10 Girls, 10 Shows

Hello, everyone! Look how active AYAA has been. I have finals coming up so things may start to dip off in the coming weeks, but fear not! After that I will be home and life will be full of AYAA goodness. :)

So today and next Sunday, I am doing a two part series. I asked a group of women and a group of men to tell me which parts they would most want to be in a list of ten shows. I tried to ask across ethnicity and age as much as possible. Five of the shows are the same for both genders and then five are different. I also told them they didn't have to pay attention to race, but most of them chose to. :)

Today, I am happy to present 10 Girls, 10 Shows, featuring responses from Brittney Peters, Sarah Davidson, Zoe Zamora, Jessica Sinodis, Avery Strachan, Benny Cowans, Reagan Burows, Jessie Jo Pauley, Audrey Coleman and myself. Please enjoy!

*I also edited some of the responses for length.

Brittney

Part 1 - The Profiles

1) Brittney Peters
Almost 21
Caucasian
2nd Soprano

2) Sarah Davidson
18
White af
Mezzo

3) Zoe Zamora

Sarah

19
Hispanic
Mezzo-Soprano

4) Jessica Sinodis
18
White (Greek descent)
Mezzo

5) Avery Strachan
17
Black
Alto primarily, but has a range between mezzo and contralto

Zoe (pc: Jacqui Schlink)

6) Benny Cowans
15
Mixed race
Soprano

7) Reagan Burows
17
White
Alto

8) Jessie Jo Pauley
18
Ethnically ambiguous (Okinawan and European)
Soprano

Jessica

9) Audrey Coleman
14
White
Mezzo Soprano/Alto

10) Mackenna Goodrich
18
White
Soprano

Part 2 - The Shows:

1) Legally Blonde

• Brittney: Margo
• Sarah: Elle
• Zoe: Elle Woods
• Jessica: Elle Woods (no brainer; played her before) 
• Avery: I love being the bad guy so Vivienne would be so cool!!
• Benny: ELLE WOODS (dream role)
• Reagan: Paulette
• Jessie Jo: Elle or Margo!
• Audrey: Elle Woods



Avery

• Mackenna: I could play Paulette forever, but to pick someone new, I'd go with Serena.

2) Grease

• Brittney: Jan
• Sarah: Jan
• Zoe: Rizzo or Cha-Cha (I love the dancing!)
• Jessica: Rizzo
• Avery: Jan would be my #1 for right now at least––give me 2 more years and I would die to play Rizzo.
• Benny: Marty
• Reagan: Rizzo
• Jessie Jo: Although Sandy would be fun too, I've always wanted to play Rizzo.
• Audrey: Rizzo



Benny

• Mackenna: Rizzo or Jan

3) Into the Woods

• Brittney: Little Red
• Sarah: Baker's Wife
• Zoe: Little Red
• Jessica: The Witch (played her before)
• Avery: I would LOVE to say Cinderella just so I could be a princess but if I'm being honest with myself Little Red is the one for me.
• Benny: Baker's Wife
• Reagan: The Witch
• Jessie Jo: I would loveee to be either the Witch or Cinderella 
• Audrey: Cinderella



Reagan

• Mackenna: Baker's Wife

4) Little Shop of Horrors

• Brittney: Audrey
• Sarah: Audrey
• Zoe: Not Sure (A/N: I think Zoe would be great as a part of the Chiffon, Crystal, Ronette trio)
• Jessica: Audrey or Audrey II
• Avery: Either Ronette, Crystal or Chiffon. It honestly doesn't matter to me because they all have the same vocal range. But if I were to pick solely on names I would totally choose Ronette because I feel like it was a hip name to have back in the day.
• Benny: Any one of the three trio girls (Ronnette, Crystal or Chiffon)
• Reagan: Ronette
• Jessie Jo: Oh my goodness Audrey would be so fun.
• Audrey: Audrey
• Mackenna: Audrey was my first ever dream role, but if I could play Audrey II, I would.

Jessie Jo (pc: Jessica Frieling)

5) Wicked

• Brittney: Elphaba
• Sarah: Elphaba
• Zoe: Elphaba
• Jessica: Glinda
• Avery: Glinda is a DREAM role of mine, but I totally can't handle that high of a range, so I guess I have to settle for Elphaba.
• Benny: Glinda
• Reagan: Elphaba
• Jessie Jo: GA-LINDAA!!!
• Audrey: Glinda
• Mackenna: Elphaba and I now know I want Jessie and I to be Elphaba and Glinda together.

Audrey

6) Les Miserables

• Brittney: Eponine
• Sarah: Eponine
• Zoe: Eponine
• Jessica: Fantine or Madame Thenardier
• Avery: 99% of the time I would pick Eponine. (A/N: She also mentioned Cosette and Madame Thenardier in her answer.)
• Benny: Cosette
• Reagan: Cosette
• Jessie Jo: Eponine has always been one of my dream roles 
• Audrey: Eponine
• Mackenna: Fantine because she slays and then is just chilling the rest of the show

Mackenna

7) Chicago

• Brittney: Roxie
• Sarah: Velma
• Zoe: Velma
• Jessica: Velma
• Avery: Roxie
• Benny: Kitty Baxter
• Reagan: Velma
• Jessie Jo: ROXIE HART OH YES
• Audrey: Roxie
• Mackenna: Roxie or Mona, who is the "artistic differences" murderess.

8) Heathers

• Brittney: H. McNamara
• Sarah: Heather Chandler
• Zoe: Not sure (A/N: One of the Heathers, probably Duke, but I could also see her killing McNamara or Chandler)
• Jessica: Heather Chandler !!!
• Avery: Heather Chandler Heather Chandler Heather Chandler!!!!
• Benny: Heather Chandler
• Reagan: Martha Dunstock
• Jessie Jo: Veronica or Heather McNamara
• Audrey: Veronica
• Mackenna: Veronica pls or more realistically, Ms. Fleming. 

9) Hairspray

• Brittney: Penny
• Sarah: Amber
• Zoe: Amber
• Jessica: Velma Von Tussle (also played)
• Avery: Race aside, in all honesty, Amber is a DREAM ROLE of mine. 
• Benny: Penny
• Reagan: Tracy
• Jessie Jo: Penny! Mason Reeves will be my Seaweed one day.... he promised. 
• Audrey: Amber
• Mackenna: Penny

10) West Side Story

• Brittney: Anybody's
• Sarah: Anita
• Zoe: Anita
• Jessica: Jet Girl
• Avery: I would say Anita, but just give me a few years more of life experience.
• Benny: Ensemble
• Reagan: Anita
• Jessie Jo: This one's easy: Maria. This is my favorite role I've ever had the honor to play. I would do it over and over again!
• Audrey: Anita if I weren't white
• Mackenna: Anita or Anybody's

Thanks for reading and tune in next Sunday for the boys' turn!

AYAA Talkback: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone!

photo credits

I hope everyone had a great day full of food, family and fun yesterday. Now, on your breaks from madcap shopping today, I wanted to share an AYAA post all about gratitude and giving thanks. A while ago, we did a post about female empowerment, where we had young ladies talk about women they admire in the AZ Theatre Community. For Thanksgiving, I wanted to extend that to both genders in the form of giving thanks.

So please enjoy reading about who we would like to give thanks to this year! And leave who you're thankful for in the comments below or on Facebook!

Julian Mendoza: "James May. He is my music theatre dad and I love him and he's so great."

Bailey Gorman: "The person in the AZ theatre community I am most thankful for is Tracie Jones. She has been by my side (or me by her side) for 5 years now. She has been such a huge role model to me, not just in theatre and in music, but in life. She has taught me so much about life that I didn't know before I met her. She also has helped me improve so, so, so incredibly much as an actor, singer, dancer, performer and person. She has been there for me through thick and thin and I owe everything to her. I honestly don't know where I would be in life without her."

Anson Romney: "I would like to thank Calli Overstreet for teaching me how to dance full out every time. I would like to thank AYT for shaping me into the performer I am today which includes Kristin and Chris Bowler. I would also like to thank Karli Giles for everything she has done for my voice. I would also like to thank Sandy Stones for being the best director I've ever worked with. As well as the Van Pattens, Sue Anne Lucius, and Cathy Huan and Jenn Crandall. I would lastly like to thank Mark and Lindsay 4man for sharing their talents to enrich the lives of young artists in the valley that love the joy of theater and entertainment."

India Chudnow: "I'm thankful for Mary Jane McCloskey  for always inspiring me and pushing me to be my best. She supports me in all things I do. That being said I'm also thankful for my mom Edie Chudnow for always helping her friends costume their shows and being so supportive. I definitely have such a great support system!!"

Miranda Smith: "All of my voice, dance, and acting teachers who sincerely caste about my growth and learning as a performer."

Jessica Sinodis: "I am thankful for Nicole Knox. She is my mentor, big sister, & best friend. She taught me to see the good in our world. She rescued me like a injured pup and nurtured me back to help. She opened my eyes and mind to many wonderful things. She has the most beautiful aura. She radiates joy and happiness. Not to mention she's so unbelievably talented! She's so passionate in her work and all her performances. I aspire to be even a tad like her. She inspires me to follow my passion and my heart every single day- Even 60 miles away in Tucson! She's the human I know will be at my wedding and will be my best friend forever. That's why I'm thankful for Nicole Knox."

Benny Cowans: "I would like to thank Jessica Sinodis for always making me smile no matter what the circumstance and for always being there for me."

Danny Blankemeier: "I am thankful for Andrea McFeely for all that she's done for Actor's Youth Theatre and what she is doing with Tuscany Theatre Company. She had taken me and so many others further into our art."

And from me: Clearly, I am thankful everyone who reads AYAA on a regular basis. As of writing this post, we are approaching 50,000 page views and with this post, we should break that barrier. I'm so excited that I get to continue working on this project even though I'm living in the midwest. And then to share some gratitude for specific people: I am thankful to Tracie Jones, Rebekah Avila, Josh Lindblom, Paige Beckman and Suzu Henderson for being so helpful and supportive of our AYAA cabarets. I think it is so fun that I get to share AYAA with audiences from two different theatres. And then as for some of my kiddos, Sarah Davidson, Sarah Pansing, Jessie Jo Pauley––you three ladies are such lights and so great for this site. Sarah Davidson and Jessie, thank you for taking charge on some things when I was leaving for college. Sarah Davidson, you've been the biggest supporter and participant in AYAA since day one. Sarah Pansing, you are wise beyond your years and provide a calming presence whenever I'm around you.

Thank you for your continued support of AYAA! Can't wait to bring you more awesome content. :)

AYAA Dreamcasting: All About Plays!

Hey there everyone! So we have done a lot––A LOT––of dreamcasting on AYAA, but I realized we have neglected a large section of theatre: plays! I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of plays. And recently, I've noticed whenever I go see a new show, I tend to sit there and just think about kids from home who would be really good in the shows I'm seeing. So today, I wanted to do a dreamcasting all about plays!

Also, tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I will be spending the day with Jackie Brecker and her family in Illinois. However, I do have a Thanksgiving post planned. If you are interested in being a part of it, shoot me a message. It will take you less than five minutes.

Thank you to Peyton Flake, Jake Bonar, Summer Farnsworth, Ali Giordano, Grey Smith, Avery Strachan, Noah Delgado and Bryce Dilullo for your submissions for today's dreamcasting. Their casts and mine are all below! Thanks!

Noah Delgado
Nick Dear's Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein/the Creature* - Danny Blankemeier
The Creature/Victor Frankenstein* - Noah Delgado
Elizabeth Lavenza - Maria Boas
M Frankenstein - Miles Johnson
William Frankenstein - Declan Skaggs
De Lacey - Bryce Dilullo
Felix - Hayden Skaggs
Agatha - India Chudnow
Female Creature - Kylee Webb
Gretel - Macy Wood
Clarice the maid - Alexis Winn
* In this adaptation the roles of Victor and the Creature are double cast

Grey Smith
Money and Friends
Margaret - Emma Wang
Peter - Grey Smith
Penny - Sophia Donnell
Stephen - Joey Cavazos
Alex - Aryasp Nejat
Conrad - Aaron Brown
Jacquie - Brooke Clements
Vicki - Becca Galcik

Justin - Dustin Noga

Peter and the Starcatcher
Peyton Flake
Boy/Peter: Brandon Hayes
Molly: Peyton Flake (Sue me)
Black Stache: Joey J Grado
Smee: Liam Thibeault
Prentiss: Dale Mortensen
Ted: Connor Brigola
Mrs. Bumbrake: Josh Martin
Alf: Jackson Daniels

Lord Aster: Michael Gerardi

Jake Bonar
Boy: Sam Primack
Molly: Sophia Bavishi
Black Stache: Connor Baker
Smee: Joey Grado
Ted: Devon Policci
Prentiss: Sam Cottle
Lord Aster: Liam Thibeault
Mrs. Bumbrake: Sophia Drapeau
Alf: Steven Enriquez
Captain Scott: Jacob Herrera
Slank: Isaac Dowdle
Fighting Prawn: Phoebe Koyabe

Hawking Clam: Ethan Shanker

Summer Farnsworth
Charley's Aunt
Youth:
Charley- Brandon Brown
Jack- Kale Burr
Babbs- Liam Thibeault
Sir Francis Chesney- Steven Enriquez
Stephen Spettigue- Devon Policci
Donna Lucia-Jessica Sinodis
Kitty Verdun- Meg Farnsworth
Amy Spettigue- Sarah Pansing
Ela Delahay- Sophia Bavishi

Adult:
Charley- Brandon Reyes
Jack- Adam Bei
Babbs- Vinny Chavez
Sir Francis Chesney- Mark Kleinman
Stephen Spettigue- Peter Cunniff
Donna Lucia- Carrie Ann
Kitty Verdun-- Heidi Liz
Amy Spettigue- Audrey Sullivan

Ela Delahay- Tiana Marks

Ali Giordano
Our Town
Stage Manager- Spencer Claus
Emily Webb- Me (I'd love to play her!)
George Gibbs- Vinney Pugliese
Mr. Gibbs- Jack Rose
Mrs. Gibbs- Quincy Janisse
Mr. Webb- Julian Mendoza
Mrs. Webb- Sophia Chavez
Rebecca Gibbs- Sydney Wolfert

Wally Webb- Kylan Chait

Avery Strachan
Glass Menagerie 
Amanda- India Rose Chudnow
Laura- Sarah Pansing
Tom- Vincent Pugliese

Jim- Nathan Sheppard

Private Lives
Amanda- Avery Strachan
Elyot- Devon Policci
Sibyl- Jessica Sinodis

Victor- Steven Enriquez

Arsenic and Old Lace
Abby- India Rose Chudnow
Martha- Lily Castle
Teddy- Devon Policci
Elaine- Kayla Dobbs
Mortimer- Vincent Pugliese
Johnathan- Steven Enriquez
Dr Einstein- Joey J Grado
Rev Harper- Julian Mendoza
Officer Klein- Clay Rollon
Mr Gibbs- Johnny Robaina
Mr Witherspoon- Nathan Sheppard
Officer Brophy- Anson Romney
Officer O'Hara- Mark Munoz

Lieutenant Rooney- Sam Primack

Bryce Dilullo
This Could Be Murder
Polly Dewitt-Mackenna Goodrich
Verna Mae Broomall-Sarah Davidson
Patience-Emma Welch
Precious-Summer Farnsworth
Sheriff Leghorn-Nicholas Hambruch
Deputy Dibbs-Carter Palumbo (the most legendary thing I've ever seen I can't think of anyone else)
Shag Berber-Grey Smith
Vinny-Joey J Grado
Satynne Lining-Grace Napoleon Bonaparte
Art Kraft-Miranda Smith
Daisy-AJ Marshal
Sadie Switzer-Jessica Sindois
Tiger Switzer-Mark Munoz

Maxine Star-Layla Fahrbach

Mackenna Goodrich
A Midsummer's Night Dream
Thesus: Nicholas Hambruch
Hippolyta: Sarah Davidson
Philostrate: Grey Smith
Egeus: Julian Mendoza
Hermia: Jessie Jo Pauley
Helena: Alli Halliday
Lysander: Kale Burr
Demetrius: Vincent Pugliese
Oberon: Hank Woods
Titania: Rebecca Galcik b/c she is the queen
Puck: Devon Policci
Peaseblossom: Jackie Brecker
Cobweb: Nick Williams
Moth: Connor Baker
Mustardseed: Anson Romney
Peter Quince: Noah Delgado
Nick Bottom: Bryce Dilullo
Francis Flute: Sam Primack
Robin Snarveling: Kevin Kennedy
Tom Snout: Ethan Shanker
Snug: Joey J Grado

The Odd Couple: Female Version
Florence: Brittney Peters
Olive: India Chudnow
Mickey: Brooke Clements
Sylvie: Jessica Sinodis
Renee: Grace Napoletano
Vera: Lina Cappellano
Manolo: Brandon Reyes
Jesus: Vinney Chavez

The Crucible
Reverend Samuel Parris: Konnor Smith
Tituba: Jazmin Garven
Abigail Williams: Johnna Watson
Suzanna Walcott: Benny Cowans
Ann Putnam: Avery Strachan
Thomas Putnam: Joey Grado
Betty Parris: Addison Bowman
Mercy Lewis: Summer Beckman
Mary Warren: Sarah Pansing
John Proctor: Jack Rose
Giles Corey: Sam Primack
Rebecca Nurse: Reagan Burows
Rev. John Hale: Nathan Sheppard
Elizabeth Proctor: Summer Farnsworth
George Herrick: Nick Williams
Judge Hathorne: Bailey Gorman
Deputy Governor Danforth: Grey Smith

The Rabbit Hole
Becca: Olivia Nienstedt
Izzy: Grace Lisicki
Howie: Hale Stewart
Nat: Reagan Burows
Jason Willette: Nick Williams

12 Angry Jurors
One - Spencer Claus
Two - Nick Williams
Three - Reed Daniel
Four - Audrey Coleman
Five - Payton Bioletto
Six - Connor Baker
Seven - Connor Brigola
Eight - Liam Thibeault
Nine - Hank Woods
Ten - Danny Blankemeier
Eleven - Jasmine Bassham
Twelve - Caroline Jackson

Alice in Wonderland
Alice - Tatumn Zale
White Rabbit - Andrey Lull
Dormouse - Lina Cappellano
Caterpillar - Danny Blankemeier
Cheshire Cat - Sam Primack
March Hare - Sophia Bavishi
Mad Hatter - Hale Stewart
Card Guards (3) - Austin Porter, Kale Burr, Jake Bonar
Queen of Hearts - Jessica Sinodis
King of Hearts -  Josh Weisler
Knave of Hearts - Vincent Pugliese
Tweedledum - Devon Policci
Tweedledee - Sam Primack

Radium Girls
Grace - Jessie Pauley
Roeder - Noah Delgado
Tom - Kale Burr
Markley - Nicholas Hambruch
Lee - Aaron Brown
Miss Wiley - Sarah Pansing
Kathryn - Jessica Sinodis
Von Sochocky - Connor Baker
Mrs. Roeder - Addison Bowman
Mrs. Fryer - Lily Castle
Berry - Anson Romney
Reporter - Nick Williams
Sob Sister - Audrey Coleman
Irene - Grace Napoletano
Macneil - Gillian Elliot
Madam Curie - India Chudnow

Thanks for putting up with the late post! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

AYAA Cabaret Survey!

Hello everyone! I am working on a second cabaret for the winter and want some feedback from the AYAA Community about pairings and songs you would like to see at an upcoming show! Feel free to provide as many suggestions as you want. I will be using this form to reach out to people about being in the show, so please be thorough! Broadway songs preferred, but if there is a cool idea you have for another genre, please feel free to include those as well!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVx2smHvwstMmi_UXQVdCaVL_1ChypBlGfZ6omVDxGb5BOgQ/viewform

AYAA Election Special

Hey everyone! So I sent out a form for this post a while ago and had intended on posting it the day after the election. But considering how upset so many of our readers were/still are, it felt inappropriate to post a silly article about politics. So I held off for a few days. However, people put good work into this form so I didn't want to just disregard it.

In addition to this post, the day after the election, I made a playlist called "Remembering to Love." My friends and I at Kenyon have been listening to it a ton these past few days and I wanted to share it with some AYAA readers. It's not all musical theatre songs, but it includes a few so I still felt it appropriate to share it on the site.

https://open.spotify.com/user/1233252679/playlist/75z1ApBEMIhrfsghODohGA

Also, I am excited to announce there will be an AYAA Christmas cabaret when I am home in AZ for Christmas Vacation! All the details are not worked out yet, but I wanted to plant the nugget in your brains. :) It will include actors and actresses from the Phoenix Metro area like Bailey Gorman, Bryce Dilullo, Sarah Davidson, Vincent Pugliese, Julian Mendoza, and many many more!

In any case, without further chit chat, I asked a few people to answer some questions about their "musical theatre" government. Some of them chose to use Broadway actors, some chose actors from our area, and some chose a mix. Read on!

(WARNING: this article contains the swears! Oh boy!)

Bryce Dilullo
President: Ben Guffey
Vice President: Joey J the Rapper
Secretary of State: the dog from Legally Blonde
Secretary of Defense: Carter Palumbo
National Anthem: "Dead Girl Walking"
New motto: I have maggots in my scrotum

"Anonymous"
President: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Vice President: Christian Borle
Secretary of State: Rory O'Malley
Secretary of Defense: Lauren Benanti. She'd get shit done.
National Anthem: McDonald's theme song (I know it's not theatre, but it's SO right)
New motto: I am not throwing away my shot!

Sarah Pansing
President: Barbra Streisand
Vice President: Neil Patrick Harris
Secretary of State: Ramin Karimloo
Secretary of Defense: Patti LuPone
National Anthem: "Seasons of Love"
New motto: I am not throwing away my shot!

Jessica Sinodis
President: Patti LuPone
Vice President: Jonathan Groff
Secretary of State: Sutton Foster
Secretary of Defense: Lin-Manuel Miranda
National Anthem: "Alexander Hamilton"
New motto: Gay or European?

INDIA
President: ew I know everyone is going to say Hamilton please stop...  I'm voting Julie Andrews
Vice President: Angela Lansbury
Secretary of State: Carmen Cusack
Secretary of Defense: Andy Bernard as Antony
(A/N: I laughed out loud in the middle of the bookstore when I read that. If you haven't seen the episode of The Office, "Andy's Play," I highly recommend it.)
National Anthem: "Motherhood" from Hello Dolly!
New motto: Climb every mountain

Sam Primack
President: Sarah Pansing
Vice President: Kelli James
Secretary of State: Addison Bowman
Secretary of Defense: Not Devon Policci
National Anthem: Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song"

Nick Hambruch
President: Jean Valjean
Vice President: Detective Carl Hanratty
Secretary of State: Esmeralda
Secretary of Defense: ENJOLRAS
National Anthem: "Do You Hear the People Sing?"
New motto: God help the outcasts, or nobody will.

and then there was this... Ya Boi
President: Kanye West
Vice President: Jay-Z
Secretary of State: Beyonce
Secretary of Defense: DMX
National Anthem: "Ultralight Beam"
New motto: I met Kanye West, I'm never going to fail.