lives might be affected or changed, as mine has with every great piece of theater literature I have been involved with.
What specifically drew you to direct a production of Frankenstein a continent-length away from home?
In 2009, I worked with Barbie Nettles in my critically acclaimed L.A. production of The Miracle Worker. Barbie's daughter, Carlie played Helen Keller. As we chatted online one night, she told me that she had been inspired to direct the same play here in Tallahassee. Working in a variety of venues, learning and sharing talents is a great way to grow and keep a fresh approach, so I asked Barbie if there might be an opportunity for me to direct a show at Tallahassee Little Theatre. She spoke with the TLT Board of Trustees and the then new executive director, Theresa Davis, who all agreed to bring me in as an outside director. It was a great opportunity just coming off the successful production of Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams. Frankenstein is an epic tale of a man who dares to play God and the consequences of creating a human being. Arriving in Tallahassee to start my planning, I was pleased to see in person the large stage as I tend to think on a big scale when it comes to all the shows I direct. TLT is a nicely equipped theater with people who are eager to create.
What was the last show you directed and where? I directed and designed Baby Doll by Tennessee Williams at the Lillian Theatre in Los Angeles to sold out houses and critical acclaim.
What would you say is your biggest challenge on this show?
The biggest challenge for me as a story teller is to make sure that people walk away with a different perspective of the story. Most people associate Frankenstein with the 1931 classic horror film but there is so much more in the novel than what was portrayed in that film. Our production will attempt to better flesh out the story, the characters have so much more depth and inner conflict. I see an opportunity to inspire the deserved appreciation and sympathy for Mary Shelley's intricate and compelling characters. It is not just a horror story but a challenge of morals.
What is your vision for this production? What do you hope audiences take away from the experience? Walking into a production I always try to approach it uniquely, avoiding the preconceptions audiences bring. My background in design and visual storytelling is quite evident in the choices I make on stage and I try to tell the story seamlessly in a cinematic way. Many of my scene transitions happen right in front of the audience incorporating theater movement, music and projections. I'm not a big fan of the blackout. I try to stage the sequence of scenes so that they almost "cross dissolve" as in film. Many audiences members have told me that watching my plays is like watching a movie. I guess all those years in film school payed off. Why should people come to see Frankenstein? I assume that most people would come to see Frankenstein based on the name alone, hoping for some good natured thrills right before Halloween. My hope is that they will be in for a major surprise when they see how beautiful the story is and how the characters themselves are enveloped in the fabric of a world created by one man daring to play God. My goal is for them to walk away with new questions about creation and an awareness of the moral dilemmas we face today with advancing science in areas such as stem cell research and cloning.
Tickets for Frankenstein are on sale now! Order yours by clicking here or call 850-224-8474.
Meet Ty Wold
As Victor Frankenstein's little brother, William, Nicolas has some very intense and scary moments on stage. It's a big job for a young actor. But Nicolas isn't a stranger to the stage. He previously played a newsboy in It's a Wonderful Life, and Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol.
