February 2009 - Ashley Paul, Resident Costume Designer  Each month I will be shining the Spotlight on one member of our company, beginning with our in-house crew. Because of the nature of the Highland Players - a young person's drama troupe - there will always be a certain amount of turnover. Kids grow up and graduate, then have the nerve to move away from Moscow! My hopes, however, are that those who remain in the area will know they can come back in the future and participate in the productions of the Players. How fun to someday have a reunion production! For our first Spotlight, there was no one else I could choose but Ashley Paul, our Resident Costume Designer! I first got to know Ashley when she was in my British Literature class two years ago, and I discovered that she LOVES to make costumes, chain mail, armor...things she sees in movies, she figures out a way to make them! Now this was a girl after my own heart, considering my own love for historical costumes. Not only was it a pleasure discussing costuming with her, but she is also one of those high-achieving students that every teacher longs for! Ashley was a delight from the beginning! As I began making plans for our first production, Much Ado About Nothing, I could think of no one else to ask about doing costumes - I've got this wonderful, hard-working girl in my class who makes chain mail for fun...talk about a no-brainer! She enthusiastically agreed to be my costume designer and seamstress for that production - and with 26 actors in the play, she had her hands full! Ashley worked that entire summer of 2007 on these costumes, with the help of her wonderful mom, Sandi! A few of the actors had more than one costume (for example, Hero's wedding dress, above, was just for this scene - she had another bodice and skirt she wore for the rest of the play), so needless to say, Ashley was a busy, busy girl! My biggest fear, when it was all said and done, was that I had burned her out on doing this ever again...I figured she would decide that once was fun and fine, but NEVER AGAIN! Boy, was I wrong!  And please don't get the idea that "all" Ashley does is design and sew the costumes, and then she's finished. No, no, no...this girl runs her legs off during each performance, making sure costume changes happen at the right place (and helping girls into their dresses, when necessary), and even muddying up our actors when necessary! Following Shrew's busy schedule, I worried again...what if Ashley is tired of all this stuff?!? I had to remind myself that if someone doesn't want to do something, they shouldn't do it, and I figured I could someday find someone else to take her place...or have all of my Shakespearean productions in modern dress!!! I couldn't imagine doing this without Ashley, but I felt like I had to give her an out if she wanted it. Did she??? Nope...and again I find myself in the position of thanking God for such a wonderful young woman to work with on these productions!  As I finish this month's Spotlight, I can hear the giggles of 4 young girls, down the hall from my office. They are learning today how to make chain mail...first with plastic rings, then as they become more accomplished, they will switch to the aluminum rings we plan to use for this summer's Macbeth. Who, pray tell, is teaching them? That would be Ashley...costume designer extraordinaire...first resident member of the Highland Players...and all-around wonderful girl! March 2009 - Chuck Morrow, Advisory Board Member & Fellow Director
 I asked Chuck what directing the Highland Players was like - specifically, working with a bunch of teenagers. He replied, "I love it. Working with teens has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that they are eager to learn, and will accept nearly every suggestion I have for a scene. They don't have preconceived notions of what should happen. They're open to interpretation. The disadvantage is that in the plays I have directed, these teens are supposed to be adults. Not ever having been adults before, they aren't used to the mannerisms adults have." He used an example from And Then There Were None, when they acutally used real liquid for the first time (in this case, root beer) for the "drinks." They were gulping the root beer down so fast that he had to explain that if those drinks had been alcoholic, they would be passed out on the floor! 
April 2009 - Alli Guyer, Advisory Board Member Our Spotlight Company Member for this month is none other than Alli Guyer, Advisory Board Member, Principal of Montrose Academy, and birthday girl on April 30th! (Alli is the gorgeous tall lady on the right, in the picture below - I'm the one with the bowl!)  Like most thespians, Alli has enjoyed theatre and acting all of her life. She took a few classes in junior high school which gave her the opportunity to do small plays and skits. As an adult, she has helped with several plays and acted in one - David Copperfield at Logos. She says, though, "If you would ask my family, they would tell you I am dramatic almost constantly...." When asked if she would consider acting in the future, she said she was unsure - the future is hard to see, of course - but that she does enjoy smaller, cameo roles - obscure characters that allow her to be someone completely different. Alli has been the principal at Montrose Academy for the past 4 years, and is now the Webmaster of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University. She has three children, two of whom are graduating this May from Montrose. All three of them love acting and the theatre. Alli says, "I attribute that to their outstanding educations at Logos and Montrose. Theatre is celebrated at both of these schools, and they were exposed to acting starting in kindergarten."  I asked Alli what she thought theatre and drama had to offer young people, our community, and audiences of all ages. She said that acting is quite enjoyable and that the community gets to enjoy the production as well as the cast. "I think the level of theatre Jen is doing with the Highland Players is instructional as well. We have a few classes at Montrose Academy that incorporate Shakespeare into the curriculum, and so the kids end up being quite familiar with his works before entering these classes. It's so enjoyable watching kids visiting with one another about Shakespeare's works...even at the elementary level." When asked about hobbies and interests, Alli said, "I like the idea of having hobbies and interests, but outside of work, I have little time for them. If I weren't working so much, I love to play games, read, decorate, and shop." I suspect that enjoying theatre is another interest for Alli as she said, "I wish the Palouse Highland Players the best of luck in their future endeavors - I hope to attend their productions for many years to come!"  (It's all part of dealing with teenagers...Just kidding, this was staged - Alli and her hysterical daughter, Kayla!) |
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