Opening Weekend Re-Cap

March 14, 2011

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE opened this weekend at the Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove, and aside from a few small technical difficulties (who knew that the wheelchair would decide to move of its own accord?!), things went fabulously.

Our backstage crew, Zach and Nina, are pretty much rock stars in disguise. Everything that happens onstage really could not happen without these two. They are responsible for all props, for set pieces appearing and disappearing, and for making sure that the right side of the stage's revolve is showing at the right time--oh, and they do all of this from underneath a five-foot platform that's only about three feet deep and six feet wide. They live under the platform for the duration of the show with various props, a headset to communicate with each other and me, two large chairs, two end tables, a wheelchair, and only a small light to guide their way.

Things in this show wouldn't be possible without the backstage crew, and I think that the way they've worked out how to do things in this show is pretty awesome. I'm hoping to take some photos so you all can see exactly how they maneuver such things as the chairs, the the tables, the revolve, and, of course, the magical appearance of the record player.

So this is a techie appreciation post: thanks, guys! I seriously could not do this show without you.

Posted by Erin Brophy - Stage Manager

Stephan Roselin makes his Playhouse debut as Mitch in TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

Continuing with our week of lead up excitement to the opening of TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, The Playhouse is excited to welcome Stephan Roselin into The Sunset Playhouse family. Stephan makes his debut at The Playhouse with this production, and we certainly hope it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Roselin Stars in TUESDAYS

When Stephan Roselin says he has been an actor “forever,” he isn’t kidding. He was three years old when he first appeared on the air. His parents produced public service announcements and often recruited him for roles.

“I was the baby in the bike safety message,” Roselin said. “I got the acting bug from doing those announcements and kept at it through the years.”

Roselin plays “Mitch” in the Sunset Playhouse production, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, March 11 to April 3. Mitch is the former student of Morrie Schwartz, whose wit and wisdom has endeared him to legions of theatergoers.

An internship with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre brought Roselin to the city in 1991. The New York City area native had completed a master’s degree in Fine Arts at Case Western Reserve University and was looking for an opportunity. He found that Milwaukee had wonderful theatre companies and many other advantages.

After his internship ended, a stint as “Andy,” the host of the Fox Kids Club on WCGV TV, led to promotion and marketing work for local television. As the result of a role with the Shorewood Players in A FEW GOOD MEN, he became a co-founder of the theatre company, Bialystock & Bloom. The group was part of the Milwaukee scene for 11 years, providing a niche for new talent and producing theatre with provocative themes.

“It was a chance to do everything—direct, act, produce—I really became immersed in theatre. It was really fun.”

Acting is a true love, says Roselin. He has played a variety of parts with Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theatre, First Stage Children’s Theater, and other Milwaukee groups. He also does commercials and voiceovers.

“You find a balance,” said Roselin, who is the Promotions Specialist at Time Warner Cable Media where he develops events and campaigns that support advertising efforts. “I have been able to stay in touch with my artistic side over the years.”

--Kay Tierney

tuesdays with morrie: entering tech week

Yesterday was our first official tech day for MORRIE at Sunset Playhouse, and we managed to cue-to-cue the entire show and run sections of it in a nine-hour period--not bad for a first technical rehearsal!

The set looks incredible--it amazes me how much happens overnight when no one else is around to see it. Michael Desper, our resident set designer, really outdid himself on this set, if you ask me. Everything has this ethereal, dreamy quality to it, and the light design really emphasizes that.

This was the first tech experience I've had where I could spend the entire rehearsal sitting in the lightbooth, watching the process, and it is thanks to Nina, one of our stagehands, that that could happen. She sat backstage on headset and directed actors via myself and Matt Daniels, the show's director, and did so with much goodwill.

This was definitely one of the most fun tech rehearsals I've ever been part of. Not only did we accomplish things, we also made jokes and talked about things outside of the theatrical world, to give us a small break when one of us would become slightly stir-crazy.

The best part of the evening? By far trying to figure out how to differentiate from "Morrie" and "Mitch" in the visual/audio cues for lights to be called in the SM script. In blocking notes, I'd been writing "Mo" and "Mt" (as though they were scientific elements--which, I suppose, actors are, in a way, in the world of a play) but there wasn't enough room in the opposite margin for that as well as the cue number as well as the moment to anticipate the cue. But problems were solved, glow tape was laid down, revolve problems (yes, the stage revolves!) were solved, and today we go into our first tech/dress with fingers crossed.

I think things will go swimmingly--we've already been doing full runs of the show for nearly two weeks. Stephan and Don are just racing along with this show, and so far it's been a fun ride.

-Erin B
Stage Manager
Sunset Playhouse

Don Devona--he was born to play Morrie!

Starting today, we're featuring some profiles of folks working on our production of TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE that runs from March 10-April 3 as part of our Furlan Mainstage Series. We thought you'd enjoy learning a little more about some of the folks creating the work on this really wonderful stage adaptation of Mitch Albom's best-selling book of the same name.

We begin today with a profile on the wonderful actor and charming Sunset Playhouse volunteer Don Devona who plays Morrie in our production. Thanks to Kay Tierney, a superb new addition to our volunteer corps for this insightful profile. Enjoy! (And get your tickets now for TUESDAY WITH MORRIE by clicking this link.)

Don Devona Plays “Morrie”

Actor Don Devona brings some valuable experience to the role of “Morrie” at Sunset Playhouse. He already has played the feisty, ailing college professor in TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, at Milwaukee’s Soulstice Theatre in 2009.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to do the play again,” Devona said. “Morrie’s attitude is so positive. He is trying to make people think more about getting along…he is interested in helping people become better.”

Sunset is staging the acclaimed play March 11 to April 3. Based on the best selling autobiographical novel by Mitch Albom, the story centers on the wit and wisdom of Morrie Schwartz. Albom describes a series of weekly visits to his former teacher that became a last class in the meaning of life.

Critics have called the play moving, powerful, and packed with humor and insight. The NY Daily News described it as “a touching, life-affirming deeply emotional drama.”

Devona says the play has an uplifting spirit despite Morrie’s impending death from Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The script is filled with gems such as one of the actor’s favorites: “Love is the only rational act. Without love we are like birds with broken wings.”

Devona has been involved in theatre since he was a teenager. A teacher overseas for many years, he participated in drama groups wherever he was working. He played in “The Foreigner” in Italy, “Our Town” in Germany and in a number of other productions.

When he moved to Milwaukee in 1998, Devona took an acting workshop that led to an offer of two small parts in ROOM SERVICE at Next Act Theatre. He has been in 22 local plays since that time, playing Truman in GIVE 'EM HELL, HARRY, Kris Kringle in MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, Norman in ON GOLDEN POND, and other roles.

He also has had major singing roles in a number of musicals including JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, THE KING AND I and MY FAIR LADY.

--Kay Tierney